This list contains spoilers!
Summary
With a story spanning over a thousand episodes and chapters,One Piecehas had a plethora of memorable and compelling arcs over the course of its run. That being said, though, these story arcs differ pretty drastically in not only their quality, but also their length. Though Oda kept a lot of the early arcs fairly short and sweet, they inevitably ended up becoming a lot lengthier by the time the Straw Hats landed in Alabasta, which is where the world-building of the series really took off.
As a result of this, some fans have argued that some arcs may just be a little too long for their own good, and while that doesn’t make them bad necessarily, it can still be very noticeable. Thankfully, though, there are still plenty of arcs that feel like they toe the line much better of being able to offer fans plenty of new content without overstaying their welcome in the process, and it’s theseOne Piecestory arcs that this list will be focusing on.
8Jaya
A Quick Pit Stop Before The Straw Hats Embark For Skypiea
Despite the Jaya arc being extremely short in overall length, it’s still a ton of fun, not only because of its fascinating reveals, but also due to its action. Many fans will remember this arc as the portion of the story where Blackbeard makes his debut, giving his now iconic speech about how a man’s dream will never die, without Luffy even knowing who this guy was at the time.
Speaking of Luffy, theStraw Hatcaptain scores an easy victory over the pirate known as Bellamy during this arc, which would showcase just how strong Luffy had become in such a short period of time. Considering Jaya was designed as a build-up to Skypeia, it moves at a quick pace and includes no filler to speak of, with everything being relevant to the story at hand.
7Amazon Lily
Luffy Gets To Meet A Shichibukai While Discovering A Tropical New Island
After Kuma brutally defeats the entire Straw Hat crew near the end of the Sabaody arc, each of them is transported to a random part of the world, and in the case of Luffy, he crash-lands into Amazon Lily, the territory of Boa Hancock. It’s not long after he wakes up that Luffy is thrust into a chaotic battle with Hancock’s sisters, but oncethe Shichibukaiwarms up to him, she reveals her tragic backstory as a slave and how she came to become a Warlord in the first place.
Once the introductions are all made, Hancock offers to take Luffy over to Impel Down prison so that he can save his brother Ace. Needless to say, this arc never feels like it drags on for too long, which makes sense considering how high the stakes are at this point in the story, with Ace being on death’s door. At the same time, though, it’s still long enough to give fans some beautiful shots of Amazon Lilly in all its glory, alongside humanizing a Shichibukai, which hadn’t been done in the story before this point.
6Sabaody
It’s Not Long After Stepping Into Sabaody That The Straw Hats Are Forced To Leave The Island
After a string of fairly long story arcs, Sabaody is quite a bit shorter in comparison, clocking in at just 20 episodes long. However, in a way, it feels as though Oda used Sabaody as a way to introduce many of the core characters that would be important for the story going forward, specifically theWorst Generation of pirates, including the fan favorite Law. It would also be the arc where Rayleigh marked his debut, who would be crucial in mentoring Luffy a little later down the road.
The main reason the arc is cut short is simply because the Straw Hats are eventually intercepted by Kuma, and all are transported to different areas of the world upon being bested by the Warlord. Therefore, it feels like a fairly brief but still highly important portion of the story, which definitely shouldn’t be skipped over.
5Zou
The Minks Ally Themselves With The Pirates And Samurai To Take Down Kaido Once And For All
The Zou arc is jam-packed between Dressrosa and Whole Cake, serving as a quick breath of fresh air to allow audiences and the Straw Hats to prepare themselves for the final section ofthe Yonko saga. It, therefore, doesn’t need to be all that long of a story arc, but the reason so many fans still look on Zou so fondly is because of the introduction of the Minks, a tribe of humanoid animals whose culture and way of life are drastically different from that of humans.
It definitely would have been easy for this arc to have been filled with filler, especially if it focused too heavily on insignificant Mink characters, but thankfully, Oda made sure to only hone in on the key Minks to keep the story moving. With Wano right around the corner, the Straw Hats certainly didn’t have time to waste, but they still explored just enough of Zou to make it a very memorable island.
4Alabasta
As the first major story arc that would have a drastic impact on the world at large, it makes sense that Alabasta would be much longer than the arcs that came before it. However, despite this still being the earlier years ofOne Piece, Oda managed to write Alabasta in a way that has barely any downtime or filler, feeding into the intensity of the conflict and the civil war that has consumed the island and its people.
One way he achieves this is by making it so Crocodile,the main villain of the arc, defeats Luffy numerous times in pretty humiliating fashion. This encourages fans to keep watching as they wonder how on earth the Straw Hat captain could take down such a monster. It’s also nice to see the Straw Hats get some attention on an individual level, such as Usopp showcasing his bravery during his fight with Mr 4. While some of the longer arcs in the series, such as Dressrosa and Wano, can sometimes feel like they get a bit too long in the tooth at times, this isn’t the case with Alabasta.
3Egghead
After Wano ended up being by far the longest story arc in the entire series, Oda decided it was time to take a breather and opted for a much shorter arc with Egghead Island. Despite only being a fraction of the length of Wano, it’s honestly staggering just how many fascinating revealsVegapunk and his ragtag band of scientistslet out once they encounter Luffy and the gang.
Whether it’s the truth of Ohara’s destruction, or even the reveal that the world is slowly sinking, every chapter and episode in Egghead felt like it was expanding the wonderful world ofOne Piecein one way or another, while also serving up some great action scenes too. This isn’t even mentioning the heartbreaking story of Bonnie and Kuma, which is also given just enough time to shine in this arc without feeling overdone.
2Enies Lobby
The Desperate Battle To Save Robin Is Fast-Paced And Fun To Follow
Since the Water 7 arc was primarily dedicated to exploring the gorgeous city and introducing its characters, especially the devious CP0, Enies Lobby would therefore be where a lot of the action and crucial plot points take place. With Robin kidnapped and a Buster Call incoming, the Straw Hats try desperately to rescue their new nakama by taking down several tough opponents who push each of them to their limits.
The Straw Hats gain a ton of power-ups, which makes each of the fights feel extremely important, such as Sanji obtaining his Diabla Jamba for the first time and Zoro Awakening his Asura technique. With the Marines on their way, Luffy and the gang have no time to goof off, resulting in an arc that always feels exciting and fun to watch.
1Marineford
No Time Is Wasted In The War Between The Marines And Pirates
It’s a common trend in many shonen anime that, to make a war arc feel as epic and grueling as possible, the author will include some very minor fights to keep the conflict going. While this definitely raises the intensity and stakes of the battle, it can also end up dragging the war on for too long, though this certainly isn’t the case for Marineford.In just 33 episodes, Oda delivers what many still consider to be the most epic arc in the entire series, with Luffy, Whitebeard, and an entire army of pirates going against the marines in an attempt to save Ace from being executed.
While there are definitely still moments when Oda will hone in on singular battles, he will then quickly zoom back out to show the wider conflict to ensure the story doesn’t get too carried away or distracted. Instead, everything that happens in Marineford feels highly relevant and important, keeping fans' eyes glued to the screen from beginning to end.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
