The Ability to Inspire; One Piece Fan Letter

Initially, I did not plan to give this special episode its own post, but after rewatching it for the second time…I have been moved even further. As a fan of One Piece and the slice of life genre, this hits on so many points for me. I do believe someone not familiar with One Piece could enjoy this, yet not to the extent of an actual fan. Everything you need to know is contained in the episode, but knowing the context surrounding the episode— being part of the real-life community— enhances the experience. My partner is currently watching One Piece, and I will not let them see this episode until they are caught up to the time skip reveal so they can get the full experience. 

I highly recommend you go watch this if you have any interest and not to continue ahead with the post because I will be getting into spoilers now. At minimum, you need to watch/read One Piece up to the point of Fish-Man Island, when they actually leave Sabaody and start heading towards Fish-Man Island post time-skip. Also, this is based off actual short stories that I have not read, so those will not be discussed.

Setting this during the time skip, post Marineford and at the start of Return to Sabaody, was a brilliant decision. At this time, the common folk in the One Piece world will begin to have interest in the Straw Hat crew, like how real life fans have been interested from the start of the series. All crew members have their own wanted bounty poster and Luffy has made himself relevant to the world with his actions during Marineford. This episode is a reminder that not everyone in this world is superhuman, the majority of them live just normal lives. The young girl speaks up about this, explaining that’s why Nami is her inspiration. In a world filled with strong and superhuman individuals, a normal person with no powers can still make a name for themselves.

The men in the bar is a direct comparison to the fans who care so deeply about power-scaling and their arguments on who they would consider the "best" in their field. The talk of who the strongest swordsman really is, including Whitebeard, but explaining how he shouldn’t count since his weapon is a Naginata. Then the one marine guy who randomly shows up to say Akainu— who isn’t even relevant to the conversation— just like how the actual real discussions take place. Seeing these same real-world conversations taking place in this fictional world just shows the compassion the creators had when making this. You have to be in the community to make these deep-cut references.

Also, when the young girl was able to figure out when the Straw Hat crew would arrive by incorrectly theory-crafting, but still getting to the right conclusion, was amazing. I missed this point the first time watching. The same with the bubble floating away, I did not realize it was that bubble that pops at the end to help the young girl.

Including scenes with the Straw Hats exploring the town is magnificent. They’re all older and look different (for the most part) and they show up in relevant situations with people who would not recognize them. Robin and Chopper in the bookshop reacting to the Franky book, yet the bookshop clerk does not recognize them because she only cares for Brook. Usopp helping the young girl, but she doesn’t have her glasses on, and his poster is “Sogeking,” so she doesn’t realize who he really is.

The story that moved me most, would of course, be the one about the two brothers. Being an older brother myself, I can easily empathize with sibling conflict. Plus, I am just a fan of how his flashback was told about his time during the war. Him realizing the domino-effect of all the small details that led to this point…Luffy inspiring him at that moment to save his own brother…I cried watching this scene both times. The ability to empathize is to understand the moment at hand. To then be inspired, to make your own difference in the world for someone else, is what we all should strive for.

At the end, when all the small stories connect for the young girl to accomplish her goal, was astounding. The bookstore clerk and kids accidentally saving her from the marine who harassed her earlier, the younger marine brother showing up again to deliver the special key, the bar men’s bubble balloon filled with wanted posters and magazines popping to cover the marine’s face, and then the higher ranked marine to show up to stop the young girl but gets distracted by Chopper, all magnificent.

This is an episode I plan to return to; 100% a One Piece fan letter.