ONE PIECE Episode 44 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

Setting Out with a Smile! Farewell, Hometown Cocoyashi Village!

With Arlong defeated, the villagers celebrate their freedom and Zoro is treated by the village doctor. At Bell-mère's grave Nami tells Genzo and Nojiko she will leave to join Luffy's crew, and Genzo encourages her to live as she wishes. Nami has her Arlong Pirates tattoo covered with a mikan-and-pinwheel design, leaves her hundred million berries behind and leaps aboard the Going Merry as it sets sail, having picked the villagers' pockets on the way; they still thank her, and Genzo leaves his pinwheel on Bell-mère's grave.

• Celebrating Arlong's defeat

  News of Arlong's defeat spreads across the island and the villagers celebrate their freedom, while Luffy feasts and Zoro has his wounds treated by the village doctor.

• Memories of Bell-mère

  At Bell-mère's grave, Nami tells Genzo and Nojiko she will leave the island to join Luffy's crew and wonders whether Bell-mère would have stopped her from becoming a pirate; Genzo encourages her to live as she wishes.

• New tattoo and departure

  That night Nami has the village doctor cover her Arlong Pirates tattoo with a new design of a mikan branch and a pinwheel, then leaves her hundred million berries behind and runs to the dock, leaping aboard the Going Merry as the crew sets sail.

• Villagers' farewell and the pinwheel

  The villagers discover Nami picked their pockets as she ran past them but still thank her as she leaves, and Genzo, feeling he no longer needs his pinwheel, leaves it on Bell-mère's grave.

Recent Timeline

• Villagers pledge to fight alongside Nami (Episode 41)

  Nami chose to trust Luffy's promise, apologized to the villagers, and asked them to risk dying alongside her against Arlong. The villagers answered by declaring their willingness to fight.

• Arlong Park collapses (Episode 43)

  Luffy and Arlong exchange blows on the top floor until the impact brings the building down. The villagers recognize the victory and celebrate Arlong's fall.

• Nezumi surrenders to villagers (Episode 43)

  Nezumi, captain of the Navy's sixteenth branch, interrupts the celebration to claim the victory and Arlong Park's wealth. Struck by Nami and others, he surrenders, agreeing to deal with the fish-men, help rebuild Gosa, leave the remaining wealth for the island, and return Nami's money.

• Nami leaves Cocoyasi Village (Episode 44)

  Nami departed the island with her crew after the villagers had been freed from Arlong. She left all one hundred million berries behind with a letter, and Luffy ordered the sails raised despite the villagers wanting a proper farewell.

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

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.

• Nami (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Accepted Nami into his crew as a supposed defector; ordered her to fire a Buggy Ball at Luffy as proof of loyalty.

• 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.

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.

Bell-mère

Marine (former)

Adoptive mother of Nami and Nojiko, who farmed mikan in the outskirts of Cocoyasi Village to survive; she formerly travelled overseas as a Marine.

• Adoption

  Met Nojiko and infant Nami overseas, then took them back to Cocoyasi Village to raise them as her own children.

• Nami (Family, Guardian, Affinity)

  Adoptive mother who went without food so she could feed Nami, and who regretted their quarrel and prepared Nami's favorite meal.

• Nojiko (Family, Guardian, Affinity)

  Adoptive mother who raised Nojiko alongside Nami on a low income.

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 confronts Arlong, introduces himself as a pirate, and demands that Arlong stop making his navigator cry.

• Origin at sea

  Dinghy destroyed by a whirlpool, left trapped in a barrel

• Response to Nami's plea

  Readily agreed to help after Nami broke down and asked, then called for the others to go.

• 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.

• Nami (Other, Colleague, Affinity)

  Offered help, which she first refused, and later accepted when she asked for it.

  Luffy calls Nami his navigator and confronts Arlong on her behalf.

• Arlong (Other, Hostility)

  Luffy names Arlong as his real target and stands against him.

Roronoa Zoro

Straw Hat Pirates

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

Pirate who offers to fight Hatchan so the others can continue, and declares that the pirates intend to crush the fish-men.

• 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.

• 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.

• Pursuit of the hawk-eyed man

  Revealed that the attacker on the Grand Line is the man he went to sea to find, and became more determined to head there.

• Buggy (Other, Hostility)

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

Arlong

Arlong Pirates · fish-man

The most notorious pirate in East Blue, a fish-man originating from the Grand Line, who claims fish-men are far superior to humans.

A fish-man who claims his heritage makes him superior to humans and holds Nami captive to chart the sea.

• Base and claims

  Operates from Arlong Park; bribes a corrupt Marine officer; asserts fish-men surpass humans in strength and underwater breathing.

• Broken promise

  Refused to return the village unless Nami presented the full sum, and threatened to kill everyone if she fled.

• Supremacist stance

  Declares fish-men superior to humans, boasting he can kill humans without touching them and citing his strength as proof.

• Claimed superiority

  Declares that fish-men are fundamentally superior to Luffy and other humans.

• Nami (Hierarchy, Pact, Hostility)

  Commands Nami as his officer and cartographer.

  Forced Nami to draw sea charts over eight years and insists her talent should serve the fish-men, calling her their comrade.

• Roronoa Zoro (Other, Hostility)

  Interrogates Zoro after capturing him.

• Luffy (Other, Hostility)

  Arlong calls Luffy his target after Luffy names him as the real target of the fight and threatens to kill him.

Nezumi

Navy · Navy sixteenth branch captain

Captain of the 16th Branch who arrived with another Navy ship and demanded that Genzo guide him to Nami's home without explaining his purpose.

Claims to have watched the fight from outside and seizes credit for Arlong Park's fall as captain of the Navy's sixteenth branch.

• Arrival

  Identified himself as a captain of the 16th Branch and demanded guidance to Nami's home.

• Seizure of the money

  Ordered his men to search despite Nami's protest and declared thirty percent of the money would belong to him.

• Surrender terms

  Agreed to disarm, help rebuild Gosa, leave Arlong Park's remaining wealth for the island's people, and return Nami's money, yet still threatened revenge against Luffy and his crew.

• Navy report

  Contacted Navy Headquarters, asking that Luffy and his four companions be treated as enemies of the government and that a large bounty be placed on Luffy.

• Genzo (Other, Hostility)

  Demanded that Genzo guide him to Nami's home without explaining his purpose.

• Nami (Other, Hostility)

  Confronts Nami as the thief he is seeking and demands she surrender the stolen treasure.

  Accused her of hiding pirate treasure and seized her savings during the search.

• Luffy (Hierarchy, Hostility)

  Nezumi asked Headquarters to brand Luffy an enemy of the government and vowed revenge on him and his crew after surrendering.

Genzo

Cocoyasi Village · Village

Genzo is a villager of Cocoyasi Village who was nearly executed by Arlong for possessing a weapon and was treated for his wounds afterward.

Villager who acted as a father figure to Bellemere's daughters, Nami and Nojiko, after Bellemere's death.

• Near execution

  Arlong decides to execute Genzo for possessing a weapon, which he treats as rebellion; Usopp interferes.

• Rescue of Luffy

  Refuses other villagers' help to avoid drawing the fish-men into the fight and works to free Luffy from the trapping stone.

• Guardian of Nami's freedom

  Accepted Nami's decision to become a pirate, threatened Luffy to keep her smile safe, and resolved that the survivors should live wholeheartedly.

• Arlong (Other, Hostility)

  Arlong tried to execute Genzo for possessing a weapon.

• Nojiko (Colleague, Affinity)

  Agrees to let her join the rescue; they work together to free Luffy.

• Nami (Guardian, Affinity)

  Adoptive father figure who encouraged her to live as she wished, and who gave her a pinwheel to make her smile as a child.

• Luffy (Guardian, Mixed)

  Warned him that his crew must never take away Nami's smile; Luffy accepted the warning.

Nami

Straw Hat Pirates · Arlong Pirates · Arlong Pirates (surveyor) · navigator

A thief who targets pirates and steals sea charts; infiltrates Buggy's crew under a false pretext while secretly aiming to recover the chart and steal his treasure.

Bellemere's daughter who left the island to pursue her dream of charting the world's seas as a pirate.

• Ambition

  Aims to earn one hundred million berries for reasons she keeps secret.

• Motive

  Works for Arlong to earn 100 million berries for the village's freedom, and vows to earn it alone.

• Forced chart-making

  Was made by Arlong to produce sea charts over eight years, which he called his treasure.

• Departure from the island

  Left Cocoyasi with her companions and drew her own charts, after the villagers gained freedom.

• Luffy (Colleague, Affinity)

  Met Luffy after he defeated armed men; proposed a partnership, then declined his invitation to join his crew upon learning he was a pirate.

  Recruited as a crewmate by Luffy, who vowed to destroy Arlong and accepted her into the crew.

• Buggy (Hierarchy, Other, Hostility)

  Infiltrated Buggy's crew by claiming to have quarreled with her boss; privately plans to steal from him.

  Nami was attempting to leave with Buggy's treasure when he spotted her, and she restrained him with rope.

• Arlong (Hierarchy, Pact, Other, Hostility)

  Serves under Arlong as his officer and cartographer.

  Arlong forced her to produce sea charts and claims she is a comrade of the fish-men.

• Nojiko (Family, Affinity)

  Nojiko is her adopted sister.

  Older sister; shares a tattoo-marked past and a close bond as Bellemere's daughters.

• Usopp (Other, Hostility)

  Threatened to eliminate Usopp because his companions could ruin her work, and Usopp accused her of deceiving Luffy.

• Bell-mère (Family, Guardian, Mixed)

  Adoptive mother with whom Nami quarrelled before running away from home; Bell-mère later prepared her favorite meal to make up for it.

• Genzo (Guardian, Affinity)

  Adoptive father figure who accepted her pirate path and encouraged her to live freely.

Nojiko

Cocoyasi Village · Village

A human resident who rescues Usopp by diverting an Arlong Pirate away.

Bellemere's daughter who stayed on Cocoyasi Village after the liberation.

• Rescue of Usopp

  Intervenes when a revealed Arlong Pirate attempts to capture Usopp, diverting the pirate away.

• Accusation against Arlong

  Asserted that Arlong allied with the Marines and deceived Nami for eight years.

• Rescue mission

  Insists on joining Genzo's rescue of Luffy and later tries to help him expel water.

• Village life

  Pointed out Luffy as the one who defeated Arlong, and bid her sister farewell at departure.

• Nami (Family, Affinity)

  Nami is her adopted sister.

  Older sister who stayed behind while Nami left to pursue her dream; they share a close bond.

• Bell-mère (Family, Guardian, Affinity)

  Adoptive mother who raised her and Nami on a low income.

• Genzo (Colleague, Guardian, Affinity)

  Accompanies Genzo on the rescue; Genzo agrees to her joining.

  Guardian figure who raised her alongside Nami after Bellemere's death.

World Memo

• Weapon possession treated as rebellion

  Under Arlong's rule, merely possessing a weapon is regarded as a form of rebellion.

• Fish-men species traits

  Fish-men originate from the Grand Line and live among residents of islands; they are described as far stronger than humans and able to breathe underwater.

  Fish-men breathe through gills underwater, so forcing air into their gills makes them suffer when they are submerged.

• Fish-men innate superiority belief

  Arlong asserts that fish-men are born superior to humans, citing his ability to kill humans without touching them with a little water as proof.

Battle Record

The fight reached its conclusion at the top floor of Arlong Park: the exchanged attacks brought the building down and the villagers celebrated the fall.

Usopp vs Chew at the village

Village duel · Episode 40

Location: Cocoyasi Village

Trigger: Chew assumed his water shot had killed Usopp

Combatants

• Straw Hat side — fighter: Usopp
• Arlong side — fighter: Chew

Outcome: Chew beaten by Usopp

Zoro's victory over Hatchan

Duel concluded · Episode 39

Location: Arlong's stronghold

Trigger: Zoro's fight with Hatchan

Zoro against Hatchan

• Zoro's side — fighter: Zoro
• Hatchan's side — fighter: Hatchan

Outcome: Zoro declared his side the winner.

Aftermath

• Hatchan cried out
• Zoro's wounds were reopened

Arlong Park final clash

Luffy vs Arlong on the top floor · Episodes 31–43

Location: Arlong Park, top floor

Trigger: Luffy confronts Arlong over Nami being forced to draw sea charts for him

Straw Hat Pirates vs Arlong Pirates

• Straw Hat Pirates — attacker: Luffy
• Arlong Pirates — defender: Arlong

Outcome: Arlong Park collapsed during the exchange of attacks and the villagers celebrated the victory

Aftermath

• The villagers were urged to spread the news of Arlong Park's destruction across the island

Ability Table

Music Releases

• We Are! (OP)
• RUN! RUN! RUN! (ED)