Ron Does Stuff

Is there really any use to having some lengthy preamble before watching the second episode? I’m probably the only person left who hasn’t watched this show!

We sorta kinda had the beginnings of a crew after the first episode, but before we get back to the present day, we get a little flashback of Luffy practicing his fighting moves. But more than that, we also find out how his father figure, Shanks, left him. I’m sure this is old news for fans of the manga and the anime but I’m just watching this for the first time, okay?

Back in the present day, Luffy is wearing Shanks’ hat and Nami has opened the safe holding the map to the Grand Line. We also get a peek at the geography of the world we’re moving in, which makes me wonder how big the storms are in the One Piece world when it seems to have more ocean than land? Anyways, the Grand Line is supposed to be where they can find the One Piece, Gold Roger’s treasure.

But all talk of the One Piece is cut off by what seems to be an attack. Luffy’s ship is attacked by a sleeping gas? Seems like it! Before he falls asleep Luffy fucking deepthroats the map of the Grand Line they stole from Axe Hand Morgan. Jesus.

When they wake up, Nami and Zoro think they’ve been caught by Marines, but Luffy tells them that it’s pirates and not Marines that are holding them captive. Luffy thinks he can talk to them and Nami doesn’t believe it because she thinks Luffy isn’t a pirate and pirates are all bad people. I’m kinda seeing a pattern here of Luffy showing the people around him that there can be a different kind of pirate.

And Luffy can start showing that now as Buggy walks in. Honestly, considering how much space he occupied on the internet at the height of this show, I thought he would appear later on? I didn’t expect him to show up right at the end of the first episode and meet the guys immediately in this second one. I thought he’d be like a Thanos figure or something! He certainly was a thirst figure!

Anyways, Buggy is a little sensitive about his nose, which I also thought was a thing he put on but apparently, his nose really is just like that! He’s also got a literal captive audience and just like Alvida, he thinks he’s the most dreaded pirate of the seas and he’s going to find the One Piece.

Nami tries to escape from Buggy’s crew by distracting them with Luffy’s stretchy abilities, but seeing the town devastated by Buggy’s crew stops her from making a full escape. Side note on this, for some reason I thought that all of this was happening on Buggy’s ship? I don’t know, I’m stupid!

While all that is happening, Koby is now a Marine cadet and is quickly finding out that maybe the Marines he’s joined up with aren’t the best people. And it looks like Vice Admiral Garp can sense that there’s something fishy about him being with the Marines now.

Back at whatever town Buggy and his crew are in, Nami and Zoro are having an “I don’t trust you”-off. And while they’re scheming on how to escape, Luffy is literally being stretched. He’s like that stretchy toy that was supposed to have a live action adaptation starring Taylor Lautner!

Anyways, I like how Buggy’s torture and interrogation sounds like an acting exercise. Buggy does seem like that pretentious theater kid you go to school with and who Tammie Brown would make fun of.

As the interrogation/acting exercise continues, it turns out that Shanks and Buggy used to know each other! And they had a falling out because Buggy, being your typical scene-stealing diva, thought Shanks was dimming his shine.

And while all the Shanks talk kinda hits Luffy where it hurts, it isn’t enough for him to give up the location of the map of the Grand Line that he deepthroated. But just like your typical hero, it’s the threatening of innocents that finally gets him to break, and here’s where we find out that Buggy also ate a Devil Fruit that allows him to basically separate himself into pieces.

Zoro and Nami are faring only slightly better. While Zoro distracts Cabaji — the brother of one of his former pirate victims — Nami is picking the lock to her cage. And maybe this is the Dunning-Kruger effect but she’s taking a little long for what I’m assuming is a simple lock.

And since we’ve already got so many characters to follow in just the second episode, we go back to Koby, who Vice Admiral Garp has correctly sussed out is out of place at Axe Hand Morgan’s base. But only because Koby is a good person and deserves to be with a better class of Marine than the ones he’s currently with. This will lead to conflict with Luffy, obviously, but I’m sure there’s makeup sex fanfic out there somewhere.

Using the well-worn “present situation can be explained by a flashback” technique, we find out why Shanks abandoned Luffy while Buggy is basically attempting to kill him. This is where manga readers and anime viewers have an edge on me because what is Shanks’ power? How’d he order that sea monster to go away? Also is Shanks my daddy? Because hello. Who’s the actor? Also I typed all of this before the scene where they show he lost a freaking arm? Why?

Back to the present, Luffy’s trust in people has been rewarded once more because rather than leave him, Zoro and Nami opt to rescue him instead. And yet again another good action sequence! I do wish it was longer but I also understand the budget constraints. The town ends up being freed from Buggy’s control and the pirates are off again! And also it’s me surprised again because I thought Buggy would be in more episodes considering how much he was talked about when this first premiered?

Before the episode’s final scenes, we go back to the past. We find out why the straw hat is so important to Luffy and maybe it’s just me being old and sentimental but I almost cried when young Luffy started to cry. I’m soft, okay?

The episode’s last scene, however, isn’t as heartwarming. Looks like Nami’s a traitor!