Wealth, fame, power.

Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, attained everything this world has to offer.

The words he uttered just before his death drove people to the seas.

"My treasure? If you want it, you can have it! Find it! I left everything this world has to offer there!"

And so men head for the Grand Line in pursuit of their dreams!

The world has truly entered a Great Pirate Era!

Twelve years after the execution of the first and only King of the Pirates ever recorded in history, a group of pirates known as the Red-Hair Pirates were stationed in a small village called Windmill Village, which was a part of Dawn Island in the East Blue. Every day, a local boy named Monkey D. Luffy pestered their captain, Red-Haired Shanks, to let him join his crew, which he declined each time. Eventually, it all came to a head when the boy came to their ship and tried to prove his toughness by stabbing his face under his left eye. He and the pirates went to the bar, where they toasted to his craziness as they ate and drank. Luffy once again attempted to convince Shanks to add him to his crew, to which the captain gently refused due to the boy being too young and unable to swim.

Suddenly, a group of mountain bandits led by Higuma entered the bar, demanding some alcohol. But there was one slight problem: the pirates had already drunk the place completely dry. When Shanks tried to make peace by offering Higuma the last bottle, he got all overconfident due to his eight million berry bounty and smashed it over the pirate captain's head. Shanks just apologized to the bartender, Makino, and started to clean up the mess, only for Higuma to break some more dishes before leaving with his gang. Afterward, the Red Hair Pirates laughed off the incident, but Luffy was angry at the captain for not standing up for himself. He stormed out of the bar, and Shanks attempted to hold him back by grabbing his arm, but to his shock, the boy kept walking as his arm stretched like rubber. The Red Hair Pirates then realized that the Devil Fruit they had stolen, the Gum-Gum Fruit, was no longer in the chest, and Luffy confirmed that he ate it for dessert. Shanks revealed that the boy's body was now made of rubber, and he would be unable to swim for the rest of his life.

Sometime later, the Red Hair Pirates had gone off on another voyage, and Luffy was starting to have fun with his new rubber body. One day, however, he was sitting in Makino's bar when Higuma's gang returned, demanding some alcohol again. Soon afterward, Makino alerted the Mayor, Woop Slap, that the bandits had kidnapped Luffy after he picked a fight with them. Higuma initially planned to sell the boy to a circus due to his strange body but decided to kill him instead for angering him. However, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates then returned, and when one of the bandits pointed his gun at the captain, his crewmate, Lucky Roux, shot him instead. Shanks stated that he could accept an insult toward him but would not forgive anyone who harms his friends. His first mate, Benn Beckman, then overpowered the bandits singlehandedly, though Higuma managed to escape with Luffy in tow by throwing a smoke bomb. The lone bandit took the boy out to sea and kicked him off the boat to drown him. As Luffy struggled to stay afloat, a Sea King known as the Local Sea Monster ate Higuma whole, destroying it in the process. It then moved to eat Luffy too, but Shanks arrived just in time to save him and exerted his willpower over the beast, scaring it away. Shanks was glad Luffy was okay, but the boy was saddened because the captain had sacrificed his arm for him.

Later, the Red Hair Pirates were prepared to leave Windmill Village for good. Luffy had decided not to try to join them and declared that he would form his own crew that would be stronger than Shanks', find the greatest treasure known as the One Piece, and become the King of the Pirates. To take the boy up on his word, the captain gave him his straw hat and told him to return it once he had surpassed him. As the Red Hair Pirates set sail, Shanks and Beckman both anticipated Luffy doing great things in the future.

Ten years passed by like a hurricane. Upon proving how much stronger he'd gotten against the Local Sea Monster, Luffy finally set off on his journey in a small rowboat...which quickly got pulled into a whirlpool. On a pirate ship, a cabin boy named Koby found a barrel that had washed ashore. To the chagrin of his three crewmates who were expecting alcohol, Luffy burst out of it, having woken up from a nap. He swiftly disposed of the pirate crew, including their fat captain, Alvida. With Koby, who had gotten captured by her and wanted to become a Navy officer, in tow, Luffy started hopping from island to island. His first stop was a Navy base, where the pirate freed a swordsman with three swords, "Pirate Hunter" Zoro. Together, the duo made quick work of Navy Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, ending his tyranny over the entire area and even his own crew. Zoro became the first member of the Straw Hats, and thanks to Luffy's quick thinking, Koby was allowed to pursue his dream.

Next up was Orange Town, where the duo met "Cat Burglar" Nami, a thief who only steals from pirates. At the time, she deeply hated pirates because of something that happened in her village, so she initially did not like Luffy and declined his invitation to join the crew. But after he and Zoro saved the town from a pirate crew led by fellow Devil Fruit user Buggy the Clown, who had the Chop-Chop Fruit that enabled him to split his own body into pieces and control said pieces, Nami decided that at least those two were not all bad and formed a temporary alliance with them.

After a quick stop at an island inhabited by strange creatures and a former pirate who had his body stuck in a treasure chest for twenty years, the trio reached Syrup Village, which was the hometown of a perennial liar named Usopp. Usopp was the son of Yasopp, a sniper and member of the Red Hair Pirates, so upon recognizing the connection there, he and Luffy instantly hit it off. They, along with Zoro and Nami, thwarted the nefarious schemes of Captain Kuro, a pirate-turned-butler, and, in the process, protected the village. To thank the Straw Hats, Kaya, Usopp's childhood friend, gave them their first pirate ship, the Going Merry. And they also gained a new crew member in Usopp, who made their Jolly Roger.

Once the crew picked up Yosaku and Johnny, two bounty hunters who were partners with Zoro, they arrived at Baratie, a sea restaurant owned by "Red Foot" Zeff. There, they met a cook named "Black Leg" Sanji, and from here, things started getting hectic. A whole fleet led by the golden armored Don Krieg came to take over the sea restaurant. However, those plans were immediately dashed when Mihawk, the strongest swordsman in the world and one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, demolished the entire ship with just a single slash of his legendary Black Blade, Yoru. Zoro, wanting to become the best and prove himself to Kuina, an old friend who died at such an early age before she could realize her own dream of becoming a master swordsman, immediately challenged Mihawk to a duel. In a one-sided affair, Mihawk used a mere dagger and humiliated Zoro. The Warlord then gave him a small taste of Yoru's power, which he miraculously survived while costing him two of his three swords. Amidst the chaos, Nami unwillingly betrayed the crew, stole the Going Merry, which had the treasure she took from Buggy, and went off on her own. Usopp, a defeated Zoro, and the bounty hunters chased after her, leaving Luffy with Don Krieg. Together with Sanji, he overcame the golden armored pirate's treacherous tactics and beat him soundly. Yosaku returned to give Luffy a lift, and after a tearful goodbye to Zeff, Sanji, with a dream of finding the All Blue, a rumored sea of legend said to be the only place in the world where the North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue seas meet, became the next member of the Straw Hats.

The crew's pursuit of Nami and the Going Merry led them to her hometown of Cocoyashi Village on Commi Island, which had been taken over by a group of fishmen led by Arlong. While, at first, it seemed like she was working for the fishmen, as evidenced by the Fishmen Pirates' tattoo on her left shoulder, Nami's main goal was to gather up enough treasure to buy the village from Arlong. And she was so close too, but a suspicious Navy officer found all the treasure, gave it to Arlong, and ratted her out. Nami resolved to do it all over again, but by that point, the village had enough and decided to take things into their own hands, storming off to Arlong Park. Now in despair, Nami repeatedly stabbed her accursed tattoo with a dagger, only to be stopped by Luffy. She had been trying to get the Straw Hats to go away, even then, but she finally relented and asked the captain for help. Luffy responded by taking off his straw hat, which she knew was a treasure to him, and placing it on her head. With Zoro on one side and Sanji and even the cowardly Usopp on another, they walked to Arlong Park with an eerie calmness in every step. As the fight against the Fishmen Pirates went on, each of them had their moment to shine, and the fishmen fell one by one until Arlong was buried in the remains of his headquarters by Luffy. The captain declared Nami as his nakama, and after getting her tattoo reworked on, she left the village as a true Straw Hat...though, not before stealing every villager's wallet. That entire incident put the World Government on notice, giving Luffy his first bounty worth thirty million berries. And while all that was happening, Koby and Helmeppo, the son of Axe-Hand Morgan, met a certain Vice Admiral of the Navy and began training with him. And Buggy, who only had his head, hands, and feet together after Nami tied the rest of his body parts together and Luffy sent him blasting off, met a mysterious woman, found his body parts and crew, and went after the Straw Hats.

The crew then reached Loguetown, which was said to be the place where the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, was both born and executed. Zoro met Tashigi, a Master Chief Petty Officer in the Navy who, much to his unease, bore an uncanny resemblance to Kuina. Not knowing who he actually was yet, she helped the pirate pick out two swords, identifying one as Kitetsu III as he chose it. Kitetsu III was revealed to be a cursed blade, and the store owner insisted on not letting Zoro buy it. He decided to test his own luck and threw it into the air while holding out his arm. Zoro's luck won, as the blade circled neatly around it. The impressed store owner decided to give him both Kitetsu III and his family heirloom and the best sword in the shop, Yubashiri, for free. While that was going on, Sanji brought a gigantic fish for the crew. Usopp purchased some more supplies, ammo, and new goggles. And Nami got a bundle of clothes. Luffy, meanwhile, went to check out the execution stand where Roger was executed. However, with the help of the woman that was revealed to be Alvida, who had eaten the Smooth-Smooth Fruit that made her body smooth, slippery, and slim, Buggy and his crew ambushed him on the platform and placed him in shackles. Catching wind of what was going on, Zoro and Sanji reached the execution area and tried to fight their way through the pirates. But they couldn't get to the platform as Buggy swung his sword down on Luffy's head. At the last possible second, a bolt of lightning struck the sword, destroying the platform and freeing him with not a scratch on him. As the trio made their way to the Going Merry, they were stopped by Tashigi, who was angry that Zoro had "tricked" her. While the two engaged in a swordfight, Navy Captain "White Chase" Smoker confronted Luffy and Sanji, who were unable to even touch him due to the Plume-Plume Fruit, which allowed him to create, control, and transform into smoke at will. But the trio was all saved by a mysterious man named Dragon, allowing them to reach the ship and set out for the Grand Line unhindered.

And now, from the top of the destroyed platform, Dragon watched as the Going Merry drifted farther away from Loguetown.

He chuckled before proclaiming loudly, "If that's your decision, then go!"

"Why? Why did you help that man...Dragon?!" a Navy officer inquired as a group of them surrounded the area. Thunder boomed in the sky while the tattooed man in the green hood and cloak smiled.

"What reason would there be to interfere with a man's departure?" he asked back.

Out in the stormy sea, the Going Merry was having a rough time staying stable as rough waves crashed into it.

"Ugh! It's almost like the ship's gonna tip over!" Usopp shouted, holding on to the mast for dear life. Soon, a lighthouse came into view with the light flickering repeatedly.

"Look at that light!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. In between her, Luffy sat cross-legged on the rail and held his hat on his head as Sanji had one leg dangling over it while smoking a cigarette, even in the heavy rain. Zoro just stared at the lighthouse from behind them. And Usopp turned his head to face it.

"Is that a lighthouse of the island?" he questioned the navigator.

"It's a 'guiding light'. The entrance to the Grand Line lies ahead of that light." she explained.

"The Grand Line is ahead of that light." Luffy reaffirmed with excitement in his voice.

"What do you wanna do?" Nami queried.

Usopp raised an eyebrow before saying, "B-But there's no reason to enter during a storm like this." Each of the Straw Hats grinned in anticipation, with Sanji giving a thumbs up and Nami chuckling. After all, once they reach the end of the Grand Line, all their dreams will have been realized.

"Okay, then! Shall we hold a launching ceremony for setting sail on the great ocean?" Sanji requested.

"Hey!" Usopp gasped.

"Sure!" Nami replied. Zoro nodded his head.

"Let's do it!" Luffy hollered. Soon, everybody gathered up around a barrel.

Sanji, being the one who suggested this, went first and placed his foot on it as he proclaimed, "In order to find the All Blue!"

"In order to be King of the Pirates!" Luffy continued, repeating the action.

"In order to become a master swordsman!" Zoro went on while also putting his foot on the barrel.

"In order to draw a world map!" Nami added, doing the same action.

"I-In order...to become a brave warrior of the sea!" Usopp uttered, feeling a bit unsure of himself as he repeated the same thing.

The Straw Hats stayed like that before the captain proclaimed, "We're going...to the Grand Line!"

They all lifted their foot up in the air while everyone else shouted, "YEAH!" Little did the crew know, three golden rings had formed on the deck, with one around Luffy, one around Zoro and Usopp, and one around Nami and Sanji. All of a sudden, a purple starry portal popped up in each one.

"AH!" the entire crew yelped as they fell right through it. Luffy stretched his arms out, but the rings quickly vanished before he could grab one.

"WHAT?!" everybody gasped. They all screamed as they continued to fall.

"Great Eruption!" a man called out near the Merry. A giant magma fist got thrown forward like an oversized rocket and collided with the ship, utterly destroying it. As the Merry sank to the bottom of the sea with what seemed to resemble tears in its sheepshead eyes, a Navy ship came into view. A man turned to a certain officer, who was smiling wickedly.

"The son of Dragon....is dead."