On August 31, 2023, the world will come to know Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus in live-action. It was seven years in the making, but the world of One Piece will finally come to life. With a manga so vast, running for over 26 years now, what does the One Piece live-action cover in the series?
As expected, the One Piece live-action series’ teasers and trailers were received with mixed reviews.
But the producers, as well as Eiichiro Oda himself, maintain a positive attitude that the live-action will bring acclaim not only to the cast but also to the staff and crew.
RELATED: The Best Adventure Anime to Watch
One Piece Live-Action: What Does It Cover?
As stated by Marty Adelstein, the producer of the One Piece live-action, in a video message shown during the 2017 Jump Festa, the Hollywood television series adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s manga series will begin at the East Blue Arc and broaden from there.
The East Blue Saga marks the beginning of Monkey D. Luffy’s grand pirate adventure in One Piece.
He aims to become the next Pirate King after Shanks, the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, inspired him to follow in his footsteps.
In the manga series, the East Blue Saga is divided into six story arcs: Romance Dawn, Orange Town, Syrup Village, Baratie, Arlong Park, and Loguetown.
The East Blue Saga also includes two filler arcs: Buggy’s Crew Adventure Chronicles and the Warship Island Arc, both of which we assume will be omitted in the live-action.
The Romance Dawn Arc introduces Monkey D. Luffy to the world as he emerges from a floating barrel after he is picked up by two of Pirate Alvida’s men.
Luffy encounters a young boy named Koby, who becomes his first companion, as he sets out to Shells Town in search of the pirate hunter, Roronoa Zoro.
At the time, Zoro was being held by Axe-Hand Morgan and his son, Helmeppo.
The Orange Town Arc takes Luffy and Zoro to Orange Town, where they team up with a beautiful thief and navigator named Nami.
They also helped the town’s mayor deal with the Buggy Pirates, who were holding the town hostage.
Meanwhile, the Syrup Village Arc introduces a chronic liar named Usopp. He was the son of Yasopp, one of Shanks’ trustworthy crew members.
Luffy, along with Nami and Zoro, gets involved with Usopp’s dilemma as the Black Cat Pirates, led by the Pirate Kuro (Klahadore), aim to terrorize the village and steal Kaya’s family fortune.
Moving forward, the Baratie Arc takes Luffy, Nami, Zoro, and Usopp to a seaside restaurant, where they finally meet Sanji!
But we all know that trouble is waiting for them, as the so-called strongest pirate of East Blue, Don Krieg, wants Baratie for himself.
Luffy has to step up to repay his debt to Zeff, while Zoro has to deal with one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea called Mihawk.
The Arlong Park Arc reveals Nami’s motives to Luffy and the others. Her town is held hostage by the Arlong Pirates, and Nami has to save 100 million berries to buy the town from Arlong.
But Arlong is adamant about keeping Nami as his personal navigator! It is up to Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji to get down to business, save Nami, and free Orange Town!
Lastly, the Loguetown Arc takes Luffy and the others to the town of the beginning and the end! It is the place where the Great Pirate King Gol D. Roger was born and executed.
Upon reaching the town, Luffy searches for the execution stand while the rest of the crew go their separate ways to buy equipment and supplies.
What’s more, Smoker was introduced, along with Luffy’s father, Dragon! The Buggy Pirates have also regrouped and teamed up with Alvida, who has eaten the Sube Sube no Mi devil fruit.
This is where the East Blue Saga ends, as Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates set sail to the Grand Line, marking the beginning of the Arabasta Saga.
How Many Episodes Will the One Piece Live-Action Have?
As confirmed by Eiichiro Oda in his advice to fans that has been posted on the One Piece live-action’s official Twitter account, the One Piece live-action series will have a total of eight episodes.
The runtime for each episode is still being kept in the dark, but we are assuming that every episode will be 45 minutes to 1 hour long, like most television series.
After all, it will be hard to imagine that the live-action episodes will be similar to One Piece’s anime episodes with a runtime of only 22–24 minutes.
If that happens, the pacing will be off, and a large part of the East Blue Saga will be missing in the live-action. We are hoping that this will not be the case.
Anyway, if the One Piece live-action is successful enough to guarantee another season, there will be a huge possibility that more episodes will come to Netflix in the future!
Will the One Piece Live-Action Go Past the East Blue Saga?
Based on the teasers and trailers released as of writing, we are expecting that the One Piece live-action series will not go past the East Blue Saga.
The sight of Laboon, the Baroque Works, and the other islands in the Grand Line were also not shown in the promotional videos.
In addition, the cast members that have been announced don’t include the core characters of the Arabasta Saga, like Nefertari Vivi, the two giants from Elbaf, the Baroque Works, and of course, Tony Tony Chopper.
There’s also a possibility that the One Piece live-action will have its climax in the Arlong Park Arc, with Luffy beating Arlong.
This would mean that the Loguetown Arc will probably not be shown in the eight episodes of the television series, as Smoker is also not included in the cast announcement.
Perhaps a young Smoker will make a cameo and appear during Gol D. Roger’s execution? We’ll find out!
For the time being, expect to read more news and information prior to the release of the One Piece live-action show, which will be exclusively available on Netflix!
Want the latest on all things anime? Make sure you follow us on Twitter!
READ NEXT: Where to Read the One Piece Manga Online