As the best-selling manga of all time, and soon to be taking the throne of the best-selling comic book series ever, the One Piece anime series has captivated viewers heavily and has had a very big impact on fans all over the world. Of course, every loved series has more than a ton of thrilling, gut-wrenching, emotional, and astounding moments which act as the reason this series has lasted for more than 20 decades by now and grown to be such a big hit around the globe.
It’s reached the humongous milestone of consisting of more than 1000 chapters since its first publication in 1997 – a feat that is difficult, to say the least, for the average Joe. The series has managed to attract viewers and maintain their attention span with some of the most entertaining moments to hit the medium of anime. Now let’s start to look at some of the top 10 best things that ever happened in One Piece that blew everyone away.
1. Dr. Hiriluk’s Death
Dr. Hiriluk was a beloved character – not only for his amicable goal to cure any sick person that came to him but also for how even in his last moments, he was still the thoughtful and concerned doctor we knew him as. Knowing the fact that he drank the fatal medicine that Chopper had made him, the most heartbreaking part about his death was that even when he found out Wapol had set up a trap to fool and execute him, he was only crying out of joy because none of the doctors held hostage were sick.
As he mixed in another failed medicine, so that would not need to die from the poison in the medicine his dear student accidentally made for him, hearts were clenched from nothing but admiration and respect for the man. This stirring act of breaking all of Wapol’s expectations was a very powerful and emotional scene for all viewers – making the remembrance of Dr. Hiriluk’s soul even grander with the Sakura Cherry Blossoms that graced Drum Island at the end of the arc. Truly, a man dies only when he is forgotten.
2. Luffy Rings The Bell
No one knew who would win this bout for sure, the stakes being high, as Enel’s won and Luffy’s defeat would continue the thunder god’s reign. No one else had the rubber man’s power to be resistant against the ruler of Skypiea. This was one of the most thrilling incidents in One Piece history.
When Luffy finally pulls his fist back for the last time with the gold ball and smashes it into Enel – pushing him into the bell and ringing it for the entire sky to hear – the pure cherry on top of this scene was the reaction of Mont Blanc Cricket who able to witness the humongous shadow of the Rubber Boy in the clouds; just like the Straw Hat Crew had seen of the island’s people at the beginning of the Jaya Arc. With only one punch, Luffy finally brings a close to the story of Noland the Liar.
3. “ONE PIECE….. DOES EXIST!!!”
The Marineford Arc was arguably the grandest arc in One Piece – perhaps even in anime history – by being pure chaos. In this battle, the undebatable behemoth was Whitebeard which no one could ever imagine would ever be defeated. So after Blackbeard and his crew attacked the already wounded Pirate Leviathan, it was still pretty hard to come to the realization that the biggest one had just fallen.
With the infamous 267 blade wounds, 152 bullets, and cannonballs up to 4, 10’s, and 6, the man was still standing up without a single wound on his back. When he screamed at the top of his lungs for all the pirates around the world that the One Piece truly did exist, everyone including the fans found hope again.
4. Nami Coming Back
Most people were hooked on the series since it began, but for the people still doubting its greatness at the time, this moment was definitely when One Piece first left its mark. Getting to know all about Nami’s backstory – about how Arlong and the Fishman Pirates had controlled her whole life, and why she betrayed the Straw Hat Pirates touched everyone deeply.
Perhaps one of the most iconic scenes is Nami finally learning to ask Luffy for help and the latter putting his straw hat on her head as a sign of camaraderie – something that made her realise that it was very valuable to him and that he trusts her now.
5. Nico Robin Choosing The Straw Hat Pirates
Nico Robin is one of the most beloved characters in One Piece due to her heartbreaking story arc and her character development in it. Her background was sad enough for everyone to understand why she did not want to live anymore and just give up. When CP9 had her under their custody, the Straw Hats had just burned down the Marine Organization’s Flag and come to retrieve her.
Robin wanted to die, not letting the crew who she loved so much endanger themselves trying to save her. However, when Luffy gives her just the options between death right then or the slim chance of escaping it and continuing life alongside the Strawhat Crew, her reply being a ‘yes’ was one of the best things to ever happen in One Piece. The very fact that she would do anything to be with the Straw Hat Crew set one of the core themes of One Piece about friendship and trust.
6. Kaido One-shots Luffy
Most of the time when we witness Luffy fighting against the final boss of the arc, no matter what the circumstances or the situation is, our protagonist always manages to come out on top – to a point where sometimes it is plain predictable. The excitement and tension about whether our hero will survive this fight just is not there when repeated so many times – which is a common problem with long series like One Piece.
However, against one of the 4 Emperors of the Sea, even the rubber boy himself fell. The adrenaline rush was kicking in and our hearts were thrilled when we saw Luffy charging toward Kaido with all his strength to land a hopeful lethal blow. But with one swing of Kaido’s weapon, our hero was down for the count and had fallen for once. While this may not be significant for some, it is important for One Piece fans. This is the moment we realise that all this while, Luffy was not just having main character privilege. What Eichiro Oda wanted to convey by finally making Luffy fall was the immense amount of his power which lasted so many enemies but this one.
7. Luffy vs Usopp
This is one of the battles that Luffy as expected, had won. However, this was probably the first time fans were doubtful of whether they wanted him to win. Disputing over whether the Going Merry should be replaced or not, Usopp, for the first time ever, disobeyed his captain and went against his will – causing a lot of emotional pain among the crew.
The fight was an emotional and sad thrill to witness, as we couldn’t cheer Luffy on to defeat a big bad villain. The enemy this time wasn’t big, bad, or a villain, but a beloved friend of ours. Watching them go at it with all their life, hurting each other despite the feelings of friendship and love they had for one another was heartbreaking and we did not want to know who the winner would be this time. Though one of the saddest battles ever, this was one of the best things we would remember about One Piece.
8. Goodbye Merry
After a very long, tense, and heated battle against the powerful marine force of CP9 and barely escaping the soldiers, the Straw Hats finally got some time in the middle of the sea, to just stand together, and Going Merry slowly break down and descend into the ocean, after all, that they went through together.
All the crewmates just break down watching their beloved ship fall like that as the slowly dying ship speaks to them saying “I’m sorry, I wish I could have taken you further”. The torn down Luffy has an emotional breakdown and apologizes for anything wrong he did to the old ship, with a close-off and last goodbye to Merry from all of the crew members. Only in One Piece could you cry over a ship.
9. Luffy Punches A Celestial Dragon
The Sabaody Archipelago was the first time we were introduced to the concept of the utterly disgusting celestial dragons. We see the spoiled brat among them choose Camie in the auction and not agree to negotiate. The moment when an angry Luffy walks up to him, dodging bullets before pulling his fist back to punch him in his face is one of the most satisfying scenes in all of the show.
The punch was justice being executed against those who try to taint it and an act of rebellion against the higher-ups who have nothing to worry about except to control those weaker than them. Perhaps one of the greatest things that ever happened in One Piece.
10. The Famous “Nothing Happened” Scene
Perhaps one of the most memorable scenes of One Piece – and the one which made Zoro gain fans rapidly takes place after the humongous Thriller Bark arc. Just when our protagonists are on the verge of passing out, one of the Seven Warlords Of The Sea decides to make his entry. Bartholomew Kuma comes to fulfill his goal of eliminating Luffy.
Zoro offers his life in place of his captain’s which eventually leads him to take all the pain in his stead. We see him bravely take in everything until blood is splattered all over him, still standing on his two feet. When Sanji finally awakens and asks what happened, Roronoa Zoro blatantly states that nothing happened. That all the pain he took for his captain was nothing for the dedicated crew member that he was. This scene also cemented his lifelong and utterly true loyalty to his straw hat captain Luffy.
Also Read: One Piece Chapter 1047 Release Date: Will Onigashima Fall On Flower Capital?
