Summary
- The arcs in One Piece's post-timeskip era have produced some of the most incredible and intense storylines in the series.
- Each arc introduces new characters and reveals important lore that adds depth to the world of One Piece.
- The main villains in these arcs, such as Doflamingo, Big Mom, and Kaido, bring excitement and challenges for the Straw Hat Pirates to overcome.
One Piece's first half wrapped up with some of the most incredible arcs one after the other as Oda went all out with the likes of Impel Down, Marineford, and the post-Marineford arc. With a whole new adventure to the New World starting after the two-year timeskip, the intensity of One Piece's arcs might have gone down a bit, however, the storytelling and the worldbuilding have become that much more interesting.
Although there is much more to come from post-timeskip One Piece, this era has already produced some of the most incredible arcs in the entire series.
Updated on September 27, 2023, by Rei Penber: The post-timeskip of One Piece has been incredibly exciting for the fans, especially since Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates finally headed into the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. Sailing this sea meant challenging the authority of the Yonko and facing off against the powerful Marine Admirals. Naturally, the arcs surrounding these events have been absolutely magnificent. With One Piece now in the Final Saga, more arcs have been added to the story and some others have been concluded. With that in mind, this list has now been updated.
9 Return To Sabaody Archipelago
The very first arc after the conclusion of the two-year timeskip, "Return to Sabaody Archipelago" sees the Straw Hat Pirates finally finish their training and, one by one, arrive at the archipelago where they promised to meet in 2 years and 3 days.
While the arc was quite short and lacked a deep story, watching the Straw Hats reunite after such a long period apart made "Return to Sabaody Archipelago" extremely special. Fans also get to see some of the new abilities that the crew learned during the timeskip, however, most of it is saved for what's to come later.
8 Punk Hazard
Punk Hazard is the first official island that the Straw Hat Pirates visit in the New World after leaving Fishman Island. The arc is pivotal to the story as it forms the basis for the Four Emperors Saga and sees Trafalgar Law join hands with Luffy to take down Emperor Kaido. "Punk Hazard" also sets up Doflamingo as the next major villain in the story.
To take Doflamingo down and, consequently, harm Kaido's SMILE business, defeating Caesar Clown is the goal of the arc. In doing so, fans get to learn much more about the likes of the Yonko and even Vegapunk and the Marines. Most importantly, "Punk Hazard" introduces the fans to Kozuki Momonosuke and Kin'emon, who go on to become major characters in the story.
Punk Hazard's Main Villain - Caesar
The Punk Hazard arc was actually a prelude to the Dressrosa arc. Both of these arcs belong to the same saga, meaning that the overarching villain of the arc was none other than Doflamingo.
However, fans know that Caesar Clown served as the main villain in this arc. He certainly proved to be an exciting villain and much of his contribution to the story came to the side of the science of the One Piece world. As a threat, Caesar was mostly toothless and was dealt with by Luffy with ease.
7 Dressrosa
"Dressrosa" is the second-biggest arc of One Piece and is mainly focused on Donquixote Doflamingo's kingdom. After leaving Punk Hazard, the Straw Hats' next goal is to destroy the SMILE factory and wait for Kaido to take Doflamingo down. Expectedly, nothing goes according to plan and Doflamingo manages to trick his way past them.
Establishing himself as the main antagonist of the arc, Doflamingo is eventually taken down by Luffy. "Dressrosa" also dives deep into the history of some Celestial Dragons. The likes of the Revolutionary Army make their move and Sabo is reintroduced to the story as well. Furthermore, fans get to see the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, which is a key plot point in the future of the story.
Dressrosa's Main Villain – Doflamingo
The Dressrosa arc is certainly one that splits opinion in the fans when it comes to the quality. However, all fans can unanimously agree that the villain of the arc, Doflamingo is certainly one of the very best in One Piece, if not the best.
Doflamingo proved to be quite a challenge for Luffy to deal with. Everything about his character, from his charisma to the incredible evil woven into him elevated the arc to great heights. Doflamingo was certainly the best part of the arc, along with the backstory of Trafalgar Law.
6 Zou
Zou is quite a short arc by One Piece standards but it is packed to the brim with information and lore about the story's world. The arc sees Sanji lead the Curly Hat Pirates to Zou, setting up events for Whole Cake Island with the cook's kidnapping. Meanwhile, Kaido makes his presence known through Jack the Drought, who destroys Zou all alone.
With the eventual arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates on the island, fans get to see the incredible bond between the Minks and the Kozuki clan. In the Whale Tree, the truth about the Road Poneglyphs is finally revealed and the formation of the Pirate-Ninja-Mink-Samurai alliance takes place in order to avenge Oden, free Wano, and defeat Kaido.
Zou's Main Villain – Jack
With the beginning of the Zou arc, attention started being turned towards Kaido. This only meant that his crew would start making moves and they did so with this arc. One of Kaido's three right-hand men, Jack the Drought, was introduced to the fans in this arc.
He waged war on the Mink Tribe and fought for 5 days and 5 nights continuously. Although he was being defeated, he ended up relying on poison gas, using which he crippled the entirety of the race. He then punished them for hiding Raizo. Jack proved to be a very merciless villain, however, it is through his mercilessness that the loyalty of the minks got to shine.
5 Reverie
One of the shortest arcs in One Piece to date, "Reverie" covered the events of the world council meeting that took place shortly after the events of the "Whole Cake Island" arc. While the arc spanned just a few chapters, it covered some of the most important things in the story so far, ranging from the attack of the Revolutionary Army on the Celestial Dragons to the abolition of the Shichibukai system.
The arc also revealed the true villain of One Piece, named Im, and also showed glimpses of a giant Straw Hat in Mariejois. The chapters of the "Reverie" arc were, quite easily, some of the most incredible ones in the story.
Reverie's Main Villain
The Reverie arc did not really have a main villain. However, fans were introduced to some very intriguing characters. The likes of the Five Elders are the overarching villains of One Piece so they certainly count as the main villains of this arc.
However, that title would certainly go to Imu, who was revealed to be the sovereign of the world in this particular arc.
4 Fishman Island
"Fishman Island" is the very first major arc after the two-year timeskip and is often quite underrated by fans. While it is true that the arc doesn't have the best action in the series, it throws focus on every single Straw Hat after quite a long time of separation.
More importantly, the arc delves into the lore of Joy Boy and covers prevalent issues in the One Piece world, such as racism. By hinting at major details about the endgame of One Piece, "Fishman Island" establishes itself as a brilliantly written arc and is quite easily one of the very best that Oda has worked on.
Fishman Island Main Villain – Hody Jones
When it comes to the Fishman Island arc, fans know that the main villain was none other than Hody Jones. He followed the ideology of Arlong, however, he took things a step beyond by hating humans for doing absolutely nothing. He wanted to burn down all bridges between the two races and was simply a product of hatred.
3 Egghead Island
Egghead Island marks the beginning of the Final Saga of One Piece and it is certainly an exciting arc that follows Wano after the fall of Emperors Big Mom and Kaido, much to the surprise of the fans. In this arc, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates sail to the island of the future, Egghead.
Vegapunk is introduced to the fans in this arc and his genius creations, as well as lore connected to the Void Century, are revealed. This arc also sees the Straw Hat Pirates make great strides as they choose to defend Vegapunk from the World Government and, in doing so, end up fighting in the Egghead War, against a marine fleet of 30,000 soldiers, led by powerful figures.
Egghead Island's Main Villain – Kizaru And Saturn
When it comes to the main villains of Egghead Island, fans know that Kizaru and Saturn take the crown. Admiral Kizaru leads the Navy fleet of 30,000 soldiers in this arc and he ends up fighting against Luffy. This fight is incredibly exciting for the fans to witness.
At the same time, one of the Five Elders, Jaygarcia Saturn is also on the island. He is also a major antagonist in One Piece and is going to play a role in Egghead Island as well. Together, these two form the major obstacles for the Straw Hat Pirates on Egghead Island.
2 Whole Cake Island
Following Sanji's kidnapping, Luffy took a part of his crew to Whole Cake Island in order to get him back and ran into all sorts of trouble. With conflict brewing between Sanji and his family, along with Big Mom attempting a massacre, "Whole Cake Island" is an incredibly intense arc.
Luffy's fight against Sanji is one of the arc's greatest moments and makes his return even sweeter. The second half of the arc is focused on taking down Big Mom, however, the Yonko instead strikes back, leading to a massive war between Luffy's group and the Big Mom Pirates.
Whole Cake Island Main Villain – Big Mom
The Whole Cake Island arc so the Straw Hat Pirates go to the territory of the Yonko, Big Mom.
The goal was to retrieve Sanji and while they succeeded in doing that, they ended up making an enemy out of Big Mom. She served as the main villain of the arc and her son, Katakuri, also played some part.
1 Wano Country
Without a doubt, the Wano Country arc is the best that Oda has produced after the time-skip and possibly in the entirety of One Piece. The arc is the culmination of everything that the Straw Hats have done since entering the New World and ties all the plot threads in an incredible fashion.
It sees Luffy and his alliance finally take on Kaido and Big Mom to finally reach the greatest levels in the world of piracy. Meanwhile, other incredible factors of the arc, such as the state of Wano and the importance of Oden, along with the presence of Roger in the flashback cements it as the greatest One Piece arc after the timeskip quite easily.
Wano's Main Villain – Kaido
Undoubtedly, the biggest villain in the Wano arc is none other than Kaido. Fans knew him to be an incredibly powerful pirate, likely the strongest in the entire world at the time. Luffy ended up fighting against Kaido to liberate the country of his friends.
In the end, Luffy tapped into the powers of Gear 5 and surpassed all his limits to finally put down the Yonko for good.