Romance Dawn Arc

This opening arc launches both the manga and anime and stands as the first segment of the East Blue Saga. It establishes the world's pirate era, sparked by the executed Pirate King Gold Roger, and introduces the boy who dreams of claiming that title.

Across two phases, the story shows Luffy's childhood bond with the Red Hair Pirates and then his solo departure a decade later, where he meets the timid cabin boy Koby and recruits the feared bounty hunter Zoro from a corrupt Marine base.

As a seven-year-old in Foosha Village, Luffy worships Shanks and accidentally devours the Gomu Gomu no Mi, turning his body to rubber and stripping away his ability to swim. When mountain bandits humiliate Shanks and later kidnap the boy, a Sea King nearly kills Luffy, and Shanks loses an arm saving him. Before departing, the captain entrusts Luffy with his straw hat and tells him to return it once he has grown into a great pirate.

Ten years on, Luffy rows out alone, downs the Lord of the Coast with a stretched punch, and stumbles into the crew of the club-wielding Alvida. He frees Koby from her service, knocks her flat, and inspires the boy to pursue his own dream of joining the Marines. The two then sail to Shells Town, where the tyrannical Captain Morgan rules and his cruel son Helmeppo torments the populace.

Luffy finds Zoro bound in the base courtyard, starved under a false bargain. Learning of Morgan's brutality and reclaiming Zoro's three swords, Luffy fights through the garrison while Zoro, after recalling his vow to his late friend Kuina, agrees to become his first crewmate. Together they topple Morgan and Helmeppo, free the town, and set off for the Grand Line as Koby enlists with the grateful Marines.

Luffy's voyage and the central plot of the series formally begin here. He acquires his most prized possession, the straw hat, and the Devil Fruit that defines his powers, later revealed in Wano to be the Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. His role model Shanks is established as a pivotal figure, and Zoro becomes the founding member of the Straw Hat Pirates, his ambition to be the world's greatest swordsman laid bare.

The Marines debut as a major opposing force, Koby and the disgraced Helmeppo both enlist and cross paths with Luffy again in the future, and Shanks' use of Supreme King Haki to frighten the Sea King marks the first appearance of Haki in the series. Luffy's brush with the Red Hair Pirates also sets in motion the events that lead him to his sworn brothers Ace and Sabo.