ONE PIECE Episode 19 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

The Three-Sword Style's Past! Zoro and Kuina's Vow!

Luffy and Usopp play with the ship's cannon after finding cannonballs, while Zoro naps and dreams of his childhood as a dojo challenger. In the dream, Zoro loses to Kuina, joins her father's dojo, and trains without ever beating her; after the two promise that one of them will become the world's greatest swordsman, Kuina dies in a fall down the stairs, and Zoro vows to fulfill that promise and receives her katana Wado Ichimonji. Back in the present, Luffy and Usopp fire the cannon at a distant rock, and the bounty hunter Johnny storms aboard in a rage, fights Luffy, and then recognizes Zoro as an old friend.

• Cannon play on the ship

  Luffy and Usopp find cannonballs onboard and play with the ship's cannons while Zoro naps.

• Zoro's childhood dream

  Zoro dreams of his time as a dojo challenger, his defeat by Kuina, and his training at her father's dojo, where he never manages to beat her.

• Kuina's death and the inherited katana

  After Zoro and Kuina promise that one of them will become the world's greatest swordsman, Kuina dies in a fall down the stairs; Zoro vows to become the greatest for both of them, and Kuina's father entrusts him with her katana, the Wado Ichimonji.

• Johnny storms the ship

  Back in the present, Luffy and Usopp test-fire the ship's cannon at a distant rock, and the bounty hunter Johnny storms aboard in a rage, fights Luffy, and then recognizes Zoro as an old friend.

Recent Timeline

• Kuro's plan to kill his crew (Episode 16)

  During the fight with Luffy, Kuro revealed that three years earlier he had planned to have his crew killed, using their corpses to take the blame for his scheme. He threatened to kill every member of his crew, Jango included, so that no one who knew he was alive could leave the village.

• Kaya's will and Jango's deal (Episode 16)

  Kaya threatened to deny Jango both the will and her death unless he spared the children. She wrote and signed a will transferring all her property to her butler. Jango initially rejected her condition but agreed to spare the children.

• Kuro and Jango defeated (Episode 17)

  Kuro tried Shakushi on Luffy again, but Luffy restrained him with his rubber body and finished him with Gomu Gomu no Kane, knocking him out and destroying his glasses. Luffy then ordered the remaining Black Cat Pirates off the island, taking Kuro with them. Meanwhile, Zoro and Usopp arrived to protect Kaya; Zoro cleared a path by cutting a tree branch, and Usopp's Kayaku Boshi pellet exploded in Jango's face, defeating him.

• Going Merry gifted and Usopp joins (Episode 17)

  To thank the crew for their heroic deeds, Kaya gave them the Going Merry, a full-sized caravel designed by Merry. The crew accepted the ship, prepared to depart, and decided to take Usopp along as a new permanent crew member. Usopp's background: in childhood his father Yasopp set sail with Shanks to become a pirate, leaving him and his mother behind. His mother soon died of illness, and Usopp became the town liar, hoping his lies would come true and his father would return.

• Treasure search ends in empty chests (Episode 18)

  Luffy climbed the mountain and found all five treasure chests empty, confirming the island's treasure legend was false. Gaimon, still stuck in his treasure chest after twenty years, declined Luffy's invitation to join the crew and chose to stay and protect the island's animals. The crew then departed for their next destination.

Character Graph

Alvida

Alvida Pirates

Pirate captain leading the Alvida Pirates. Attacks ships and keeps chore boys; armed with a large spiked club. Defeated by Luffy and sent flying into the sea.

• Defeat

  Knocked off her ship into the sea by Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Pistol

• Koby (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Holds Koby as one of her chore boys

• Luffy (Other, Hostility)

  Confronted Luffy as a suspected bounty hunter and lost the fight

Koby

Former chore boy forced to serve the Alvida Pirates; escapes with Luffy to pursue his dream of joining the Marines.

• Forced service

  Kidnapped from a rowboat and made a chore boy by Alvida

• Alvida (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Forced to serve Alvida as one of her chore boys

• Luffy (Other, Neutral)

  Meets Luffy in the kitchen and travels with him after the battle

Helmeppo

Marine

A snobbish, cruel man who is the son of Captain Morgan and abuses the townspeople.

• Abuse of townspeople

  Brings a hostile wolf into a bar, then threatens to execute the customers unless Zoro surrenders.

• Broken deal

  Breaks his deal with Zoro by intending to execute him anyway.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Hostility)

  Struck a deal with Zoro after Zoro defeated his wolf, then intended to execute him anyway.

Rika

A small girl in Shells Town who sneaks into the Marine base to bring food to Roronoa Zoro.

• Rice ball delivery

  Tries to bring rice balls to the crucified Zoro and is stopped by Helmeppo.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Affinity)

  Brings food to the crucified Zoro and wants to help him.

• Helmeppo (Other, Hostility)

  Stopped from delivering food by Helmeppo, who destroys the rice balls.

Mohji

Buggy Pirates

A member of the Buggy Pirates who boasts he can control any animal and seeks to defeat Zoro to make a name for himself.

• Ambition for recognition

  Wanted to defeat Zoro to make a name for himself, but allowed Richie to stop for food at the shop Chouchou guarded.

• Buggy (Hierarchy, Neutral)

  Serves under Buggy and reports to him after the fight with Luffy.

• Luffy (Other, Hostility)

  Fought Luffy after Luffy refused to reveal Zoro's whereabouts; Mohji was defeated by Luffy rather than Zoro.

Buggy

Buggy Pirates

Captain of the Buggy Pirates; a fearsome pirate with his own Devil Fruit ability; his territory is where Luffy lands after being dropped by the bird.

Former fellow apprentice of Shanks in the same pirate crew; plotted to steal a Devil Fruit and treasure map before being caught.

• Power

  Can separate his body parts and is immune to being cut apart, due to the Bara Bara Fruit.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Hostility)

  Fought Zoro and stabbed him; claimed Zoro's wound decided the fight.

• Luffy (Other, Hostility)

  Fights Luffy and pierces his straw hat with knives, enraging him.

  Luffy struck Buggy down during the attempt to seize his treasure and later blasted him out of town.

Ninjin

Child follower of Usopp who joined his group and confirmed Kaya has become much more cheerful.

• Role

  Joined Usopp's group and, while searching for their captain, led Luffy, Zoro and Nami to Kaya's mansion.

• Usopp (Hierarchy, Affinity)

  Follower of Usopp.

Buchi (Nyaban Brothers)

Black Cat Pirates

One of the Nyaban Brothers, who initially appear weak and cowardly but act that way to catch Zoro off guard.

• Jango (Colleague, Neutral)

  Summoned by Jango as a last-ditch effort to penetrate the crew's defenses.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Hostility)

  Feigns weakness to catch Zoro off guard alongside Sham and attacks him.

Sham (Nyaban Brothers)

Black Cat Pirates

One of the Nyaban Brothers, who initially appear weak and cowardly but act that way to catch Zoro off guard.

• Jango (Colleague, Neutral)

  Summoned by Jango as a last-ditch effort to penetrate the crew's defenses.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Hostility)

  Takes two of Zoro's katanas and fights him, using a feigned weak appearance to catch him off guard.

Jango

Kuro's crew

A hypnotist who introduces himself as such and conspires with Captain Kuro to assassinate Kaya.

Hypnotist serving Kuro, ordered to make Kaya write a will and then kill her.

• Hypnotism

  Demonstrated hypnotism by putting children to sleep with a chakram on a string, and can hypnotize people into changing their wills.

• Threat to children

  Threatened to execute Piiman, Tamanegi, and Ninjin for interfering, then agreed to spare them after Kaya's bargain.

Usopp

Village youth who invents tall tales and leads a small group of followers; wants to become a pirate.

Village liar who joins the crew as a new permanent member after his backstory is revealed.

• Tall tales

  Invents an alarm, claims to command eighty million followers, and tells extravagant stories to entertain Kaya.

• Reputation as a liar

  His repeated lies make the villagers refuse to believe his pirate warning.

• Retraction and resolve

  He claims the pirate threat was invented, then decides to intercept the pirates at the coast himself.

• Childhood and father's departure

  His father Yasopp left to become a pirate with Shanks, leaving Usopp and his wife behind. His mother later died of illness, and Usopp became the village liar hoping his father would return.

• Ninjin (Hierarchy, Friend, Affinity)

  Follower who joins Usopp's group.

  Follower who was disappointed and left him when Usopp claimed his pirate warning had been a lie.

• Luffy (Colleague, Affinity)

  Invited to join the crew as a new permanent member.

Gaimon

A man who was trapped in an empty treasure chest for twenty years on the island; refuses to join Luffy's crew and lives freely on the island.

• Past life

  Formerly a boy aboard a pirate ship that came to the island searching for treasure; after a month of failing to find any, his crew left him behind.

• Current stance

  Knowing there was no treasure gave him closure and the freedom to live as he pleased; he has befriended the animals native to the island.

• Luffy (Friend, Affinity)

  Quickly befriended by Luffy, who later invited him to join his crew; Gaimon declined.

Luffy

Would-be pirate who set sail to begin a pirating career; cast adrift at sea in a barrel after his dinghy was destroyed by a whirlpool. Aims for the Grand Line to search for the One Piece, and first sets out to recruit Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro into his crew.

Pirate who fights bare-handed; caught in Buggy's crew hostage situation and tells his companions to escape rather than give up.

• Origin at sea

  Dinghy destroyed by a whirlpool, left trapped in a barrel

• Koby (Other, Neutral)

  Travels with him after the battle, sharing a dinghy out of the Alvida ship

• Alvida (Other, Hostility)

  Defeated the pirate captain who suspected him of being a bounty hunter

• Roronoa Zoro (Colleague, Affinity)

  Rescued by Zoro in the fight against Buggy's men; Luffy told him to run.

• Gaimon (Friend, Affinity)

  Befriended Gaimon and then invited him to join the crew, which Gaimon declined.

Roronoa Zoro (Zoro)

Pirate-hunter swordsman whom Luffy first finds crucified at the Marine base in Shells Town and sets out to recruit.

Childhood dojo challenger who trained at the dojo of Kuina's father after losing to Kuina; later swore to become the world's greatest swordsman in her honor.

• Crucified at base

  Held on a cross at the Marine base and refuses to be fed by others; he eats the dirt-stained rice Rika brought.

• Confiscated katanas

  His katanas are confiscated and kept in the Marine base, where Luffy goes to find them.

• Childhood training

  Was a dojoyaburi who challenged local dojos; after defeat by Kuina he joined her father's dojo and trained harder than peers.

• Vow to Kuina

  After Kuina's fatal fall, decided to become the world's greatest swordsman; received Kuina's katana Wado Ichimonji from her father and trained eight more years before becoming a pirate hunter.

• Rika (Other, Affinity)

  Rika brings him rice balls out of kindness.

• Helmeppo (Other, Hostility)

  Defeated Helmeppo's wolf to protect the bar's customers, then was threatened and betrayed by him.

• Buggy (Other, Hostility)

  Fought Buggy, who wanted to kill him to enhance his reputation; stabbed during the clash.

World Memo

• Village has two entrances

  The village is reachable by a single sloped path at the island's south end and by a second entrance at the island's north end.

Battle Record

The crew lands on the Island of Rare Animals to plunder its treasures and is met by strange hybrid animals and an unseen man claiming to be a god. The man's makeshift traps fail, and he is caught while trying to retreat.

Luffy vs Kuro at the battlefield

Second attempt · Episodes 15–17

Location: Battlefield on the island

Trigger: Kuro attempts to use Shakushi on Luffy again

Sides

• Luffy — fighter: Luffy
• Black Cat Pirates — fighter: Kuro

Outcome: Kuro is knocked unconscious by Gomu Gomu no Kane and his glasses are destroyed

Aftermath

• The remaining Black Cat Pirates are ordered to leave the island, taking Kuro with them

Jango defeated at Kaya's village

Defense of Kaya · Episodes 12–17

Location: Kaya's village

Trigger: Jango threatens Kaya

Sides

• Jango — attacker: Jango
• Zoro and Usopp — defender: Zoro, Usopp

Outcome: Jango is defeated by Usopp's Hissatsu: Kayaku Boshi, which explodes in his face

Gaimon's traps on the Island of Rare Animals

Strange hybrid animals and a self-proclaimed god · Episode 18

Location: Island of Rare Animals

Trigger: The crew decides to dock and plunder the island's rumoured treasures

Sides

• Straw Hat crew — Attackers: Luffy, Nami, Usopp
• Gaimon's defenders — Defenders: Gaimon, strange hybrid animals

Outcome: Gaimon's traps fail and he is caught by the crew

Aftermath

• Gaimon is revealed to have been trapped in a treasure chest for twenty years

Ability Table

Music Releases

• We Are! (OP)
• Memories (ED)