Influenced by the straw-hat-wearing pirate Red-Haired Shanks, an enthusiastic young boy named Monkey D. Luffy dreams of one day becoming king of the pirates. Manga Chapter(s): 1 Anime Episode(s): Episode of East Blue, 312 (Intro)
While Alvida and her pirates plunder a cruise ship, they come across a barrel containing a strange boy named Monkey D. Luffy. The timid Koby befriends Luffy, and they share their grand dreams with each other.
In search of members for his pirate crew, Luffy with his new friend Koby arrive at an island with a Navy stronghold. There, they track down the renowned Pirate Hunter Zoro but run afoul of Helmeppo, son of the infamous Captain Morgan.
Luffy convinces the captive Zoro to join his pirate crew, but they must first defeat the tyrannical Captain Morgan.
Nami, a street-smart girl who loves money and tangerines, makes Luffy's acquaintance. To save herself and steal a map to the Grand Line, she tricks Luffy into allowing her to turn him over to the infamous pirate Buggy the Clown.
Luffy meets a small dog guarding his late master’s store. Meanwhile, the beast tamer Mohji, the acrobat Cabaji, and the lion Richie show up in the streets of Orange Town to get revenge for Captain Buggy's humiliating loss.
Shockingly, it turns out Captain Buggy and Red-Haired Shanks share a common history. When the bombastic clown rips Shanks' straw hat, Luffy's rage knows no bounds.
With Nami joining as Luffy's navigator (though not as an actual member of the crew), they arrive at an island in search of a proper ship. There they meet a man claiming to be a pirate captain who seemingly also has ties to Red-Haired Shanks.
After uncovering a devious plot, Usopp warns the village and Kaya, but finds his years of lying make it difficult to convince people of the truth.
Usopp resolves that if he is to keep the peace, the town must continue to believe he is a liar, which means he cannot let Captain Kuro’s men up the slope to the village! Luffy, Zoro, and Nami aid Usopp in his plan to keep the Black Cat Pirates at bay.
Captain Kuro makes his appearance, and with Zoro too injured to fight, Luffy incapacitated, and Usopp and Nami too weak to make a stand, the situation is desperate. However, Kaya herself arrives, intent on bargaining with Kuro.
While the fight between Luffy and Kuro continues, Jango is intent on forcing Kaya to bequeath her family's money to the Black Cat captain. Despite the Usopp Pirates' efforts to stop the hypnotist, it seems as if the transaction is all but inevitable.
Kuro's ultimate move attacks everything in the area, friend nor foe notwithstanding, and Luffy becomes enraged by Kuro's lack of regard for his crew.
With Usopp now on the crew and their new ship, the Going Merry, under their command, the Straw Hats head to an island said to hold a fabled treasure. There they encounter a strange man stuck in a box who has been looking for the same treasure.
The Straw Hats happen across Zoro's former partners, Yosaku and Johnny, whose dietary dilemma reminds the pirates they still need a cook on their ship. Thus, they set sail for the sea restaurant Baratie, hoping to snag a chef.
Luffy is on hiatus from pirating to work as a cabin boy to pay off the damage done to the Baratie. While he tries to convince Sanji to join his pirate crew, the pirate Gin brings the infamous Don Krieg and his entire starving fleet to the sea restaurant.
It's revealed that Chef Zeff was once a great pirate known as "Blaze Leg" Zeff, and his fighting spirit is as strong as ever. Meanwhile, Gin explains how his men met disaster in the Grand Line when they ran afoul of a devastatingly strong opponent.
Mihawk departs after defeating Zoro, and Krieg continues his assault on the Baratie. Pearl, one of Krieg's strongest men, goes on the offensive with fiery attacks and multiple shields at his disposal, so Sanji reveals his unique fighting style.
Sanji continues to battle Pearl, but Gin cleverly holds Chef Zeff hostage, forcing Sanji to let Pearl hit him or lose his mentor for fighting back. Sanji's childhood memories flood his mind, and he reflects on why Zeff means so much to him.
In a surprising twist, Gin finishes Pearl off himself, claiming Sanji as his own target. Though still wounded, Sanji rises to the challenge and faces off with Gin. As the battle draws to a close, Don Krieg unleashes a deadly toxin into the air.
The struggle with Krieg nears its end. Luffy's fighting spirit is unwavering, even after taking several hits from the giant battle spear. Straw Hat’s strategy shifts to smashing through Krieg’s defenses and attacking the spear head-on.
As dust from the battle settles, Gin, despite still being poisoned, decides to go back to the Grand Line with Krieg, and Sanji makes the difficult decision to join Luffy's crew. Then, Yosaku returns with news of where Nami took the Going Merry.