If there's one thing that One Piece does extremely well, it's setting aside however much time is needed to tell a good story. While this can lead to some incredibly long story arcs, there are also plenty of occasions where an arc only required a handful of episodes.
This gradually changed as the show went on, with most arcs beginning to lengthen as the overall story grows. However, the show is still full of short arcs that play an important part in the overall story. The adventures Luffy drags the Straw Hats on don't have to be huge ones, and their shortest adventures are still some of the best.
Reverse Mountain (2 Episodes)
The Reverse Mountain arc was the Straw Hats' first time entering the Grand Line. Having ascended and surpassed the massive wall separating them from the Grand Line, they came face to face with an enormous whale named Laboon.
This is the shortest arc in the series, and they only stopped at the lighthouse briefly. This arc was fine, but it just didn't have much to offer. All the Straw Hats really gained was meeting a member of Roger's crew as well as the whale which would later tie in with their musician, Brook.
Whiskey Peak (4 Episodes)
The Whiskey Peak was a small arc that was a lead-in for the much longer Alabasta arc. Whiskey Peak was a small island town that supposedly treated pirates like royalty.
They were actually members of Baroque Works and attacked after getting the Straw Hats drunk. While this arc was a good moment to prove how strong Zoro was, the rest of it felt like a bit of a letdown. It was disappointing watching Luffy blindly attack his crewmate without listening to him just to get them into a combat situation. The main bright side was meeting Princess Vivi and pushing into the next arc.
Jaya (9 Episodes)
The Jaya arc was a good lead-in to the Skypiea arc and introduced several important characters. The Straw Hats stop in a town heavily populated by pirates when their Log Pose points directly up at some sky islands. Blackbeard is introduced in this arc, but doesn't do much as his big moments come in other arcs. This was also the first time Bellamy was introduced. He was a bit of a letdown, being portrayed as a strong opponent before being one-shotted by Luffy. Besides those two characters, this arc wasn't very special besides as a footstool to get to Skypiea.
Loguetown (6 Episodes)
Loguetown was a short yet informative arc. This has the Straw Hats visiting the town where Gol D. Roger was executed. There was a bit of excitement when Buggy captured and almost executed Luffy, but the best part about this arc was the introduction of two people. The first is Smoker, who becomes a recurring Marine presence throughout the rest of the series.
The other is the first appearance of Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's father. Other than those couple of characters not much happened in this arc, but it was interesting seeing where everything started for the King of the Pirates dream of Luffy's.
Little Garden (8 Episodes)
Little Garden was an arc that came early into the Straw Hats venture into the Grand Line. This is where some of the first giants of the series are introduced. Dorry and Brogy have been fighting on this island for many years over an old disagreement, and only stop when the Straw Hats and some members of Baroque Works interfere with their battle.
This was a fun arc and helped push the Straw Hats towards Alabasta. It was able to introduce a new race that had only been heard of, as well as give the Straw Hats a chance to take out some members of Baroque Works. It's a very solid yet short arc.
Return To Sabaody (6 Episodes)
The Return to Sabaody arc was a very important arc, as it had the Straw Hats all reunite after two years before once again setting sail. Rather than just have them meet up and leave, they ended up scattered around Sabaody running into trouble in typical Straw Hat fashion. This arc also gave a glimpse at just how strong the crew had gotten by having two PX models be defeated by Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. This arc felt good to the viewers, seeing everyone get back together. The only downside was nothing of true consequence actually happened. Otherwise, it was a great arc.
Syrup Village (10 Episodes)
Syrup Village was a crewmate arc and is where the Straw Hats picked up their sniper, Usopp. While this arc was short, it was enough to give great insight into Usopp's past as well as see why he'd be a great fit for the Straw Hats.
The plot of the arc was simple, yet worked out well. Despite Usopp being weaker than Zoro or Luffy, he was still able to shine against the antagonist. One reason that his arc was so short was that he would get some more attention during the Water 7 arc, but it was still a great character introduction.
Baratie (12 Episodes)
The Baratie arc was a crewmate arc and is where the Straw Hats picked up their cook, Sanji. This was another great arc to see why Sanji belonged with the Straw Hats, but it did a few more things that made it an impressive arc. It introduced the viewer to Zoro's rival, Dracule Mihawk, and showed just how much of a gap there was in power between them. This is also where Nami abandons the crew and returns to Arlong Park, which led into the next arc. Luffy also was able to fully show his mettle and took down Don Krieg. A great arc that introduced a new crewmate and furthered several other stories in just a short amount of time.
Orange Town (5 Episodes)
The Orange Town arc was able to do several things in a very short period of time. This arc introduced Nami, the Straw Hats navigator, and one the more prominent characters.
While she didn't exactly leap at the chance to work with Luffy, she still ended up sailing with him to the next arc. This was also where Buggy the clown was introduced. Most of his importance will be later in the series, but he felt like the first major villain of the series. This is also the first arc where the Straw Hats face off against another pirate group, and sets a precedent for many arcs afterward.
Romance Dawn (3 Episodes)
Romance Dawn is the very first arc in One Piece and set everything into motion. Despite being only three episodes, this is one of the best arcs in the series. This arc shows how Luffy gained his Devil Fruit powers and was given the famous straw hat. It also shows him defeating his first villain, Alvida, and meeting Coby for the first time.
It also began his quest to form a pirate crew, as he was able to rescue and recruit the swordsman Roronoa Zoro. These first few episodes did so well in showing off the beginning cast of characters, a bit of what Luffy was capable of, and accurately built the world that Luffy would be exploring. For only three episodes, this arc was fantastic.
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