Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ is a fantasy adventure show that follows the story of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of pirates called the Straw Hat Pirates. Brought together by unforeseen circumstances, each crew member has a dream. Luffy’s dream is to find the fabled treasure called One Piece, which has been lost for more than two decades. He is joined by Nami, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji as they prepare to travel into uncharted waters, where the world becomes more dangerous and the waters trickier than they could imagine. The show creates its own unique world, which is quite different from ours. Here’s everything you need to know about the world of Netflix’s ‘One Piece.’ SPOILERS AHEAD
One Piece Timeline
The first season of ‘One Piece’ introduces us to the main characters, revealing their backstories and how they became the Straw Hat Pirates. In the present timeline, we follow Monkey D. Luffy, who has embarked on the journey to find a reliable ship and a trustworthy crew with whom he can set sail for the Grand Line and find the treasure.
Twenty-two years before the present events, infamous pirate Gol D. Roger is publicly executed. However, before dying, he tells everyone about his treasure, which he has collected over the years, all of which is in one place together somewhere in the Grand Line. The desire to find this treasure leads many people to turn towards piracy.
The events in which Luffy meets the people who would eventually become his crew and friends take place over the course of a few weeks. However, we also go back to the past to witness their backstories. Zoro’s backstory reveals how, seven years ago, the loss of a friend put him on the path to becoming the greatest swordsman in the world. Ten years before Luffy actively became a pirate, he met another pirate, Shanks, whom he revered and who inspired Luffy to dream of becoming the King of Pirates. Similarly, the show takes us into flashbacks to give us a deeper insight into the story of the characters.
One Piece Map, Explained
The world depicted in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ is unlike our world. The events take place on an unnamed planet where most of the world is made up of the ocean. The ocean is divided in half by a strip of land called the Red Line, which runs through the middle, like the Prime Meridian on the Earth. The Red Line is made up of mountain ranges, is mostly barren, and hasn’t yet featured on the TV show. Instead of the Red Line, people mostly live on the islands in the four seas.
The halves are further divided, creating quadrants by the Grand Line, which runs perpendicular to the Red Line, making it the Equator of that world. The quadrants of the ocean are called North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, and West Blue. Most of the action in the first season of ‘One Piece’ takes place in East Blue. All the locations featured in the first season exist in this quadrant. The story begins at Loguetown, where Gol D. Roger’s execution takes place and where he declares the existence of One Piece.
Other places that feature on the show are Windmill Village, Shimotsuki Village (Zoro’s home), Sixis Island, Shells Town (where the 153rd Marine Branch is located), the Baratie restaurant, the Gecko Island and Syrup Village (where Kaya and Usopp’s story takes place).
The Grand Line
The Grand Line hasn’t yet featured on Netflix’s ‘One Piece,’ but is a crucial part of its storyline. This is where Roger’s treasure is hidden and where Luffy wants to go. The Grand Line is a treacherous place because this is where the most infamous of pirates live, all in search of the treasure. Here, the weather is unpredictable, the monsters are worse than anywhere else, and the compasses fail— all of which makes it ripe for adventure.
Being there is a challenge in itself, but entering the Grand Line is another task entirely. The Grand Line has a strip of calm ocean on either side, known as the Calm Belt. It gets its name from the fact that it never has ocean currents or winds to ease the sailing. It is also the nesting ground for some of the most dangerous monsters in the sea, called the Sea Kings. With the Calm Belt on either side of the Grand Line, it becomes very difficult to cross over into the other quadrant.
There is also the Reverse Mountain, which is referenced at the end of Season 1 by Nami. Here, the water first flows uphill and then falls down to enter the Grand Line. The description itself reveals how dangerous a place it is, but this is the path the Straw Hat Pirates must choose to get to the Grand Line.
The All Blue
While the rest of the places in Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ are present on the maps, the location of one place remains unclear. It is mentioned by Sanji and called the All Blue. It is a legend that all four seas are said to meet and create the breeding grounds for the kinds of fish that haven’t been seen before, making it a dream place for any chef worth their salt in the world. To find this place is Sanji’s dream, one he shared with his father-like figure, Zeff, another pirate who was in search of the All Blue. It is due to his desire to find the place that Sanji decides to leave Baratie and join the Straw Hat Pirates.
