Episode 43: The End of the Merman Empire! Nami is MY Nakama!
Air Date: 2000-09-27
Opening: We Are! (1st Opening)
Ending: Run! Run! Run! (2nd Ending)
Manga Chapters: Chapter 92 (18-19/19), Chapter 93 (1-19/19), Chapter 94 (1-19/19)
Short Summary
Luffy begins destroying the map room of Arlong Park because it makes Nami sad. Arlong unleashes his Shark on Gear attack, his most powerful yet, but Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Axe to send Arlong plunging through the tower and finally finishing off the merman for good. As the tower is destroyed, Luffy declares that Nami is his nakama. Nezumi arrives to cause trouble but is quickly dealt with, and the villagers spread the good news of the fall of Arlong Park throughout the whole island.
In-Depth Summary
The episode opens with Luffy sitting on the floor of the map room and Arlong standing over him with his Kiribachi. Luffy notices a pen with blood in it. Arlong holds the Kiribachi against Luffy's neck, claiming that he could make much better use of Nami than Luffy could. Luffy, furious at what Arlong said, snaps off one of the jagged blades. Arlong remains unfazed, and explains that while Nami is a human, she is a smart woman, and would be like a cat if all humans were rats. Arlong's words only make Luffy more furious, and Luffy starts kicking over the stacks of paper and kicking holes in the wall. The villagers watch as a desk is sent flying through the wall, and Nami recognizes it. She remembers being forced to draw maps by Arlong, and when she had drawn a picture of Bellemere that Arlong tore up. Nami thanks Luffy in her heart. Arlong, however, becomes furious that Luffy is wrecking the place, and he grabs Luffy by the neck, slamming him to the floor. Luffy continues to thrash about, destroying the room. Johnny and Yosaku note that the fight between Luffy and Arlong will be a fight to the death.
In the map room, Arlong sinks his teeth into Luffy's neck, yelling that Luffy has gone too far. Luffy struggles against him, and finally grabs Arlong's nose, bending it. As Arlong releases his grip, Luffy declares how he cannot let the map room exist because it makes Nami's sad. He thrusts his leg high into the air, but Arlong uses Shark on Gear, twisting around like a buzzsaw as he launches at Luffy. Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Axe, plunging his leg down just as Arlong bites onto his side. Luffy's foot lands firmly on Arlong's back, driving Arlong through the many floors of the tower. When Arlong hits the bottom, he lies on the ground, unconscious, finally defeated. Luffy stands, victorious, but the villagers watch in horror as the entire tower starts to collapse. Zoro sleeps through the whole thing, but a large rock landing on his head wakes him up. The entire tower collapses, but Luffy bursts from the rubble, standing up. Leaning back, he yells at the top of his lungs that Nami is his nakama. Nami starts to cry.
With Arlong defeated, the villagers erupt into celebration. Luffy is tossed up into the air by the villagers, and Sanji tries to hug Nojiko but is unsuccessful. Usopp joins in on the celebration, and as Luffy is tossed up, the villagers accidentally drop him. Luffy laughs, and he stands up, giving a high-five to Nami. The celebration is cut short, though, when Nezumi and his Marine soldiers arrive, declaring that he will be taking over. Zoro comes up behind him, though, and knocks him senseless. Nami then steps up to Nezumi, and saying it's for shooting Nojiko and messing up Bellemere's orange grove, she whacks him across the head with her staff. She then tugs his whiskers and tells him that he must clean up the village after what the mermen did without touching the mermen's treasure, because it belongs to the village. She also demands to have her treasure back. Nezumi agrees, then swims away and yells at the Straw Hats that they'll regret what they did. He yells that Luffy will become big, a wanted man. Luffy wonders how Nezumi knew he would be big, but Usopp points out how bad it can be to be notorious in the eyes of the Marines.
As the villagers run to the rest of the island to spread the good news of Arlong Park's fall, Genzo remembers the painful moments of Cocoyashi Village, when Bellemere was shot, when Nami became part of Arlong's crew, and when the Marines took Nami's treasure. Several shots show the defeated Arlong, Kuroobi, Chu, and Hatchi before shifting back to the Straw Hats standing happily together, one crew again. Meanwhile, in a small Marine base, a battered Nezumi calls up Marine Headquarters, telling them about Luffy. He faxes a picture and yells that he wants Luffy dead or alive as the episode ends.
Mumbo230’s Notes
Arlong finally meets his demise in this episode. Of course, such an event is a very memorable moment and a favorite in the eyes of many fans.
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