It's Time to Leave Port Once Again For This Top Ten Journey!
Here we are again exploring the spectacle and the splendors that make up the seas of One Piece. If you haven’t read part 1 yet, you can do so here, as it will give you my #10-8 to the masterpieces of storytelling that make up this legendary series' first half.
As for now, tackling this section might actually have been harder. Trying to establish the middle of the pack with a franchise with such great material is already leading me to really nitpick the finer details. Even as I broke into the top 5, I found myself agonizing because each of these arcs are incredible.
This section tackles some of the strongest material Oda has created, with the most emotional moments and most epic of fights. So without further ado, I want to start this section with an iconic, if flawed landmark for the franchise.
7. Alabasta (Ch. 155-217, 63 chapters)
Let me get this out of the way. I think the Alabasta arc is far from perfect. From similar pacing issues to Skypiea, to some strange and at times cliche dialogue choices, it is an arc that I and many other fans have noticed there being cracks in. It was also the conclusion of Oda’s first real multi-arc narrative in the series, and it was still a strong conclusion at that.
Since entering the Grand Line, The Straw Hats and Vivi’s lives have been constantly intertwined. From capturing her while she was undercover in Baroque Works, to her and her giant duck Karoo joining in their island hopping adventure, we grew to see her as part of the crew as they laughed and cried together along the way. This arc is the culmination of all that time together, and in turn acts as the final stages for Vivi’s growth as a future ruler for her people.
The arc also marks a major turning point for the crew as well. We meet Ace, Luffy's brother, for the very first time and are introduced to his hunt for Blackbeard. Luffy suffers his first real loss in the story against Crocodile, leading him to try to better strategize a way to fight the shifty sand croc. Their subsequent rematch is also some of the best in the entire Alabasta saga, with Luffy using his own blood covered fists to finish off the sinister Mr. 0.
The other members also get a spotlight in combat, including the first time we actually see Nami choosing to fight to protect Vivi against Miss Doublefinger. Although, if you were to ask me, my personal favorites were the fights between Sanji vs. Mr. 2 Bon Clay and Usopp and Choppers team up against Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas. Mr. 2’s wild power to shapeshift and exploiting Sanji’s lusting for Nami makes for some hilarious shenanigans that combine with some great action. As for the latter tag team match, Usopp and Chopper have a surprisingly heavy hitting match-up against the seemingly comical duo, in addition to a dog shaped cannon causing havoc, and highlights Usopp's knack for deception and strategy as well as Chopper’s Zoan powers masterfully.
Like I said though, there are some issues as well. The climax introducing two new Baroque Works members at the last minute with a giant bomb, while tense, also comes out of nowhere. Also, the forced back and forth between Vivi’s father and the rebel leader Koza creates an unrealistic misunderstanding, and a final countdown that rivals Frieza’s on Namek make for a dragged out conclusion. We have to deal with all of this after five brutally awesome, but emotionally draining clashes and entire battle breaking out in the streets.
Once we reach the conclusion however, as Vivi cries out for the fighting to stop and the rain finally falls, we get one of the best finales in One Piece. The iconic image of the Straw Hats showing their ties to Vivi as they raise their fists in the air, with the X’s on their arms as the sign of the bond they share is a beautiful moment. Just thinking about that image is making me teary-eyed. Alabasta isn’t the masterclass in writing like other arcs would achieve, but it was easily the most ambitious and most complex Oda had been with his plots and his characters up to that point.
6. Impel Down (Ch. 525-549, 25 chapters)
Sometimes simplicity is the key to a great story, however, and I think Impel Down might be the best example of that. Part of the greater narrative leading to Ace’s execution, Luffy finds himself trying to save his brother by breaking into and then having to break out of this prison island. It’s as straightforward a setup and motivation for an arc as any I have talked about so far, but one that introduces one of my all-time settings in the series.
This impregnable fortress is one of the most perilous that Luffy has ever experienced. You have deserts, frozen tundra’s, boiling lava, secret kingdoms, and some absolutely ridiculous and ridiculously terrifying creatures and guardsmen that make up this fully realized living hell. The fact Luffy is willing to tackle all these nightmarish forces really establishes the kind of bond he has with Ace.
The true highlight of this arc though is how it brings back some of the series' most iconic villains. Starting with Buggy the Clown, his first appearance in nearly 300 chapters, each floor introduces new former enemies who get wrapped in Luffy’s infiltration to save his brother. From the Revolutionary Army leader and Queen of of Kamabakka Queendom Ivankov, as well as Baroque Works members Mr. 3 and Mr. 1, and their big boss Crocodile.
Even with all of those names, however, there are two characters that were standouts in this arc for me. The first is the Knight of the Sea Jimbei, who as the series progresses towards the time skip became one of my characters in the relatively short time he’s appeared in with the material I’ve read. From his Fish Man Karate, his ties with Arlong, and his virtuous nature make him instantly fascinating and incredibly likable. His support of Luffy in his darkest moments in the coming arcs also makes him a standout, and has me excited with what he'll bring to future arcs.
The spotlight though has to be the returning king of flamboyance, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, as he makes for one of the greatest allies Luffy has in this entire arc. Keeping in mind that Luffy has been separated from his entire crew at this point, he has had to build up this eclectic collection of allies, but Bon Clay was the first real person to actively help him through it all. From recovering from Warden Magellan’s poison devil fruit powers, fighting off wolves, and making a fantastic sacrifice, he became the hero of this arc and instantly one of my favorite characters outside the Straw Hats.
It's these kind of details that make One Piece special to me. You don't always need the fate of an entire country or kingdom at stake to give a narrative dramatic weight. Oda just utilizes his knack for world building spectacularly in this section of the story. From using established characters, introducing exciting new ones, and building a fully realized setting, each part of the prison island is so well realized. Even as this series continues to grow in size, it is in arcs like Impel Down that we see how the world of One Piece grabs the attention of readers of Weekly Shonen Jump. Which is especially great, considering that this arc leads into a spectacular final act that would rock the very foundations of that very world.
5. Marineford (Ch. 550-580, 31 chapters)
We break into the top 5 with an arc that is supposedly still having an impact on even the most recent material. Marineford isn’t the first multilayered battle that Oda has tackled, but it is by far the biggest and the first true war that the series has presented to readers. From the appearance of all of the Seven Warlords, Whitebeard's alliance, and the entirety of the Navy, we get an epic clash of some of the most powerful figures that One Piece has to offer.
We see the true reasons why Whitebeard is considered “The Strongest Man in the World” as he shows off the powers of the Tremor Tremor Fruit, creating massive tsunamis and earthquakes that shape the battlefield. The forces of nature are further presented in the forms of the navy Admirals, with the returning Aokiji’s ice powers and the ruthless Akainu’s lava powers burning any in his path. You have all these incredible warriors on both sides, both returning and new, that are decimating the Navy HQ island that you almost forget that Luffy’s ragtag force is even a factor in the conflict.
Once they arrive, however, it becomes an all out scramble for Luffy to get to the executioner’s platform and finally save Ace. Every chapter, and every page, matters in this story with little to no time for breathing room. Whether we have incredible fights, or shocking revelations like the identity of Ace’s father, to moments of extreme joy and immense tragedy. This arc checks all those boxes at such a breakneck pace that I was surprised when I looked back and learned that the war itself lasted only 31 chapters in the manga.
That could also be a detriment to some, as this arc’s pacing can give a lot of people whiplash. All of the reveals and action are amazing, but it can be overwhelming. We have a multitude of character perspectives to cover, and while there are great moments with Luffy, Garp, and countless other fighters on the battlefield, it just gets to be a lot to keep track of when you are first reading through.
I’ll admit this might come off as me nitpicking, but this is also an arc that absolutely requires you to know what has been presented in the previous material. A lot of legwork for this story is done in arcs prior, and if you don’t read them you are being thrown into the middle of a warzone, not knowing what brings a lot of the key players to the conflict. Even in stories like Alabasta and Skypiea, where there are connections to previous arcs, the story within their arcs felt self-contained enough where you didn't have to remind yourself who is who or have to read all of the previous material. Like I mentioned, Marineford is set up to be a final act to the greater Summit War Saga, but it’s still a fantastic final act for this story to go out on.
It’s almost as if Alabasta and Skypiea walked so that this epic final battle could run with the ball, bringing Oda’s writing to an all new high. From the last stand of the monster that is Whitebeard, the treachery of Blackbeard, the seemingly endless bloodshed being put to an end by the arriving Shanks, its insane. There are seemingly endless bombshells that Oda is presenting to his audience. The impact of this arc on the world he created is astronomical, and the events that transpire still makes it one of the all time best war arcs in all of shonen manga.
4. Sabaody Archipelago (Ch. 490-513, 24 chapters)
Sabaody Archipelago seemingly starts like any other arc in the story, introducing a plot of the crew saving the mermaid Camie from a group of slave traders, with a returning Hachi acting as an ally for the arc. It also has one of the best jokes in the entire series involving a misunderstanding with Sanji’s horrendous hand drawn wanted poster. The Straw Hats are soon given a tour of the little islands that precede The New World, and we as an audience are introduced to some of Oda’s best world building, and some of the darkest moments he has ever written.
We see the greatest level of cruelty so far from world nobles in the form of the Celestial Dragons. The imagery of seeing Camie and other people placed in slavery and suffering while being treated as the play things of these elitist monsters is hard to watch. The slave auction to buy Camie’s freedom is heart wrenching, but it also leads to one of the most cathartic punches I have ever experienced in manga, with an incredible amount of impact both in the blow and in terms of how it effects the narrative.
This arc also presents one of the coolest characters in the Silvers Rayleigh, known as the Dark King, the man who was the first mate to Gol D. Roger. Seeing him save Camie and the crew at the auction house, while reintroducing Haki, makes for one heck of a moment and shows just how strong he is. He also brings out the best in Luffy as he offers to tell him what the One Piece treasure actually is, but the young captain refuses as he only seeks to be the freest man on the sea.
There is also the Eleven Supernovas, which includes Luffy and Zoro, who are some of the most noteworthy rookie pirates making their names on the Grand Line. With the likes of Eustass Kidd’s magnetic powers, Trafalgar Law’s ability to mix, match, and rearrange body parts, as well as the Capone Bege being a living fortress, they are some of the most exciting new additions of this arc. It’s honestly a shame that we don’t get more time with them, but I can only hope they play a bigger role in the material to come.
It’s not all about the pirates, however, as the biggest factor of this arc comes in the form of Navy Admiral Kizaru. This seemingly laxed and sarcastic commander is the wielder of the Glint-Glint Fruit, allowing him to turn into pure light and fire actual lasers from his fingertips. He’s also joined by Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, who previously made an impact in the Thriller Bark arc, as he is programmed as an android to help dispose of the Straw Hats. The desperate struggle as they try to escape is one of the most intense moments in all of the series, and it also leads to one of its most tragic.
Luffy watches as each member of his crew disappears in front of his very eyes at the hands (or paws) of Kuma. We have seen the crew separated before, as they tend to do to establish each new island and plot, but this felt different. Every crew-mate, every friend that Luffy has made on his journey is taken away in an instant, and he begins the panic and writhe in despair until he is left alone. It’s one of the moments within this great epic that has had me to the brink of tears, as all of these characters I’ve come to love are seemingly lost.
The next three arcs, however, managed to break that threshold and then some.
For now though, this is where I have to leave things, as I have to try to get ready for the final part of this list. When that part does drop, I will have a link right here for you so you can read my final thoughts on this incredible journey. I will do my damnedest to put into words how my top three are the best I’ve experienced so far, and I can only hope you will join me next time as I go on that final voyage.
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