Opening Narration

Opening narration is a short monologue at the beginning of a series that briefly explains the series premise. Narrations have been used since the beginning and have been seen in a number of anime. Starting with Episode 284, One Piece began using opening narrations following each opening song.

Narrator
The narrator (ナレーター) not only voices the opening narrations, but also the rest of the in-series narration. Mahito Ohba has voiced the narrator in Japanese since the beginning of the series. Bill Jenkins voices the narrator in the Funimation dub.

The Movie
From One Piece: The Movie

Narrator: In East Blue, there was a man known as the "Great Gold Pirate". His name was Woonan. In countless harsh battles, Woonan robbed many enemies of their gold. Legend has it that the gold he stole piled up as high as a mountain and lit up the ocean at night as bright as day. However, over the course of a few years Woonan's existence faded. The Great Gold Pirate hid all his treasure on a small island and then died. That rumor is still alive even now as many pirates are still trying to find this island. There's a map drawn by a member of Woonan's crew. Whoever gets that map can locate the island. A place where a mountain of gold is said to lie in wait. A legendary island!

A fleet of pirate ships with the same Jolly Roger are shown along with a man sporting said flag, Woonan. Next a night scene where piles of gold treasure are seen bright at sea with a silhouette of Woonan. Then an island is shown while gold rains down as it fades out ending with a shot of a treasure map.

Gold Roger's Legacy
From Episode 284 to Episode 396

Narrator: Wealth, fame, power. The world had it all won by one man: the Pirate King, Gold Roger. At his death, the words he spoke drove countless men out to sea. Gold Roger: My treasure? It's yours if you want it. Find it! I left all the world has there! Narrator: And so men set sights on the Grand Line, in pursuit of their dreams. The world has truly entered a Great Pirate Era!

A newsreel of Roger's execution starting with a pan of the execution platform followed by a pan of Roger about to be executed ending with a closeup of Roger's face. Then a fleet of ships set out to sea ending with a shot of a ship's helm.

The Movie
From One Piece: The Movie

Narrator: Wealth, fame, power. Gold Roger, the King of the Pirates, attained everything this world has to offer. And so, many men head for the Grand Line to find the great treasure he left behind, the One Piece. The world has truly entered a Great Pirate Era! Wearing the straw hat sworn upon him by the great pirate, Shanks Monkey D. Luffy heads out to the sea on a journey on the road to become King of the Pirates!

Starts with a remixed of the We Are! narration followed by a reshot of Shanks leaving his straw hat to Luffy ending with a shot of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Episode of Luffy
From Episode of Luffy

Narrator: Wealth, fame, power. A man who acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, Gold Roger. His final words at his execution sent people to the seas. Gold Roger: My wealth and treasures? If you want it, you can have it! Search for it! I left it all at that place! Narrator: In search of the great treasure left behind the by Gold Roger, One Piece, many pirates went to battle under their flags. During this time, there was one young man who also sets out in search of One Piece. During his search for crew members, he had many adventures and became stronger. His pirate crew, recognized as the face of a new era, is the Straw Hat Crew!

Starts with the scroll part of We Are! narration reanimated followed by a shot of Jolly Rogers. Then a shot of Luffy setting out to sea ending with a shot of Sea Kings next to a sailing Thousand Sunny.

Episode of Chopper
From Episode of Chopper Plus: Bloom in Winter, Miracle Sakura

Narrator: This is a battle during the search for One Piece, the one great treasure left behind by the legendary Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Countless pirates have raised their flags and set sail for the Grand Line. This is the Great Pirate Era. From these intrepid crews have risen pirates with immense power, the most feared of whom are those with the supernatural powers granted by eating a Devil Fruit: The Devil Fruit users. Among them is the boy who ate the Gomu Gomu fruit and aspires to be the next Pirate King: Monkey D. Luffy. He is the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. An absolutely essential member of a crew like this is a doctor. At the moment, however, this ship does not have one. Why? Because this is the story of an encounter...

A newsreel of a battle with pirate ships followed by a closeup of a Jolly Roger. Next a newsreel of the Blackbeard Pirates attack on Drum Island with a map of the Grand Line and Red Line. Then a stack of wanted posters flips away while Devil Fruits float up from the sea before dagger strikes Luffy's poster. Ending with a pan of the Straw Hat Pirates with their Jolly Roger in the background followed a newsreel of the Thousand Sunny and medical supplies.

The Great Pirate Era
From Episode 397 to Episode 516.

Narrator: This is the time know as the Great Pirate Era. A countless array of pirates go to battle across the seas in search of the One Piece. A legendary treasure left behind by Gold Roger, King of the Pirates. Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body turned to rubber after eating the Gum Gum Fruit, set sail to become the next King of the Pirates. As Luffy and his crew conquer numerous obstacles they capture the unwanted attention of the World Government which will use any means necessary to stop them. Monkey D. Luffy: Now this is exciting. I can't wait to see what kind of adventure ups next. Narrator: With a charted course, or watching danger and intrigue, the crew will cut a path across the Grand Line to the New World.

A lantern is lit on top a map surrounded by treasure, a pistol, a dagger and a compass. Next to it are wanted posters of the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy then stretched across the sea on to the deck of the Thousand Sunny with the other Straw Hats. The Sunny then fades into the map when the lantern goes out.

New World
From Episode 523 to Episode 752

Narrator: All pirates searching for the treasure One Piece must brave the second half of the Grand Line. These wild and dangerous seas are know as the New World. Gold Roger and his crew were the only men to chart these waters and learn all the secrets they held. For the rest of the pirates in the world this has proven to be the end of the road. A graveyard of dreams. Now Monkey D. Luffy, a boy whose body became rubber after eating the Gum Gum Fruit, set sail into the New World with his faithful crew. Monkey D. Luffy: I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates.

Opens to a shot of the helm of a sunken ship followed by a group of fish around a Log Pose where one is chased by a big fish only to be eaten by a bigger fish itself ending with a zoom out to reveal sunken pirate ships. Luffy is then seen by the other Straw Hats swinging from the Thousand Sunny.

Laugh Tale
From Episode 753 to Episode 803

Narrator: The goal is the last island - Laugh Tale and the Great Treasure of One Piece. However, no one has ever reached the legendary island except for Gold Roger, King of the Pirates. It is the Great Pirate Era. While the monsters of the New World fight each other fiercely, the Straw Hat Pirates are in the center of the storm! Their captain is a rubber man who ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. Monkey D. Luffy! Zoro! Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brook! This tight-knit group of nine pirates are making their way through the vast sea with their sights set on the One Piece! Monkey D. Luffy: I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates!

A pan over the world with images Laugh Tale, Poneglyph writings and Gol D. Roger. Next a shot over a stormy sea with flashes of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Revolutionary Army, Marines, Worst Generation and Four Emperors. Ending with the Straw Hats introduced one by one on the Thousand Sunny where Luffy is on the figurehead.

Levely
From Episode 879 to Episode 890

Narrator: The Great Pirate Era is experiencing a groundswell beyond the World Government's expectation. Being at the center of the unstoppable swell and drawing the most attention is Monkey D. Luffy! And the Straw Hats! In order to cope with the turbulent Great Pirate Era, 50 leaders hold the World Conference every four years. Known as the Levely, it is now about to start. The times are changing drastically now.

A shot of an eclipse over a fleet of pirate ships followed by a flashes of the Four Emperors, Seven Warlords of the Sea, Revolutionary Army and the Worst Generation. Then a shot of Luffy and the Straw Hats followed by shots of New Marineford, Pangaea Castle and a fade in of the Levely meeting room. Ending with shots of the Levely representatives from Arabasta, Ryugu, Sakura and Dressrosa kingdoms on their to Mary Geoise as the dawn breaks over the sea.

Trivia

 * The early openings of the Sea of Survival: Super Rookies Saga and the The Final Sea: The New World Saga start with their own opening narration.
 * The one from We Are! is based on dialogue from Chapter 1.
 * The one from Believe is based on dialogue from Chapter 100.
 * The Gold Roger's Legacy narration has been used more than any other.