As we move on to episode 6 of Netflix’s One Piece, the show continues to assemble the crew while leading to the season’s finale. The last episode had some changes to the story that will impact how things play out here, so let’s see how it compares and how it stands on its own.
1. Sanji’s Backstory
Pretty much everyone in One Piece has a tragic backstory; recovering from and overcoming those traumas is part of what makes this crew into a found family. So if Sanji is going to join the Straw Hats, he needs one too.
Well, his is indeed quite tragic, but also terrifying. True to the original, he gets shipwrecked on a rock in the middle of the ocean with Zeff and a limited supply of food. They spend 85 days stuck out there, unsure of whether starvation or the heat will kill them first, and we learn that Zeff actually gave Sanji all the food, and ate his own leg to survive. (Although the anime changed this to losing his leg in sinking ship debris, because self-cannibalism is a pretty heavy topic.)
In the manga and anime, that’s a gut-wrenching concept as it is, but to see it in live action is pretty harrowing. Seeing young Sanji eating moldy bread and growing more sickly as the screen shows how many days have passed, and the blood on the rock Zeff used to cut his own leg off, are striking images. This explains to the audience why Sanji is so hesitant to leave the Baratie, but also why he and Zeff both agree to never let anyone go hungry.
Although the show picked an odd way to introduce it. Sanji tells Luffy that story as part of an explanation as to how captains often have to make tough decisions, which makes some degree of sense, but might not be the best example.
2. Zoro’s Recovery
Last episode, Zoro got cut nearly in half by Mihawk, and although he swore to never lose again, he passed out from blood loss shortly after. As such, he spends most of this episode recovering, and it’s not an easy one. The ship doesn’t have a doctor yet, as they mention at least a couple of times—an issue that will have to be resolved next season, and I’m very curious how they’re going to bring Chopper into live action (although it sounds like Jamie Lee Curtis is all but a done deal for Kureha).
So as the crew is encouraged to talk to Zoro and keep him anchored in the world of the living, we see how each character reacts to grief.
Nami reads the story of Mont Blanc Noland to Zoro, which, as anime and manga fans know, is a story that comes into play some 280 chapters down the line (so once more, the show starts setting up foreshadowing well in advance). But she’s also angry at Luffy for not stopping Zoro, even if it meant getting in the way of his dreams.
Usopp doesn’t get as much screen time as the others, but he seems to be handling it in a more practical manner, doing what he can to help while also accepting that Zoro might not make it.
As for Luffy, he doesn’t seem to know how to handle his emotions at first. While he remains optimistic at first, tending to Zoro’s swords because he’s certain he’ll wake up, we can also see he’s truly shaken and unnerved, if just from the fact that he declines food. It’s only at the end of the episode that he’s able to properly express himself, telling Zoro that he needs him to be okay.
So it serves as a good character moment more or less across the board, while giving Zoro time to recover and reaffirm his position as Luffy’s first mate. (Although at this point, it’s clear that he sure likes saying “I, Roronoa Zoro, vow to…” a lot.)
3. Enter Arlong
Last episode, I mentioned how the defeat of the Krieg Pirates at the hands of Mihawk would change how the rest of the arc plays out, as normally Sanji joins the crew after he and the rest of the Straw Hats defend the Baratie from Don Krieg. Instead, we get Arlong making an early entrance.
Continued belowWhile we did see Arlong a few episodes back, positioning him as the big bad of this season, this is where we get to learn more about him and fishmen in general.
When Arlong enters, he makes a scene pretty quickly, tossing another diner aside to take a seat at Baratie and demanding they turn over Luffy. Then he goes on a little monologue that reveals how fishmen are often seen or treated as second-class citizens, working for humans while hoping to be treated as equals. Arlong, on the other hand, believes in fishmen supremacy, and is willing to bite off a few faces to demonstrate his point. While the original expands on the status of fishmen and merfolk down the line, for now it’s more of an introduction to the concept.
Credit must be given to Netflix’ makeup and effects teams, because the fishmen look accurate to their illustrated counterparts, striking a nice balance between realistic and inhuman. Their features are properly fish-like, making them a bit unnerving at first glance, while still balancing right on the proper edge of the uncanny valley.
This introduction leads us to a fight on the Baratie, where we get to see Sanji’s kicking skills at work, as well as a bit of fishmen karate from one of Arlong’s crew. The main focus is the fight between Luffy and Arlong, and while Luffy does get a few good hits in, it’s clear he’s outmatched, as Arlong literally tosses him around.
This establishes Arlong as a threat for the final two episodes, and shows he’s deserving of his role as the pirate with the biggest bounty in the East Blue. It also gives us the first fight we’ve seen Luffy outright lose, and could have even ended in his death if not for a timely intervention.
4. Curse Your Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal
The timely intervention in question is Nami, who we’ve known was getting set up to betray them from several episodes ago (not counting anyone who’s read the manga or watched the anime, of course). In the original, Nami takes the Going Merry and sales away, but only later do we as viewers learn that she’s a member of the Arlong Pirates (with the characters learning for themselves later).
This early reveal, shortly after Arlong’s introduction, makes her betrayal hit the characters harder, foreshadowing for the audience aside. But it also gives us a familiar sign that Nami does really care about them by having her interrupt Arlong right before he bits into Luffy’s neck not once, but twice: first when she surrenders the map to Arlong, and again to convince him to just throw Luffy into the sea and let him drown (giving Sanji the opportunity to dive in and save him, although apparently not before taking off his shirt).
Would this be more of a surprise to anyone who hasn’t read or watched the original? Probably not. But considering Arlong’s introduction was moved up to fit him into the Baratie arc, it’s timed well enough, and works with the usual betrayal tropes effectively.
5. Welcome Aboard, Sanji
The Straw Hat crew may have lost their navigator (for now) but they gained a cook. Like in the original, Zeff knows that Sanji should go off with Luffy to pursue his dream, and tries to make him leave through his own form of “tough love,” AKA an exchange of insults. Neither of them are particularly good at being honest with each other, but as Zeff and the other cooks come to see Sanji off, he has a heartfelt moment of sincerity as he thanks Zeff for saving his life and everything since then.
It’s a nice, bittersweet moment that hits just right, and it brought the episode to a satisfying end and a proper way to add Sanji to the crew.
However, one thing did feel a bit different. In the original, Sanji leaves the Baratie after they successfully saved it from Don Krieg. In this version, Arlong caused a scene and left with no comeuppance; the Baratie dining room is still trashed and needs cleaning, and Sanji’s fight ended with him getting knocked around by one of Arlong’s pirates. It’s not particularly triumphant.
So that’s the narrative sacrifice the series made in order to condense the story and make Arlong more of a threat. It still fits in the overarching plot, but feels less satisfying in terms of Sanji’s first fight before joining the Straw Hats. Overall, it’s not a major issue, but still felt worth mentioning.
Next time, we begin the Arlong Park storyline, and see how the live action series handles that for its closing arc.
