We are back on the high seas with the live-action adaptation of One Piece, and my god, they do not ease you in!
Episode one, titled “The Beginning and the End,” kicks things off with the reveal of Miss All Sunday alongside Miss Valentine and Mr. 5. They are seen absolutely annihilating a Marine base to recover the corpse of Mr. 7, who was taken out by Zoro in the first season. Something very apparent from this scene was just how horrifying Miss All Sunday’s Devil Fruit ability is. She ate the Flower-Flower Fruit, which allows her to sprout limbs from anywhere she sees fit—including on other people. Seeing this in live-action combat was a sight to behold as she effortlessly wipes out an entire group of Marines.
Jumping across to the Straw Hats, the crew is working their way toward the Grand Line, agreeing to stop at Loguetown first to stock up on supplies. It is heartening to see everyone getting along and hanging out on the Going Merry, still riding the high of freeing Nami at Arlong Park last season.
We then cut to a flashback of Gold Roger on his execution day, which was a huge surprise. It’s revealed that he sees Garp as a friend, despite them being on opposite sides of the ongoing battle between Marines and Pirates. It is here that Roger asks Garp to look after his son (who is not named here). A reluctant Garp appears conflicted by his friend’s request before walking off.
Back in the present day, we make it to Loguetown. The Straw Hats split into groups to carry out their tasks, all while being watched by a man in a green cape. Fans of the anime/manga know this is Monkey D. Dragon, the father of Luffy—but more on that later.
We are also introduced to the legendary Marine Captain Smoker, who has captured Kozi, a pirate we briefly meet in the manga when he’s taken out by Tashigi. In the live-action version, Smoker has captured Kozi, and it is implied he killed Packy. A fun cameo! We are also shown a minor appearance in a blink and miss it moment by Carol, the young girl Usopp crossed paths with when obtaining his signature goggles. However, there was no sign of her father, the bounty hunter who has a wager with Usopp in the anime.
One major change the live action commits to is the early introduction of Bartolomeo. In the manga, he wasn’t introduced until the Dressrosa storyline, which takes place much later. It was mentioned there that he was present in Loguetown when he witnessed Luffy laugh in the face of death, and from that moment, he became a loyal follower. The live action has retroactively inserted him into this episode as a major player witnessing the events unfold while also being an active player.
Conversely, we are given an incredibly loyal adaptation of the Zoro and Tashigi encounter. This is where Zoro obtains two more powerful swords to bring him up to full strength. Everything in this scene screams “faithful,” from the swordsmith’s appearance to Tashigi’s passion for blade lore and Zoro’s wager to obtain his new sword.
Elsewhere, Luffy ends up fighting Buggy and Alvida, who has had a “smooth” upgrade since the first episode. Thanks to the Slip-Slip Fruit, Alvida has not only slimmed down, but any physical attack simply slides right off her. She manages to knock out Luffy and strap a pair of Sea Stone handcuffs onto him to nullify his Gum-Gum abilities.
The Straw Hat Pirates quickly join the fray to take on the Buggy Pirates, wiping them out with little effort (though Alvida required a combo move from Nami and Usopp to be defeated). The Marines swiftly form up, standing by on Smoker’s orders to wait until the pirates take each other out.
With everyone down and the Marines on standby, Buggy takes a still-handcuffed Luffy to the execution stand where Gold Roger died. Buggy plans to behead Luffy in front of everyone. Despite knowing his fate, Luffy smiles and accepts it, laughing in the face of death. This shocks everyone, particularly those who witnessed Gold Roger do the exact same thing.
Fate has other ideas: Buggy is struck by lightning, which blows up the stand. Being made of rubber, Luffy walks away unscathed and shrugs it off. The Straw Hats grab their gear and run off in the chaos. Zoro is forced to fight Tashigi, who has now realized she helped a pirate obtain his swords. A minor cameo in this scene was a wanted poster for Pedro, a Jaguar Mink and Captain of the Nox Pirates, whom we don’t normally meet until the Zou arc.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Sanji take on Smoker and are instantly neutralized by his Smoke-Smoke Fruit, which makes him impervious to physical attacks. He would have won, too, if not for the intervention of Monkey D. Dragon, who makes it clear the two are familiar with one another. He sends Smoker flying, giving Luffy and Sanji a chance to reach the Going Merry.
As the Straw Hats sail off, Dragon watches from a distance, and it is here we get the most shocking cameo. Sabo enters through the door behind Dragon! As Luffy’s second brother and a character not introduced until much later in the source material, this was a massive moment for fans.
Verdict
Episode 1 was phenomenal. Season 1 had to move at a slower pace to build the crew, but now that they’re established, we are going full speed toward the Grand Line. Loguetown looked fantastic, and almost every shot had a manga Easter egg hidden in the background. The combat was fun, the characters were perfectly “crazy,” and the cameos were brilliant. I cannot wait to see what they do with the remaining seven episodes!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
