Summary
WhileOne Pieceis a series known for its beloved characters and epic fights, it’s the worldbuilding where the series really shines. For over two decades, author Eichiiro Oda has been conjuring up new islands for the Straw Hats to explore along their grand adventure to reach the One Piece treasure. Many of the fans separateOne Piecestory arcs into these individual islands, and it’s fair to say that some of them do a much greater job of fleshing out and expanding on the world, and others.
Though some arcs may feel a little isolated and remote, others help to establish what Luffy and the others can come to expect for the rest of their travels, or even how the world was before they all became pirates in the first place. Oda is an absolute master when it comes to gradually building a fun and compelling world for fans to enjoy, but it’s these story arcs that really went above and beyond to establish the wonderful setting that so many have come to love.
8Thriller Bark
Thriller Bark Provides A Glimpse Into The Land Of Samurai Alongside The History Of Some Legendary Pirates
Thriller Bark mostly feels like a very self-contained story arc, though with that being said, there are still some neat easter eggs which expand on the world and future islands. The biggest example of this is the introduction of a skeletal Ryuma, who hails from the land of the Samurai, which the straw hats would end up reaching far later down the line. Zoro actually gets the opportunity to clash swords with Ryuma in this arc, which marks a very big point in his personal development as a character.
Gecko Moria, despite being a prettylazy villainin the story, also gets some very slight references to his intriguing backstory. In the past, it turns out Moria once stepped up to the ferocious Yonko known as Kaido, only for Moria’s entire crew to be wiped out. This was one of the earliest signs of just how immensely powerful Kaido would truly be, way before he even shows himself in the story.
7Arlong Park
A Frightening Introduction To The Fishmen And Their Troubled Relationship With Humans
Arlong Park is the first proper introduction fans get tothe Fishmen, offering an insight into their troubled relationship with humans. As the name suggests, this island has been completely taken over by the frightening Fishman pirate by the name of Arlong, alongside his ragtag group of misfits. After Nami reveals her true affiliation with Arlong and steals the crew’s treasure in the process, Luffy and the gang travel to Arlong Park to set the island free from the tyrant’s clutches.
After this arc, there would be a plethora of important Fishmen who would be introduced to the series, including the likes of Jinbei and Jack. While the plight and history of the Fishmen would be explored in much greater depth, much later after the timeskip, Arlong Park still did a great job at establishing one of the key conflicts in the world ofOne Piece.
6Whole Cake Island
Big Mom’s Grand Tea Party And Wedding Were Attended By All Kinds Of Weird And Wacky Individuals
While the Whole Cake Island arc is primarily focused on Sanji and his tragic upbringing, it also hones in on theGerma familyand their incredible influence across the world. As a result, fans get to learn about some of the smartest but also most cold-hearted individuals in all ofOne Piece, who were all led by none other than Sanji’s violent father, Judge.
Because Big Mom loves putting on epic events that everyone can partake in, she also invites plenty of pretty, intriguing characters to her tea party and the wedding between Sanji and Pudding. For example, this would be where Stussy made her debut, and though she definitely seemed pretty mysterious, it wouldn’t yet be clear who exactly she was and what her true affiliations were.
5Water 7/Enies Lobby
Fans Get A Better Idea Of Just How Cruel The Marines Can Truly Be Throughout Water 7 And Enies Lobby
Up until the Water 7 arc, while it was clear that the Marines were bad news any time they showed up on the scene, little did fans know just how bad they could really get. Not long after the Straw Hats enter thegorgeous Water 7 island, Robin is mysteriously kidnapped by a group known as CP-9, who turned out to be spies working under the government. This already establishes some very interesting aspects of how the Marines work, but Robin’s tragic flashback, where her entire home island of Ohara is obliterated in a Buster Call, also demonstrates their merciless brutality.
Fans would get to learn a lot about how the Marines operate within this arc, alongside the general mystery of the Void Century and how the government at large is so worried about people learning about it. Of course, Oda also does an excellent job at building up the island of water itself, alongside Enies Lobby, which are often both combined into one since they follow the same general arc.
4Fishman Island
The First Major Post-Timeskip Arc Digs Deep Into The History Of The Fishmen
Though Fishman Island often receives a lot of flak for its slow pace andSanji’s constant nosebleeds, it does admittedly do some very nice world-building, specifically when it comes to the Fishmen. The story arc explores why the Fishmen came to acquire such an inherent hatred for humans through the story of Fisher Tiger and Otohime.
While the Fishmen had been seen quite a lot throughout the series up until this arc, it was always a little vague why exactly there was such animosity between them and humans, but this arc makes it crystal clear why that would be the case. The reveal of Shirahoshi being the weapon known as Poseidon, alongside the introduction of Big Mom, the Yonko, also made this a very worthwhile arc in terms of what it added to the world in general.
3Punk Hazard
Caesar’s Base Of Operations Revealed Some Ugly Truths About The New World
When the crew first arrived on Punk Hazard after hearing a distress signal, it’s unlikely any of them expected to be thrust into an epic mission to hunt down a Yonko. After meeting the bumbling samurai known as Kin’emon, the Straw Hats would come to learn about the existence of artificialDevil Fruits, which are being traded between Doflamingo, Kaido, and Caesar Clown, as part of a criminal Alliance.
This would provide some much-needed context on how the New World actually operates, considering it was still largely a mystery at this point in the story. Caesar’s very existence also hinted towards the MADS group of scientists, who would be mentioned a lot from this point onward.
2Reverie
The Chaotic Reverie, And Specifically The Reveal Of Imu, Completely Changed The World
Considering the Reverie is a meeting between the world leaders, it always seems inevitable that at least some sort of chaos will break out when packing so many highly influential and big-shot individuals into one room. However, arguably the biggest reveal in this arc is the existence of Imu, who had never been seen or even mentioned before this point in the story.
Imu’s very existence essentially changes everything that fans know about the world of One Piece, indicating that there really is a god-like being who stands at the top of the pecking order and is controlling everything from behind the scenes. Additionally, the Reverie also expanded quite a bit on the Revolutionaries, who have usually been shrouded in mystery, alongside being able to see Shirahoshi and the other Fishmen communicating with humans for the first time in many years.
A Treasure Trove Of World-Building And Juicy Lore
After more than ten years of following the Yonko saga, Oda decided to harken back to this series' roots with Egghead Island by going all in with his world-building and exciting story revelations. Much of this is provided by thelegendary scientist, Vegapunk, who seems more than happy to tell Luffy and the others about the terrifying state of the world and the insistence of the Marines to erase all knowledge of the Void Century.
For example, Vegapunk reveals that after the destruction of Ohara, he and Dragon actually returned to the island in order to retrieve the island’s books and research before it could be completely destroyed by the government. Additionally, Vegapunk would warn the world that it would soon be completely flooded if correct action wasn’t taken in time. Needless to say, this story arc is packed full of information that helps to establish where the world is headed and what is currently going on between the numerous factions that make it up.
