Any One Piece fan would agree that the series is a constant emotional roller coaster. While the series is technically all about chasing dreams and finding treasures, almost everyone has a pretty damn tragic backstory. However, the tearjerkers in the franchise aren’t necessarily limited to flashbacks.
During their grand quest to find the titular treasure, Luffy and Co. went through a lot of grief, both individually and as a group. Plenty of these non-flashback experiences are, without a doubt, some of the saddest moments in One Piece. Here are ten moments that will likely make you l♐ook out for the onion-chopping ꧋ninjas.
Chouchou’s futile waiting and grand stand
Despite being one of the saddest and most heartwarming moments in the series, some fans may have already forgotten about it since it occurred when the Straw Hat Pirates onl🎀y consisted of three members. At the time Buggy and his crew were wreaking havoc at East Blue, we met the goodest boy, Chouchou.
Chouchou’s tale was re♎miniscent of that of the famous Akita dog Hachiko. Much like the beloved Hachiko, Chouchou had been futilely waiting for his deceased master’s return. Chouchou, however, had been waiting at a pet food shop and not at a train station. It was the shop he and his master co-owned, so Chouchou not only waited but guarded it as well.
When the Buggy Pirates te♎rrorized Orange Town, Mohji and his lion Richie targeted the store for its pet food. Despite the gargantuan size difference, Chouchou neither showed fear nor 🅺backed down from the lion’s assault. Unfortunately, grit alone wasn’t enough to overcome the power difference. The pirates ultimately burnt down the shop, leaving Chouchou howling in grief as he watched his precious establishment turn to ash.
Nami stabbing her arm to get rid of the Arlong Pirates symbol
Nami has always hated pirates for good reasons. The Arlong Pirates held her entire village hostage, forcing Nami to map the seas and steal from pirates as a child. She hoped to buy back her village from the Fish-Men’s smelly hands. But just as she amassed the agreed-upon amount, Arlong betrayed her and corroborated with the Marines to confiscate her stash. It was a despicable move to make her the crew’s eternal slave.
Betrayed and battered, the young navigator crumbled in all sense of the𒐪 word. In her grief and anger, she started stabbing the Arlong Pirates’ symbol tattooed on her shoulder. Since Nami had always been depicted as s💖trong and steadfast, watching her mutilate herself in defeat was nothing short of devastating.
The Straw Hats silently bid farewell to Vivi
The Straw Hat Pirates had always been small in number, not counting the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, in comparison to other powerful crews. Even so, that didn’t exempt them from saying farewell to some of their crewmates, all of which was a different flavor of sorrow. The first time it happened was when they took down Crocodile and his empire, helping Vivi free her kingdom.
At the time, the Straw Hat managed to defeat Crocodile and every official of Baroque Works. Vivi’s true identity as the princess of Alabasta was also revealed. Despite the kingdom’s debt to the Straw Hats, Vivi couldn’t openly acknowledge her connection with the pirates. As such, the Straw Hats could only openly denounce their connection with her, as well. However, their true feelings were different, and they made sure to let Vivi know that.
Before entering the country, all of them drew an X mark on their forearm. It was to prevent the enemy from using their likeness against them, as well as a promise to always be “nakama” or friends. The moment the Going Merry departed, the Straw Hat raised their hands in testament to always regard Vivi as a crewmate.
Luffy and Usopp’s face off
The next Straw Hat to leave the crew was Usopp, but it was not as touching or amicable as Vivi’s. Upon reaching Water 7, the Straw Hats had already done their fair share of sailing. Despite not having a shipwright at the time, they were pretty rough with the Going Merry. Luffy even broke the ship’s mast to use it as a weapon against Laboon. Even though Usopp was constantly repairing the ship, his skills were far from enough to keep the Going Merry in tip-top shape.
When the crew asked the Galley-La Company to repair the ship, it was already past the point of repairs. They could only say their farewells to the ship if they wanted to continue sailing. As such, Luffy made the heavy decision to leave the Merry, which Usopp gravely disagreed with. Usopp challenged Luffy to a duel with the Merry’s ownership at stake. Despite obviously not being Luffy’s match, Usopp came in prepared, while Luffy reciprocated the respect by going all out. Seeing them go at each other with full strength and conviction was painful to watch.
The death of the Going Merry
Luffy and Usopp’s fallout is just a preface to this entry, which is still the only time a Straw Hat perished. The sad thing about this scene wasn’t the fact that Going Merry was no more. That was already established after the Galley-La Company’s assessment. What made it truly heartbreaking was the series of events that led up to it.
At the time, another Straw Hat left the group. Nico Robin voluntarily surrendered herself to the CP9 in the hopes of sparing the others. However, Luffy and Co. literally went through hell and high waters to save them. At their direst moment, with Marines surrounding them and nowhere left to flee, the Going Merry arrived to save them. It was the ship’s final voyage. Rightfully so, they sent it off with all crew members present.
The Straw Hat Pirates’ separation at Sabaody Archipelago
Pre-time skip, we’ve always had the assumption that the Straw Hat Pirates were already one of the strongest crews in One Piece. After all, they had been defeating Warlords and government officials left and right. The moment they reached Sa𒁏baody Archipelago, however, things were finally put into perspective.
Aokiji’s meeting with the Straw Hat Pirates gave us a glimpse of how much they were lacking in comparison to a Marine Admiral. Indeed, the Straw Hats were far from strong enough to handle the Pacifistas, Sentomaru, and Kizaru. In addition to Bartholomew Kuma’s presence, it was the first time our beloved crew was utterly crushed.
The moment the Warlord sent each Straw Hജat away was akin to the time Brook was losing his original crewmates one by one. The final nail to the coffin was seeing Luffy so devastated over his weakness. It was also the first time the fun-loving pirate was portrayed as weak and helpless.
Bon Clay’s sacrifice at Impel Down
Luffy just couldn’t get a break. After getting separated from his crew, he learned that his sworn brother was arrested and would be executed. Reasonably, Luffy immediately wanted to rescue him from peril. To do that, he even infiltrated the most secure prison in the One Piece w🌃orld — Impel Down. There, he met familiar faces, including Crocodile, Buggy, and Bon Clay.
Despite being Crocodile’s third-in-command, Bon Clay earned Luffy’s trust by sacrificing himself to let the Straw Hats escape Alabasta. He also aided Luffy’s prison break, giving him information about the prison and fighting alongside him. When Magellan brought Luffy near death, it was Bon Clay who carried him to Ivankov’s lair. Even as Luffy fought for his life, Bon Clay cheered him on to hoarseness.
Even after all that, Bon Clay wasn’t done giving. In order to let Luffy and the other prisoners ultimately escape Impel Down, he once again sacrifices himself by staying behind and opening the Gates of Justice.
Ace’s death
Bon Clay’s sacrifice leads up to the battle of Marineford, which would ultimately decide Ace’s fate. On one side were the ones trying to save Ace, and on the other was the government. The battle was intense and lengthy, and it naturally had numerous key moments. So many died to free the young man, including old man Whitebeard himself.
There was even a time when Luffy had to face his ﷽grandfather just to get to the stand where Ace was to be executed. Worse was that Luffy managed to🙈 free Ace briefly, only for Akainu to bore a hole through his chest immediately after.
The grief didn’t end there. Luffy was too shell-shocked that he literally lost consciousness. Even when he woke up, Jimbei had to literally beat his senses back to him. In addition, there is also the scene where Garp meets up with Dadan. As the motherly figure who raised the ASL trio, she was one of the most devastated upon learning of Ace’s tragic fate. It was evident as she tearfully punched Garp. There were also the reactions of each Straw Hat after learning of the sad news, steeling their resolve to become more powerful and reunite.
Sanji beating Luffy at Whole Cake Island
The latest one — and hopefully the last one — to leave the crew was Sanji. Similar to Robin’s reason, Sanji did it for the sake of his crewmates. However, that reason wouldn’t stop Luffy from retrieving him.
Unlike Robin, however, Sanji was more adamant. He didn’t want to put the others in harm’s way, especially since it was Big Mom they would potentially be clashing against. In his attempt to push Luffy away, he even uses lethal kicks on his captain. Meanwhile, Luffy, also adamant about bringing his ship’s chef back, took on every hit with zero defense. In addition, he went on a hunger strike, refusing to eat anything not cooked by Sanji.
Yasuie’s death
The Wano Country Arc is one of the longest arcs in One Piece, and it’s all about the Kozukis’ decades-long vendetta against Orochi and Kaido. But even before the revolt could start, it was almost snuffed after Orochi got hold of the secret message. The movement was only saved when Yasuie claimed responsibility for spreading a fake message as a prank. His bold lie only held bearing after he revealed his identity as Shimotsuki Yasuie, the former daimyo of Hakumai.
While Yasuie’s lie saved the revolution, it led to his execution, and that wasn’t even the saddest moment in this tale. After his execution, his adopted daughter, Toko, ran to his body. The young girl used the toad oil, which Usopp fraudulently sold as a miracle medicine, to revive him. Since Toko had consumed a SMILE fruit, she was unable to shed tears or show any negative emotions. As such, she was laughing throughout the whole predicament.
Published: Feb 1, 2025 09:21 am