Ep. 18

Summary

Source-backed · Version: v1 · Original

While sailing toward the Grand Line, the crew lands on an island rumored to contain strange animals and hidden treasure. Luffy encounters Gaimon, a former pirate whose body became trapped inside an empty treasure chest after he fell from a cliff twenty years earlier. Gaimon initially tries to frighten the visitors away, but he soon befriends them and introduces the island's unusual wildlife, including animals that combine features of different species. He explains that five treasure chests remain on a high rock formation he can no longer climb. His old crew abandoned him, and he has guarded the island ever since, hoping the chests contain riches. Luffy stretches to the summit and discovers that the boxes are empty, but he refuses to hand them down or lie about their contents. Gaimon understands immediately and accepts that his decades-long hope was misplaced. Luffy invites him to join the crew, but Gaimon chooses to stay and protect the rare animals that have become his family. The Straw Hats leave without treasure, yet the encounter reinforces Luffy's instinct to value freedom, loyalty, and chosen companions over wealth.