Summary
For the third year in a row,One Piecefans get to enjoy a special event calledthe One Piece Day.This time around, it was held in Makuhari Messe from Saturday, August 10 to Sunday, August 02, 2025. Thanks to the collaboration of Shueisha Inc., Toei Animation Co., Ltd., and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc., this year’s event, aptly called “One Piece Day ‘24”, proved to be one of the most spectacular ones yet.
From giant sculptures to big-name performers and even a surprise appearance of the series’ voice actors, so many great things to seein One Piece Day ‘24.The fans could enjoy the show by coming to the venue to see the event live in person, by watching the free live stream on YouTube, or through a paid live stream for a more exclusive experience.
Images ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
What we want to talk about today, however, is one particular segment that happened on the first day of the event, specifically in the Open Stage area. In this segment, One Piece’s production crew was asked to rank their favorite scenes under the name of"ONE PIECE" Best Scenes Poll -Top 100 Scenes Production Crews Find Memorable-. These were the top three results of this poll and we’re fairly certain that the fans will agree with the production crews on this one.
The 3rd Place: Episode 37
For the third place, we go way back to Orange Town arc where the infamous and ruthless Arlong Pirates overrun Nami’s hometown. This scene marks the moment Nami truly becomes a full-fledged member of the Straw Hats pirates.
Luffy Rises! Result of the Broken Promise!
This particular scene begins withNami crying alone in the middle of the roadwhile furiously stabbing the Arlong Pirates’ symbol on her left arm. She cursed out her inability to go against Arlong and she also blames herself for believing the promise made by that terrible fish man. All the while, Luffy stands still right beside her without saying a word.
Nami repeatedly tells him to go away because it is not his problem, yet Luffy still stands firmly beside her. Eventually, with tears streaming down her cheek and blood flowing down her arm, Nami breaks down and asks Luffy for his help. In response, Luffy put his beloved straw hat on her head and screams out, “Damn right!!”. Together with Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp, Luffy immediately heads out to Arlong’s lair.
The Moment Nami Truly Becomes a Straw Hats
Image ©Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, Toei Animation
Nami had technically already become a member of the Straw Hats Pirates prior to this scene. However, she never really intended to be a pirate. She simply duped and used Luffy for her own gain, which was to gather enough money to free her hometown from Arlong. This scene changes everything.
For the first time in years,Nami feels helpless and vulnerable,and the one who stands beside her and helps her despite knowing the terrible risk involved is none other than Luffy and his tiny crew. Not only that, but Nami also knows that for Luffy to entrust his most valuable possession, his straw hat, to her means that Luffy genuinely thinks of her as his comrade in arms. This is undoubtedly the moment when Nami truly becomes a member of the Straw Hats Pirates.
The 2nd Place: Episode 706
In the second place, we get to see a heartbreaking moment between two minor characters, Trafalgar Law andDonquixote Rosinante, also known as Corazon.This proves that inOne Piece,special and memorable moments are not reserved only for the main characters. Every character has a chance to be in the spotlight and demolish the viewers’ hearts.
Advance, Law! The Kindhearted Man’s Final Fight!
The scene begins after Corazon forces little Law to eatthe devil fruit called the Ope Ope Fruit.Corazon realizes that Doflamingo has uncovered his betrayal and is on his way to hunt them down. He also realizes that his time on this earth will be over soon, but at the very least, he wants to save Law. So Corazon casts his devil fruit power on Law, which makes him unable to make any sound no matter what he does, and then hides the little boy inside a treasure chest.
As expected, Doflamingo and his pirate crews easily catch up to Corazon and strike him to the brink of death. But no matter what they do to him, even when his own brother shoots him, Corazon won’t reveal Law’s location. His power will be gone as soon he dies, so even when he is drowning in his own blood, he forces himself to stay alive just for another minute. He literally uses his own life to buy enough time for Law to escape.
One of the Most Heartbreaking Sacrifices in One Piece
From Shanks giving his arm to save Luffy toZeff starving himself to save Sanji,One Piecehas lots of moments of sacrifice. All of them break our hearts and make us weep. But there’s something special about this heartbreaking moment between Corazon and Law.
Maybe it’s the fact that Corazon goes against his own family to save a dying child. Maybe it’s the fact that Corazon is literally helpless against the enemies and yet he still chooses to do the right thing anyway. Maybe it’s the fact that Corazon is desperately clinging to dear life not to save himself but to buy time for Law. Maybe it’s all of those things and more. One thing’s for sure, this is easily one of the most heartbreaking sacrifices inOne Piece.
The 1st Place: Episode 312
Finally, the most memorable scenes inOne Piece,according to the people who worked on it. It’s none other than the teary and soul-crunching farewell between the Straw Hats pirates and their beloved little ship, Going Merry.
Thank You, Merry! Snow Falls Over the Parting Sea!
The scene begins when the Straw Hats sails aboard the Going Merry for one last time. At that point, Merry was pretty much not seaworthy anymore. It has suffered through countless damages and gone beyond its limit numerous times. Even one of the greatest shipwrights in Water 7, Iceburg, has said that it is a miracle that Going Merry can last this long.
Alas, the time has come for the crew to say goodbye to the little ship that has taken them to places that they never thought they could reach. As the fire from Luffy’s torch spread all over their beloved ship,they started to hear Merry’s gentle voice,thanking them for their wonderful voyage together.
A Ship That Makes The Fans Bawling Our Eyes Out
It’s quite common to feel emotional when two beloved characters say goodbyes to each other. ButOne Pieceis one of those anime that can make you weep when the characters say farewell to their ship. It is supposed to be an inanimate object and yet the story manages to makethe viewers care about Going Merryso much to the point that we are bawling our eyes out during this scene.
One of the production crew made a great comment during the reveal of this scene as the poll winner. Huge thanks to Bandai Namco for including this quote in their press release.
“I’m being honest, but the staff who worked on the drawing for this scene cried. They worked during the night, and when you return for work in the morning, their tear stains can be seen on their work.”
— Nagamine, One Piece’s production crew
We all have our favorite scenes fromOne Piece,but I believe everyOne Piecefan can agree that these three aresome of the most heartbreaking and memorable momentsin the series. So yes, the fans are in agreement with the production crew on this one.
One Pieceis available to watch onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
