The Straw Hats sail ever further into the Grand Line! Now that the island of Little Garden is behind them, they’re set with an eternal pose for Alabasta. Their travels are about to take a detour though, as a member of the crew falls ill. Now, revisit One Piece’s Drum Island arc and meet the Straw Hats’ new doctor!
Last time on One Piece, Luffy and his crew met giants Dorry and Broggy on the island of Little Garden. Together the crew was able to defeat Baroque Works, and in turn, save the feuding giants. They sail on with Dorry and Broggy’s thanks and make their way to Alabasta with a brand new Eternal Pose, plus some dinosaur meat for food. Keep in mind, this is a pretty dense arc, all things considered, so this article is going to be on the long side.
Are Any of You Human?
First things first, the Straw Hat crew is only comprised of a few ordinary people, all things considered. Zoro spends his time swinging weights around like swords, Usopp and Sanji have never been sick, and Luffy is Luffy. Some jokes here start to recur later, like Luffy’s ability to heal if he eats meat or the eventual use of milk to restore bones. It’s true cartoon ridiculousness that works like only One Piece can do.
Bad News in Alabasta
While Nami falls sick with a fever, Vivi reads bad news from her homeland. Over thirty thousand soldiers defect from the Alabastan army to join the growing rebellion against Vivi’s father. The civil war is raging across the country now, with many towns dried up with no source of water. There’s not a lot of hope to go around, and it leads to Vivi’s fateful choice. After Nami collapses again, Vivi makes the decision to find a doctor before they head home.
King Wapol
This guy is such a massive asshole it’s hard to find anything redeeming about him. He’s been kicked out of the Drum Kingdom once by the time the Straw Hats arrive by Blackbeard. Now, he roams the seas around Drum Island in an attempt to return, usually by making a snack of passing ships.
His ability is from the Munch-Munch Fruit, which lets Wapol eat anything and incorporate it into his body. He gives the Straw Hats a run for their money with his abilities and rather strong crew. Nobody in the Drum Kingdom wants them back, and finally join Luffy to fight back against Wapol’s tyranny.
Snow at Sea
The Grand Line’s weather becomes more pronounced in Drum Island arc as well with blizzards and cyclones in the middle of the ocean. The frozen kingdom of Drum Island is a Winter Island in the Grand Line, where each island usually sticks to one particular season. It’s a strange way of climate science, but it’s not like One Piece has worried about making sense so far.
Drum Island itself proves to be more than the Straw Hats can handle with the cold, and Luffy in particular hates it. Meanwhile, Zoro ends up half-frozen and steals the coats from Wapol’s soldiers. It’s not surprising the Straw Hats tend to stay away from Winter Islands nowadays.
Zoan Devil Fruits
The final type of Devil Fruit finally debuts here with two new powers. Tony Tony Chopper has the power of the Human-Human Fruit. Meanwhile, Dalton, former General of Drum Kingdom, holds the Ox-Ox Fruit, Bison Model. These are both Zoan types, which fundamentally transform their user at will. Originally the different models were related to real animals and, in Chopper’s case. human characteristics.
Zoans will get kind of wild later, with types that turn owners into mystical wolves or phoenixes, and one that becomes Buddha. They started off relatively seriously, and allow for full and partial transformations into animal form. They’ll be explored more later on in the Water 7 arc.
Tony Tony Chopper
The Straw Hats meet their doctor at Drum Kingdom, and he’s not what they expect. Tony Tony Chopper was a blue-nose reindeer different than all the rest until he ate the Human-Human Fruit one day. Then he became a reindeer-human, able to change forms and with the appearance of a hulk-like monster. Chopper was an outsider no matter where he went until he met Hiriluk.
Chopper’s history and medical knowledge come from Hirluk and Kureha, the only doctors left in the country. Hiriluk gives Chopper his kind disposition, but Kureha gives him the legitimate medical knowledge to go with it. He’s a naive little guy though, and will fall for almost anything.
Dr. Kureha
The Witch of Drum Island is an odd old lady. Kureha claims to be 130 years old, but it’s unknown if that’s accurate. She was friends with Dr. Hiriluk before his death and didn’t charge anything for it. Kureha meanwhile, is a brilliant doctor with a particular fondness for money. When Wapol outlaws doctors from the land, Kureha and Hiriluk are the only two left to treat citizens.
She has a tough exterior but truly cares for Chopper and his well-being. Kureha makes a big show of her youth, and can still keep up with the younger Straw Hats and she even punches Zoro out in their first meeting with no problem.
Chopper’s Mistake
In typical Straw Hat fashion, a new crew member brings new trauma. In this case, Chopper was adopted by the quack doctor Hiriluk, who passed on his medical knowledge. Chopper doesn’t know Hiriluk is ill though, until one day the doctor falls deathly ill and is captured by Wapol. Chopper makes a valiant effort to find a special cure he believes will save them since Hiriluk told him the skull and crossbones of pirates is a good sign.
Unfortunately, the skull and crossbones Chopper thought were a cure, were actually deadly poison. Mistakes happen, some worse than others. Thankfully, Kureha takes Chopper in and teaches him what she knows, which is quite a lot. Now, Chopper accompanies her across the island to treat patients and extort money.
Deadly Wildlife
Luffy manages to befriend some sort of wildlife wherever he goes, the only thing that changes is if he beats the crap out of them first. In this case, the Lapines of Drum Island make an appearance here, with enough fight to make Luffy and Sanji run for cover. While Wapol eats his way around the country, Luffy and Sanji’s journey to the castle is a dangerous back and forth as he carries Nami. They make it just in time, but not without a beat-down from the giant snow rabbits.
A Nation Without Doctors
Wapol claimed the throne of Drum Island through succession after his father died. As most nepo-babies do, he struggled to hold on to power any way possible no matter who it may destroy in the process. Wapol exiled all but twenty doctors from the country and confined the other twenty to the castle as his personal doctors. Now, with nobody to treat citizens, Wapol was the only source of healthcare and charged massive fees for anyone to see the doctors. This arc was written over twenty years ago and it’s still a depiction of the modern health system in most countries.
This is the point where One Piece starts inserting a lot of social commentary, whether it be affordable access to healthcare or a country ruled by fascists for their own ego or profit. This arc just briefly touches on how healthcare is an important part of a functioning society, and equal, affordable access is key to development.
Foreshadowing Blackbeard
There’s a brief mention by Dalton that pirates arrived and deposed Wapol for the first time. Of course, these pirates turn out to be the Blackbeard crew, who effectively become the anti-Straw Hats of the story. Blackbeard brings destruction and chaos wherever he goes, and Drum Island was one of the few positive results. He’ll appear again later after Alabasta, but he’s going to be much more dangerous then.
Wapol’s Defeat and Chopper’s Dream
Chopper wanted to fulfill Hiriluk’s dream and bring cherry blossoms to Drum Island. The cherry blossoms Hiriluk saw in the past are hints of Wano, a country to come, but it’s the insane science behind it that makes it a wild dream. Despite all that, when Luffy finally defeats Wapol (after Wapol absorbs his soldiers), Kureha finishes out Hiriluk’s dream for Chopper.
The Wapol pirates leave (forcibly), healthcare returns to the land, and Kureha completes the formula. As Chopper sails away with the Straw Hats, Kureha sets her grand plan in motion. She launches something into the air before it explodes above the island. It doesn’t seem like much at first, but the snow slowly turns to cherry blossoms that blanket the kingdom.
Dumbest Straw Hat Award in Drum Island
This is going to be a recurring segment from this point forward. The Straw Hats are all established idiots by now, each in some unique way. From the newly joined Chopper’s naivete to Luffy’s reckless abandon.
Hell, even Zoro manages to lose his way while he swims in the cold water. Eventually he has to wander with no clothes on. The dumbest award is shared by two members in the Drum Island arc though.
Luffy and Sanji are both determined to chase and catch Chopper to eat him. It’s kind of scary, especially because they still talk about him as an emergency food supply. It’s always been an ongoing joke but before they knew what Chopper was, it seemed legitimately possible that Sanji would cook the poor reindeer.
Important Events
- Tony Tony Chopper becomes the Straw Hats Doctor!
- Blackbeard debuts in brief flashback.
- Zoan Devil Fruits debut.
- Wapol and Dalton debut. These two will show up again at the Reverie.
- Establishes that animals can utilize Devil Fruits too.
So, now that the Straw Hats have a doctor on board and a newly freed kingdom behind them, where to? Alabasta, of course! They set sail, moving rapidly toward the desert kingdom as tensions and civil unrest grow stronger. Will they be able to stop Crocodile and his top Baroque Works officers? Find out in One Piece’s next arc, Alabasta!
One Piece currently streams on Netflix and Crunchyroll. The Drum Island arc is found in episodes 78-91.
