Episode 825

"Liar - Luffy and Sanji" is the 825th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
After a harsh struggle, Luffy finally manages to defeat Counter. He then rests besides King Baum's body.

Sanji later arrives and finds Luffy, who wakes up from the smell of Sanji's bento. Sanji gives the bento to Luffy, relieving his hunger. Sanji once again attempts to convince Luffy to leave without him, but in response, Luffy punches him and forces him to say his true feelings. Sanji then tearfully admits that he wants to return to the Straw Hats but could not abandon his family. Happy to hear Sanji's answer, Luffy decides to help him crash the wedding.

Long Summary
Before Sanji found Luffy, it is recounted how Bobbin attempted to steal the food from his bento box, causing him to kick Bobbin and run away. As Sanji headed to the outskirts of Sweet City, Luffy fought against Charlotte Counter. Counter initially managed to easily overpower Luffy, but Luffy eventually managed to find the strength and resolve to stand up and counter Counter's strikes. The two traded punches, and Luffy ultimately collapsed, but was able to deal enough blows to Counter's head to make him fall unconscious before he could deal the finishing blow. The barely conscious Luffy then made his way toward the spot where he promised to wait for Sanji, dragging himself all the way to King Baum's corpse with his last ounce of his strength. After reaching the outskirts of Sweet City, Sanji initially had difficulty finding Luffy among the many fallen Big Mom Pirates, but finally located him by his growling stomach and approached him.

In the present, Luffy is unconscious as Sanji approaches him, but Luffy smells the bento Sanji brought and opens his eyes. Luffy is happy to see Sanji, but Sanji treats him coldly as he hands him the bento basket. Although the bento is ruined because it was dropped and soaked in the rain, Luffy eats it and proclaims it to be delicious. He notes that the bento contains the favorite foods of the whole crew, and says that Sanji should come back and make it for all of them, but Sanji states that he is not coming back. He lists three reasons for not doing so: him attacking Luffy, Zeff and the Baratie being held hostage to deter him from escaping, and his desire to save his family from being assassinated at the wedding despite them only ever being cruel to him. However, Luffy gets angry at the insincerity of the statement and punches Sanji into King Baum's corpse. As Sanji recovers, Luffy tells him to say how he really feels. Sanji then has memories of making food for the crew. He once got mad at Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper for sneaking food into their mouths, but the crew only had fun as they clamored for more of his cooking. In the present, Sanji starts to weep and after a big effort, he manages to confess to Luffy that he wants to return to the Sunny and the crew, though he cannot bring himself to abandon his family. In response, Luffy smiles and promises to help Sanji crash the wedding tomorrow. As the two reconcile, the storm dies down as dawn breaks.

In Sweet City, the second son of the Charlotte Family and one of the Big Mom Pirates' Three Sweet Commanders Charlotte Katakuri approaches the Whole Cake Chateau with a henchman. The henchman offers to contact someone to open the gates, but Katakuri replies that there is no need, as they will open soon. Katakuri's words quickly prove to be accurate as the gates soon open, and the duo enters the Chateau. There are five hours and 30 minutes left before Big Mom's Tea Party and the wedding of Sanji and Pudding begins.

Anime Notes

 * The anime adds the following:
 * The conclusion of Luffy's fight with Counter.
 * Luffy arriving at the spot besides King Baum's body is shown.
 * While talking about the threat on the Baratie staff, Sanji briefly imagines the nearby fallen Chess Soldiers as the people wearing the restaurant's chef uniforms.
 * Charlotte Katakuri arriving at the Whole Cake Chateau and demonstrating his future sight ability.
 * Katakuri makes his first appearance in this episode. In the manga, Katakuri was first shown at the opening of the Tea Party.
 * After Luffy forces Sanji to speak about his true feelings, Sanji thinking about the Straw Hats is extended in the anime.
 * The opening shows scenes from previous episodes in the Whole Cake Island Arc, and appears five minutes into the episode rather than in the beginning like normal.