Marineford – One Piece
Although the two-year time skip is probably one of the biggest plot points in One Piece, it doesn’t do a lot to change the overall plot; the characters really just get an appearance change and a huge power boost.
Even though the straw-hat pirates declare war on the world government in the Enies Lobby arc, it isn’t until Marineford that their actions really start to have consequences. So much happens in the arc that it’s impossible just to nail down one event.
A lot is revealed in this arc, including the fact that Ace is actually the son of the former pirate king, Gol D. Roger. Ace is later killed along with his adopted father, Whitebeard, which are the first major character deaths in the series (a series in which death is surprisingly not common).
Whitebeard’s earthquake devil fruit is stolen by Blackbeard (the names in this show aren’t super creative, okay?) through unknown methods and Blackbeard becomes the first and only person to have two devil fruit powers.
The will of D, a huge mystery surrounding many main and secondary characters in the One Piece universe, is heavily mentioned and brought to the viewer’s attention for the first major time.
And with his dying breath, Whitebeard tells the world that the One Piece is in fact, real.
Although it’s pretty obvious from a viewer’s point of view that the One Piece is real, it’s easy to forget that in the world of One Piece, it’s just a legend with barely any proof to back it up.
From this point, One Piece becomes a much more serious and plot-oriented show that becomes a lot more lore heavy. Even as the show grows closer to one thousand episodes, the events of Marineford are still felt.
Check out our review for One Piece Pirate Warriors 4!
