In Season 1, Episode 2 of the Netflix series One Piece, titled “The Man In The Straw Hat,” the narrative continues the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy), Nami (Emily Rudd), and Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu). In a flashback, a young Luffy (Colton Osaria) practices his rubber Gomu Gomu No Mi powers, much to the annoyance of Makino (Kathleen Stephens), as he practices on the furniture in her bar. Makino imparts her knowledge of Devil Fruits, including the one Luffy consumed, cautioning that they strip users of their ability to swim in the sea. Later, Shanks and his crew visit the bar to finalize the supplies they purchased from Makino. Shanks informs Luffy that he and his crew, the Red-Haired Pirates, will soon embark on their journey across the sea, leaving Luffy saddened. Shortly afterward, a gang of bandits kidnaps Luffy, with their leader intending to sacrifice him to a Sea King. Shanks intervenes, rescuing Luffy from the bandit leader and the Sea King but sacrificing his left arm to the hungry sea creature. After returning to the town and before leaving with his crew to the sea, Shanks entrusts Luffy with his straw hat and encourages the kid to become a great pirate.
In the present, Luffy observes as Nami unlocks the safe to retrieve the Grand Line Map. While Luffy analyzes the map, he admits to not knowing the location of the Grand Line, much to Nami’s irritation. Luffy’s idiocy leads to a brief lecture from Nami about the world’s Four Blues, the Red Line, and the Grand Line. Before the lecture concludes, the Buggy Pirates release sleeping gases, incapacitating the trio. Despite this, Luffy stayed conscious long enough to conceal the map within his body.
The Buggy Pirates transport the trio to Buggy (Jeff Ward), who has set up a circus tent in Orange Town. Surprisingly, Buggy reveals that he was formerly an apprentice on the same pirate crew as Shanks and recognizes Luffy’s straw hat as Shanks’ former possession. Buggy demands the Grand Line map, but the trio adamantly refuses. In response, the clown captain orders Cabaji, one of his crew members, to execute Zoro. The pirates imprison Nami in a cage, and Luffy is imprisoned in a water tank unless they surrender the map. The trio manages to escape their captivity and fights with Buggy and his entire crew.
During the fight, Buggy unveils that he is a Devil Fruit user who consumed the Chop-Chop Fruit, allowing him to separate his body into multiple pieces, making him immune to sword slashes. Despite the challenge, the trio defeats Buggy by confining his dismembered body parts in separate treasure boxes before Luffy punches Buggy’s head, hands, and feet out of the circus tent.
Meanwhile, in Shells Town, Vice Admiral Garp arrives to investigate the events at the Marine 153rd Branch, led by Marine Captain Axe Hand Morgan (Langley Kirkwood). With the assistance of Koby (Morgan Davies), Garp arrests Morgan for corruption and recruits Koby, Helmeppo (Aidan Scott), and a squadron of new Marine cadets in Shells Town to join him in pursuing Luffy and training them into exemplary Marines.
Buggy The Clown
In One Piece Season 1, Episode 2, Director Mar Jobst, Writer Ian Stokes, and the legendary Eiichiro Oda delivered another outstanding episode, introducing some alterations to the original “Orange Town” arc in the One Piece manga.
Regarding Buggy’s significance to the One Piece story, it’s important to note that Buggy was a member of the Roger Pirates, the crew led by Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. Buggy’s connection with Shanks stems from growing up as the two were apprentices on the Roger Pirates. The straw hat that Luffy wears used to be owned by Roger, who gave it to Shanks, carrying immense sentimental value. Buggy’s recognition of the hat is a poignant reminder of Luffy’s connection to the legendary pirates and sets the stage for future revelations in the series.
Regarding the adaptation by Netflix, the “Orange Town” arc underwent a noticeable change in setting. In the original manga, the events unfolded in the town, but the Netflix adaptation chose to situate the entire plot within a circus tent. This change likely aimed to make the episode memorable, adding a distinctive visual flair to the arc and providing a unique atmosphere to the storyline. While it deviates from the source material regarding the location, such adaptations aim to bring a fresh perspective to the narrative, keeping both new and existing audiences engaged in the world of One Piece.
Rating: 9/10