The second arc of the Straw Hats’ journey into the Grand Line brings them against their toughest enemies yet. The town that welcomes pirates, Whiskey Peak, isn’t everything it’s made out to be by the townspeople. Now, the Straw Hats are about to find out firsthand. So, time to dive into the Whiskey Peak arc of One Piece and break down what happens!
Warning that this article contains spoilers for One Piece. Catch up with the anime on Crunchyroll or manga on Viz to avoid being spoiled!
Where is Whiskey Peak?
Whiskey Peak is the first real island in the Grand Line, itself a small-ish archipelago just after Reverse Mountain. The massive, round mountains of the islands are dotted with small stones. These make them look like massive cacti against the seas. It has a small population for an island of the Grand Line, only a few thousand in the main town. It’s the first stop for the Straw Hats, who arrive there after bidding Crocus and Laboon farewell. They bring Mr. 7 and Ms. Wednesday to the edge of the island, where they quickly leave.
A Pirate’s Welcome
The citizens of Whiskey Peak welcome the Straw Hat Pirates with open arms, much to the surprise of Nami. The others are quick to accept it though, with Luffy and Usopp especially basking in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Zoro is more concerned about getting as drunk as possible. When the various townspeople roll out a feast, it’s time for everyone to celebrate and have a good time.
The festivities go late, with everyone eventually passing out from the mix of booze, food, and partying. While everyone else is asleep, the townspeople of Whiskey Peak convene for a secret meeting about the pirates dozing.
Zoro Wakes Up
The townsfolk of Whiskey Peak don’t realize that one Straw Hat is better than the others for holding his liquor. Zoro is wide awake when the two people begin to attack. All of them are incredibly strong in their own right. They’re still no match for the Pirate Hunter, who cuts them all down. He manages to beat every single townsperson that comes at them, without actually killing them, of course. Zoro is trying to find out the secret when he runs across Nami. The two barely have a chance to talk though, because Luffy wakes up, and he’s not happy.
Why Do Zoro and Luffy Fight?
Luffy wakes up and sees the bodies of Whiskey Peak citizens scattered everywhere. Naturally, he wants to know what the hell is happening. The first conscious person he finds tells him it is the green-haired swordsman. Now, Luffy begins his march to find his First Mate for answers. It’s a given that anyone who feeds Luffy is automatically on his “defend to the death” list, but without getting the context of what happens, he’s a little out of touch. This isn’t the first time Luffy gets a situation wrong, and won’t be the last time either, but it ends up in just a brief show of how powerful he and Zoro are.
The two clash across Whiskey Peak, with Zoro just trying to explain what’s going on as he blocks Luffy’s hits. There’s no way anything in the town would have survived if they were going all out in a serious fight, but it was fun to see what could happen. They finally end their feud when another Baroque Works member attacks them, with Ms. Valentine and Mr. Five entering the picture.
Baroque Works Reveals Themselves
The big secret behind the Whiskey Peak town is revealed when they claim themselves as Baroque Works. The newly arrived Mr. Five and Ms. Valentine are there to clean up the mess made by the townsfolk and get rid of some traitors in their ranks. This leads them to target Igarram, the mayor, as well as Ms. Wednesday, whom the Straw Hats helped after their meeting at Reverse Mountain. The shadowy organization doesn’t make it clear why they need to eliminate the two but says that the order comes from Mr. Zero himself, the head of Baroque Works.
Igarram makes a deal with Nami, and by extension the Straw Hats, as the others finally start to wake up. He reveals their true identities, he is Igarram, protector of Princess Nefertari Vivi, heir to the Arabastan throne. It just so happens that Nefertari Vivi is Ms. Wednesday, and Baroque Works wants her dead now.
Princess Vivi
Vivi is a complex character that plays into the long-term events of the One Piece story. She’s a proud princess, believing that she can do good by helping the people of her country directly. Right now, she’s undercover to find out who the leader of Baroque Works is, as they’re plotting a coup to overthrow her family in Arabasta. Now they’ve been found out, and it means Vivi is in grave danger, which puts her in the care of the Straw Hat Pirates. This will form the basis for the next few arcs of the series, and Vivi becomes an honorary Straw Hat Pirate from this moment forward.
Nami of course makes a stipulation that the Straw Hats will get a massive payday when they deliver Vivi home, and they agree to it. Luffy meanwhile is just in for the ride, and Sanji is head over heels in love. Just a normal Tuesday on the Going Merry.
Fighting for Friends
An unexpected turn when the reveal about Vivi happens, the other Baroque Works members who were previously fighting against Zoro decide to help her. Ms. Monday and Mr. 9 in particular come to their aid against the combined forces of Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, keeping the other two at bay for a time. It’s at least enough for everyone to make it back to the Going Merry, and Vivi climbs aboard before seeing the ridiculous plan that Igarram has in mind.
He dresses up as Vivi, taking on her outfit and a matching wig to make him look like a more muscled version of her. It somehow works too, because as he takes off in a hastily moved ship the Baroque Works members attack. They blow up the other ship with Igarram on it, seemingly killing the princess’s protector. As Vivi stands in tears on the deck of the Going Merry, the Straw Hats sail away from Whiskey Peak to their next destination.
Who is Sir Crocodile?
When they finally get clear of Whiskey Peak, Vivi starts to let the Straw Hat Pirates in on what’s happening. She reveals that her country, Arabasta, has been stuck in the midst of major drought and political turmoil for some time. As things have gone on, the drought has led to entire towns drying up and the political unrest to start boiling over. Events throughout the country are escalating, and a rebellion army has popped up that is planning to overthrow King Nevertari Cobra.
Vivi finds out that Baroque Works are involved in these events, and goes undercover to find out why. What she discovers is that Sir Crocodile, a Warlord of the Sea, is the founder of the anonymous organization behind everything. He wants to turn the entire country into his own personal utopia, all to his beliefs and standards where pirates rule. Vivi plans to stop it though, and she asks the Straw Hats for their help to do it.
They all agree as the Going Merry sails on, toward their next destination of Little Garden. They don’t know what they might encounter here, but they’re ready to face anything. Luffy’s excited for the fun adventure yet to come in Arabasta, and the more he hears about Crocodile’s misdeeds, the more he wants to make things right. The Whiskey Peak arc winds down with a new mission ahead, and it’s going to bring the Straw Hats to Grand Line infamy.
