RELATED: One Piece: Most Confusing Things In The Wano Arc
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.
8 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.
7 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.
6 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.
5 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.
RELATED: How One Piece Does A War Arc Right With Marineford
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.
4 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.
RELATED: One Piece: Best Powers Zoro Displayed In Wano
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.
3 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.
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.
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.
MORE: One Piece’s Most Dangerous Villain Has A Terrifying Ability
