One Piece Diaries #49: Sabaody Archipelago Arc #1

One Piece is one of the most beloved anime in history, but at over 1,000 episodes, it’s tough for those who haven’t been watching from the start to jump on board. One Piece Diaries tracks one writer’s experience with this daunting rite of passage. With hype for the highs and critique for the lows, this column will help you decide whether to take your own One Piece journey – or let you relive the one you’re already on. It will update biweekly every other Thursday.

Episodes Watched: 385 – 391 – Sabaody Archipelago Arc

I know this is just a couple of episodes, but there’s a lot going on in the Sabaody Archipelago Arc and it seems like 391 is a bit of a turning point.

The Straw Hats are still trying to get to Fishman Island. On their way, they encounter a mermaid named Camie and a starfish named Pappag, who is trying to rescue their friend from the clutches of slave traders. The crew agrees to help, but when they realize that the friend is actually a former enemy – Hatchan, a member of the Arlong Pirates –  they’re hesitant. But there’s another problem to deal with – Duval, who wants revenge on Sanji for very silly reasons that we’ll get into later.

I wasn’t exactly expecting Hatchan to return. I never got the sense that he was one of the more horrible members of the Arlong Pirates, but considering the fact that they murdered and exploited hundreds of innocent villagers, that’s not saying much. I like that they struggled with whether to help him – they didn’t want to simply forgive someone who did such atrocious things to Nami and her friends and family, but they also don’t want to keep their promise to Camie. Also, Luffy wants takoyaki, which Hatchan cooks for some reason. Even though he’s an octopus. Maybe we shouldn’t think about that one too deeply.

In any case, I like that ultimately, no matter how the rest of the crew feels, they leave it up to Nami. Nami is the person who the Arlong Pirates actually hurt, so it absolutely should be her call.

Let’s talk about Duval’s problem with Sanji. Duval was a petty criminal whose face looks exactly like the ridiculous drawing on Sanji’s wanted poster. For this reason, he started getting harassed by Marines and bounty hunters who thought he actually was Sanji. He’s decided that this is somehow Sanji’s fault, so he wants to kill him. Sanji, meanwhile, couldn’t care less about Duval’s predicament and is just annoyed to be reminded that that picture exists. He ends up rearranging Duval’s face with his kicks, creating an “attractive” look that makes Duval totally forgive Sanji.

This whole thing was honestly pretty amusing. Sometimes One Piece’s humor falls flat for me, but I couldn’t help giggling at this nonsense. I also found their entry into the Sabaody Archipelago to be really charming. The different islands being numbered and the innovative, if unrealistic method of allowing their ship to go underwater to get to Fishman Island were exciting and fun.

But this set of episodes concludes with something really disturbing – the introduction of the World Nobles and the slave trade. After a stern warning from Hatchan that no matter what happens they cannot cross a World Noble, they head into town. There, they see an enslaved man wearing an explosive collar. He’s trying to run away and is begging for somebody to help him, but no one will. The collar explodes, causing severe injury if not killing him. His World Noble owner, a haughty young woman, complains about how useless he was as if he’s a broken toy. Her dog pees on him, and she shoots him before handing him off to the Marines.

That was as horrifying as I think it was intended to be. I don’t know where we’re going from here, but I’m nervous to say the least.

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