The Alabasta Arch is the first major arc ofone piece once the Straw Hats enter the Grand Line. As the climax of the Alabasta Saga, the arc follows the preparation and end of the crew helping Princess Vivi Nefertari return to her homeland. This also occurs after the Straw Hats try to stop Crocodile’s plans to destroy the country by turning the town and the palace against each other.
Spanning a total of 38 episodes, the Alabasta arc is responsible for introducing new elements and characters to the overall story of one piece that would become fan favorites: adding integral components to the lore and laying various seeds for future events.
10 Ace and his Vivre card prepare for the thriller bark
Portgas D. Ace, also known as Fire Fist, is a very popular character thanks to his Flame Fruit powers, his boisterous personality, his protection towards his brother Luffy, and his fierce loyalty to Whitebeard. Ace makes a brief cameo at the end of the Drum Island arc of one piece before being officially introduced in the Alabasta arc, when he temporarily joins the Straw Hats in their search for Blackbeard.
One Piece: 10 Things That Make No Sense In The Wano Country Arc
One Piece: Things About the Eastern Blue Arc That Make No Sense
As Ace departs to continue his hunt, he leaves behind his Vivre Card, an event that ends up alerting Luffy to Ace’s imprisonment during the Thriller Bark arc. Additionally, these events factor into the events of the Impel Down and Marineford arcs.
9 Beloved Princess Vivi Appears
Vivi Nefertari is a central character in Alabasta as she has been an undercover spy in Baroque Works for two years to discover Crocodile’s identity and protect her country. Deeply caring and empathetic, Vivi fights to the bitter end until Crocodile is defeated to ensure the salvation of his beloved town.
Though Vivi is offered a free spot among the Straw Hats as a standing invitation to continue traveling with them, she chooses to stay in Alabasta and help rebuild. Vivi bids an affectionate farewell to the crew as part of her royal coming of age speech, while she, along with the Straw Hats and Karoo memorably hold up their X-marked arms in a gesture of continued friendship.
8 Luffy’s Armor Takes Off
Until then, Luffy wins every fight he participates in, even if it takes an inordinate amount of time. However, Luffy’s invincibility changes after two encounters with Crocodile during the Alabasta arc that nearly killed him: once, after being stabbed in the desert, and subsequently buried in the sand, and then a second time after being stabbed in the desert. Crocodile sucks moisture from your body.
Luffy barely survives thanks to the intervention of Miss All-Sunday and a well-timed drop of water that restores his strength. Luffy’s final triumph over Crocodile is a narrow one, as the strategy of fighting with a blood-covered fist barely gives him an advantage over the Alabasta arc’s main villain’s Logia abilities. This marks a first in Luffy’s battle history.
7 Sanji’s Identity Receives His First Clue
Sanji’s real status is not shown until the Cake Island arc. However, in hindsight, Sanji’s actions during Alabasta take on greater resonance, pointing to his true identity once the end result is known. During Little Garden, Sanji intercepts an important communication for Mr. 3, while he poses as the latter and allows the Straw Hats to sneak into Alabasta under the radar by lying about their deaths.
Crocodile and Baroque’s ignorance of Sanji’s existence allows him to adopt the nickname “Mr. Prince”. He then plays a pivotal role in saving Vivi Nefertari and freeing the Straw Hats from Crocodile prison.
6 The Actions Of The Straw Hats Increase The Rewards
Resentful of the exposure of one of their Seven Warlords as a usurper, and their eventual defeat at the hands of a pirate, the World Government publicly credits Smoker and Tashigi with victory. They also increase Luffy’s bounty to 100 million berries and give Zoro one of his own, to a whopping 60 million berries.
While the other Straw Hats don’t earn their pirate bounties until after the events of the Enies Lobby arc (on their mission to help Nico Robin), the increase in Luffy’s and Zoro’s bounties indicates an improvement in their notoriety. like pirates.
5 A Sixth Crew Member Joins
Crocodile’s main henchwoman, Miss All-Sunday aka Nico Robin, joins the Straw Hats at the end of the Alabasta arc, spontaneously appearing in Going Merry after they have set sail. When she is asked for her answers, Robin states that the fact that Luffy saved her life and encouraged her not to die from her has given her a new purpose.
Luffy accepts his addition to the crew. This turns out to be permanent in the long run, as Robin aligns with her goal of learning about the Void Century and provides the crew with help through her Floral Devil Fruit, while also forging a strong bond with the crew.
4 spectators meet the poneglyphs for the first time
The ultimate goal of Crocodile’s plan to take over Alabasta is his Poneglyph, guarded by the Nefertari Royal Family. Although it is supposed to contain the knowledge of the ancient weapon Pluto, Crocodile’s plans are foiled when Nico Robin claims that the Poneglyph does not mention Pluto at all. However, he later mentions that he lied after not finding any interesting information about the Void Century.
As the only person in the world capable of reading the Poneglyph, Robin continues her search after Alabasta, discovering other Poneglyphs at other destinations the Straw Hats arrive at, each hinting at revelations about the universe of one piece.
3 Bon Clay’s funny personality and redemption make him endearing
Baroque Work’s Mr. 2, also known as Bon Clay, is the dramatic dancer who serves as one of Crocodile’s top operatives. However, Bon Clay’s kind personality when the Straw Hats find him and his ability to copy people’s faces with the Clone-Clone Fruit make him endearing rather than annoying.
Bon Clay’s battle with Sanji results in an impressive fight in which the latter obtains a hard-fought victory. Bon Clay later develops enough of an attachment to the Straw Hats that he willingly sacrifices himself to the Marines so they can elude capture. Bon Clay’s introduction to Alabasta continues when he reappears during the Impel Down arc, once again becoming an ally of Luffy.
2 Galdino’s powers are terribly suffocating
Mr. 3 aka Galdino first appears in Little Garden to kill the Straw Hats and Princess Vivi before they reach Alabasta. He also serves to inform the town of the true plans of Baroque Works and the Crocodile mastermind. With his wax devil fruit powers, Galdino nearly suffocated Zoro, Vivi, and Nami by burying them under candle wax.
When Crocodile learns of his failure to kill the Straw Hats, he tries to feed Galdino to his Banana Alligators. Fortunately, Galdino’s powers save him from safe digestion. The Straw Hats knock out Galdino and leave him in the hands of the Marines. He later reappears as a Bugs Pirate and helps Luffy save his brother Ace from him.
1 The crocodile insidiousness makes a surprising comeback
Crocodile is known and hated for his outrageously effective tactics to turn Alabasta against itself from within, nearly leading the country to ruin, all while maintaining his impeccable public image.
With his near-invulnerability, his successful manipulation, his willingness to kill indiscriminately, and his cold-blooded outlook, Crocodile is an impressively imposing villain. Crocodile’s malicious reputation precedes his appearance at Impel Down and makes his later help at Marineford a surprise.