A Great Sensation! Sanji's Special Soba!

Sanji's soba shop becomes a hit, but its success draws unwelcome attention. Members of the Kyoshiro Family swagger up and demand protection money, and when Sanji turns them down, the thugs trash the stall and menace a little girl, spilling her bowl onto the ground. Oddly, even with tears welling up, the child laughs instead of crying. Furious at the wasted food, Sanji makes short work of the gang, with Franky pitching in to drop one of them, and the cook then crams the ruined noodles down a beaten fighter's throat.

Once the attackers are bound, the girl introduces herself as Otoko, a name the crew finds funny since it means "male." She explains that she serves as a kamuro, an oiran's young attendant, and had labored to afford the soba. A bystander adds that a single oiran named Komurasaki reigns over the quarter, and that Robin has been summoned to Orochi's mansion. Meanwhile, at the Udon camp, Luffy gains celebrity status among the inmates for thrashing Dobon and hands a few meal tickets to the old man he rescued. Raizo then materializes, having infiltrated the prison, revealing he knows where the key to Luffy's Seastone cuffs is held under heavy guard before vanishing to steal it. Back in the Flower Capital, Komurasaki approaches Orochi's gate.

Anime-only touches include Franky wondering aloud whether Toko was weeping or laughing after losing her bowl, Usopp warning Sanji not to make a scene before the brawl, and a flashback of Usopp showing Toko the toad oil, which she also mentions while speaking with the group. The clash with the Kyoshiro thugs plays out differently: the manga shows only Kuni getting kicked, while here Sanji strikes Suke and Kaku first and shatters Kuni's sword. When Luffy offers Hyo some of his tickets, the old man tries at first to refuse. The episode debuts Toko and introduces Franky's Franosuke Iron Suplex.