Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Episode 6 of One Piece.With Dracule Mihawk (Steven Ward) now safely out of the picture, the Straw Hats are free to deal with the consequences of Zoro’s (Mackenyu) actions, asOne PieceEpisode 6, “The Chef and the Chore Boy” kicks off with them carrying his unconscious body into the Going Merry’s galley. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) starts to spiral into uncharacteristic panic until Nami (Emily Rudd) gives him something useful to do and sends him to Baratie in search of a doctor.
In the kitchen, Sanji (Taz Skylar) has worked his way back onto the line to help Zeff (Craig Fairbrass) with brunch prep, where the old man pelts him with constant criticism that Sanji takes in good stride until Luffy bursts in looking for help. Sanji’s insistence on helping however they can snaps Zeff out of his own reluctance, and he rattles off a list of things for Sanji to bring, including fresh yellowtail. And if you’re confused about that last bit, don’t worry, so is Sanji. Zeff stitches up Zoro’s wounds, completely blowing past Usopp’s (Jacob Romero) concerns about sterilization, using the fish skin to staunch the wounds. With Zoro in rough condition, Zeff encourages the crew to talk to him, keep him company, and essentially give him a reason not to slip into the afterlife.
Garp (Vincent Regan) returns to his office to find Mihawk already waiting for him. He tells Garp he decided to let Luffy go, and reminds the Vice Admiral that Warlord or no, he won’t take orders from the World Government, instead choosing to do exactly as he pleases. Unable to kick the habit of eavesdropping, Koby (Morgan Davies) overhears the entire exchange and witnesses Garp trashing his office after Mihawk tells him Luffy might actually have what it takes to find the One Piece. I know he’s his grandson, but I do think Garp might be taking Luffy’s life of piracy just a tad too personally.
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While they wait for Zoro to recover, Usopp joins Sanji in the ship’s galley while he prepares the unused yellowtail. Luffy joins them as well, manically cleaning the Wado Ichimonji and asking Sanji to make Zoro’s favorite foods so that he’ll have an incentive to wake up. Sanji empathizes with Luffy’s struggles, telling him Zeff felt the same when he was a pirate captain, then tells Luffy and Zoro how the two of them first met. When he was younger, Sanji (Christian Convery) served in another ship’s galley, and much like at Baratie, is thoroughly underappreciated by the rest of the staff. When the ship is overtaken by “Red Leg” Zeff and his crew, he and Sanji argue over the seasoning he put in his velouté, trapping the two of them together in the galley when the ship capsizes.
What follows is a harrowing, nearly dialogue-free, ten-minute sequence that sees young Sanji and Zeff stranded on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Too high up to fish, and with too many jagged rocks below for them to jump, they’re stuck up there until a ship happens to pass by. Zeff gives Sanji a bag of food, keeping a much larger bag for himself, and advises the boy to eat his portion slowly while he keeps watch on the other side of the rock. Sanji does his best to portion out the bag, but by day 50 is completely out of food. Remembering how big Zeff’s bag was, he slips over to the other side of the rock, intending to kill him for it. The bag itself is completely untouched, and when Sanji slices into it, he sees it’s full of treasure. Zeff left the entire supply of food to Sanji, surviving for 85 days on only rainwater, and his right leg below the knee. Confused why Zeff would do that for a stranger, he tells Sanji he wanted him to survive long enough to find the All Blue for both of them. Though in the present day, Sanji seems no worse for wear, the Baratie policies of not wasting food and feeding anyone who’s hungry suddenly make a lot more sense beyond being logical restaurant policies.
While Luffy assures Usopp and Sanji that he’d eat both arms and legs to save Zoro’s life — a little confused, but his heart is in the right place at least — Nami keeps Zoro company, reading him a story about an explorer lying to those he cared about for the rest of his life, and taking things a little too personally. When Luffy joins them, Nami berates him for not trying harder to stop Zoro, and not making the tough call to intervene and prevent it, even if that meant stopping him from achieving his dream. Luffy presses Nami to reveal what she wants most, but she storms out, angry and frustrated.
Garp catches Koby cleaning up his office and confesses that Luffy is in fact his grandson and that despite his best efforts he couldn’t make a Marine out of him. Koby tells him it wouldn’t have mattered anyway, and Luffy is too much his own man to pursue a path he isn’t interested in, that he’s a pirate through and through. Koby suggests Garp just let Luffy be a pirate, and Garp agrees a little too quickly for us to not be concerned. We were right to worry, as when Garp addresses the crew he tells them their mission is changing. Their goal is to capture the pirates by any means necessary, something which horrifies Koby, who thought he had gotten through to Garp.
Baratie is about to play host to some unexpected guests, as Arlong (McKinley Belcher III) and the other fishmen arrive unexpectedly. Arlong takes exception to the restaurant employing a fishman as the maître d' and causes enough of a stir to draw Zeff from the kitchen. It’s not just Baratie’s overcooked meat that’s drawn him to the restaurant, though: he’s also looking for a pirate in a straw hat named Luffy. Zeff denies ever having met him, something Arlong doesn’t believe. He threatens the safety of the rest of the patrons, which startles an eavesdropping Nami into action, and she slips back out as quickly as she came.
Usopp checks on Luffy, who is keeping a silent vigil by Zoro’s bedside. He tells his captain to just talk to Zoro, no matter what he says, because Luffy’s voice will be enough to keep him grounded. Luffy’s attempts go nowhere when Nami arrives in a panic, telling them they need to leave before Arlong finds out Luffy is here. Luffy is just flattered anyone of Arlong’s caliber knows about him at all. When Sanji decides to head back over and protect the restaurant, Luffy volunteers to go with him and repay Sanji’s kindnesses. Nami and Usopp both insist they need to leave sooner rather than later, but Luffy proceeds with the confidence of someonewho knows he’s the main character in a TV show. He asks Nami to stay behind and protect the map.
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji arrive back at Baratie to confront Arlong, who reveals he had a little help in tracking them down by producing Buggy the Clown’s (Jeff Ward) head, minus one ear which has been tucked into the ribbon on Luffy’s hat the entire time, and which he used to follow them. Arlong demands both the map, and 50% of their future takings as tribute, which Luffy refuses, telling Arlong he has to fight him for any of it. A fight breaks out in the dining room when Zeff tries to diffuse the problem by shooting Arlong, a fight that eventually spills out onto the dock.
Nami says bye to Zoro in her own way, telling him she’s never had friends in order to not hurt those closest to her, and leaves the ship, map in hand. Luffy manages to get a few punches in on the dock, but Arlong takes him out by dousing him in seawater sapping his strength. Nami stops Arlong from ripping out Luffy’s throat with his teeth, by telling him she has the map, and they can leave. Luffy learns that Nami has been a member of Arlong’s crew all along, something confirmed by the sawfish tattoo on Nami’s left arm. She dismisses Luffy entirely, and at her suggestion, Arlong tosses Luffy into the water rather than kill him himself, letting the sea take care of it.
As soon as Arlong, Nami, and the rest of the crew depart — in what, I’m not sure, since the fishmen swam over to Baratie — Usopp and Sanji haul Luffy out of the water, where the captain refuses to believe Nami betrayed him. Sanji returns to the restaurant and tries to clean up, but Zeff’s real reason for being so harsh with him finally comes to the surface. Zeff is angry to see that Sanji is just wasting his life working at the restaurant instead of looking for the All Blue like he’s always wanted to, giving up on his dream and essentially quitting his second chance at life. Sanji angrily agrees to take Luffy up on his offer to leave and storms out.
Back on the Going Merry, Luffy finally manages to think of something to say to Zoro, admitting his failures in losing Nami and the map, and his fear of losing Zoro too. This is enough to finally wake the swordsman up, and he pledges to stand with Luffy till the end, until the find the One Piece or die trying. Usopp joins them both, bringing the same overexcited energy as Luffy does to every situation, happy that their crew is finally feeling whole again now the danger has passed. The three are ready to head back out to sea, but Luffy won’t leave without his entire crew, and says before they head for the Grand Line, they have to find Nami.
Sanji joins them on board as well, to Zoro’s annoyance, and he and Zeff bid each other an emotional farewell as the boat pulls out to sea. So the boys are off to find Nami and bring her back, but will they manage to find her in time? It helps that they have an unexpected ally headed into the final fight of the season:Buggy the Clown’s head.
