Written by: Matt Owens and Steven Maeda
Directed by: Josef Wladyka
Luffy and company must endure a final confrontation with not only Arlong, but Garp as well if they ever hope to make it to the Grand Line. Season Finale.
- Arc incorporated into the episode: Arlong Arc
Tropes:
- Adaptational Context Change: Minor example. In the Manga and Anime, Luffy destroys Arlong Park as a visual symbol of freeing Nami from her slavery to him. Since Nami is participating in the fight rather than watching from the sidelines here, Luffy starts wrecking the building to ruin the maps Nami drew for Arlong as a way to foil his plans for conquering the Grand Line. The symbolism transitions from a tribute to Nami to an attack against Arlong.
- Adaptation Expansion: This time around, Nami teams up with the Straw Hats to take down Arlong and his crew. She is promoted to do this by the burning down of Coco Village.
- Adapted Out:
- In the manga and anime, Johnny and Yosaku warn Genzo and the villagers they will be killed by the Arlong Pirates should they invade Arlong Park. Since Johnny and Yosaku don't appear in this adaptation, Nami gets to do the honors.
- Mohmoo the sea cow, whom Luffy originally used as a bludgeon to take out out all the lower-level Fishman Mooks, does not appear, so Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp instead get a Big Badass Battle Sequence of taking them down while Luffy and Nami head inside the building to find Arlong.
- Unlike the manga and anime, no drowning peril for Luffy at Arlong Park, as that occured at the end of their battle on the Baratie.
- Hatchan/Hachi, one of Arlong's Co-Dragons who serves as Zoro's main opponent in the manga and anime, is not in this adaptation. Instead, Sanji and the still-injured Zoro team up to fight Kuroobi here before the former defeats him.
- There is no mention of Nezumi being forced to return the 100 million Berry to Coco Village under threat from Nami.
- Nami doesn't make one final sprint through town and steals everyone's wallets as a farewell.
- Big "NO!": Arlong yells "No!" when Luffy begins destroying Arlong Park from the inside out.
- Bloodier and Gorier: Zoro clearly kills several fishmen. In the manga, the only person he was confirmed to have killed was Mister Seven.
- Book Ends:
- Of a sort. In the first episode, Luffy's first voyage involved him drifting out to sea in a barrel. During the ending stretch of the finale, all the Straw Hats place their legs upon the top of a barrel as they proclaim their dreams to the world.
- The Cold Open of "Romance Down" ends with the show's logo floating in the sky, starting the events of the series. This episode similarly ends with said logo in the sky, ending the first season.
- Brick Joke: In a Call-Back to Luffy and Zoro's conversation about Calling Your Attacks back in the pilot, Sanji uses the same justification for it ("All great fighters call out their finishing moves") after doing so against Kuroobi.Zoro: Yeah, you're going to fit in just fine.
- Call-Back: Koby and Luffy ask each other to be a good pirate and a good marine. This is a follow-up to their conversation in Episode 1, that there are good and bad marines and pirates.
- Calling Your Attacks: Just like with Alvida and Kuro, Luffy calls out the name of his finishing moves while fighting Arlong. Arlong proves tough enough to require three named attacks before Luffy finally defeats him.Luffy: Gum-Gum...BATTLE AXE! (Slams Arlong through the floor.)
- Couch Gag: The jolly roger is of the Arlong Pirates, The Sun Pirates' symbol is inside the "P", and Arlong's sawtooth sword replaces the "E".
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Garp easily defeats Luffy in battle. Considering at this point in the story he was nowhere near Garp's level of powernote , its expected.
- Deadly Dodging: After Arlong flies into a frenzy when Luffy starts destroying the pillars holding up Arlong Park, Luffy stands in front one one of them and moves out of the way at the last second, tricking Arlong into smashing it for him.
- Exactly What I Aimed At: Luffy fires a stretchy punch at Arlong, who dodges and mocks his aim, only for Luffy to reveal he wasn't aiming at him but the pillars holding up the building they're fighting in.
- Easily Forgiven: After finding out how Nami sacrificed herself so long for them, the villagers ask for forgiveness blaming her. Nami says there's nothing to forgive.
- Flipping the Bird: Buggy gives two of them to Zoro and Sanji after he reassembles his body as he prepares to escape.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus:
- When Kaya is shown looking at the newspaper, a side article mentions a country coming under the control of the Revolutionary Army.
- On Zeff’s fridge where he pins Luffy’s wanted poster, two noticeable recipes include Tomahawk Spiney Lobster and Oregano Aged Wild Boar. Also notable businesses cards are pinned too. One for Nojiko’s Tangerines, one for a company apparently selling Sandora Lizard from Arabasta, and one for a company selling "Mizu Mizu" products.
- During the Creative Closing Credits, we see that the Map Of The East Blue was commissioned by "Commander-in-Chief" Kong.
- When Buggy first meets up with Alvida at the bar, a wanted poster of Don Krieg can be seen on the wall behind her, the photo very similar to how he is seen in the One Piece anime’s famous first opening.
- Gallows Humor: Shanks jokes to Mihawk that he could take him with a hand behind his back, pointing to his missing arm. He even cracks up before he can finish his sentence.
- Kung-Shui: Just like the manga and anime, Arlong Park is destroyed via Gum-Gum Battle Axe. The downward kick also drives Arlong all the way down into the basement before he's buried under its ruins.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Kuroobi is wiping the floor with Zoro and Sanji, until he insults Nami. This infuriates Sanji, who ditches his coat and proceeds to kick Kuroobi's ass.
- Libation for the Dead: After Nami departs from her mother's grave, she leaves behind a tangerine pinwheel like her mother would make for her in her childhood.
- Make an Example of Them: On their way to Arlong Park in The Teaser, the Straw Hats realize Arlong and his crew have burned Coco Village as depicted in the previous episode to punish the villagers as well as Nami.
- Meanwhile Scene: Like Episode 45 of the anime, when Luffy's bounty comes out, we see reactions from Kaya, Makino, Zeff, Buggy, and Alvida. But unlike the manga and anime, it's Koby who presents Luffy his bounty. He doesn't get it from a News Coo (though one is shown with Makino). And The Stinger adds the reaction of Captain Smoker.
- Oh, Crap!:
- All the younger Nami can do is watch in shock when Kuroobi's about to tattoo her shoulder with the Arlong Pirates's symbol.
- The Straw Hats are visibly shocked upon realizing the Arlong Pirates have burned down Coco Village.
- Chew, when he realizes the Straw Hats are about to commence their assault on the Arlong Pirates.
- Usopp gasps in panic when he realizes Chew is about to chase him for using a slingshot on his face.
- One-Hit KO: Unlike in the source material, Usopp easily knocks out Chew by shooting an Exploding Star into the latter's rum bottle.
- Precision F-Strike: Zoro drops the f-bomb when Buggy flips him and Sanji off and flees after promising to help in the fight with the fishmen.Zoro: Fucking clown.
- Rule of Symbolism: Nami's shoulder being painfully tattooed is shot indoors with little lightning, giving it the air of her being branded like cattle as Arlong declares ownership of her. Fittingly, it’s bright and outdoors when we first see that she’s covered it up with a tangerine, showing her liberation.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Buggy immediately leaves after Zoro and Sanji help him find his body.
- Secret Test of Character: Garp reveals that his dogged pursuit of Luffy was a test to see if he had what it took to stick to his dream of being a pirate. When Luffy holds to his dream, Garp is pleased, if sad that his grandson is now forever on the other side of the law from him.
- Sequel Hook: Multiple ones, in preparation for the second season:
- Koby and Helmeppo seeking to get training from Garp in hopes of getting stronger.
- Luffy and Nami discussing the entrance to the Grand Line, Reverse Mountain.
- Buggy and Alvida cross paths at a bar in East Blue, and appear interested in a Villain Team-Up to catch Luffy.
- Captain Smoker coming across Luffy's new bounty poster.
- Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Arlong decries the prior slavery of fishmen. However, his hypocrisy is immediately pointed out by Luffy, having used Nami as a slave in all but name for years.
- So Proud of You: Shanks and his crew are so proud of Luffy's first bounty that they immediately decide to get drunk to celebrate, despite already being hungover from drinking too much the previous night.
- Stock Scream: One of the fishmen does the Wilhelm Scream when Zoro cuts him.
- Team Power Walk: Like in the manga and anime, the Straw Hats perform a side-to-side walk to Arlong Park so they can initiate a Curb-Stomp Battle on the Arlong Pirates. Only this time, Nami is part of it, as the Power Walk is preceded by Arlong's crew burning down Coco Village, further making this personal for her.
- Trash the Set: As expected, Luffy’s Gum-Gum Battle Axe sends Arlong crashing through Arlong Park and causes it to collapse.
- Villainous Breakdown: Arlong starts losing his cool when Nami stands up to him and Luffy shows up for round 2. But once Luffy starts destroying the maps he forced Nami to draw for him, he flies into a frenzy as his hard work goes down with the building.Arlong: No! Puny! Human can bring down Arlong Park!
- Wall Run: When Luffy is cornered by a fishman, Zoro runs along a rocky wall to slice the fishman's legs, sending the enemy into the water.
