Dressrosa Arc

The Dressrosa Arc is the twenty-seventh story arc in the series and the second in the Pirate Alliance Saga of One Piece, continuing from the Punk Hazard Arc.

The Straw Hats, Trafalgar Law, and Kin'emon, having formed an alliance, travel to Dressrosa as part of their plan.

Fury of the Shichibukai: Donquixote Doflamingo Makes His Move
Back on Punk Hazard, some of the G-5 Marines put on the protective suits and head into the island to retrieve their friends, revealing that the suits were meant to shield from the gas, and Caesar, knowing this, had tricked his subordinates into taking them off. However the gas is still a danger as those frozen are still inhaling the poison and will still die if not cured in time. Smoker is then seen talking to Brownbeard and allows him to go into the gas to retrieve his men, though warns that he intents to arrest them. He and his group then come across the headless bodies of Baby 5 and Buffalo, and the Marines are not sure what to do with them. However the Marines see two objects flying towards them which is revealed to be Baby 5 and Buffalo's heads which land roughly back on their bodies. But what is even more shocking, Doflamingo flies down, enraged.

He quickly displays that he has Haoshoku Haki, knocking out the majority of the forces and attacks the rest using some kind of invisible string, demanding to know where the Straw Hat Pirates and Law are. Smoker refuses to give up their location and lies, knowing that Doflamingo will not let him live anyway, he further provokes the Shichibukai referring to him by his underground alias name, Joker. Doflamingo comments on him knowing too much and then attacks him. Meanwhile on the ocean, the Thousand Sunny is sailing down a "Sea Slope" away from the island. Brook asks about the Mini Merry II to which Franky explains he had found a sea passage away from the research laboratory and moved the ship to go pick it up. It is then revealed that the group is heading for Dressrosa as per Law's plan which Kin'emon seems to already be familiar with.

Luffy informs the rest of the crew about the alliance he formed with Law's crew and his intention of dethroning the Yonko. Also with them is Caesar who they have dragged along who continues making threats against them. Law explains that the Yonko have spheres of influence all over the New World but are underground so as not to attract the Marines' attention. One of their most trustworthy brokers is Doflamingo who uses the alias Joker so no one will suspect him. He is also the biggest supplier to Kaido of the Artificial Devil Fruits, SMILEs, which is why Law wanted Caesar kidnapped and destroyed the drug SAD to decrease Kaido's battle power. Their objective now is to get to Dressrosa and destroy the factory where the SMILEs are being manufactured to cripple Kaido further. Kin'emon also wishes to head to the island as a friend of his is being incarcerated there.

Back on Punk Hazard, Smoker has been beaten and about to be killed by Doflamingo who says he will find the Straw Hat Pirates and Law without his help. Just as he is about to strike the killing blow, Kuzan suddenly shows up and halts him, stating that Smoker is his friend.

Despite Kuzan's presence, Dolflamingo makes to kill Smoker anyway but is quickly frozen by Kuzan's Devil Fruit ability. However he manages to break free as the ice hadn't reached his heart. Seeing nothing to gain from fighting Kuzan, Doflamingo takes his leave, but not before questioning Kuzan what he stands for due to rumors he had heard. Kuzan does not answer him and yells for a medic. Doflamingo collects Baby 5 and Buffalo and departs. Only then does Kuzan state that even though he is not enlisted in the Marines anymore, he never fully trusted the World Government and that he can still make a difference outside the Marines. Smoker inquires about how he knew of Punk Hazard as it's top secret, worrying that he's doing business with the criminal underworld but Kuzan tells him he has not changed. He also warns Smoker to tell Sakazuki to keep an eye on Doflamingo as he poses the biggest threat to the Marines and also requests the G-5 Marines promise not to reveal he was there.

Out on the sea, the crew is taking a breather. Usopp and Chopper worry furiously about Doflamingo coming to attack them. Kin'emon nearly gets into a duel with Zoro thinking he had robbed Ryuma's grave due to him having his sword, the Shusui, on him. Momonosuke is revealed to be taking a shower with Robin much to the envious anger of Sanji, Brook and Kin'emon. When they confront him over it, Nami punches all three for their supposed bullying. Gaining their ire even more when he uses his childish nature to get Nami to hug him (and giving the three a rather lecherous look in the process). As the night goes on, most of the crew (Luffy, Zoro, Brook, Nami, Robin, Law, Caeser and Momonosuke) sleep while others (Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Sanji, and Kin'emon) stay up looking after the Sunny.

Morning comes and a News Ku delivers the paper which indeed reads that Doflamingo abdicated his position as a Shichibukai as per Law's demands as well as his royalty of Dressrosa. However, there is also a picture of Luffy and Law and an article stating their alliance much to the crew's surprise. Also in the paper is news regarding Kid, On Air and Hawkins Pirates alliance as well, though Law is unconcerned with it. He then explains his next phase of his agenda to the crew.

On Dressrosa, the people of the island are confused and in an uproar over the news of their king's sudden resignation while Doflamingo is in his office reading. Law's Den Den Mushi rings which he then answers.

As the news of Doflamingo's resigning and the pirate alliances spreads, chaos ensues. In war zones, armies are desperate to get in contact with the Shichibukai in order to get new supplies of weapons, while pirates everywhere start panicking about the alliances as reported by Abusa. Meanwhile, Doflamingo receives the promised call from Law, with some of the Straw Hats on the other end seemingly surprised that the Shichibukai actually picked it up. Luffy returns Doflamingo's greeting by shouting his declaration to be Pirate King, followed by angrily threatening the king that he is willing to return Caesar, but if he finds they were repeating the same actions as they did on Punk Hazard, he was going to beat the Shichibukai up. Doflamingo simply chuckles, and asks where Luffy has been (with the young pirate stating it was a secret) and then states that he wanted to meet the Straw Hat, claiming that he has something that Luffy would do anything to get. As Luffy starts envisioning meat Usopp drags his Captain away from the Den Den Mushi, with Law picking up the receiver to start negotiations. After Doflamingo made sure that Caesar was all right, Law tells his old boss the time and place of the pick up. Luffy then abruptly hangs up on the Shichibukai before he got caught up in Doflamingo's pace again.

Sanji then starts asking if it wouldn't have been better for them to limit the forces present for the pick up, but Law refutes this, stating that their real goal was to find the hidden SMILE factory and destroy it. Luffy starts getting excited about this latest adventure, and then his next in which he plans on going to the Wano Country. However for now, they decided to have breakfast, during which Kin'emon briefly explains the events leading to him and Momonosuke ending up on Punk Hazard.

When Law hears that the samurai's were heading to Zo, he states that he was also planning on heading there after destroying the factory to join his crew. When Kin'emon finished telling his tale, Franky, Chopper and Luffy then get carried away, saying that they will help the samurai's friend, Kanjuro as well, much to Law's annoyance. At the new Marines HQ, a debriefing was taking place, held by Commodore Brannew, about Doflamingo's abdication and Law's alliance, while mentioning the new Shichibukai, Buggy. In response to this, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki states he sent Fujitora to investigate.

At Dressrosa, Baby 5 goes looking for Trébol, who suddenly appears in front of her. Baby 5 then tells him that Doflamingo is looking for him, and to bring 'that' with him. After Trébol teases her about her captain's constant execution of all her previous boyfriends, he then goes to meet the former Shichibukai. While there, it is then revealed that the object requested by Doflamingo was in fact the Mera Mera no Mi, Ace's Devil Fruit prior to his death which is then entrusted by Doflamingo to another of his subordinates Diamante, while commenting that Luffy will come running to him because he wouldn't want anyone else to have it.

Elsewhere, the Straw Hats soon sight Dressrosa.

Story Impact

 * The Underworld is officially explained via Trafalgar Law's explanation.
 * Former Marine Admiral Kuzan appears for the first time after the timeskip.
 * Donquixote Doflamingo resigns from Shichibukai, and also abdicates his throne in Dressrosa.
 * Jewelry Bonney is shown for the first time after the timeskip.
 * Someone named Absa is said to be behind the leaking of the fact that Kid, Hawkins and On Air Pirates have formed an alliance, which is also confirmed to be after one of the Yonko.
 * Law and Kin'emon both state that they want to go to a place called Zo, Law states that his crew is located there. Kine'mon reveals that he and Momonosuke, along with two other samurai, were headed there but were shipwrecked on Dressrosa.
 * The Marine Headquarters in the New World is shown.
 * Sakazuki is shown for the first time after the timeskip.
 * Buggy is revealed to have joined the Shichibukai during the timeskip.
 * Donquixote Doflamingo is revealed to have Portgas D. Ace's former Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi.