Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are sailing away from the ship of Gecko Moria, on their way finally to Fishman Island! First, though, they’ll have to go through the Sabaody Archipelago, a network of islands made from mangrove trees. The Straw Hats have no idea of what their trip is about to bring, and the crew will never be the same after. So, time to dive into the Sabaody Archipelago arc of One Piece and explore what makes it so important.
To catch up, the Straw Hats just took down Gecko Moria in Thriller Bark and Zoro stood down Bartholomew Kuma. So, after this brush with both Warlords, they sail off once more toward their intended target of Fishman Island. Unfortunately, none of them seem to realize how hard getting to an underwater island will be, and Sabaody is about to show them a different side of the Grand Line. Here at the entrance to the New World lies a much darker secret about the World Government.
To The New World
While they know that Fishman Island is considered the entrance to the New World, they don’t realize it’s not just a regular island. The Fishmen live under the sea on their own small island contained within a bubble enclosure, exiled there thousands of years ago. They’re typically looked down upon by humans as brutes and murderers, and considering the only showcase so far has been Arlong’s Crew it reinforces the stereotype. Nonetheless, it’s still the safest way into the New World for pirates, considering the alternative.
That alternative is crossing the Red Line, a massive mountainous range that spans the entire world. This intersection of the Red Line and Grand Line creates the four Blues of the world, and atop it is the Navy HQ. As if that’s not bad enough, next to Navy HQ is Sacred Marijoa, the home of the Celestial Dragons and seat of the World Government. Not the friendliest place for pirates to waltz through.
The Straw Hats, because they’re mostly idiots, don’t realize there are other ways to get to Fishman Island. So, they take the Shark Sub that Franky made as part of the Thousand Sunny for a dive. Robin, Luffy, and Brook, all Devil Fruit users, decide to take the sub down five THOUSAND meters to look around. Three people that can’t swim, five thousand meters below the ocean’s surface. Fantastic idea.
Camie the Mermaid
They don’t find Fishman Island, but they do find a nasty Sea King that wants them for dinner. The three race back to the surface and Luffy manages to give the massive rabbit-fish thing a good beating. They’re surprised when it spits out a mermaid and starfish though, who turns out to be Camie and her friend Pappagu. She thanks them for saving them, but there’s another problem she’s more concerned about.
Some pirates have captured a friend of hers named Hatchan, and they’re trying to get him back. The Straw Hats agree to help, and this turns into a raid on the Flying Fish Riders in one of the Sabaody Groves. Camie goes with them, and she proves to be a sweet and helpful ally to the crew as they face new dangers.
Hatchan Returns!
That is, until they find out who she needs to rescue. The Hatchan she’s speaking of is the Octopus Fishman who worked for Arlong! Despite their feelings about him, they help for Camie’s sake. The Straw Hats leap into action and fight, a battle with the pirates attacking them, fighting them off with not much of a struggle.
The problem arises when the pirates report back to the Flying Fish Riders who are holding Hatchan. Their leader, Duval, wears an iron mask and seems to have a grudge against the Straw Hats. He’s mysterious from the start, a massive person who is feared by all his underlings. He says the Straw Hats ruined his life, so he’s going to do the same to them.
Sabaody Archipelago
Duval rallies his Flying Fish Riders, moving on the Straw hats as they near Hatchan, who’s being held beaten and bloodied in a cage. The Straw Hats are surrounded and attacked from all sides on sea and air by Duval’s men until Luffy takes a flying fish for himself. He can’t steer it, but does some damage still to the enemy until Duval gives the order to dive. Once again, Luffy is taken out by the ocean’s power over Devil Fruits and starts to sink. So of the numerous Straw Hats that could jump in after him, who goes for the save?
Brook and Chopper jump in. Yes, two more Devil Fruit users go after the already sinking one, so Nami and Franky are the ones that have to fix this mess. Thankfully everything is wrapped up easily, and the Straw Hats hear out and forgive Hatchan. Then comes the reveal of who wears the iron mask
Duval: Sabaody Archipelago’s Terror
This was one of the most ridiculous, hilarious gags that One Piece ever pulled off. Duval first appears as the imposing man in the iron mask and eventually points out Sanji as the one that ruined his life. Sanji obviously isn’t standing for that, and beats Duval to hell. The mask comes off and the truth comes out, but it’s nobody the Straw Hats have seen before.
Duval is a tall man who looks very unfortunately like Sanji’s bounty sketch. His exaggerated eyebrows, hair, and even the stupid cigarette complete the entire look. His tragic backstory shows he was formerly a powerful crime boss, but after Sanji’s bounty came out everyone came after him. It’s one of the funniest things One Piece has ever pulled off, and a joke nobody could have ever expected. By the time their fight is over he actually becomes indebted to the Straw Hats, as one of Sanji’s kicks fixes his face. Suddenly, Duval is a handsome womanizer!
The Straw Hat crew sail off with Hatchan now beside them, and he invites them to his takoyaki stand. He starts a new life as a chef, cooking octopus balls and peddling them around Sabaody Archipelago. Is it cannibalism? Who knows, but the Straw Hats almost eat everything he has once he starts cooking. It even impresses Sanji. As they eat, the rest of Sabaody teems with a powder keg of pirates all gathered in one place.
The Worst Generation
Sabaody Archipelago is usually the final stop for pirates before they make the departure to Fishman Island. When the Straw Hats arrive it’s around the same time as others that entered the Grand Line around the same time, coined The Worst Generation. They earned the name too, as they’re all terrifying fighters and strong captains that have rained destruction wherever they’ve gone. Every one of them have massive bounties, and Luffy is just one of the nine.
They won’t all be explored immediately, but some have featured prominently in later arcs. Trafalgar Law in particular has become an honorary Straw Hat at this point, riding with them for most of their New World adventures. Eustass Kid is an essential part of the fight against Wano and Big Mom, while Gang Bege is instrumental in the escape from Whole Cake Island. The only one that hasn’t received much screen time at this point is Urouge, who is still very mysterious. Even Jewelry Bonney has finally received a backstory in the manga.
The Straw Hats split up to explore the mangroves, and Hatchan noticeably tries to stay low-key as a Fishman. There are rules for how to act if a Celestial Dragon comes around, namely that nobody can touch them. They’re made out as a massive threat, and unable to be hurt in any way. It makes a terrifying image initially.
Camie Kidnapped
As things go around Sabaody, not everyone is on the lookout for fun and food. Most of the mangroves are lawless areas, some worse than others, while the earlier ones are more tourist-friendly. While she explores the amusement park with Nami and crew, Camie is kidnapped by traffickers. They can fetch an extremely high price for a mermaid at auction. This is when the Straw Hats start to learn the dark history behind the Fishmen and humans.
Celestial Dragons take slaves for all their labor, and Fishmen make particularly good slaves to them. There’s a thriving business of human trafficking in the Sabaody Archipelago, and Camie is one of the hottest trades out there, valued by all. They take her to a nearby auction house as the Straw Hats try to link up, and recruit Duval’s Riders to help them. In the meantime, Zoro is doing his usual business of getting lost when he comes across a Celestial Dragon in the streets.
Celestial Dragons: Sabaody Archipelago’s Most Important People
The first mentions of the Celestial Dragons make them sound like these massive people of terrible power, absolute monsters. Turns out, they’re only monsters in terms of attitude, as pudgy little entitled assholes that get anything they want at no cost. These are the Karens of the One Piece world, and they have unlimited power over everyone. They take slaves of whoever they want, and kill people without repercussions on a whim. The first, Saint Charlos, appears from down the road. He rides a slave and demands a woman to take as his latest wife. Zoro obviously doesn’t like this very much, and when Charlos shoots the woman’s boyfriend to take her, he goes to attack.
He stops last second because of a stab from Jewelry Bonney who is in disguise nearby. She pretends to stab him and tells him to play dead, so the Celestial Dragons move on, complaining about the air around them as they breathe through massive bubbles on their heads. Bonney explains to Zoro that she just saved his ass, and they part ways while he continues to meet the others.
Sabaody Archipelago Auction House
Sabaody Archipelago arc really pulls no punches and shows that One Piece is moving into a much darker world with more important stakes. It’s not enough that there are dozens of prisoners, the kidnappers auction them to the highest bidder right there. People come from everywhere, whether pirates or longtime residents. If they’re up for auction, there’s often no escape thanks to the explosive collars on victims. It’s a bleak world, and Camie is helpless along with dozens of others.
There’s an auction scheduled, and plenty of big names are going to be there. Kid and Law find themselves among the crowd watching the auction, along with some other Worst Generation. They don’t realize the entire place is about to go up in flames thanks to signature Straw Hat chaos. Everyone files in as the auction starts and Luffy’s crew all make their way there.
Dark King Silvers Rayleigh
An elderly man in the auction cells befriends Cami. He calms her as the others in the cell begin to menace the innocent mermaid. Everything around them terrifies her. Doesn’t help that many of the guards are threatening her and speaking about her as something much more sinister. Rayleigh fixes that quickly by letting loose a burst of Conqueror’s Haki. It knocks out most of them save a giant named Hajrudin. A flash over to Garp at Navy headquarters reveals this to be Silvers Rayleigh, first mate of Gold Roger. Garp knows Rayleigh’s power, and tells the marine to tell nobody. Unfortunately, the Navy will end up there anyway.
Rayleigh is an old frenemy of Garp, fighting the Rocs Pirates at God Valley together, and constantly chasing Roger around the world. He’s a good-natured old man though, much like Roger was. Rayleigh actually put himself in the auction house to pay off gambling debts, and usually fleeces whoever may buy him too. Apparently, this is a regular thing he does and repeats as needed. He’s also a master at sealing ships for underwater travel. Eventually Rayleigh becomes not only one of Sabaody Archipelago arcs most important characters, but all of One Piece.
The Best Gum-Gum Pistol Ever.
The Straw Hats end up at the auction house around the same time as Saint Charlos and his pirate steed. Charlos sees Camie and immediately wants her to display in his home, crammed into a small tank of water like a pet. Luffy doesn’t take kindly to how Charlos speaks about his friends. Now he demands a guard to shoot Hatchan when he tries to protect Camie. There’s a tense standoff as Luffy stares down Charlos, everyone trying to talk him down from his anger at seeing his friends hurt now. Rayleigh knows what is about to happen and is just watching with interest.
Luffy is mad. More mad than he’s been in a long time, and he will not be stopped. He winds back and gives Saint Charlos a Gum-Gum Pistol that rocks his ass up and down the Grand Line. In comes the Navy almost immediately as they’re all trapped, Camie still wearing her explosive collar. Law and Kid are with them, and things start to look hopeless. There’s no way out except to fight, but they have to free Camie first. Thankfully, Rayleigh busts out the back wall and manages to rip her collar off, also knocking out the guards of Charlos. He breaks Camie out and heads back to the bar where Shakky lives along with the Straw Hats.
Roger’s Journey
Rayleigh explains some lore of Roger’s crew, confirming they found the truth of the Void Century and WIll of D at Laughtale. He also explains that Roger willingly turned himself in for execution, and was going to die from a disease anyway. Rayleigh offers to tell Robin what he knows, but she declines.
Everything goes to hell from here, and the Straw Hats are going to face the greatest challenge of their time together as problems spring up around them. Now they have a Warlord of the Sea and Navy Admiral bearing down on them, with no hope to escape. The Straw Hats’ separation is in another article here. It’s such a massive event, and this part of the arc has just been a lead-up.
So, hop over and find out why the defeat of the Straw Hats in Sabaody Archipelago is such an important game-changing arc in this article. Don’t forget to stream One Piece on Netflix and Crunchyroll in the United States!
