One Piece hit a peak for a lot of fans when Luffy faced down Croc in Alabasta, but it only went up from there. That’s both in terms of the story, and the Straw Hats themselves. This is just the start of the Skypiea Saga when the Straw Hat crew discover there’s more than the ocean in the Grand Line. Step into the sky with One Piece’s Jaya arc!
As a refresher, the Straw Crew were last seen on the run after their part in Alabasta! The Navy encircled the island of Alabasta and cut off any hope of their escape. The Straw Hats had help though, as Bon Clay stepped in to make an exit for the Merry Go! Now, the crew sails forward, towards the land of Jaya and rumors of a long line of liars that live there.
Sky Giants
Jaya sets itself apart early on with this moment and opens up a whole new world of adventure for One Piece. A mysterious fog rolls in, along with a shadow, and suddenly the Straw Hats witness a trio of giants! They stand as tall as Zou and wield weapons, but the most mysterious thing are the wings on their backs.
The Straw Hats, torn between fear and action when they see the giants, freeze. Luffy and Zoro even question if they could take the giants down, and it’s not likely. As the fog rolls away and the sun shines through, the giant figures suddenly disappear, with no trace of their existence. The Straw Hats, meanwhile, are in awe with no clue of what they witnessed.
Strange Weather
Then things get more weird. Storms on the Grand Line have always ranged from insanely violent to light snow, but this time an entire ship and various other objects fall from above. It’s enough to boggle the crew, but even worse when they find some stray items on the Merry Go’s deck. The items indicate the ship was from decades before, supposedly lost at sea.
That leads them to question exactly how something like that falls from the sky, of course. They squabble back and forth for a while but finally decide on a solution to see if there’s any treasure on board the ship. The problem is, while they argued, the ship sank to the bottom. That’s kind of a problem with three crew members that can’t swim. To make matters worse, though, their Log Pose is pointing straight into the air.
Diving the Grand Line
The answer to their dilemma is no better, as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji decide to dive down in barrels and a hose system for oxygen. Is it the best idea? Absolutely not, but the Straw Hats have never had a concern for safety. Unfortunately, they’re not the only ones to see the ship fall, and Masira shows up to claim the salvage. The surface crew desperately tries to distract him, but Masira sends his divers down anyway.
The dive team kicks ass underwater and is about to do the same when they come back up. They try, at least, before all of them are run off by a giant sea turtle who wants to eat them. The Straw Hats manage to escape, and in turn, Robin grabs an Eternal Pose to Jaya.
Blackbeard and Bellamy
When the crew land at Jaya there’s mischief to have and people to meet. Most of the crew stays back in the Merry to go about their own business while Luffy, Zoro, and Nami make their way into town. The strange people they encounter on the way like Burgess are just the beginning of how weird it’s about to get. Eventually, they wander into a bar where both Bellamy the Hyena, a new pirate, and the as-of-yet-unknown Blackbeard.
Bellamy makes a point to threaten Luffy and believes that pirates are about to enter a New Age where they don’t chase the dreams of the One Piece. He’s a realist and believes dreams like Luffy’s need to die to make way for things to come. Things get worse when Nami asks the bartender about a sky island. The pirates around them laugh them out, and Bellamy lands hit as none of them fight back. Even Nami urges Luffy and Zoro to defend themselves, but they leave in stoic silence.
Luffy Mirrors Shanks
The moment when Luffy and Zoro walk away and refuse to fight is a remarkable bit of storytelling. Luffy mirrors his hero Shanks, who did the same when the mountain bandits threatened him years ago. Zoro of course follows out of respect for his captain. Really, the two know that they could easily kick ass and take names in that bar.
It’s a show of who they are as pirates, that they don’t immediately resort to violence when others mock them. Luffy knows that his dream is real and knows what he saw. He also knows that whatever he says won’t change how they feel. It’s massive character development in one simple scene.
Marshall D Teach
Blackbeard, otherwise known as Marshall D Teach, makes his debut in Jaya. After the Straw Hats leave the bar, Teach follows to get Luffy’s attention. He still believes in dreams as well, just like Luffy believes in the One Piece. It’s a critical start to Teach’s character arc, as he becomes a complex, chaotic foil for Luffy.
There’s more to be said here about the Will of D and how it manifests in Teach. Those that bear the initial are often called the enemies of gods, namely Celestial Dragons. They seem to be those that move history forward and oftentimes bring freedom to wherever they visit. That freedom can vary wildly though, as Teach’s version of freedom is total anarchy where strength rules all.
Noland the Liar
Mont Blanc Noland is the ancestor of Mont Blanc Cricket, Jaya’s main support character. Cricket hates his ancestor so much he’s meant to prove he was right, just to clear his own name. Noland was a famous adventurer, and now almost legend in the present world of One Piece. He’s even a cautionary tale to children about the dangers of lies in the North Blue where Sanji comes from
When Noland explored the Grand Line he claimed to come upon a city of gold. He claimed the people there were kind and generous and reported back to his king about the great wealth of the island. The problem is, when the king took the perilous journey to see the city, it was nowhere to be found. Noland swore it was real until the day he died, executed as a liar by the king.
Merry Go Gets Wings
Noland will be explored further once the Straw Hats reach Skypiea, but for now, they need to find a way there! When they encounter Cricket, they discover Masira is one of his workers, along with the monkey brother Shoujou. While Cricket isn’t sure of an island in the sky, though he does acknowledge it may exist, he’s determined to help the Straw Hats get there. It probably doesn’t hurt that Chopper saved him from dying of hypoxia from his dives.
Cricket and his monkeys modify the Merry Go with wings and the ability to steer in preparation for them to sail. They plan to find the Knock Up Stream, a geyser that erupts from the ocean, and sail their way into the clouds. There’s a one-in-a-million chance they make it, but those odds have never scared them before. Now, with Merry ready to go and the Straw Hats in the know, it’s time to take off! Their trip to Skypiea is more likely to kill them than actually get them there, but it’s a risk they know they can handle.
Important Events that happend during Jaya Arc
- Marshall D Teach, otherwise known as Blackbeard, debuts.
- Bellamy the Hyena debuts.
- The story of Noland the Liar sets up the Skypiean legends. This also plays into the Tontattas in Dressrosa Arc later.
- Don Quixote Doflamingo debuts but only in passing.
- Bartholomew Kuma, Warlord of the Sea, debuts.
- The Five Elders, otherwise known as Gorosei, debut. They will become major antagonists in later arcs.
Dumbest Straw Hat Award
Luffy takes the cake in Jaya for the Dumbest Straw Hat. Instead of sending someone like Usopp who can swim or Robin who’s smart, the world’s stretchiest idiot puts himself in a barrel on the bottom of the ocean. He’s a brave pirate, but it’s not an excuse for just how stupid he is.
That’s the end of Jaya’s arc as the Straw Hat crew sails off to find the island in the sky! Will their journey bring them to the strange island of legend, or will the Merry Go be smashed to pieces by the stream? That and more to come in One Piece’s next arc, Skypeia!
