 Although and welcome to the Grand Line, review your source for everything One Piece. Last week we embarked on a comprehensive journey to rank every completed arc in the series, managing to make it from the bottom of the barrel at number 30 to the quite respectable mid-range number 16. And this week we will be capping off this adventure by delivering the top 15 arcs in One Piece. Number 15.5 The Sea Train. Alright, before we get into things proper, I want to highlight this segment of the story which isn't technically an arc of its own, but I did treat it as such in my review series, so here we are. The Sea Train is a fast-paced action sequence featuring these straw hats in pursuit of Nico Robin and I love pretty much everything about it, including the creativity shown by Oda being able to tell an effective story in such a physically tight space rather than an expansive island. The folk is given to Sanji, Frankie and Usopp and being able to inject some fine comedic villains into what is a very dark portion of the story overall. Essentially it did a perfect job of transitioning between two rather huge arcs, managing to keep up a solid pace and the fact that this is such a brilliantly done transition is probably why we have trouble distinguishing it from water seven or any lobby. But in my opinion, the Sea Train is a wonderfully crafted part of the series that absolutely deserves an individual focus, so here we are. Number 15. Baratier. Here at proper number 15, we have an arc that I would identify as the first real turning point in the series. Baratier served as an expansion of the world in several different ways, but primarily and most obviously through the presence of Drake Hill Me Hawk. This individual was a huge awakening for both the characters and the audience and gave us a taste of just how far we would have to go in order to achieve Luffy and Zoro's dreams. The setting of a floating restaurant was also refreshing, given that the formula thus far had been pretty much exclusively simple generic islands. Baratier is actually the first arc I recall where the location could be considered a character of its own, and it led to a lot of unique explorations and still to this day, one of the only sea battles we've ever had in regards to Luffy versus Don Krieg. The only criticism I really have is that Krieg was a bit of a weak antagonist, but I did enjoy his stark contrast to Luffy, Krieg being a person who believes in superior weapons crew numbers and general tricks of the trade, going up against a boy who has nothing but raw determination, and his fists, plenty of fists right in Krieg's face. The story of Sanji and Zeph was also brilliant and touching as per usual with the flashback, and Sanji ended up feeling like a very well-earned member of the crew. So yeah, there's not much else to say, except that Baratier was one hell of a fine arc. Number 14, Jaya. Here we have what I think is a very underrated little arc amongst the fanbases a whole, which I can sort of understand because its primary purpose is to provide a prologue for the arc immediately after it. But on the way, it just does so, so, so much more than that. Jaya lays the seed for the huge meta narrative of One Piece by giving us our first real glimpse at characters such as Dolph Lamingo, Bartholomew Kuma, and Sengoku, as well as formally introducing one of the most intriguing characters in the story, Marshall D. Teach. As a result, Jaya to me has quite a sinister atmosphere about it, especially in retrospect when you realize just how much danger the straw hats were in in regards to Blackbeard. Of course, we can't ignore Bellamy and one of the single most satisfying punches we've ever seen in the history of media, plus I love that the majority of the action takes place at night, something that rarely happens in One Piece, and it really adds that nice unique versatility, particularly in the anime where they were able to experiment with light and colour very effectively. So well done, Jaya. Well done. Number 13, Skypeer. Moving on chronologically for the first time in this ranking, we now have the controversial Skypeer. This arc gets an awful lot of complaints due to its length and relevance to the story as a whole, and I for one think that that is almost entirely undeserved. Almost. Skypeer is a glorious adventure on an entirely foreign and creatively constructed landscape that frequently delivers aesthetic treats, the likes of which we have never seen and probably will never see again. The villains are disappointing as a whole, but NL is a fantastic character with an absurdly powerful ability who commands a truly terrifying presence up until his fight with Luffy. But the true beauty of this arc is what it does for the world as a whole. The advent of Sky Islands and technology introduced an entirely new dimension, one that has contributed to the series greatly going forward. Without Skypeer, this world would feel incredibly flat, and I enjoyed that we were able to access a part of the planet that was untouched by pirates, marines or revolutionaries. It was a true adventure into the unknown and a very worthwhile entry into the series. Number 12, Dressroser. Alright, here's another arc that people seem to either love or hate and I personally tend to be in the former camp. Dressroser is not an arc that can be summarized in the time I have here, but I love the complex amount of story it attempts to tell with a ridiculous amount of characters. But as a result of the ambition put into Dressroser, it does have the negative aspect of becoming quite bloated and turning into by far the longest arc in the series. Although I would say this was felt especially hard in the anime, which took every moment it could to extend this already naturally lengthy arc. In essence, Dressroser is probably the best example of a high-risk high-reward arc in One Piece. When it hits, it does so marvelously. But there are several occasions where the arc misses the mark and that is just the nature of risk-taking. I for one believe that most of the risks taken in this arc paid off quite wonderfully and that Dressroser is a huge evolution in regards to the general storytelling of the series. Number 11, The Reverie. For those of you who aren't manga readers, I'm not going to get into spoilers and I'll be trying to talk in very general terms, but there are really only two words that can describe the most recent and one of the shortest arcs in the series, pure hype. The Reverie was the coming together of the One Piece world on a scale we have never seen before. All the work put into the last two decades of storytelling was on full display and it certainly did not disappoint us in regards to revelations regarding the world. Every chapter, in fact every panel of this arc, had my complete laser-like focus. Really, the biggest shame of The Reverie was how short lived it was, but at the same time it left us with plenty to mull over in the background as we embark on our journey into Wano. Number 10, Water 7. Cracking the top 10, we have probably one of the darkest and most well-written arcs in the series. Water 7 brought an entirely new tone to One Piece, one that previously I would have thought wouldn't quite suit the style of the series, but Oda pulled it off masterfully. This arc brings a much needed personal focus onto the straw hats and involves some gritty internal conflict, resulting in two members of the crew leaving by the end of the arc. But one of the most notable aspects of Water 7 is that in my opinion it is the first arc to do the character of Usopp any justice whatsoever. He was probably the character I enjoyed following most during this arc, and seeing him take a stand for his beliefs no matter how impractical they were was quite touching. And that feeling extends to the rest of the crew as well, who were thrown into a true crisis. Watching them deal with the events of Water 7 humanize the straw hats and gave them a lot of relatable depth, not usually present in a shonen manga. Add that to the beautiful location intriguing side characters and the underlying layer of mystery in regards to Robin and CP9, and what you have is a truly captivating arc. 9. Impel Down So you'd think an arc set entirely within a hellish prison would be pretty dark, but in reality Impel Down is one of the funniest and generally enjoyable portions of One Piece, and it primarily achieves this by giving us the greatest hits of past One Piece villains, many of whom have their comedic aspect significantly amped up. The prison itself is quite a surreal location as are the characters who inhabit it, some of the more bizarre antagonists we've ever come across actually, and overall it presents a really unique flavour to this ever-expanding world. But Impel Down is a wildly successful arc to me because it takes a fairly typical jailbreak plot and throws it into a gigantic bucket of One Piece chaos. It is 100% pure enjoyment from beginning to end. 8. Sabotee Archipelago Yeah look, I didn't pronounce it properly, get over it. But this arc is probably one of the most unexpected gems to have ever occurred in the series. It packs quite a bit into such a teeny amount of time, introducing us to the supernovus Admiral Kizaru, Celestial Dragons, weird kuma robots, and this guy. As well as the first true defeat of the straw hat pirates. Yeah, look this arc has an awful lot of strong material going for it, and the fact that it is so condensed makes every individual chapter feel impactful, quite similar to arcs like The Reverie actually. But Sabotee also manages to tell its own story and reach a level of emotional depth that was completely unexpected for this point in the series. Plus it's pretty hard to ignore another of the greatest punches in media in regards to Saint Charles. Glorious stuff, Sabotee. Glorious stuff. 7. Return to Sabotee And here we are again. This arc is actually even shorter than the original Sabotee arc, but it is just as if not more enjoyable. I'm going to say more actually since it's further down on the list. Although we have no supernovus or marine admirals here, but being the first post-times skip arc, what this piece of story has to offer is the phenomenal reintroduction of the straw hat pirates. Even though we've been following the post-times skip events for almost a decade now, seeing the straw hats reunite and show off their new designs here manages to make me every bit as excited as when it was first published in Weekly Shonen Jump. Although I shouldn't understate that because reading this arc weekly was probably the most monumental event that has ever happened in the history of the series. A complete rehaul of everything we knew and loved in the best way possible to expand upon and take these characters into the future. I have nothing but love for this arc, even if you're here. But you know what, not even Karabuk can ruin this arc. That's just how good Return to Sabotee is. 6. Zo For an arc that I had absolutely no expectations for when I was originally going into it, I have to say that I was and continue to be blown away by Zo. We travel to one of the most beautiful and intriguing locations set on the back of a millennia-old elephant, exposing us to the mink tribe, the forces of Kaido, and the truly beautiful moment when Raizo is declared safe. In the context of the series, Zo was a much-needed break from an extraordinarily lengthy dress-rosa, but it also more than holds up as an arc to revisit on its own, because it just accomplishes so much. Managing to simultaneously set up conflicts with two of the four emperors, as well as flagging the eventual endgame of the series through the revelation of the road ponderglyphs. Plus it's one of the rare moments these days when we get to see almost all of the crew together in one place. So even though Zo didn't result in some huge conflict or world-shaking event, in my eyes it is a perfect arc. One that only the very best of the best in the series can top. 5. Alabaster When I think of classic one-piece, Alabaster is always the initial thought that comes to mind. This arc pioneered the now-accepted long-form segments of the story by rather ambitiously engaging in the task of telling the story of an intricate civil war on the desert island. But Alabaster was much more than that. It served as the climax for the entire first saga of the Grand Line, and delivered a spectacle of a conflict with one of the greatest villains in the series to date, Sir Crocodile. This was by far the most difficult challenge the straw hats as a whole had ever faced, and watching them step up and overcome impossible odds one by one was immensely satisfying. With the particular battles of Zoro versus Mr. One and Luffy versus Crocodile still immortalized as some of the most brilliant pieces of action ever produced in one piece, and I'd go so far as to say manga in general. Alabaster does have problems though, particularly in that it is a bit of a slow bone in the beginning, and the landscape of the desert nation certainly isn't the most intriguing we've ever seen, but the climax of the arc makes everything worth it. Number 4 Whole Cake Island Here we go, the most recent mega arc contributed to the series sweeps in for me at the number 4 spot, because it's just so damn good. Whole Cake Island takes every problem I had with the Dressroser arc, and addresses them by presenting an exceptionally more visually intriguing location, a superb cast of antagonists that not only match the protagonist but in this case completely exceed them and manages not to get bogged down and contrive story elements. Well, actually, there are a couple of exceptions in that last case, but as a whole it matters not. Most importantly, this arc delivered our first proper engagement with a Yonko, and I think it was handled pretty perfectly. In a lesser story, this arc would have ended with the straw hats defeating Big Mom, but in one piece, they get pretty damn decimated and end up barely escaping with their lives. This arc's notable flaws include the final 30 chapters or so, which amount to a chase scene that is far too long and… Charlotte pudding. But then we also have Luffy vs. Karakuri, so yeah, it's pretty damn well balanced. All in all, Whole Cake Island was some of the most fun I recall having while reading one piece in the entire New World era. Number 3 Arlong. Ugh, getting close to the top now. And here we have the crowning achievement of the East Blue Saga, the Arlong Arc. I've said this quite possibly a billion times on this channel, but this arc just does everything right to the location, the emotion, the fights. And probably more so than any final arc in a saga, it acts as a proper climax. With every straw hat thus far having their time to shine, resolving personal character arcs, reaffirming their dreams, or discovering new things about themselves. Arlong himself stands at the epitome of villainy with his sinister mixture of raw strength and a profoundly cruel nature. He may not seem like much in terms of power compared to the modern era, but Arlong still reigns as one of the most effective villains a series has ever known. All in all, this is the arc that made people sit up and take one piece seriously. Everything up until now was shown in 101, but the Arlong arc made it clear that this was no regular manga and continues to serve as a benchmark of quality almost 20 years after its publication. Number 2 Enise Lobby Now I hold a particular fondness for this arc because it was being serialized weekly when I caught up with the series. And as much as I loved it then, Enise Lobby has still retained every drop of its pure amazingness with age. This was the arc where the straw hats truly stepped up in the world by invading an enemy island and declaring war on the world government itself, all for the simple task of reclaiming one of their crewmates. This arc had little to no setup, it was go go go right from the beginning, and the ensuing chaos on the island of Enise Lobby is one of the most gratifying action sequences in, well, anything. Of course, that action only works because it has an incredible amount of emotion emanating from the central point of Robin, serving as its underlying base. Furthermore, CP9 served as fantastic villains a true ensemble of power that were seemingly impossible to overcome, which made it all the better as they fell one by one to a mere band of pirates. With that in mind, Enise Lobby is without a doubt one of the finest achievements in one piece, but the king of all arcs is still to come. Number 1 Marineford Here it is completely unchanged from the number one spot it held during my original Top 5 Best Arcs list. Marineford is such a unique existence because it is an arc that cannot possibly exist without an extraordinarily well-developed world. At its very core, Marineford is supported by 12 to 13 years of character and world-building work painstakingly put in by Oda. It is the reward reaped by readers for investing in that entire first half of the series, with every page holding superb action, magnificent character moments, and game-changing information, all beautifully contained within a golden age of one piece artwork. And while this might be kind of anticlimactic, that's really all I have to say. The Marineford period was one of the most exciting times to be reading the series, and it remains infinitely rereadable to this day. Absolutely 100% my favorite arc in the series, and a well-deserved number one spot. But that pretty much does it for the comprehensive one-piece arc ranking. This whole arc review series has been an absurdly enjoyable journey, and it's pretty bittersweet to conclude it for now. I mean, I suppose stay tuned for the 1-0 arc review coming in roughly two years, but for now, the next weekly channel series has been voted upon, and the winner was the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia. So next week we will be embarking on a journey that is going to take significantly longer than this, as we attempt to create a video encyclopedia of every Devil Fruit in the series. If you enjoyed this video, and this whole series actually, then please feel free to like, favorite, or subscribe. And if you are in any way inclined to support this independent channel, then also feel free to check out my Patreon to Discord server or Twitter, the links to which are in the handy description below. Finally, please do comment with your own arc rankings, and thank you all for joining me on this adventure through the series. This has been the Grand Line Review, and I'll see you next time.