Post-Enies Lobby Arc

This seventeenth canon arc, sometimes called the Second Water 7 Arc, winds down the Water 7 Saga in the calm after the storming of Enies Lobby. Its quieter beats carry heavy revelations: Garp exposes Luffy's lineage, Franky joins as the crew's shipwright, the Thousand Sunny is built, and Usopp and Robin return to the fold. Running parallel to the Straw Hats' recovery, a meeting between Shanks and Whitebeard and a fateful duel between Ace and Blackbeard set the fuse for the Summit War to come.

Two days after Enies Lobby, the crew wakes at Water 7 to find the city repairing itself and Franky planning to build them a ship from a legendary treasure tree he bought with their stolen funds. The reunion is interrupted when Vice Admiral Garp smashes through the wall, wakes Luffy with a punch, and reveals himself as the boy's grandfather. Garp explains the Four Emperors who rule the New World, reintroduces a grown Koby and Helmeppo, and drops a bombshell: Luffy's father is the revolutionary Monkey D. Dragon. Elsewhere, Aokiji quietly checks on Robin, and in the New World, Shanks breaks through a blockade to meet Whitebeard. The two old rivals clash blades after Whitebeard refuses Shanks' plea to recall Ace, who is hunting the dangerous Blackbeard.

The Straw Hats receive sharply raised bounties, with Luffy reaching 300,000,000 Berries and even Chopper getting a token 50, while a poor sketch stands in for Sanji's poster. After much resistance and a great deal of comedy, the Franky Family pressures Franky into joining the crew, and Iceburg reminds him his true dream is to see his ship sail the world. Usopp, having left earlier, swallows his pride and tearfully begs to rejoin, which Luffy grants once the apology is sincere. The crew christens their new brigantine the Thousand Sunny and escapes Garp's parting attack with the Coup de Burst. Across the world, news of the crew spreads, and on Banaro Island, Ace finally confronts Blackbeard, who reveals he murdered Thatch to claim the Yami Yami no Mi and declares himself Darkness before their duel ends inconclusively.

The arc cements major threads for the second half of the series. Garp's reveal of Dragon and Garp's own identity, the introduction of the New World and the Emperors, and the first mention of Dr. Vegapunk all foreshadow events stretching from Thriller Bark to Egghead. Franky's purchase of rare Adam Wood, the same timber used for Roger's ship, ties the Sunny to the vessels capable of reaching Laugh Tale. Most consequentially, Blackbeard defeats Ace using the Yami Yami no Mi's ability to nullify Devil Fruit powers and trades him to the Marines for a Warlord seat, the spark that ignites the Impel Down and Marineford Arcs. Sanji's botched bounty photo even seeds a future grudge with the lookalike Duval.