Fish-Man Island Arc

The Fishman Island arc is the twenty-fifth story arc in the series, and the second in the New World Saga of the One Piece series, continuing on from the Reunion at Sabaody Arc. The Straw Hat's finally head for Fishman Island after their two year hiatus. But many surprises await them as they head for their undersea destination.

After the Departure: Last Thoughts from Sabaody Once More.
After the Straw Hats escape, the scene changes to a section Sabaody known as "No Man's Land". Coribou and Caribou along with their crew have captured the Impostor Straw Hat Pirates and are digging their graves. The fakes plead with the brothers to let them go. But they refuse, revealing that they had planned to kill the real Straw Hats from the inside after joining them and were not amused when they found out they were lied to. When Fake Sanji continues to plea, Caribou reveals he is a Devil Fruit user, turning his arm into a gooey substance and smothering fake Sanji's face. The Fake Sogeking tries to shoot him, but the cannon ball ends up absorbed into his body, revealing that it is a Logia-type. Caribou orders his men to bury the fakes while he excitedly said he managed to confirm the real Straw Hats.

Back in Grove 46, Sentoumaru reports back to his base, mentioning he captured Demalo Black and most of the pirates though the Caribou Brothers and the fakes (except Cocoa and fake Chopper) somehow disappeared from the plaza. He also comments on the Straw Hats' new strength and tells the base to call Marine HQ in the New World and warn them that the Straw Hats have revived.

The scene then moves to a shore where Rayleigh is watching the ocean. Shakky joins him commenting on how quickly the Straw Hats left. She then asks if Rayleigh is recalling something. He jokingly comments "maybe" then remembers when he first met Roger who surprisingly looked very much like Luffy when he was younger, even wearing a straw hat. Rayleigh then comments to Shakky that destiny is slowly taking shape and that Luffy has proven himself that he is worhty of wearing that certain Straw Hat. He also mentions that it wouldn't be a bad idea to live longer.

Undersea Adventure: The Straw Hats Descend


Meanwhile underwater, the Straw Hats marvel at site of the undersea world, one of which is the roots underneath Sabaody as well as the huge fish swimming around. Luffy and Zoro try to catch them, earning them bumps on the head from Usopp and Chopper for nearly bursting holes in the coating bubble. Sanji asks Nami to explain more about the coating, but seeing her simply move once again gives him a nosebleed that propels him out of the bubble. He managed to pass through the bubble without bursting it but winds up in the ocean. Luffy manages to reach through and grab him but is weakened once his arm is in the water. He manages to pull Sanji back in. The others comment on how much more weak Sanji becomes when he is around women now and worries about what will happen when they reach Fishman Island.

Robin then notices that ship's bubble shares the shame characteristics as those on Sabaody. Nami confirms it, mentioning that anything strong enough to pass through the bubble will just go right through it, allowing them to fire the ships weapons if necessary. When Usopp asks what could break it, Nami answers that poking multiple holes in the bubble will indeed pop it, so they have to be careful not to let a Sea King bite into it or smash into a reef. Luffy and Zoro once more try to go fishing, forcing Usopp and Chopper to stop them again.

Luffy remembers Hancock had fixed him food, so he shares his bentos with the crew while Usopp wonders why Hatchan isn't guiding them like he promised two years ago. Franky, after confirming that the ship is stabilized with Nami, says he needed tell the crew something. In the two years they were gone, both Hachi and Duval protected the ship the best way they could but both were heavily wounded and Hatchan had to retire and head back to Fishman Island. A year after he left, the marines found out about Sunny and came to capture it. However there was one more warrior who protected the ship: Bartholomew Kuma.

The Truth Comes Out: Kuma's Selfless Action


Franky explains that after he arrived back on Sabaody he had found Kuma heavily damaged and rusted. Kuma then declared his mission was complete and headed off much to Franky's confusion. Franky then found out from Rayleigh that during their battle against Kizaru, Kuma had whispered to Rayleigh that he was a Revolutionary and wished to help the Straw Hats escape. After blasting the Straw Hats away, he later met with Rayleigh and told him he didn't have much time left. Since he was treated like a guinea pig with the Marines, his body was becoming more machine then human. He then made a deal with Dr. Vegapunk that before his personality was completely gone to have a program embedded in him to return to the Straw Hats's ship and guard it until one of the Straw Hats returned.

The Straw Hats are astonished that Kuma would go to such great lengths to protect them, figuring that Kuma did it as a favor to Dragon. Franky then warns them that while they are indebted to Kuma for saving them, the next time they meet he will have likely become a heartless human weapon. With that said, the group decides to eat the lunchboxes Hancock made for Luffy (once again earning Sanji's anger after he woke up and learned the truth). They are unaware that the Caribou Pirates are right behind them, and Caribou is still obsessed with destroying them.

Into The Breach: The Route To Fishman Island
Very soon the ship descends into an area of the ocean where very little sunlight can penetrate and crew begins to wonder how far the ship had descended below the ocean. Usopp comments that the light almost cannot reach them anymore. Franky said they are past a level called the Euphotic Zone and are about to be out of another level called the Disphotic Zone, saying they were probably about 1000m below the surface. Robin notes how quiet it is, completely different from a submarine, and how it reminds her of flying in the sky. A small school of blue whales passes the ship. Brook cries out "Laboon", as they remind him of his whale friend. While Luffy is reminded of Whitebeard due to one of the whales was white like Whitebeard's ship, the Moby Dick. While this is happening, the Caribou Pirates ship is quickly approaching Thousand Sunny from behind, being towed by a shadowy sea monster. Caribou is heard, rallying the crew, getting them ready for their upcoming attack. Caribou appears on his ships deck, saying he wants to make their names known to the world by taking the Strawhats' heads and display show them to the world.

Back on the Sunny, Usopp sees something gaining on them from the ship's six o'clock direction (the direction directly behind the ship). He thinks it is a sea monster and tells the crew there is a shadow heading directly toward them. Caribou's ship soon catches up and comes along side the Sunny. The ship looks like it is trying to ram the Sunny, but it is really trying to get the bubble roofs to touch. The Strawhats wonder whose ship it is. Caribou leads the assault. At that moment, Nami recognizes the monster pulling the ship as Mohmoo, the pet sea cow of the Arlong Pirates. Mohmoo sees Nami, Sanji, and Luffy, remembering all three of them from the past. He remembers the beatings he received from Luffy and Sanji, and swims back the opposite way out of terror, towing the ship with him, but not before Caribou, and only Caribou, was able to make it onto the Thousand Sunny's deck. The Caribou Pirates still on the ship are completely﻿ dumbfounded as to what just happened. They also wondered why there was a sea cow attached to their ship.

Caribou, unaware he was left behind, commands his crew to introduce themselves by slaughtering all the Strawhats. He immediately realizes that he is the only one of his crew on board the ship and immediately changes his tune. Franky picks him with one hand, Caribou begging him not to throw him out into the ocean. Franky, instead of throwing him out into the ocean, simply throws him against one of the side rails of the ship. Zoro asks if he was the captain of the ship that just went by. Caribou, realizing who asked the question, immediately denies this, saying he is just a human bullet for that crew, and that he is sick of being on that ship. He then asks the Strawhats if it would be alright if he rode with them for while. Chopper believes hims, saying he might be a victim. Usopp, ironically, calls everything Caribou said a lie, which surprised Chopper somewhat. Nami asks Caribou about why they had a sea cow pulling their ship. Caribou calls her a cutie-pie, asking her if she is "Cat Burglar" Nami. Sanji intervenes, kicking him in the face and pinning him to a wall, saying he had no right to look at Nami with his despicable eyes. He is then about to tell Nami that everything is fine. However, before he could finish his sentence, he breaks out in another nosebleed. Usopp says that his nosebleeds are beginning to be a pain. Chopper suggests they rehabilitate him using low intensity pictures. Caribou explains that they had caught Mohmoo in the area, saying that having a sea monster pull their ship is called advanced navigation.

The scene momentarily switches back to the Caribou Pirates' ship, the crew trying to command Mohmoo to stop and asking him what happened. Coribou then says that Caribou will save them for sure.

Back on the Sunny, Usopp then notices that the ship had shifted direction and asks Nami if it was ok. The scene momentarily changes before her answer. Caribou is reworking his plan. Since he can get out of the ropes any time he pleases and since he can't fight nine people at once, he thinks it would be best to observe the crew and wait for a chance to kill them one by one. He starts to come up with another idea but is cut off. Nami then said that the slight shift was fine, as they are supposed to be southwest of the log pose needle. Luffy asks if it wouldn't be faster to travel in a straight line while Brook is saying he is starting to feel cold, and is about to say that he doesn't have skin but Chopper beats him to it, by saying that is amazing since he doesn't have skin. Nami explains that if they continue straight, they would just be swallowed up by currents and could hit a volcano or sea mountain before finishing their descent. Usopp says that the Grand Line's currents have always posed a hazard of some kind, and asks if there is a certain one to take.

Nami replies that there is only one, and tells everyone to put on a coat, saying the journey would get a lot colder. Zoro asks if they were going somewhere cold, saying he thought they were going to the deep sea. Franky corrects him, saying that the water in the deep sea is cold. Just like the bathtub, the water is colder on the bottom than it is on the top. Brook then adds that the colder levels have what are called Deep Currents, large ocean currents normally invisible to the naked eye that move in a completely different pattern than surface currents. Franky adds that all the currents on both levels eventually connect and reconnect with each other independent of depth or whether or not they are traveling east to west, comparing it to a giant dragon. He also added that the currents travel the whole world without ever breaking. Brooks then says that he has heard that the Deep Currents move very slowly across the ocean floor, and that once someone is down that deep, it could take nearly 2000 years to return to a part of the sea that gets sunlight. He then adds that there are many legends relating to the currents about monsters, curses, and ghosts. This excites Luffy and frightens Chopper. Nami says to get there, they need to ride a descending current that takes them from a surface current to a deep current. Chopper asks how they find a spot like that. Robin replies that like a bath tub, cold water will move down. Usopp then concludes that they are going to a place where sea currents lose their warmth. Nami describes the Red Line as a group of adjoining islands, each with a different season. They are heading toward a climatic zone where there are winter islands, saying the area fulfills another prerequisite for currents to go down.

Luffy, suddenly interested, asks what the prerequisite is. Nami says it is about salinity, or the salt content found in sea water. Luffy said he played salinity all the time and Zoro said he always wanted a fire-sword. Luffy then asks Zoro how far he was sent away. With the two distracted, Usopp and Choppe ask Nami to continue explaining about salinity and ocean currents. Surprised by their enthusiasm, Nami goes on, explaining that a necessity for a downward current is the presence of cold, heavy water and that in cold areas, sea ice exists. Before she can continue explaining, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Chopper are all seen drinking tea, saying simultaneously "So, mysterious sea currents exist, huh?" This angers Nami to no end, and she yells that they should have just been quiet and rode from the start. Brook offers to sing. Franky then calls to her from the bow of the ship, saying "it" has come into view. Everyone goes to the bow. Luffy asks what the current looks like. Franky, in response to seeing it, says "Mother nature really knows how to get things done."

Sanji asks what it is. Nami replies that it is called a Downward Plume. It is just like a giant undersea waterfall. Everyone looks at the Downward Plume in shock and awe. Robin comments on its massive flow, wondering how many hundreds of meters it was in diameter. Brook said that hearing it and seeing it are two completely different things. Usopp was scared that since it was too dark for him to see the bottom, that the ship would crash and break up on the ocean floor. Nami questioned the current's safety, while Franky assured her that a ship born from Adam Wood could survive anything.

Caribou, who had been quiet the whole time, stands up and tells the Strawhats to turn back immediately, saying that something was bad. Zoro, looked at him having forgotten he was there. Luffy says he sees a monster at the bottom. Caribou states he has never heard of that type of sea monster living in a place like a Downward Plume. He described the creature as such: "Never knowing satisfaction where killing is concerned...It is a demon, running about the great deep and preying on ships!! The enemy of the human race!!!"

The monster in question is a Kraken, a giant, mythological octopus. Franky adds that it can crush multiple ships in a single blow, and that it must have been staying there, feeding on the ships that traveled there in the past few days. While Usopp is commenting on its gargantuan size, Chopper is foaming at the mouth out of shock. Caribou said it must have been preying on ships trying to ride the downward current and that he had never heard of anything like this happening before. He begs Luffy to turn back, telling him to wait a few more days. Luffy simply calls him noisy and tells him to shut up. Luffy, not intimidated by its massive size and appearance, decides to tame it.

Ussop and Chopper panic at this proclamation and try to get Luffy to reconsider, but it obvious his mind his set. The others seem to react to indifference to the Kraken: Brook feels a affinity to it, Robin sketches it in a notepad, Franky wonders how it taste, and Zoro more then willing to help try to nab it. Nami tells the crew to turn the rudder south, though Luffy orders to just head straight for it. Nami chastises him however, telling him they'll be caught in an instant. Throughout it all Caribou is surprised the crew is handling their facing such a huge threat so calmly.

Caribou's ship suddenly returns, with Coribou and the rest of the crew, inculding Moomoh, determined to save Caribou. However before they can get close, they're grabbed by one of the Kraken's tentacles who quickly destroys their coating bubble and their ship. Nami, Brooke, Chopper and Ussop panic at the shear strength of the creature who destroyed a ship much bigger then the Sunny so easily. While Caribou's crew are submerged in the water much to his dismay. The Kraken then sets its sights on the Sunny. Luffy and Zoro prepare to attack but Ussop stops them, warning that they'll break holes in the coating bubble. Franky activates the ship's Chicken Voyage to avoid some of the tentacles and Nami suggest using the Gaol Cannon. But Franky tells her that the cannon relies on air and they'll destroy the bubble if they try to use it due to the limited air within it. Noticing that Luffy won't change his mind on fighting, Caribou comes up with a suggestion. Soon Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are in their personal coating bubble which Caribou calls "Barefoot Coating". Which is essentially man-made diving suits similar to their barrel ones they used in Jaya. Caribou tells them they can now go fight without damaging the ship and can find their way back using a rope lifeline. Ussop at first complains about this, but when Caribou make it clear which would be better: fighting on the ship or away from it. Ussop agrees with the latter. The "Monster Trio" head out though leave their lifelines behind as they feel it'll get in their way.

The Kraken attacks again to which Franky fires rockets from shoulders (much to the amazement of Luffy, Ussop and Chopper) repelling a tentacle. The Kracken attacks with another one but Chopper eats a rumble ball and goes into Guard Point, protecting the ship. The Sunny Go is knocked back as a result toward a mountain however, but Robin manages to conjure two big hands and keep it from crashing. Luffy goes into Gear Three and equips a color of armaments harding on his arm. However as he using it in the ocean, hes weaken as a result. The Kraken tries to grab him but Sanji dashes toward it outside his bubble, his speed rivaling that of a Fishman. He then hits the Kraken with a Diable Jamble. Zoro goes in next and cuts off most of Kraken tentacles. Luffy complains to the two that they're gonna take off all its legs before hitting the Kraken with Gomu Gomu No Elephant Gun. This beats the Kraken though the group notice a large shark with a shirt on swimming around the Kraken. Before they can wonder whats going on, they're all swept up in the current of the Downward Plume and pulled further down.

Franky, with Nami's navigation, manages to keep the ship from crashing, but the Monster Trio ended up separated from the ship. Those onboard the Sunny Go find themselves in a very dark and cold part of the ocean, unaware of the monsterous sea kings swimming around. Though that doesn't last long, as soon as Franky activates his "Nipple Lights" they find themselves staring face to face with a few of them, much to their horror. A caption comes up, commenting that the area they're in is known as "The Deep Sea", a part of the sea where light can't reach and no normal creature exist. It's also known as "The Underworld of the Sea".

The Straw Hats still on board the Sunny are looking for Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji in the dark depths of the Deep Sea. It is hard to search the water due to it being so dark. Even the Sunny's headlight beams could not penetrate that far into the water. The ship is then surrounded by a school of enormous jellyfish. One of the jellyfish stuck one of its tentacles through the coating bubble. Chopper tries to touch it but Robin yells at him not to touch it, as they are poisonous. Franky uses a Coup de Burst just as a giant fish bites down on the jellyfish. Brook notices that the Coup de Burst lowered the air level on the ship somewhat. Right after he says this, the large fish turns onto its back, killed from the nerve toxin inside the jellyfish. Chopper notices that there are a lot of fish with white eyes. Brook comments that the eyes on a lot of fish at this level are vestigial, making them unable to see at all. Usopp and Chopper take advantage of this and start teasing the large fish. Robin then states that there are also fish whose eyes have evolved to see in the darkness. Resuming the search, Brook notices that Caribou had escaped from the ropes that were holding him. No one had seen Caribou since they had reached the Deep Sea, suggesting he might have been thrown overboard. Caribou is really hiding in a barrel nearby as everyone realizes he could be hiding anywhere on the ship and they need to be even more on guard. Caribou considers sneaking into the girls' room, saying he had been planning to do so. He seemed please that the Monster Trio was gone, saying they all must be dead by now. He was disappointed he couldn't take Luffy's head, but figured the heads of the rest of the crew would be just as good, but he should wait until the instant they land at Fishman Island to attack.

While he is thinking all this out. Franky notices him in the barrel. He forces the lid of the barrel down and seals the barrel with ropes and by bolting large metal holding plates along the sides of both ends of the barrel. Franky realizes that Caribou had let himself get hit by Sanji earlier in order to hide his mud-like Logia powers. Franky concludes that the crew would have been in trouble if Caribou wasn't such an idiot. As Franky walks away, Caribou, from the barrel, begs Franky to let him out, saying he would become Franky's slave if he did, calling him "Master Bikini Pants." Franky then notices that something was bothering Chopper and asks him what is wrong. Chopper says it has become really hot, and Usopp agrees. The crew then notices that they are heading into a cloud of smoke. Nami realizes that smoke under water, coupled with hydrothermal mineral deposits could only mean they were in a Deep Sea volcanic region. The Sunny is right above the mouths of several volcanoes. Franky realizes that if the volcanoes erupt, they would be killed instantly and proceeds to steer the ship away from the volcanoes. The crew is then chased by carnivorous tube-worms, a noppera crab, and several other creatures. Chopper complains that he can't go on living and misses Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, saying he waited two years to see them and when he finally does, they disappear. Chopper then notices a light in the distance, wondering if they had reached Fishman Island. Nami says no, as they still have 3000 meters to go. Franky uses his Nipple Lights to ask in Morse Code "W-H-O-A-R-E-Y-O-U-?" The light turns out to belong to a giant angler fish. The fish tries to eat the ship, but is stopped by a giant humanoid creature. Usopp identifies it as an umibozu, a sea giant. The giant punches the angler fish, whose name is Ankoro, saying it was not supposed to attack ships and that captain Van der Decken would be mad at them. Brook then hears someone singing. A ghostly ship approaches from behind the giant. The ship is old and parts of it are worn. Everyone was shocked at this site, even Brook, which prompted Usopp to say that Brook shouldn't be surprised.

Brook identifies the ship as "The real thing", the Flying Dutchman. He then proceeded to give the history of the ship and its captain. It is called "The ship that should not be." The story dates back hundreds of years. On a stormy day, a captain became deranged and started throwing his crew overboard, killing all of them. The captain's name was Van der Decken. He incurred the wrath of God, and was doomed to an eternity of wandering the sea, forbidden to ever make port. That ship is the very same ship they see before them, the cursed ship of Van der Decken.

Van der Decken, whose whole body was shadowed except his arm, told the angler fish and the giant, whose name is Wadatsumi, told them they wouldn't get treasure if they ate the ship, telling them to knock it down. Someone yelled for Franky to use Coup de Burst, but Franky said they can't since they ran out of fuel just then. They are saved, when the kraken shows up out of nowhere and punches Wadatsumi in the chin. Everyone on the ship is surprised to see it again. Van der Decken calls the kraken "Monster of the Arctic." The kraken continues to beat up the giant until ordered by Luffy to stop, which it did. Everyone is relieved to see that Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are alive. All three are in the same bubble. Wadatsumi is unconscious with large bruises. Luffy tells them that his and Sanji's bubbles broke, so they all had to share Zoro's. Luffy did not like it in the cramped bubble, he sprawls out on the deck of the ship, happy for so much room. Franky notes how much vitality they all have. Nami asks if they actually tamed the kraken. Luffy says he is going to turn the kraken, who he named Surume, into a top-notch navigator as Surume places Thousand Sunny on his head. Usopp says they should be careful the ship isn't crushed. Everyone then hears a rumbling sound coming from one of the volcanoes. Van der Decken's crew alerts him that there is trouble, as Nami realizes the volcano is about to erupt.