One Piece

Zoro enters a sword shop searching for two affordable replacements and meets Marine Sergeant Major Tashigi, whose face strongly resembles his late rival Kuina. Her enthusiasm for famous blades unsettles him, especially when she criticizes the idea of valuable swords being owned by criminals. The shopkeeper tries to sell Zoro an ordinary weapon, but Zoro recognizes the cursed Sandai Kitetsu in a bargain barrel. Knowing that every previous owner died violently, he tests whether his luck is stronger than the sword's curse by throwing it into the air and extending his arm beneath the falling blade. The sword circles his arm without cutting it. Impressed by Zoro's courage, the shopkeeper gives him Sandai Kitetsu and also presents Yubashiri, the finest blade in his shop, free of charge. Tashigi later realizes that Zoro is the pirate hunter traveling with Luffy and feels deceived. Meanwhile, Smoker's Marines tighten their search, and Buggy's crew moves toward the execution platform. Zoro leaves with three swords again, but his encounter with Tashigi creates a personal complication: she shares Kuina's appearance while standing on the opposite side of the law.

Usopp visits a Loguetown weapons shop and becomes fascinated by a pair of goggles, only to lose them to a girl named Carol. Her father, Daddy Masterson, is a former Marine sniper who now works as a bounty hunter. When Usopp boasts about his own marksmanship, Daddy challenges him to a duel and easily exposes his fear. Usopp prepares to run, but Daddy recognizes the name Yasopp and reveals that he once lost a shooting contest to Usopp's father. Yasopp spared his life because Daddy had a daughter waiting for him, a decision that led Daddy to leave the Marines and raise Carol. Ashamed of retreating from a test connected to his father, Usopp accepts a second challenge: shoot a distant weather vane before Daddy can shoot him. Usopp calms himself, remembers Yasopp's confidence, and hits the target. Daddy acknowledges his skill and gives him the goggles. The encounter allows Usopp to earn pride through genuine marksmanship rather than an invented story. As he rejoins the crew, Loguetown grows more dangerous around them, with Marines searching the streets and Buggy preparing to capture Luffy at the execution platform.

Sanji searches Loguetown for a rare blue-finned elephant tuna, hoping to stock the Going Merry with exceptional food before entering the Grand Line. He meets Carmen, a flamboyant chef who has considered him her rival for years despite never having met him. When only one tuna is available, a public cooking contest is arranged to decide who receives it. Carmen relies on dramatic presentation and elaborate techniques, while Sanji focuses on using every edible part of the fish and preparing a meal that suits ordinary people as well as judges. His respect for ingredients and refusal to waste food reflect the lessons he learned from starvation and from Zeff. Sanji wins, but he praises Carmen's ability and encourages her to keep improving rather than humiliating her. She accepts the defeat and renews her promise to surpass him someday. Sanji obtains the tuna and returns to the ship with supplies. Elsewhere, the other Straw Hats complete their errands while Smoker's net closes around the town. The lighthearted contest gives Sanji a chance to express his dream through cooking, but the crew's time in Loguetown is running out as enemies converge on Luffy.

At the Loguetown execution platform, Luffy is trapped by Buggy and Alvida while a crowd gathers below. Buggy locks him into the same wooden frame used for Gol D. Roger and announces a public execution. The other Straw Hats rush toward the square, but Marines and Buggy's crew delay them. Smoker watches from a distance, curious about how Luffy will react to certain death. Unable to escape, Luffy apologizes to his crew and smiles, declaring that he is going to die. The expression shocks Smoker because Roger reportedly smiled the same way before his execution. Buggy swings his sword, but a sudden lightning strike destroys the platform and saves Luffy. Rain and violent wind sweep through the city, creating confusion. Zoro and Sanji reach their captain, and the crew begins running for the harbor. Smoker personally confronts Luffy and discovers that his smoke-based Devil Fruit makes him difficult to hit. Tashigi challenges Zoro after learning his identity. The episode transforms Luffy's visit to Roger's execution site into a near repetition of history, while the unexplained storm suggests that chance—or something more deliberate—is pushing him toward the Grand Line.

The Straw Hats fight their way through storm-soaked Loguetown toward the Going Merry. Zoro defeats Tashigi but refuses to kill her, leaving her furious that he treats her differently because she resembles Kuina. Sanji and Usopp clear a path through Buggy's men, while Nami uses the worsening weather to prepare the ship. Smoker pins Luffy with his seastone-tipped weapon and is about to arrest him when a hooded man named Dragon intervenes. A powerful gust separates the combatants, allowing Luffy to escape without learning his rescuer's identity. Buggy and Alvida are also swept away from the square, preserving their pursuit for another day. The crew reaches the harbor, raises the sails, and leaves Loguetown before the Marines can close the port. As the storm clears, each member places a foot on a barrel and states a personal dream: becoming Pirate King, the greatest swordsman, mapping the world, becoming a brave warrior of the sea, and finding the All Blue. They break the barrel together and steer toward Reverse Mountain. The departure marks the end of their East Blue preparations and the true beginning of their voyage into the Grand Line.

While sailing toward the Grand Line, the Straw Hats encounter a Marine ship pursuing a small boat in rough weather. Luffy rescues the boat's passenger, a young girl named Apis, but she refuses to explain why the Marines are chasing her. She claims to dislike pirates and tries to conceal her destination, though Sanji's cooking and the crew's kindness gradually lower her guard. Apis has escaped from Marine Branch 8, where Commodore Nelson Royale wants information connected to an ancient legend and the secret of eternal youth. Nelson sends the mercenary Eric, a Devil Fruit user whose slicing wind attacks resemble sharp claws, to recapture her. Apis overhears the crew discussing their route and attempts to leave at night so she will not endanger them. Luffy stops her boat from capsizing, and the Marines surround the Going Merry. The Straw Hats refuse to hand over their guest, beginning a chase away from the normal route to Reverse Mountain. Apis finally asks them to take her home to Warship Island. The detour opens the series' first extended anime-original adventure, placing the crew between a greedy Marine commander and a mystery the frightened girl is determined to protect.

The Straw Hats reach Warship Island and return Apis to her grandfather, Bokuden. The old man tells long, wandering stories about the Lost Island, a place said to rise from the sea once every thousand years and to be connected with dragons. Apis secretly leads Luffy and Nami into the hills, where they discover an elderly dragon named Ryuji hiding in a cave. Because Apis ate the Whisper-Whisper Fruit, she can understand the feelings of animals and has been caring for him since escaping the Marines. Ryuji is weak and remembers only that he must return to the Lost Island before dying. Nami doubts that the island exists, but Luffy immediately agrees to help. The crew builds a raft large enough to carry the dragon and studies Bokuden's clues for a possible location. Meanwhile, Eric arrives on Warship Island with Marine forces and begins questioning residents. Nelson wants the dragon's bones because legends claim they can create an immortality elixir, while Eric secretly plans to take the treasure for himself. Apis' secret turns the rescue mission into a search for a mythical homeland, and the Straw Hats prepare to move Ryuji before the Marines discover the cave.

Eric and the Marines locate Ryuji's cave just as the Straw Hats finish preparing the dragon's transport raft. Eric attacks with razor-like gusts produced by the Sickle-Sickle Fruit, cutting through stone and forcing Zoro to defend Apis and the weakened creature. The crew moves Ryuji downhill while villagers delay the Marines, and Sanji and Usopp improvise ways to keep the heavy raft from overturning. Luffy confronts Eric but is distracted when the mercenary targets Apis. Nami brings the Going Merry close to shore, allowing the crew to tow Ryuji out to sea. Commodore Nelson's ships establish a blockade around Warship Island, expecting the pirates to surrender. Nami instead identifies a narrow path through the formation and orders precise maneuvers while Usopp returns fire. The Going Merry and dragon raft break through amid cannon explosions. Eric survives the escape and follows independently, unwilling to let Nelson claim the dragon's bones. With Warship Island behind them, Bokuden's uncertain directions become the crew's only guide. Ryuji's failing strength adds urgency, while Apis struggles to interpret fragments of his memory about a temple, a nest, and an island hidden somewhere beyond the ordinary charts.

Following clues from Ryuji's memories, the Straw Hats sail through dangerous waters and discover an isolated island covered in ancient ruins. Apis believes it may be the Lost Island, and the crew carries the dragon inland to investigate. Stone carvings and abandoned structures show that people once worshiped the Millennium Dragons, but no living colony remains. Nami compares the ruins with Bokuden's stories and suspects that changes in sea level may have hidden the true island. Luffy, Usopp, and Apis explore a temple while Zoro and Sanji guard Ryuji. They find images of dragons gathering around a distinctive rock formation, suggesting a migration cycle rather than a permanent nest. Eric reaches the island and searches for them, cutting through ruins in his impatience. Commodore Nelson's fleet also approaches after tracking both the mercenary and the pirates. Ryuji reacts to the carvings but still cannot remember the exact route. The crew realizes that the island may only be a former human settlement connected to the legend, not the dragons' birthplace itself. Their search continues under increasing pressure as Marines close the surrounding sea and Eric prepares to seize Ryuji without sharing the prize.

Eric attacks the group among the ruins and attempts to take Ryuji, claiming that the dragon's bones will make him wealthy and immortal. Zoro intercepts him, matching sword strikes against invisible cutting winds. Eric uses the ruined columns and narrow passages to attack from a distance, but Zoro learns to read the direction of the gusts and forces him into close combat. Elsewhere, Luffy and the others study a mural that depicts the Lost Island beneath a ring of familiar peaks. Nami concludes that the island may be submerged and that the surrounding geography is the remains of a much larger ancient landmass. Apis hears Ryuji recall a final image of dragons flying toward the sunrise. Zoro defeats Eric and sends him falling from the ruins, though the mercenary survives and retreats. Before the crew can leave, Nelson's warships surround the island and train their cannons on both the Going Merry and Ryuji's raft. Nelson orders the pirates to surrender the dragon, showing no concern for Apis or the historical site. The Straw Hats now possess a plausible answer to the legend but must escape a full naval encirclement before they can test it.

Commodore Nelson encloses the Straw Hats within concentric rings of Marine ships, planning to destroy their escape routes and claim Ryuji. His oversized flagship remains safely behind the formation while smaller vessels absorb the risk. Nami studies the currents and develops a plan that uses the Marines' own positioning against them. Usopp and Sanji create distractions, Zoro cuts incoming cannonballs, and Luffy launches himself between ships to disrupt their crews. Nelson reveals that he never trusted Eric and intends to eliminate the mercenary once the dragon is secured. Eric reappears aboard the flagship and turns against Nelson, slicing through Marines in an attempt to seize Ryuji for himself. During the confusion, the dragon responds to distant calls in the sky. Apis senses that other Millennium Dragons are approaching, and Ryuji becomes determined to reach the sea despite his failing body. The crew breaks the blockade, but Nelson orders every cannon to fire on the raft. Luffy intercepts the barrage while the horizon fills with flying shapes. The greedy commander's carefully layered strategy begins collapsing because neither Eric nor the Straw Hats behaves as he predicted, and the ancient migration reaches the battlefield at the exact moment Ryuji needs it.

A vast flock of Millennium Dragons appears over the sea, confirming that Ryuji's species returns to the region once every thousand years. Ryuji recognizes the calls and tries to rise, but age and exhaustion prevent him from joining them. Nelson orders his fleet to capture as many dragons as possible and fires without regard for the creatures' lives. Luffy attacks the flagship, while Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp disable cannons across the formation. Eric attempts to kill Ryuji and harvest the bones, but the crew drives him back. Ryuji finally spreads his wings and briefly flies beside the flock before falling into the water and dying. Apis grieves, yet she hears the other dragons calling as the sea begins to move. The submerged Lost Island rises beneath them, lifted by geological changes connected to the migration cycle. Its ancient dragon nests and ruins reveal that Bokuden's legend was based on a real place hidden under the ocean. A newly hatched dragon appears, suggesting that Ryuji's life has continued through the species. The revelation fulfills his journey even though he cannot remain, and it turns Nelson's pursuit of immortality into a confrontation with a natural cycle he cannot control.