Arabasta Arc

Counted as the eleventh entry among the series' story arcs, this chapter also brings the Arabasta Saga to its finish, standing as the fifth and last stretch of that broader tale. A parched desert nation, the country Vivi rules over, becomes the setting, and crossing it in time is the whole problem, since a clash looms between the throne's soldiers and a swelling insurrection.

The man who quietly built that clash is Crocodile, worshipped in public as a savior yet scheming as Mr. 0 to take the kingdom for himself. His remaining Baroque Works officers pursue the pirates every step, so the dash toward Alubarna turns into a chain of brutal one-on-one battles.

While sailing in, the crew hooks Bon Kurei, an agent code-named Mr. 2, and takes a liking to him before Vivi spots the threat his copying power represents. Because his Mane Mane no Mi lets him wear anyone's face, the pirates each tie a white cloth on one arm to tell friend from imitation. At the harbor town of Nanohana, Luffy stumbles into a fight between his brother Ace and the Marine Smoker; Ace opens an escape lane, then leaves after slipping his younger brother a scrap of paper. From there the group pushes overland, gaining a lecherous camel dubbed Matsuge, passing through wrecked settlements, and letting Vivi reconnect with old acquaintances who report the rebels have moved on.

Rather than simply plead with the insurgents, Luffy insists on facing Crocodile head-on at Rainbase. The plan sours when the crew is snared and dropped into a Seastone cage, though a phony phone call from Sanji buys them an underwater getaway. Alone outside town, Luffy is beaten by Crocodile, whose sand-form Suna Suna no Mi shrugs off every punch, and is left buried to perish until Nico Robin secretly pulls him out.

The showdown moves to Alubarna, where each Straw Hat draws off one officer agent while Vivi tries to stop the two armies from colliding. Zoro at last cuts through steel to fell Mr. 1, Nami wins her debut solo match wielding the new Clima-Tact, and Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper down their own foes. Crocodile arms a bomb designed to level the plaza and admits his true prize is the sleeping ancient weapon Pluton. Soaked in his own blood, Luffy realizes moisture cancels the villain's defense and hammers him with water-fueled strikes. Pell gives his life to fly the bomb high overhead, rain finally breaks over the land after years of drought, and a last colossal blow slams Crocodile up through the capital.

Once the Warlord falls, Tashigi's Marines take him into custody and revoke his rank, and King Cobra speaks to both factions to formally shut down the war. Treated privately as saviors, the Straw Hats then depart, dodging Captain Hina thanks to Bon Kurei's crew, who disguise themselves as decoys. Vivi elects to stay and govern, saying goodbye through a Den Den Mushi as her friends lift their matching X marks in reply.

Concealed on board the ship, Robin steps out and requests membership; Luffy agrees over the others' doubts, and the crew gains a seventh hand. The triumph also marks Luffy and his companions as a real danger in the World Government's eyes, while the note Ace left plants seeds for the later Impel Down and Marineford stories.