Summary:
Luffy is found floating at sea by a cruise ship. After fending off an invasion of pirates from Alvida, he meets a new ally, their job boy Koba.
Luffy is thrown into the sea in a barrel. Sailors on a passing cruise ship retrieve the barrel, but the ship is attacked by cannon fire from a nearby pirate ship led by Alvida. The keg is sent to the kitchen. Once the cruise ship’s sails are destroyed, Alvida’s Pirates board the ship to loot its goods, and Alvida also forces one of his boys, Koby, to board the ship. Meanwhile, the girl takes the opportunity to sneak aboard the Alvida Pirates ship to steal its treasures.
Koby and the other pirates notice a barrel in the kitchen and find Luffy sleeping inside. After Luffy defeats the enemy pirates, he and Koby go to the pantry to eat the stored food. Luffy explains that he set sail to begin his pirate career, but his boat was destroyed by a vortex and he was trapped at sea in a barrel. Koby explains that he used to ride a rowboat but was kidnapped by pirates from Alvida and forced to become a job boy. He explains his desires to one day escape the pirates of Alvida and join the marines.
Alvida is informed of Luffy’s presence and, suspecting that he might be a bounty hunter, confronts him and Koby in the pantry. This starts a battle on the ship, but Luffy defeats the pirates. Although Alvida is armed with a large spiked club, her attacks are ineffective due to Luffy eating a Devil Fruit, giving him a superhuman ability that gives his body rubber-like properties. Using the Gomu Gomu no Pistol attack, Luffy defeats Alvida and flies off the ship into the sea.
After the battle is over, Luffy and Koby board a boat to continue their travels and spot the thief who was also leaving the ship in her own boat. Luffy heads to the Grand Line in search of the One Piece treasure, but first he tries to recruit the infamous pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro into his crew.
The characters “つづく” at the end of the card are translated as “Next”.
The ending card here was replaced with the “To Be Continued” card from Episode 3 on the Funimation DVD release.
In the special edition print, it is stretched to match the 16:9 aspect ratio.
In the manga it was set on an island, but in the anime it was on Lady Mary.
Nami appeared in this episode, while she didn’t appear in the manga until chapter 8.
A scene is added showing Luffy and Koby in the basement where Luffy is eating apples.
In the manga, Koby shows Luffy the ship he built over 2 years to escape from Alvida. This is not shown in the anime.
In the manga, Alvida and her crew seriously discuss the possibility that Koby hired Roronoa Zoro to attack them. This is simplified in the anime, with Alvida simply mistaking Luffy for a bounty hunter.
Pandaman made his first appearance in the anime in this episode’s theme song.
The first set of Eyecatchers premiered in this episode. Both featured Luffy but were set to different tracks. The music accompanying the first Eyecatcher became Zoro’s theme song.
This episode is not based on Chapter 1, which is covered later in Episode 4. Instead, it is based on material from Chapter 2.
One of the pirates in this episode (only credited as “Pirate A”) is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya in an early role; later it had a more prominent role in the Trafalgar Act.
This is the first episode of the Romance Dawn Arc and the East Blue Saga.