This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
Summary
The East Blue 5 is quite easily the most popular group within the Strawhat Pirates inOne Piece. Essentially, the East Blue 5 refers to five characters who hail from the East Blue, which includes the captain of the Strawhat Pirates, Luffy, the first member of the crew; Zoro, the navigator of the crew; Nami, the sniper Usopp; and the cook of the ship, Sanji. These are the only five individuals who hail from the East Blue and they were essentially the core of the Straw Hat Pirates heading into the Grand Line.
Of course, the Straw Hats were joined by many other intriguing individuals, like Chopper, Robin, and of course, later down the line, Franky, Brook, and Jinbe as well. However, the East Blue 5 are special in many ways and, in the eyes of Oda, are likely to receive more shine than the others. It appearsthat in the Elbaf Arc, the East Blue Five is going to be even more special, and that Oda has massive plans for them going forward.
How The East Blue 5 Form The Core Of One Piece
The East Blue 5 form the core ofOne Piecein many ways. Naturally, this group includes the captain of the Strawhat Pirates and the protagonist of the series, Luffy. Luffy is the person who starts everything in One Piece by consuming the Gomu Gomu no Mi and, later, setting sail to create his own pirate crew. He comes across Zoro, who is another part of the East Blue 5, and, quite easily, one of the major characters that Oda loves to drive the plot forward using. Zoro has his own goal of being the world’s greatest swordsman, however, at the same time, he also wants to help Luffy become the Pirates King. In many ways, Zoro’s desire to make Luffy the Pirate King is even greater than his own desire to be the world’s greatest swordsman, which is, in simple words, self-sacrifice.
Let’s go! To the Grand Line! – The East Blue 5
Then, there is Nami, who wants to draw the map of the entire world, which is directly connected to Luffy’s dream of claiming the One Piece. Nami also wants to make Luffy the Pirate King, just like every other member of the Straw Hat Pirates. She is, in many ways, the heroine of the series, which sets her apart from many other characters of the crew. Usopp is certainly an interesting addition, and while he might not be strong like Luffy and Zoro, he represents normal humans, just like Nami. Through Usopp, Oda often plays with the ideas of bravery, loyalty, and, of course in the midst of battle, wit and keen intellect. In terms of dreams, however, Usopp wants to be a Brave Warrior of the Sea and overcome his own weakness. Usopp might not be directly connected to the One Piece, but his desireto make Luffy the Pirate Kingand fight for him by putting his life on the line despite being a coward is certainly an exciting dynamic that Oda has taken into consideration on many occasions.
Finally, there is Sanji. It can be said that out of all the other members of the East Blue 5, Sanji is the one who connects with Luffy the most in terms of dreams. Sanji wants to find the All Blue, which is a mysterious ocean where all the oceans in the world connect and fish from these oceans can be found. The All Blue is mysterious, and in many ways, this dream to find and locate this ocean is even more mysterious than claiming theOne Piece. Of course, claiming the One Piece will give a person more infamy, and at the same time, is bigger just by the magnitude of the history that it carries in regards to the Void Century, but in terms of enigma and mystery, the All Blue is even greater in the sense that no one has ever located it in centuries. Quite easily, one can come to the conclusion that the All Blue is directly related to the One Piece itself, and Sanji’s dream is connected to that of Luffy.
At the same time, Sanji serves as a chefof the Straw Hat Pirates, but even more than that, one of the Wings of the Pirate King without whom Luffy cannot fulfill his dream, as he claimed himself in the Whole Cake Island arc.
Oda’s Decision To Separate The East Blue 5 From The Rest Of The Crew
Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp Separated From The Others
At the beginning of the Elbaf arc, Oda decidedto split up the Strawhat Pirates. This wasn’t a surprise to any fan. Oda often splits up the pirate crew because it allows him to focus on specific groups more easily without having a massive group, where only some receive attention, and others are pushed to the background. It is also very difficult for any author to juggle multiple characters in the same location, which is why splitting them up and then focusing on them separately at different times is the better way to go. Oda often does this while thinking of interesting strategies that he has to employ to drive the plot forward in the way that he wants. Interestingly enough, Oda separated the East Blue 5 from the remaining members of the Straw Hat Pirates at the beginning of Elbaf.
What happened to us? Where is this place? – Nami
The East Blue 5 were found in the Big Stein Castle which was a giant structure within a Lego City at a mysterious place. There, the East Blue 5 fought against a giant cat and reassembled as a powerful force which was dead set on exploring this Lego City which they assumed to be in Elbaf. Later on, they reunited with Chopper, but the fact that it was just the East Blue 5 that Oda focused on in this particular segment of the story certainly meant that he was leaning towards giving these five special importance in this particular Arc.
In fact, inOne Piecechapter 1128, it was clear for the fans to see that Oda wanted to highlight the dynamics of the East Blue 5 in interesting ways. For instance, Luffy’s thirst for adventure, Usopp and Nami’s reluctance to let him explore, Sanji and Zoro’s bickering, and the former’s admiration for Nami were all focused on in exciting ways inOne Piecechapter 1128. It almost felt like Oda was trying to paint a similar picture to before the Straw Hat Pirates even entered the Grand Line. It is safe to say that Oda succeeded in creating a similar atmosphere, but, later down the line, these individuals broke out of the fake world created by the Sun God and found Chopper, who has now rejoined with them. Regardless, it is clear to see that Oda has interesting plans for the East Blue 5, which he will most definitely elaborate upon later down the line.
Fans know for a fact that Luffy is going to be key in Elbaf,given that he’s the Sun God, and a deity worshiped by the people of the country. Meanwhile, Zoro is one of the most important characters in every arc that he takes part in. Zoro and Luffy’s parallel of being the most combative members of the Strawhat Pirates is strong in the beginning phase of Elbaf. Sanji and Zoro together form the Wings of the Pirate King, and they are going to be the brawn and brain of Luffy at the same time, aiding him in this arc. They are certainly going to shine in exciting ways and reach higher levels of power.
Meanwhile, Usopp and Nami, the weaklingsof the Strawhat Pirates, will receive tremendous shine in this Arc. Usopp is tied to Elbaf deeply, and he is going to get closer to accomplishing his dream by becoming braver and, at the same time, stronger. Meanwhile, Nami, whose past is still a mystery, might actually end up with an interesting connection to the land of Elbaf, given that she is heavily inspired by Scandinavian concepts and Oda will absolutely not miss this opportunity to make her character even better. Clearly, the East Blue 5 is set up for an amazing arc in Elang and fans absolutely cannot wait to see what Oda does with them.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1128, is set to be July 10, 2025.
