ONE PIECE Episode 9 Recap & Characters (Spoiler-Free)

Episode Summary

The Honorable Liar? Captain Usopp!

Usopp invents a pirate attack alarm in his village, is exposed as a fraud, and Luffy and his crew arrive on the island. Usopp's bluff about commanding followers is exposed, and Luffy reveals he knows Usopp's father Yasopp. Usopp visits Kaya at the mansion, where the crew eventually confronts the caretaker to request a ship.

• False alarm and bluff exposed

  Usopp falsely raises a pirate alarm, is chased by villagers, and later claims eighty million followers, which Nami exposes as a bluff while the visitors detect his three followers.

• Luffy's connection to Yasopp

  Luffy identifies Yasopp as Usopp's father, recounting a childhood memory of Yasopp leaving the village because he could not resist the pirate life.

• Visit to Kaya at the mansion

  Usopp visits the sickly Kaya despite the caretaker's refusal, entertaining her with a tall tale about a giant goldfish, while the others come searching for him.

• Confrontation with the caretaker

  Luffy decides to ask Kaya for a large ship, despite Tamanegi's warning, and the caretaker interrupts to object to their entry into the mansion without permission.

Recent Timeline

• Luffy defeats Mohji and Richie and Boodle's home is bombarded (Episode 6)

  Luffy fought the lion Richie to protect the food at Chouchou's guarded shop, recovering the scraps after the rest had been eaten. Mohji reported to Buggy that Luffy, not Zoro, had defeated him, and the treasure Chouchou guarded could not be restored. Meanwhile Buggy's bombardment hit Boodle's home while Zoro slept inside, yet Zoro answered Luffy's call alive, showing the attack had not killed him.

• Nami takes the Grand Line map and Buggy pierces the straw hat (Episode 7)

  While Zoro fought Cabaji, Nami trespassed into the pub, knocked out a patrolling guard, took his key, and opened a treasure chest holding a map of the Grand Line. In his fight with Luffy, Buggy first damaged Luffy's straw hat and then pierced it with three knives, further enraging Luffy. Luffy explained the hat's significance, and Buggy revealed a strong grudge against Shanks.

• Buggy's past loss and the repelled townwide attack (Episode 8)

  Long ago, as an apprentice pirate beside Shanks, Buggy secretly kept a map to an undersea treasure and a Devil Fruit he meant to sell. When Shanks startled him he accidentally swallowed the Bara Bara Fruit, the wind blew the map overboard, and diving after it he found he could no longer swim, losing the treasure. Later Buggy split into pieces to seize his stolen treasure, but Luffy struck him down, Nami bound many of his parts with rope, and Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Bazooka blasted the weakened Buggy out of town. Nami gave Luffy the Grand Line map, kept the rest of the treasure, and agreed to sail with the crew for a time to earn Bellies. Returning townspeople wrongly blamed the crew, and Chouchou stopped the mob so the crew could escape to the pier. Luffy left the treasure to fund the town's repairs, to Nami's dismay.

• Usopp's false alarm and eighty million followers bluff (Episode 9)

  Usopp ran through the village warning of a pirate attack, then admitted he had invented the alarm, and fled the angry villagers who chased him. He later claimed to command eighty million followers, but Nami exposed the bluff, and when the visitors detected his three followers, Tamanegi called for a retreat. Both episodes show that Usopp's pirate bravado is hollow.

• Luffy identifies Yasopp as Usopp's father (Episode 9)

  Luffy identified Yasopp as Usopp's father, surprising Usopp, who confirmed the name. Luffy explained that he had met Yasopp as a child, when Yasopp sailed with Shanks's crew, and recognized the resemblance. This reveals that Usopp's father is a former pirate of Shanks's crew who left the village because he could not resist the sea.

Character Graph

Shanks

Red Hair Pirates

Pirate captain of the Red Hair Pirates who lived in Luffy's home village; lost his left arm rescuing Luffy from Higuma; entrusted his straw hat to Luffy before setting sail for the Grand Line.

• Luffy (Friend, Affinity)

  Befriended Luffy in childhood and is Luffy's idol; gave Luffy his straw hat to protect.

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

• Roronoa Zoro (Colleague, Affinity)

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

Roronoa Zoro (the pirate hunter)

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

Former pirate hunter who says he has given up the practice; fights Buggy's crew and is stabbed during the battle.

• 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.

• Buggy (Other, Hostility)

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

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.

• Shanks (Other, Colleague, Mixed)

  Holds a very strong grudge against Shanks and curses his name.

  Fellow apprentice in the same pirate crew; Shanks caught Buggy just as he was leaving with the fruit, causing him to accidentally eat it.

• 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.

Nami

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.

Took Buggy's treasure and restrained his body parts with a rope; agreed to sail temporarily with Luffy's crew.

• Ambition

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

• Luffy (Colleague, Neutral)

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

  Gave Luffy the Grand Line map and agreed to sail with the crew temporarily to acquire Bellies.

• 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.

Kaya

Sickly girl who lost both parents to illness a year earlier and withdrew into grief; her cheer has returned through Usopp's stories.

• Health

  Sickly, and her caretaker restricts visitors to protect her weak health.

• Usopp (Friend, Affinity)

  Friend who visits her and makes her laugh with invented adventures.

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.

Piiman

Child follower of Usopp who joined his group and explained that Usopp's stories make Kaya laugh.

• 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.

Tamanegi

Child follower of Usopp who brought news of a skull-marked ship and warned that the gatekeeper would block entry.

• Role

  Called for a retreat when the visitors detected Usopp's followers.

• Usopp (Hierarchy, Affinity)

  Follower of Usopp who brought him news of a skull-marked ship.

Usopp

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

• Tall tales

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

• Kaya (Friend, Affinity)

  Visits Kaya despite her caretaker's refusal and entertains her with stories.

• Yasopp (Family, Affinity)

  Son of Yasopp, who is proud of his father's willingness to risk his life at sea.

• Piiman (Hierarchy, Affinity)

  Follower who joins Usopp's group.

• Ninjin (Hierarchy, Affinity)

  Follower who joins Usopp's group.

• Tamanegi (Hierarchy, Affinity)

  Follower who brings Usopp news and joins his group.

Yasopp

Red Hair Pirates

Usopp's father, a sharpshooter in Shanks's crew who left the village because he could not resist the pirate life.

• Past

  Met Luffy as a child aboard Shanks's ship and repeatedly spoke of his son.

• Usopp (Family, Affinity)

  Father of Usopp who left the village to sail as a pirate.

• Shanks (Colleague, Neutral)

  Crewmate aboard Shanks's ship.

World Memo

• Town built from wasteland

  The townspeople built their community from wasteland forty years before the present events, and Boodle regards the town and its people as his treasure.

Battle Record

Buggy splits himself with Bara Bara Festival to seize Nami's treasure; Luffy intervenes and strikes him down, then Nami restrains his body parts with rope and Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Bazooka sends him out of town. The Buggy Pirates are repelled.

Zoro vs Buggy at Buggy's camp

Cannon standoff · Episode 5

Location: Buggy's camp, by the cannon

Trigger: Buggy ordered Nami to fire a Buggy Ball at the caged Luffy as proof of loyalty, and Zoro arrived to rescue them

Buggy Pirates vs Straw Hat trio

• Buggy Pirates — leader: Buggy / crew: Buggy's men
• Straw Hat trio — fighters: Roronoa Zoro, Luffy / ally: Nami

Outcome: Zoro turns the Buggy Ball cannon on Buggy's crew and Nami lights it; the blast scatters the pirates, and the wounded Zoro escapes with Nami, carrying Luffy in his cage.

Zoro vs Cabaji duel

Episode 7

Trigger: Cabaji offers to fight the group on Buggy's behalf

Sides

• Straw Hat group — duelist: Roronoa Zoro
• Buggy Pirates — duelist: Cabaji

Outcome: Cabaji defeated by Zoro's Oni Giri slash to the chest; Zoro collapses asleep on the ground

Aftermath

• Cabaji falls off his unicycle

Battle against the Buggy Pirates in Orange Town

Bara Bara split and rope restraint · Episodes 6–8

Location: Orange Town

Trigger: Buggy's assault on Orange Town, ending with his attempt to seize back the treasure Nami stole from him

Buggy vs Luffy and Nami

• Buggy Pirates — leader: Buggy
• Straw Hat crew — fighters: Luffy, Nami

Outcome: Buggy is sent flying out of town and the Buggy Pirates are repelled

Aftermath

• Nami gives Luffy the Grand Line map and keeps the rest of Buggy's treasure
• Citizens wrongly blame the group for the town's destruction
• Luffy leaves part of Buggy's treasure behind for the town's repairs, to Nami's dismay

Ability Table

Music Releases

• We Are! (OP)
• Memories (ED)