One Piece Theme (4Kids)

The 4Kids One Piece Theme, sometimes referred to as the "One Piece Rap" or "Pirate Rap", was the opening theme music used in every episode of 4Kids Entertainment's dub of One Piece. It was also used in the English localization of the video game Grand Battle! Rush! and an instrumental mix played during the 4Kids anime's closing credits. The song was rapped by Shawn Conrad (also known by the stage name "Freshco") with singing by Russell Velàsquez.

The accompanying opening uses visuals from the first and second Japanese openings, plus some footage from the episodes themselves.

Production
Although an English version of We Are! was used in early promotional material, 4Kids decided to use this theme in its place with the expectation that "it was going to be something that'd have a lot of popularity". Shawn Conrad, who was working for 4Kids as an audio engineer at the time, was suggested as the theme's rapper while he was mixing his own album at 4Kids' facilities. He was provided an early version of the lyrics with a basic description of the series and re-wrote them to be "up to date and cool".

The lyrics and visuals at the end of the opening were revised following the Baratie Arc and Drum Island Arc to reference new members of the Straw Hat Pirates. The version used in Grand Battle has slightly different lyrics that incorrectly refer to Zoro as a samurai.

Lyrics
All versions begin with the following narration by Eric Stuart (with Gold Roger voiced by his regular voice actor Frederick B. Owens).

''There once was a man named Gold Roger, who was King of the Pirates. He had fame, power, and wealth beyond your wildest dreams. Before they hung him from the gallows, these were the final words he said:''

"My fortune is yours for the taking, but you'll have to find it first. I left everything I own in One Piece."

Ever since, pirates from all over the world set sail for the Grand Line, searching for One Piece, the treasure that would make their dreams come true!

Original
Yo!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Luffy!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Zolo!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Nami!

Dreaming

Don't give it give it up give it up give it up give it up

No!

Here's how the story goes, we find out about a treasure in the Grand Line

There's no doubt, the pirate whose eye is on it, he'll sing

I'll be King of the Pirates, I'm gonna be King

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

His name is Luffy

That's Monkey D. Luffy

Gonna be king of the pirates

He's made of rubber!

How did that happen?

Yo-ho-ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

His name's Zolo,

He's just like a samurai

And the l-a-d-y,

Nami's not shy

The pirate crew coming through doing their thing

With the king of the pirates

He's gonna be king

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

Set sail for One Piece

It's the name of the treasure

In the Grand Line

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Set sail for One Piece

First Revision
Yo!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Luffy!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Zolo!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Nami!

Dreaming

Don't give it give it up give it up give it up give it up

No!

Here's how the story goes, we find out about a treasure in the Grand Line

There's no doubt, the pirate whose eye is on it, he'll sing

I'll be King of the Pirates, I'm gonna be King

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

His name is Luffy

That's Monkey D. Luffy

Gonna be king of the pirates

He's made of rubber!

How did that happen?

Yo-ho-ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

His name's Zolo, he's just like a samurai

And a L-A-D-Y, Nami's not shy

Usopp's doing that marksman thing

And Sanji's cooking for the would-be King!

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

Set sail for One Piece

It's the name of the treasure

In the Grand Line

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Set sail for One Piece

Second Revision
'Yo!''

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Luffy!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Zolo!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Nami!

Dreaming

Don't give it give it up give it up give it up give it up

No!

Here's how the story goes, we find out about a treasure in the Grand Line

There's no doubt, the pirate whose eye is on it, he'll sing

I'll be King of the Pirates, I'm gonna be King

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

His name is Luffy

That's Monkey D. Luffy

Gonna be king of the pirates

He's made of rubber!

How did that happen?

Yo-ho-ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

His name's Zolo, he's just like a samurai

And a L-A-D-Y Nami's not shy

Usopp's doin' that marksman thing

Sanji's cookin', Chopper's doctoring!

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

Set sail for One Piece

It's the name of the treasure

In the Grand Line

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Set sail for One Piece

Grand Battle Version
'Yo!''

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Luffy!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Zolo!

Dreaming

Don't give it up, Nami!

Dreaming

Don't give it give it up give it up give it up give it up

No!

Here's how the story goes, we find out about a treasure in the Grand Line

There's no doubt, the pirate whose eye is on it, he'll sing

I'll be King, I'll-I'll be Pirate King

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

His name is Luffy

That's Monkey D. Luffy

Gonna be king of the pirates

He's made of rubber!

How did that happen?

Yo-ho-ho, he took a bite of Gum Gum!

Ya-yo, ya-yo

His name's Zolo, he's a samurai

And a L-A-D-Y Nami's the sly

The pirate crew, comin' through, doin' their thing

With the King, with the King, gonna be Pirate King!

Ya-yo, ya-yo, ya-yo

Ho-ho

Set sail for One Piece

It's the name of the treasure

In the Grand Line

Ya-yo, ya-yo

Set sail for One Piece

Reception
The reaction to the One Piece Rap has always been mixed. While it was praised for being an alternative to the Japanese pop introductions used by the original version, it was down-rated due to its lyrics. Reviewing the Viz DVD release for DVD Talk, Todd Douglass cited replacing the Japanese theme with "a crappy rap song" as a negative aspect of the 4Kids dub. A version prior to the release of the 4Kids dub included a line referring to Zoro as "a samurai", but this was changed prior to the dub's premiere. As crew members joined the Straw Hat Pirates over the time, the lyrics were revised to add the new characters, which critics complained of making the song sound awkward and rushed at time. Further criticism was pulled into question over why it was continued to be used over the original Japanese songs or another alternative song.

Trivia

 * Editing inconsistencies can be seen when it shows Mihawk; in the dub, the hilt of his blade was changed to look less cross-like, but in this opening Mihawk's blade is unedited.
 * The original song could be heard on the old 4Kids corporate site at 4KidsEntertainment.com, and was later released by Cherry Lane Records as part of the digital album Music From 4Kids TV on October 18, 2005, sharing a track with fellow 4Kids originals Be A Pirate and You Can't Turn the Tide.
 * A third revision was not made after Nico Robin had joined the crew.
 * Years later, Shawn Conrad independently released an updated version that included Robin, as well as Franky, Brook, and Jinbe, along with the correct pronunciation of Zoro's name.

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