Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s hit manga series One Piece ends on a high note – but what is next for the pirate crew?
Hitting the streamer on August 31, 2023 with eight episodes, the adventure series follows young dreamer Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he leaves his village to search for treasure, in hopes of becoming King of the Pirates. Along the way, he assembles a talented pirate crew, called the Straw Hats, to help him face off against several dangerous rivals, including other pirates, pirate hunters, and the Marines.
The cast continues with Emily Rudd, Mackenyu, Jacob Romero Gibson, and Taz Skylar. Matt Owens and Steven Maeda serve as showrunners and original creator Oda is an executive producer.
As the debut season ends, Luffy and his crew are thrown for a loop when it’s revealed that their crew member, expert navigator and thief Nami (Rudd), is part of a rival gang, the Arlong Pirates. But, it’s not necessarily by choice. She has been working with them to protect her village, which is in debt to the ruthless fiends.
In the penultimate episode, Arlong betrays Nami by stealing her money and leaving her village in ruins. Prior to that, Nami stole Luffy’s map to deliver to Arlong, which led the Straw Hats to believe she was a traitor. However, Luffy still believes in their friendship and follows Nami to Cocoyashi Village, where he eventually finds her stabbing the Arlong Pirates tattoo on her arm, in the midst of Arlong’s betrayal.
Luffy stops Nami from continuing to hurt herself and tells her that he will help her fight Arlong.
What happens next? Do Luffy and the Straw Hats manage to bring down Arlong and his pirates? Do they locate Nami’s savings and return them to her village? Do they continue on their journey to find treasure? Here’s everything you need to know about the explosive ending of One Piece Season 1.
Heck yeah, Luffy and his crew go head-to-head with Arlong. Have you ever seen Luffy back down from a fight? With the help of Nami, Zoro (Mackenyu), Sanji (Skylar), and Usopp (Gibson), both Arlong and his crew are defeated.
During the battle, Arlong claims “there’s a reason” why Nami keeps coming back to him, but Luffy sets him straight, saying that he’s holding her village hostage. When the evil pirate insists that Nami would be “nothing” without him, Luffy says, “No, you’d be nothing without her.”
The two battle one-on-one in the map room while their crews fight outside the empire. Luffy punches a wall and the building begins to collapse. He then uses his stretchy abilities to pummel Arlong across the room, toward the ruins. As Arlong charges towards him, Luffy stretches his leg to kick a hole in the ceiling, causing it to fall.
From the outside, Luffy’s crew watches the building collapse with Luffy still inside. Luffy stretches his arm and punches out of the ruins. He stands on top of the torn building and yells, “Nami, you are our friend. We are your crew.” They all smile at one another.
Yes! Nami returns to her village and squashes the beef she has with her adoptive sister Nojiko (Chioma Umeala). The entire crew returns to the village and Sanji cooks a big feast. However, it’s not all fun and games. Marine captain Garp (Vincent Regan) – revealed to be Luffy’s grandfather – appears and tries to arrest the Straw Hats for destroying the village, but Luffy is defended by his Marine friend Koby (Morgan Davies).
With the support of others, Garp is convinced that Luffy did not damage the village. The two begin to fight against Luffy’s wishes. “You can hit me all day long, but I’m never giving up on my dream,” Luffy tells his grandfather. “I’m going to the Grand Line and I will find the one piece, and I will be King of the Pirates.” Garp tells his soldiers to lower their weapons and lets Luffy and his crew go. He orders his team to locate the Arlong pirates and arrest them.
The following day, Nami sits under the tangerine tree near her childhood home. She apologizes to her adoptive mother’s grave. Her adoptive sister joins her and they reconcile. Nojiko tells her, “She was always proud of you,” referring to their mother. “So am I.”
After bringing down the Arlong Pirates, Luffy hears from Koby that he’s considered a “wanted man” with a large bounty that’s considered the “highest berry in the East Blue.” Luffy embraces his friend and says, “That’s exactly what I wanted.” The pirate leader shares the good news with his crew. Luffy’s right-hand man Zoro notes that every pirate will be looking to capture Luffy to receive the prize, and Nami points out that they will all be hunted.
Luffy responds, “Then it’s a good thing we’re not staying in the East Blue. We’re going to the Grand Line.” The crew sets sail with Luffy excitedly riding on top of their Go Merry ship’s figurehead. Nami tells him, “The entrance to the Grand Line isn’t too far off, but I think there’s a mistake on the map.” She says it looks like they’re heading towards a river or a canal, but she claims the elevation levels suggest a mountain. Luffy expresses his confidence in Nami’s navigational abilities and says she’ll figure it out.
In a final, emotional act, the crew gathers for a “send-off ceremony” and place their boots on top of a barrel while shouting out their “dream,” which, for Luffy, is to become King of the Pirates.
So, that’s it. Luffy and his crew are ditching the East Blue and heading to the Grand Line.
In our interview with production designer Richard Bridgland, he reflected on building the popular locations in the East Blue and suspects that they will have to start anew for the new journey. However, he said fans can expect to see Luffy’s Go Merry ship again in a potential second season, but remained hush about the rest. “Whether you see Garp’s warship, I couldn’t say, but that would really be it. You’ll just leave the East Blue behind and move on [to] new and wonderful worlds,” he said.
One Piece is currently streaming on Netflix.