Episode 1: I'm Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!
Air Date: 1999-10-20
Opening: We Are! (1st Opening)
Ending: Memories (1st Ending)
Manga Chapters: 2 (4-23/23)
Short Summary
Luffy, a man determined to become the Pirate King, washes up on the evil pirate Alvida's ship, meeting an enslaved boy named Coby. He convinces Coby to stand up to Alvida and displays his great Gomu Gomu powers, powers he gained after eating a Devil Fruit, the Gomu Gomu Fruit.
In-Depth Summary
"Fame, Wealth, Power. The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, Gold Roger. The final words that were said at his execution, sent people to the seas. 'My wealth and treasures? If you want it, I'll let you have it. Look for it, I left it all at that place!' Men now, chasing their dreams, head towards the Grand Line. The world now enters a Great Age of Pirates!"
The series begins with a barrel floating in the water. Two sailors aboard a sort of cruise ship, currently holding a formal dance, of which Nami is involved, cast out a rope to reel the barrel in. When they do pull it in, however, another sailor spots a pirate ship in the distance, a pink one - belonging to Alvida. The pirate ship fires its cannons and the barrel is knocked out of the sailors' hands, sent rolling into the kitchen. Panic ensues as the pirate ship attacks the cruise vessel, and it rides up beside it as the pirates board the cruise ship, led by Alvida.
While pirates are attacking the ship, Coby, a young kid who is a essentially a slave of Alvida, sneaks into the kitchen and notices the barrel. As he is rolling it away, several pirates come in and ask why he's sneaking around. They then proclaim they are thirsty and just as one pirate is about to smash open the barrel with his fist, it burst open and so emerges Monkey D. Luffy, the hero of our story. The pirates think he is a barrel monster and flee, but Coby is intrigued by Luffy. Luffy and Coby head to the storage cellar of the ship and so starts eating apples out of a crate.
While in the cellar, Luffy asks if they are on a pirate ship. Coby replies that they are not, but rather on a cruise ship being attacked by pirates. Luffy then explains how his ship got destroyed in a whirlpool and so he barely survived. Coby then explains how he ended up getting picked up by Alvida's pirates and so has been their slave ever since. Luffy then mentions his dream, how he wants to become the Pirate King, and this causes Coby to lose it, realizing that Luffy indeed is a pirate. While this conversation is being held, Alvida's pirates tell their captain that there is a barrel monster aboard the ship, and they are all oblivious to the fact that Nami is robbing them blind.
Alvida bursts through the ceiling of the cellar and sees Luffy, mentioning how he actually isn't Roronoa Zoro. Luffy then asks who the fat lady is, enfuriating Alvida. Alvida attacks but Luffy picks up Coby and so launches up out of the cellar, out onto the deck. He is attacked by Alvida's pirates but knocks them all out using Gomu Gomu no Rocket. When everyone is shocked by this, Luffy explains that he is a rubber man. He says he wants to find One Piece and that he is currently looking for a crew, thinking that ten people is a good amount. Alvida demands Coby who the most beautiful woman in the world is, and Coby, inspired by Luffy, stands up for himself and yells that Alvida is a smelly, fat old hag.
Alvida becomes livid, and she attacks. Her mace strikes Luffy right on the head, but he stays standing. Luffy then winds back and uses Gomu Gomu no Pistol to send Alvida flying, defeated with one hit. Luffy orders Alvida's remaining pirates to get a boat ready for him and Coby, and they jump into the boat and sail away, briefly seeing Nami in her boat as they head off. Sailing out on the great blue sea, Luffy asks about the pirate hunter Coby mentioned. Coby says that he was captured by the Marines, and Luffy announces his intention of asking him to join his crew. This, of course, causes Coby to lose it again. Luffy makes up his mind, that he will recruit Roronoa Zoro as his next member. While they are speaking, at a nearby Marine base, there is a man with a green bandana tied to a cross, and he looks up...
Notes
Here we go, the beginning of One Piece, the series to top all series! This episode is actually based on the second chapter of the manga, the first chapter being Luffy's past. Toei probably opted to move Luffy's past for two reasons: a) They wanted some action with present-day Luffy to better give viewers an idea of what the series is about, and b) Luffy's past explains his straw hat, which plays a big part in the next story arc.
As a side note, the series began October 20, 1999, just under two years after the manga started. The manga was roughly 90 chapters in at that point. One year later, the anime had reached the end of the Arlong arc, which is around chapter 90. It goes to show how quickly the anime caught up. The manga was in Whiskey Peak arc by the time the anime was made, so the manga was at chapter 104.
todo: this is accurate info but it belongs in the anime/manga differences section which ... doesn't exist yet
This episode did not follow the manga, but the story remained close. We don't see Luffy departing from his village and we don't see him punching out the Sea King, nor do we see him getting stuck in the whirlpool. In the manga, the whole story takes place on Avida's hideout island, in the anime, Toei has Avida attack a cruise ship and the fight takes place on her ship. I wish Toei follow the manga right but I guess Toei wanted more action reather then a simple start
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