This article contains spoilers for One Piece episode 1, "Romance Dawn".
Netflix's live-action One Piece has arrived! In the very first episode, we're introduced to Monkey D. Luffy, the enthusiastic adventurer who is determined to track down the titular One Piece treasure and become King of the Pirates. The season premiere gives us a bit of background info about Luffy, introduces us to his super-stretchy powers, and sees him crossing paths with a few potential crewmates. Here's what happened in One Piece episode 1.
The Great Pirate Era
The episode opens with a prologue introducing the hunt for the mythical One Piece treasure. We find ourselves in Loguetown, 22 years ago, where Vice-Admiral Garp brings the legendary pirate Gold Roger in front of a huge crowd.
On behalf of the World Government, the Vice-Admiral from the Marines orders his execution; as a final act of defiance, Gold Roger encourages the onlookers to take to the seas and seek out his treasure, the One Piece. This causes countless people to rush out, ushering in The Great Pirate Era.
In the present day, we find Monkey D. Luffy adrift in a sinking ship, shouting about his dreams... to a bird. His boat continues to take on water, so he abandons the ship by emptying out a barrel of fish, climbing inside and floating away. Unfortunately, his barrel floats past a conflict between Captain Alvida and her crew, right as they're attacking another ship on the hunt for the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro.
After boarding, seizing the treasure (and bringing Luffy's barrel onboard), Alvida's men round up the crew of the defeated vessel. She asks where Zoro has gone; one man lets slip he bought passage to Sixis Island, but doesn't know where he went afterwards. He draws her ire when he says she wasn't on Zoro's list of bounties and brains him with her maul.
That evening, Luffy finally busts out of his barrel, coming across Koby, a lad who is being kept by Alvida as a deckhand. Luffy questions him about the ship and is shocked when Koby lambasts pirates as murderous thieves. Luffy refutes his claims, and we cut to a flashback.
Monkey D. Luffy's Origins
10 years ago, a young Luffy wakes up, excited for the return of Shanks to Windmill Village. He rushes to meet him and finds his crew hauling in their latest cache of treasure, where he asks to join his crew.
Shanks tells him that Luffy simply isn't ready to join up just yet. Annoyed, Luffy says he will prove he's capable of joining up. One of Shanks' crewmates pulls him aside, telling him Luffy has no family to speak of and that he should probably go easy on the kid. Then, they hear Luffy shouting for their attention; he's stood at the prow of the ship. In an effort to prove he's ready, he stabs himself in the face.
Back in the present, Luffy tells Koby life as a pirate is really all about freedom, and tells Koby he shouldn't let Alvida tell him what to do. Koby helps Luffy prepare to escape the ship, but Luffy accidentally ends up waking the entire crew as he plots a course back to land.
Captain Alvida approaches, demanding to know what the fuss is about, and where Luffy came from. In the confrontation, Luffy tells Alvida Koby had called her cruel and dumb. She flies into a rage, but Luffy shows off his stretchy, rubbery body and deftly avoids her swings and keeps Koby out of trouble. Eventually, he clocks her with a powerful punch, and he and Koby flee on a lifeboat.
The Gum-Gum Fruit
We jump to Sixis Island, where a mystery man called "Mr. 7" approaches Roronoa Zoro. He wants to recruit Zoro to the Baroque Works organization; when Zoro refuses, Mr. 7 tells him he's forfeited his life... though Zoro defeats him and cuts him in half.
On their boat, Luffy tells Koby the story of his powers. In another flashback, we find Shanks stitching up Luffy's new cut. He tells Luffy that this still doesn't mean he's ready. Luffy storms off in a huff and finds a chest containing a strange-looking fruit (the Gum-Gum Fruit, to be precise) that he quickly chows down on.
Shanks' crew is celebrating at a bar, but another crew rolls in and starts causing trouble. Shanks simply apologizes on their behalf, and the crew strolls off to find a "real bar". Luffy sees this as a sign of weakness and challenges Shanks; when the pirate captain grabs him, Luffy tries to run away, revealing his stretchy powers.
Back in the present (again) Luffy tells Koby he wants to sail to the Grand Line. Koby is shocked that he doesn't have a map. Luffy resolves to take him to the nearest Marine base so Koby can start training with them, whilst he plots to steal a map from the Marines. Elsewhere in the East Blue Sea, Nami tricks two pirates into thinking she's escaped an attack.. but she really just wants to steal their ship.
Off to Shells Town
Luffy and Koby arrive in Shells Town, where the 153rd Marine Branch is located. They find a bar and start tucking into some food whilst he plans how to break into the base. Zoro and Nami are also in there; Zorro walks in with Mr. 7's body in a bag, and orders two drinks, whilst Nami fends off advances from a Marine.
A young girl called Rika tries to bring a meal, but she bumps into another patron, Helmeppo. Zoro defends Rika, and Helmeppo threatens Zoro with his sword. Zoro tells him not to, but he persists... prompting Zoro to take him and a bunch of Marines on without even drawing his own sword as a fight breaks out. In the scrap, Nami knocks out another Marine and steals his uniform.
Subdued, Helmeppo tells Zoro his father is Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan, and will give him whatever he wants so long as Zoro doesn't kill him. Unfortunately, when Zoro is brought before him, Morgan instead tries to recruit him. Zoro refuses, and Morgan leaves him two choices: to never be allowed to collect another bounty at any Marine branch, or be strung up without food or water as punishment for putting four Marines in the infirmary. Zoro coolly chooses to be imprisoned.
Breaking into the base
That evening, Luffy tells Koby to prep his boat, whilst he breaks into the base. First, he lifts a grate to find himself inside the yard where Zoro is being held. Impressed by his swordsmanship, Luffy wants to recruit him for his crew, but Zoro refuses, telling the pirate that he once promised someone he'd become "the world's greatest swordsman". Regardless, Luffy unties him and sets him on his way.
Inside the base, Nami is wearing the Marine's uniform and searching for a map to the Grand Line. She's confronted by another Marine, but she uses her staff to knock the pair out. Luffy then finds his way into the same room, and tells her the map is his.
Shortly, the pair find themselves face to face with Captain Morgan. Nami improvises that Luffy is her prisoner (whilst secretly stealing his keys), and they head to Morgan's office after he dismisses them. Luffy also tries to recruit Nami to his cause, but she refuses as well.
They start searching his office, and Luffy eventually stumbles on a lever which reveals a safe in the floor. At that point, Morgan comes across the two Marines from earlier, and has the alarm sounded. The Captain rushes to his office and begins chopping down the door with his axe-hand. Nami fails to crack the safe, so Luffy uses his powers to rip the safe out of the ground, catapulting himself and Nami out into the yard in the process.
There, they're beset by Marines and a huge brawl breaks out. Zoro (having humiliated Helmeppo earlier) is preparing to stroll out of the base, but comes to their aid and joins the fray. Morgan comes down to even the odds, but Luffy teams up with Zoro (who deploys Three-Sword Style fighting, by clenching his third sword in his mouth) to take him down for good.
The trio head to the dock; Helmeppo tries to arrest them, but Koby knocks him out with a punch to the face. He then tells Luffy that he's going to stay behind and do what he wants to do (become a Marine), but lets Luffy, Nami and Zoro set sail (though the others maintain they're not a crew).
Elsewhere, Vice-Admiral Garp receives a call on his snail phone about the invasion, and he plots a course back to Shells Town. The episode then ends with a pirate giving a report about the stolen map to Buggy the Clown, who resolves to retrieve it, no matter the cost.
One Piece is now streaming on Netflix.
