One Piece Recap: Thin Blue Line

One Piece Recap: Thin Blue Line,Luffy, Zoro, Nami, and Usopp meet Sanji at a floating restaurant, and Zoro challenges the swordsman Mihawk to a fight. A recap and review of season one, episode five of Netflix’s live-action ‘One Piece,’ “Eat at Baratie!”

One Piece Recap: Thin Blue Line

Season 1 Episode 5 Editor’s Rating5 stars *****

Photo: Netflix/COURTESY OF NETFLIX Despite the goofy tone and grand, cartoony adventures, One Piece is so overtly filled with political themes that it’s impossible not to notice them. With references from privatized health care to the displacement of Indigenous populations, Eiichiro Oda’s magnum opus is constantly looking at the inherent evil of government institutions. As Koby learns this episode, the Marines bend the law. The World Government literally legalizes piracy when doing so suits its purposes, turning dangerous criminals into “Warlords of the Sea,” which allows pirates free rein as long as they do the government’s dirty work for it. (When we meet Mihawk, his wanted poster’s bounty is redacted, instead saying “Canceled by the World Government.”) This is devastatingly disappointing for Koby, who genuinely believed the Marines were supposed to be the good guys who catch pirates.

This is why the Koby B-plot, and Garp’s introduction as the main face of the Marines this season, is such a fascinating adaptation choice, as One Piece gives us a face that represents the vague idea of the entire World Government and one that’s emotionally connected to our protagonist. Garp will stop at nothing to capture Luffy, even sending in an extremely dangerous Warlord of the Sea after him — one capable of slashing a whole ship in half at a distance with a single move — but he’s also a man of contradictions.

Garp tells Koby he once was like him, an idealistic young man who joined the Marines thinking they were pure good, before discovering the unfairness of the world, but he still genuinely believes that the authorities are the only thing preventing total anarchy. And yet, despite his belief in his work, he’s a bit of a rebel, as he tells Koby he hasn’t accepted a promotion in years because he’d lose the freedom to act as he pleases. He’s also very much related to Luffy, showing some morbid pride in his grandson growing so strong that he can stop a Navy ship by breaking its mast with a cannonball — one that Luffy reflected after turning into a giant balloon man.

Despite Nami’s insistence to at least discuss the fact that their captain’s grandfather is a vice-admiral, Luffy refuses, and Zoro isn’t much help in getting him to talk. (Men would rather sail the seas and become the King of the Pirates rather than go to therapy.) Luffy’s just proud of what he considers to be a decisive and complete victory against the Marines. The group manages to get away and find refuge in a big floating restaurant ship in the shape of a fish. Yet again, Nami saves everyone’s asses, first by showing Luffy and Usopp how to fire a cannon and then again by getting them a table at the restaurant with no reservation.

Sandwiched in between the jaw-dropping reveal at the end of the previous episode and a devastating fight at the end of this one is actually a rather wholesome episode of One Piece. I’ve praised the cast at every opportunity because they are more than just a phenomenal translation of the manga versions of the characters; they are just a fantastic ensemble cast, and it’s a joy to see them slowly open up to each other and bond. We see this when Zoro, the broodiest in the crew, starts joking about how their waiter tried to flirt with Nami with Usopp jumping in to suggest she’s found a boyfriend. It’s like they’re a bunch of 12-year-olds and not wanted pirates. They are embracing Nami as their sister, and she, in turn, is opening up to them even more — not just as people she’s trapped with by circumstance, or as dumb idiots she can use, but as friends.

That flirty waiter is Sanji, a good kicker (he only fights with his legs so as to not damage his cooking hands) but a lovestruck idiot and a terrible flirt falling head over heels trying to impress the mademoiselle with a fool’s smile. He’s also a rather good cook, and for a brief moment, One Piece turns into The Bear with pretty shots of high-end meals being prepared, kitchen chaos with fights about the menu, and an angry boss with a big personality.

Luffy takes it upon himself to pay the bill, but he’s surprised to learn restaurants don’t exactly take credit on the promise that Luffy will one day become the King of the Pirates, so Luffy is forced to work his debt away washing dishes for a year. Likewise, Sanji is punished for trying to change the menu and taken off the cook line. When a pirate arrives at the restaurant half-dead and starving, however, Sanji can’t help but feed the hungry. Luffy sees this, and after seeing that Sanji also has a big dream (to find the All Blue, a mythical cook’s paradise with every kind of fish and spice you can think of), he asks the cook to join his crew.

Things get complicated when a drunk Usopp introduces Mihawk to Nami and Zoro as his “new best friend,” unaware that he’s a Warlord of the Sea hunting Luffy. Zoro does recognize him, though, as the greatest living swordsman, and in a moment of huge hubris challenges him to a duel — hoping to achieve his dream and his promise to Kuina. Mihawk agrees, much to Nami’s horror. She knows Zoro can’t win, no matter how good he is. In the most vulnerable and open position we’ve seen her, she outright says that Zoro is her friend and she does not want him to die. But her protest is futile — not even Luffy can talk Zoro down, and he won’t even try to, because he cannot get in the way of someone’s dreams. This breaks Nami’s trust in Luffy; it’s one thing to be idealistic and another to be a fool who lets his friends die.

Then we get arguably the most iconic fight of the East Blue Saga. Despite the obvious caveats that this fight isn’t as long as in the anime, nor as flashy, it’s a badass fight. Mackenyu carries the whole thing (like Zoro tends to do), demonstrating his experience in live-action anime and sword fight. Even the more anime elements of the fight — Mihawk’s silly crucifix knife, his huge crux-shaped sword, his overall look, and Zoro’s finishing move — translate well to live action. Of course, there was no way Zoro could win, but Mihawk is surprised by Zoro’s passion and resolve to fulfill his dream of surpassing Mihawk. He takes his comically large sword out of respect, while Zoro responds by using his three-sword-style finishing move. It still isn’t enough, and Mihawk easily slashes Zoro and even cuts two of his swords into pieces. Upon seeing Zoro turn around and face Mihawk (even knowing the next blow will be the end of him), and because “wounds on the back are a swordsman’s greatest shame,” Mihawk is impressed. Out of respect, the swordsman pulls back just enough to make sure Zoro doesn’t die — but not enough that he doesn’t leave Zoro with a nasty, gnarly wound across his torso.

Mihawk leaves, telling Zoro not to die but to grow stronger and find him again. The episode ends with Zoro getting emotional for the first time in the season, apologizing to Luffy for disappointing him, and vowing to never lose again before collapsing from his wounds. Finally, the carefree attitude the Straw Hats have shown all season has brought them severe consequences, and Luffy sees the true price of trying to achieve his dreams.

X Marks the Spot

• Garp’s transponder snail has a beard just like him. They say pets look like their owners, but come on, this is ridiculously adorable. And speaking of Garp, it’s delightful to see he shares Luffy’s obsession with food.

• It seems Luffy is the only one in the group who doesn’t drink but instead asks for milk while at the restaurant.

• Pour one out for Don Krieg, who is a much bigger villain in the manga. He does show up, even getting a cool moment where he breaks the fourth wall by grabbing his own wanted poster (with a 17 million berry bounty) and throwing it away. Unfortunately, he’s gone as soon as he arrives with Mihawk seemingly killing him and his whole crew.

• Mihawk asks Luffy about his goal, and rather than laugh at him or try to dissuade him, he encourages the young pirate and says that maybe he will become the pirate king. This is a nice counterpoise to the other pirates we’ve encountered, and part of Oda’s theme of the old generation leaving room for the new to take over out of excitement for the new ideas, the idealism, and the fun that they bring with them — Mihawk even tells Luffy that the world needs more wild cards.

• It’s also a huge contrast to Garp, who essentially tells Koby to kill his idealism and accept that the world sucks. Mihawk acknowledges that the world is dangerous and cruel but is open to the possibilities that wild cards like Luffy bring and is eager to see where it all leads. The world doesn’t change Luffy; he’s slowly changing the world around him instead.

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