One Piece Story Arcs With The Most Unexpected Endings

As anyone who has watched or read One Piece will know all too well, the story has taken all kinds of drastic twists and turns throughout the Straw Hats’ grand adventure. This is something author Eiichiro Oda tends to do near the end of a story arc, where he can deliver one final surprise to make fans eager to see how Luffy and the gang will react in the next arc.

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Whether it’s a shocking character death, the introduction of a key figure, or even a world-shattering revelation, it’s impossible to predict how an arc in this series will end. With One Piece seemingly on the way to reaching its finale sooner rather than later, it feels like the perfect time to reflect on those arcs which left fans in a state of shock due to their unexpected last few moments.

Warning! Spoilers Ahead!

1

Thriller Bark

What Exactly Were Those Three Giant Figures Looming In The Background?

Thriller Bark’s ending, for the most part, is relatively normal as far as One Piece goes. With Brook officially joining the crew and Gecko Moria down for good, the crew are able to sail off in high hopes. However, there’s a single scene at the very end which left many fans shocked, and that remains a mystery to this very day. As the Straw Hats sail away, three looming figures, who are completely covered by the fog, can be seen peering at the crew as they leave.

Considering these entities are much larger than Thriller Bark itself, there’s been countless theories on what they could be, including some who claim it might be Imu’s henchmen keeping watch of Luffy’s crew, considering their strange body shape. The fact Oda dropped these guys in right at the end, with no explanation to what they are or what they want, made the closing chapter and episode of Thriller Bark very bizarre.

2

Whole Cake Island

The Sun Pirates, Including Jinbei, Stay Behind To Let Luffy And The Others Escape

Just as the Straw Hats are about to escape the dreaded Whole Cake Island, they are apprehended by Big Mom’s pirates once again, who remain loyal to Big Mom’s belief that nobody who messes with her will ever escape the island with their lives intact. In a desperate attempt to hold back the Yonko’s forces, Jinbei, along with the entire Fishman Sun Pirate crew, throw themselves at Big Mom’s army, only for many of them to be burned alive after Oven uses his powers to heat the ocean.

Since Jinbei had essentially become an official crew member by this point, seeing him risk his life at the very last moment of the arc came as a pretty big shock. A smaller moment which also took many fans by surprise was the reveal that Pudding had kissed Sanji when they were due to part ways, though because she removed this specific memory with her Devil Fruit, Sanji will never know how much she truly ended up caring for him.

3

Long Ring Long Land

A Sudden Reveal Of An Admiral Makes For A Surprising And Intense Finale

Talk about a tone shift, the ending of Long Ring Long Land feels like it comes from a different arc entirely because of how intense it is. After a comical back and forth with the Foxy Pirates, which involved the crew members partaking in silly games and challenges, the Straw Hats are greeted by none other than Aokiji, a Marine Admiral with the power to control ice.

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Aokiji’s appearance marked the point in the series where the Straw Hats first learned about the Admirals, along with receiving small tidbits of lore about Nico Robin, which would be expanded on later. While many fans will say that it’s completely fine to skip Long Rong Long Land due to how inconsequential it is, this certainly doesn’t apply to the lore-filled ending.

4

Punk Hazard

Punk Hazard Ends With A Sudden Face-Off Between A Former Admiral And A Shichibukai

In continuing the trend of Aokiji showing up in the last few moments of a story arc, he appears again after the Straw Hats leave Punk Hazard, but this time, he’s not alone. Doflamingo, whose identity as the “Joker” is confirmed not long before he arrives, is also on the island, and comes pretty close to killing Smoker if Aokiji wasn’t there to stop him.

Considering Punk Hazard is essentially an arc that acts as a stepping stone to Dressrosa, having a former Admiral share an intense staredown with a Shichibukai wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card. However, the mystery of Aokiji’s new alliance, paired with the ruthlessness displayed by Doflamingo, still makes for a memorable finale that seemingly came out of nowhere.

5

Fishman Island

Sparking Off A Feud With A Mighty Yonko Wasn’t Initially On The Straw Hats’ Agenda When Entering Fishman Island

After Luffy and the crew fend off the malicious Hody Jones from causing chaos on Fishman Island, it seemed as though they would be able to continue with their merry adventure in peace, until Luffy decided to grab some sweets, at least. After chowing down, Luffy is called over by Pekoms, a member of Big Mom’s crew who manages to patch him through to the Yonko with a Den Den Mushi.

After a fierce shouting match where Big Mom berates Luffy for stealing the food that was supposed to be delivered to her kingdom, Luffy essentially places a target on his back from then on due to his harsh words. Additionally, Madam Shirley, a resident of Fishman Island, also predicts that Luffy will be the one to “destroy” the island at some point in the future. Suffice to say, there was a lot to think about once this arc finally ended, and though it was a surprising conclusion, it did also set up the exciting Yonko saga that Luffy and the team were about to enter.

6

Wano

Luffy Receives A Power-Up Which Changed Everything About His Character

Kaido had been hyped up before the Wano arc as a pirate who was, in every sense of the word, unbeatable. As someone who has tried numerous times to throw himself off a Sky Island to his death, only to fail every time, fans were left to wonder how on earth Luffy would ever have a chance of taking him down, especially after he was one-shot by Kaido’s Divine Thunder early in Wano. As a result, the last few chapters and episodes took a lot of people by surprise when Luffy revealed his Gear 5 form.

While Gear 5 was always bound to show up eventually, the connections it has to the Sun God Nika and Joy Boy, alongside the true identity of Luffy’s Devil Fruit, changed everything about how the protagonist is viewed by the wider One Piece world. Seeing Kaido get thrown around like a cartoonish ragdoll at the hands of Luffy was a flashy proclamation that the lovable protagonist has become much more powerful than anyone could have ever expected him to be.

7

Marineford Arc

The Long-Awaited Rescue Mission To Save Ace Ends Up Going Horribly Wrong

Because of One Piece’s bright and vibrant aesthetic and tone, it often feels that, no matter how hard things get for the Straw Hats, everything will work itself out by the end of an arc. Therefore, many believed that Luffy and Whitebeard’s desperate attempt to save Ace from being executed would be a success, especially considering how hard they all fought to save their much beloved “family” member.

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However, during the final moments of the arc, just as Ace is about to get away safely, Akainu decides to throw a fiery punch Luffy’s way, only for Ace to jump in the way. With his insides completely fried, Ace tells Luffy how grateful he is that he had him for a brother, with Luffy himself slumping into a brief depression due to his sudden loss. Nobody could have ever seen this coming, making for an unusually dark and distressing ending to one of the series’ most beloved story arcs, which stands out for how utterly heartbreaking it is.

8

Reverie

What Should Have Been A Peaceful Meeting Plunges The World Into Chaos

The Reverie is an organized meeting between the world’s leaders that occurs every few years, but while it’s designed to be a cordial get-together, the latest Reverie ended with some pretty drastic revelations for the story. At the very end of the arc, fans get their first glimpse at the mysterious Imu, a shady figure who rules over the entire government, and presumably, the world at large. Not only that, but the last panel of the arc shows numerous wanted posters, including Luffy and Vivi, being spread out across the floor, which generated a ton of online discussions and debates.

Speaking of debates, the second to last chapter of the Reverie also shows fan-favorite Shanks meeting up with the Gorosei to discuss a “certain pirate,” which sent the community into a frenzy as everyone came to their own conclusions on who it could be. This isn’t even mentioning the Revolutionary Army finally making their move on the World Government, which is just one of the incredibly thought-provoking reveals that ends this brief but exciting section of the story.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

• 

  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)