One Piece’s Enies Lobby arc is almost where the entire story really advances. There’s so much that happens, Enies Lobby arc is going to get a separate review for fights and story arcs! So, how does the raid on Enies Lobby go for the Straw Hat crew and their allies? This all leads up to a life changing event in the world of One Piece, and the best part is the fights! These are all the major battles in the arc, definitively ranked!
Just as a note, this is only going to focus on the fights themselves and what they contribute to the story. The other story beats are covered in this Enies Lobby Arc review.
The Break-In
This deserves a spot although it’s not a typical fight necessarily. The combined effort of the Straw Hats, Galley-La workers, and Franky Family. It’s a thrilling break-in as the Franky Family had just shown up to assist as the Puffing Tom entered the Enies Lobby coastal area. Their Neptunians, Sodamu and Gamora, even rush onto the land to help them as they press forward. If it weren’t for the Franky Family, mostly the Square Sisters, they may have never entered through the Enies Lobby gates.
There’s also the case of old lady Kokoro and her granddaughter, as well as Yokozuna the fighting frog. There are a ton of moving parts to the Enies Lobby fight as a whole, and these make up a massive part of the behind-the-scenes fighting.
9. Sniper King and Zoro vs Kaku and Jabra
This is more of a prelude to the separate fights, but offers one of the funniest fights in the arc and series. While on the hunt for the key to Robin’s cuffs, Zoro ends up handcuffed to Usopp instead. So now the Sniper King and Pirate Hunter are stuck together and on the run from Kaku and Jabra. It leads to one of the single dumbest team-up moves until Thriller Bark.
Zoro’s bright idea to combat the CP9 members is to hold Sniper King who in turn holds his sword. He pulls it off too, though it scares the hell out of Usopp. They don’t fight like this for long though, eventually, they have their cuffs unlocked. Now, Zoro and Kaku are free to fight one on one while Usopp goes on the run after Jabra.
8. Franky vs Fukurou
This was the fight to introduce Franky and how he stands in terms of strength. It juggles a lot of different aspects since Chopper and Kumadori are also in and out of this fight. Franky is at a disadvantage from the start though after using a Coup de Brust that wore out most of his energy. Franky’s a cyborg, so he doesn’t function like the others, but instead of oil or gas he runs on Cola. When he runs out of Cola he runs into a big problem along with it.
Franky and Fukurou end up trading blows hand to hand as the CP9 agent is in the same situation. As Chopper makes his way in and out during his fight with Kumadori, Franky requests his help, and sends him into the nearby fridge for Cola. Their fight enters the kitchen since Chopper brings Franky everything but cola for the first two tries. When he finally gets some though, he pulls off a signature pose and knocks Fukurou out, moving on with the Straw Hats.
7. Nami vs Kalifa
Sanji is the first Straw Hat to go against Kalifa, and it goes about how anyone would expect it to. He’s defeated quickly, and made into a smooth balloon figure by Kalifa’s new Bubble-Bublble Fruit. Nami manages to find him as he falls to the bottom floor of the Tower of Justice, and tags in to fight Kalifa instead. She’s in for much more than she expects though as Kalifa’s new power is far more dangerous than before.
They stand off as Nami shows off her new and improved Weather Baton during the fight. She eventually overcomes Kalifa despite the use of her Devil Fruit ability paralyzing her for a time. With the improved baton, she summons a massive bolt of lightning to attack the CP9 agent, which breaks the bathtub she was previously in and floods the floors below. Luckily Sanji is underneath and recovers his regular form when water falls on him.
6. Usopp and Giants vs Navy
Sniper King comes to the rescue as the Franky Family and Galley-La company hit a massive roadblock in their push to Enies Lobby. The Navy has two giants in their employ, though not necessarily to the giants’ benefit as they were former members of Dorry and Broggy’s crew. Usopp uses his friendship with their former captains to convince them to turn on the Navy, and it works out better than he could have hoped.
The giants are able to wreck the Navy’s forces and get through to the Enies Lobby exterior. There’s a ton of teamwork that goes on between both Sodamu and Gamorra along with the giants as well as Chopper’s aid to the Neptunians. They’re an amazing team all together, and crucial parts in the massive machine that moves the Straw Hats through to Robin.
5. Chopper vs Kumadori
This is Chopper’s best fight, hands down, throughout the entire series so far. Despite his bumbling assistance to Franky, he eventually gets to focus on his fight with Kumadori. The first Rumble Ball he uses doesn’t quite do the trick as Chopper uses his Cloven Cross. He even makes a second attempt with another Rumble Ball, but it turns out more of a problem than a solution as his transformations become erratic. Eventually, Kumadori takes him down again and Chopper has to make a choice.
The flashback to his destruction on Drum Island was nothing compared to his Monster Point transformation. His third Rumble Ball turns him into a mindless monster that rages against anyone that comes near. He takes out Kumadori quickly, but then goes on a rampage that the Straw Hats must team up to stop. There’s more growth in the Zoro and Chopper relationship as he arrives to protect the raging Chopper against a focused CP9 attack.
Eventually, it takes the quick thinking of Franky to bring Chopper out of it. He knocks the monster from the building and into the water below before diving in to save him. Franky pulls him back up, unconscious, but now back to regular size.
4. Sanji vs Jabra
Jabra is just an asshole, probably the most obnoxious CP9 member by far, and somehow a better liar than Usopp. He manages to fool Sniper King with a lie that Robin is his long-lost sister, and knocks him out of the battle. It’s a good thing Sanji is there to step in, but the fight with Jabra isn’t easy thanks to his Six Powers mastery. His Iron Body blocks most of Sanji’s attacks, while the Finger Pistol does damage to the cook. Things look hopeless until Sanji levels up.
He pep-talks himself into a stronger move, and in the process creates his signature Diable Jambe kick. His leg ignites as he strikes at his opponent, and breaks right through Jabra’s Iron Body defenses. Even as the CP9 member is in his full Zoan wolf form, he’s flung from the building to the ground below.
3. Luffy vs Blueno
Blueno has the power of the Door-Door Fruit, which is stupid but strangely overpowered for what it is. He can open doors anywhere and escape or enter through a pocket dimension within them for quick travel and defense. This is obviously a major problem for Luffy when his speed isn’t enough to catch up. He keeps fighting, missing the agent as he pops in and out of thin air. So, now Luffy has to debut a new move he’s been working on for a situation just like this.
He pumps air through his muscles and speeds up how fast he can move. Suddenly Luffy is so fast he’s invisible as he beats Blueno bloody across the walls of Enies Lobby. It’s the first major fight to take place in the arc since Luffy jumps ahead of the rest, but it serves just to set up the danger of his next big face-off.
2. Zoro vs Kaku
There’s a tradition that every Straw Hat in a major fight will debut something new that they’ve been perfecting. Zoro goes HARD against Kaku, their clashing blades dicing a tower into pieces with everyone inside. Kaku’s ridiculous Giraffe-Giraffe Fruit transformation just makes it even more funny. Especially as the two are on even ground for a time in terms of strength. Until Zoro pulls out the big finisher he’s been working on since their encounter with Aokiji.
Zoro invokes his Three-Sword Style, but this time channels enough speed and power into it to create the Nine-Sword Asura. There’s a terrifying image of Zoro as a demon wielding nine swords as he slashes through Kaku’s defenses. It’s one of the coolest upgrades to a Straw Hat in this arc, and works as one of Zoro’s finishing moves until after the Time Skip.
1. Luffy vs Rob Lucci
It’s not enough to debut Gear Two in Enies Lobby, because Luffy leads into Gear Three in his pursuit of Rob Lucci. Lucci makes a dangerous villain and he already beat the hell out of Luffy and Zoro at the same time in Water 7. His hybrid transformation for his Cat-Cat Fruit, Leopard Model, proves almost too much for Luffy even as he goes into Gear Two. There’s a moment where even Robin is afraid that Luffy is done for, but he pulls out an even greater power in Gear Three.
As he bites into his thumb to inflate his bones, Spandam calls for a buster call that begins immediately. Destruction is closing in on Enies Lobby and the tower Lucci and Luffy are in starts to crumble. Lucci even gives up on Spandam because he’s so into the fight. Things grow even more fierce when they move outside to the bridge. Luffy finally manages to finish Lucci off with a Gear Three attack and lands below. He’s rescued at the last second from the flooding island by his teammates.
Escape Enies Lobby!
Enies Lobby crumbles around the Straw Hats as they win the battle and begin their retreat with Robin reclaimed. There’s just the slight problem of how to get out of Enies Lobby as it breaks down from the Buster Call and opened Gates of Justice. Luckily a combination of Sanji’s quick thinking, Nami’s navigation skills, and the sudden appearance of Merry Go get them out. Now they sail back to Water 7, with the fallout of their Enies Lobby adventures yet to come.
That wraps up the ranks for the fights of Enies Lobby, but there’s still a lot to get into when it comes to the story. So, check out the breakdown of One Piece’s pivotal arc, or head right ahead to this explanation and review of the Post-Enies Lobby arc!
