First aired in 2005, “Water 7” is one of the lengthiest and most memorable arcs in One Piece. The fifteenth story arc of the series introduces some of the most important characters to date, as well as numerous events that completely shift the world of One Piece as we know it.
“Water 7” is an oceanic metropolis that serves as the grounds in the “Post-Ennies Lobby” arc, therefore making this island the stadium for a panoply of stories happening within this place. Considering the enormous length of One Piece, which has currently over 1000 episodes out, it may seem difficult to pinpoint exactly where this arc starts and what the most important events are. Fear not; here’s everything you need to know about One Piece’s “Water 7.”
Where does Water 7 start?
Following the “Long Ring Long Land” arc, “Water 7” starts on episode 229, lasting until episode 263, when the “Enies Lobby” arc starts. The arc begins with the Straw Hats arriving at this water-surrounded city, in dire need of help fixing the Going Merry, their beloved ship that was reaching its limit. This arc is filled to the brim with lore and irreplaceable characters that pave the way for the Straw Hats’ growth and development and everything else to come. In such an important arc, what are the most important events to keep note of?
The Straw Hats fight and Going Merry’s retirement
Although it isn’t necessarily news to see the Straw Hats disagreeing, or even fighting among themselves, there were never bad intentions behind those actions. That was until Luffy told Usopp to leave the crew. One of the most defining moments of trust in One Piece is led by Usopp, who wholeheartedly disagreed with Luffy’s decision to retire Merry. This prized caravel accompanied the crew from Syrup Village until “Water 7,” offering a home to the crew when it was most needed.
With a particularly special place in Usopp’s heart, as it served as a totem from his home city, and his friend, Kaya, the sniper from the Straw Hats does not accept the news of Merry’s retirement lightly. The decision, made by Luffy himself, immediately created tension among the crew, who all begrudgingly accepted Merry’s fate, with the exception of Usopp. This moment of hostility between the two Straw Hats caused Usopp to disrespect Luffy and go against his captain’s decision, an offense that is not taken lightly among pirates.
It ends up leading to Usopp leaving the crew momentarily, and even challenging Luffy for a duel, even though he had no chance of ever winning against his captain. Alongside the viewers, the crew had a terribly distressing time during the fight since they had to witness their friends fighting and hurting. Although the relationship among the crew is eventually fixed in due time, with lots of comedy attached, this fight is still something no One Piece fan ever wants to see happening again.
The introduction of Franky Family, Water 7’s outcasts
An entire troop of new characters was introduced during “Water 7,” but a few of the most important included the entire Franky Family. Led by the head of the family, Franky the cyborg, this is a group consisting of at least 50 ship dismantlers and bounty hunters that seemingly terrorize the city of Water 7. They are introduced as the antagonists of the arc, although, as time would tell, they actually are a nice group of people with good intentions, in spite of being considered the outcasts of Water 7. As proof of their good nature, the Franky family also protect Water 7 from looters and sometimes pirates by acting as bounty hunters.
This group of people has one very specific flaw: they cannot save money. Although they dismantle ships to sell parts in the underworld, no one can ever save up enough money, meaning they are always completely bankrupt. This sometimes leads them to actually steal money from others, including the one and only Usopp, who was carrying part of the money to be used in fixing Going Merry. This would lead the Straw Hats to go after their sniper and obliterate the Franky house.
Franky’s heartbreaking backstory is also introduced in the arc. It is revealed that he is not only an extremely talented and wacky shipwright, but he was Tom’s pupil, the shipwright who held Pluton’s blueprints. Eventually, Franky would join the Straw Hats in Ennies Lobby to rescue Robin, officially accompanying the Straw Hats in their adventure as their shipwright at the end of that same arc.
The first glimpse into Cipher Pol Number 9
CP9, or Cipher Pol Number 9, is a secret World Government formed by people who are able to use Rokushiki, a superhuman martial arts technique. Unlike other Cipher Police groups, CP9 is actually in charge of specialized covert assassination, eliminating targets deemed a threat to the World Government. In this case, the concept of CP9 is first introduced in the “Water 7” arc, as the group is hidden among many shipwrights in Water 7, disguising themselves with the intention of retrieving the blueprints of the Ancient Weapon, Pluton, from Iceburg.
Introduced while working undercover among common workers in Water 7, CP9 would eventually finish the mission they were in charge of for 5 years. Upon noticing Robin in Water 7, they set their sights on the archeologist from the Straw Hats. Robin, completely perplexed and lost at the presence of this Cipher Pol branch, eventually agrees to help them retrieve the Ancient Weapons blueprints, just to keep the rest of her crew safe. The events surrounding this team would set the grounds for the “Ennies Lobby” arc.
Introduction of Pluton, the Ancient Weapon
One Piece is absolutely packed with extremely complex lore and mysteries, one of them being the Ancient Weapons. As the main reason why the World Government won’t allow any research in the Void Century, the Ancient Weapons came into existence as tools capable of mass destruction. Known as Pluton, Poseidon, and Uranus, it wasn’t until the Straw Hats reached Water 7 that more information about the Ancient Weapon Pluton would be disclosed.
Pluton is finally introduced as an ancient battleship built in Water 7 sometime during the Void Century. For decades to come, the blueprints would be passed from shipwright to shipwright, in constant fear of it falling into the wrong hands. In the arc, it was also revealed that the shipwright to have the blueprints in the main events was Tom, a fish-man who was also Franky and Iceburg’s mentor. The blueprints would be passed onto his oldest pupil, Iceburg, who would eventually give them to Franky, known as Cutty Flam at the time. Even after his apprehension by the World Government, Franky always kept the blueprints well-hidden inside his cyborg body, refusing to share them with anyone. Franky would eventually burn the blueprints, not revealing whether or not he memorized how to build another Pluton.
Bits and pieces of information regarding Pluton’s whereabouts would eventually be revealed in upcoming arcs. However, there is still plenty of information regarding the Ancient Weapons that have yet to be disclosed, namely Uranus, the third weapon that is still a mystery in One Piece.