Overcoming Adversity: Sanji’s First Arc as a Straw Hat Pirate in One Piece

One Piece has a knack for giving its characters an impactful debut, especially the Straw Hat Pirates. However, Sanji didn’t enjoy such treatment.

One Piece follows a group of pirates dubbed the Straw Hat Pirates. Every member has a goal ambitious enough to be mocked by ordinary people, while the captain, Luffy, is trying to be the Pirate King — and the group is slowly but surely realizing this scenario. But it wasn’t always this way. When they first set the sails, Logia Devil Fruit users were their only adversaries. They were unable to defeat them without having a loophole. However, the Straw Hats back then were absolutely extraordinary. They’re all introduced in extremely cool ways throughout One Piece Except for Sanji.

The adventures of the Straw Hats began with just Luffy who was forced to leave his hometown without having a boat. Even so, he managed to make it from one island to the next by relying almost entirely on luck. His first friend, however, didn’t join the Straw Hat Pirates. Instead, Luffy determined to become a Marine. Through Koby, Luffy was able to meet Zoro. Nami was soon a part of their crew, which was followed by Usopp and Sanji. They were drawn to Grand Line, where they added additional members.

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The East Blue Saga Members Were Pretty Badass

One Piece began by flashbacking Luffy’s humble beginnings. He was a brat with a nose that was snot, and he was begging Shanks and his crew for permission to sail with them. Luffy was only 13 years old however, he already had plenty of courage. To prove his bravery, Luffy attempted to cut his eye. Luffy also confronted the mountain bandits that had badmouthed his pirate buddies. Shanks saved him, but Luffy could not redeem himself after his turning century. Luffy began sailing by himself, however, he was sure to serve the sea monster who snatched Shanks’s arm a huge portion of his pistol.

Fantastic introductions are also given to the following three Straw Hats. Zoro was the first to be seen kept prisoner by the Marine base. Koby introduced Zoro as a notorious person, and this was cemented later on. Zoro endured not eating for several days, but Zoro was still able to help Luffy in destroying the Marine base once he was freed. Although Nami isn’t necessarily the strongest among the bunch her debut was exciting. She robbed the evil Buggy the Clown and even assisted Luffy beat the pirate that was murderous. The highlight, however, was when she tried to stop a gun’s explosion by using her hands. She helped save the life of the protagonist.

The other, weaker part of the Straw Hats — Usopp Also had an impressive entrance into One Piece. He chose to take on Kuro as well as his Black Cat Pirates despite his insecurity. Luffy beat Kuro but Usopp gave the final blow to Jango.

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Sanji has a Sob Story, Much like the Straw Hats with the other Straws.

It’s not unusual to see One Piece have tragic backstories, and this is particularly the case for the protagonists. Sanji is not an exception. Sanji’s story, as with others’ Straw Hats was made public the moment the Straw Hats were presented. Sanji was a cook since his childhood years and his life changed in the opposite direction when Zeff’s pirates appeared at their restaurant. This attack happened during a stormy night; sadly, the storm itself killed everyone but Sanji and Zeff. They were thrown out for the next few months.

They might have escaped the harsh conditions, but they weren’t out of danger. They had a small amount of food and were divided between the two. The truth was finally revealed that Zeff was the one who provided all the food needed for young Sanji and the other was forced to eat cannibals and even break his own leg to satisfy his hunger. When Sanji was informed of this and was informed, he promised to aid Zeff to achieve his dream of opening a restaurant in the ocean.

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The Baratie Battles Mostly Leave Sanji in the Background

In addition to his flashback Sanji is, however, Sanji mostly fades into the background during his initial period. His supposed arc, the “Baratie” arc is primarily about the altercation between the Krieg Pirates and the titular restaurant. It was believed that Sanji was going to defend his place of work however, that was not the situation. The first person to take the limelight was Zoro and as a tragic twist of fate, Dracule Mihawk chased the Krieg Pirates from the Grand Line to the East Blue. Zoro knew that the Warlord was the most powerful Swordsman, and he offered to challenge Mihawk to a duel. The Straw Hat lost big time but he did earn the respect of the Warlord.

Following the time that Mihawk was gone from the restaurant Don Krieg and his band of scallywags stepped up as the arc’s villains. In defiance of Gin’s and Sanji’s pleas, Don Krieg decided to assume control of Baratie and transform it into his main ship. Even so, the one who faces and beats Don Krieg isn’t Sanji but Luffy. While it’s a missed opportunity to show off the cook’s fighting ability but it’s not surprising. Luffy is always the first to defeat the bosses who are the ultimate challengers when they recruit his crewmates. But unlike the other Straw Hats, Sanji did not get the chance to show off the kicks he admires so much.

Sanji was facing Pearl and Pearl took pride in his incomprehensible defense, but it could not be called an actual fight. It’s more of a one-sided assault and Sanji was the one who suffered. There aren’t any surprise surprises or twists since Sanji was simply a victim of Pearl’s attack and it was the villain’s own crewmate, Gin, who defeated him. If Sanji was not considered one of the Straw Hats’ most powerful members, such a performance would have been acceptable. In fact, Nami and Usopp, the team’s most likely weakest members showed better fighting abilities. Despite the “Baratie” arc being Sanji’s intro to One Piece, he was mostly overshadowed by Zoro and Luffy.