One Piece is one of the longest-running manga series of all time. It started serializing in 1997, and it has released over a thousand chapters since. With an astounding number of chapters, One Piece has several sagas, each focusing on a different adventure of Luffy and his crew. So far, there have been a total of 11 sagas, and all of them are filled with quality content. These sagas are divided into smaller story arcs.
Obviously, there is a difference in the popularity of every arc, with some being a lot more popular than others. Out of all the main arcs, one particular One Piece arc has attracted unwanted hatred from the fans. The arc is none other than the Fish-Man Island arc. Just like any other arc, it has its highs and lows, but why does it get extra hate?
The First Big Arc After The Time Skip
After being separated by Bartholomew Kuma, the Straw Hats trained for two years to get stronger. As they met up on Sabaody, there was a great deal of excitement within the fanbase about the next destination of the crew. To get into the New World, they had to make a stop at Fish-Man Island, which was a territory of Big Mom. The island was at the bottom of the sea, and it looked stunning. Once the Straw Hats landed, fans were able to see the different types of Fish-Men living on the island.
The Fish-Man Island arc was the first major post-time skip arc, which led to high expectations. Some fans already disliked the idea of a time skip, so the Fish-Man Island arc was doomed from the start. There were many new revelations, such as Haki and its different types, one of the Ancient Weapons, etc., and some readers had trouble adjusting to all these things at once. The problem increased further when the main villain of the arc, Hody Jones, was introduced.
What Were The Problems?
There were a few question marks about Hody Jones and his crew. Firstly, none of them looked strong. Zoro managing to slice Hody underwater was the first implication. Secondly, the villains didn't have any fancy goals. Unlike the previous villains, Hody Jones did not have any lofty ambitions. Finally, they were all extremely bigoted, and obviously, no one wanted to see such characters. However, all these so-called issues were actually brilliant plot devices used by Oda to help him progress the story and tackle one of the biggest issues in the world of One Piece— racism.
Why Hody Jones Was A Good Villain
Hody Jones did not have any overpowered abilities, and it was quite apparent that Luffy would destroy him in a regular fight. To make things worse, Hody Jones was a racist who despised humans. However, he had a fitting backstory that revealed how he became a racist. He grew up in a place where all the people openly despised humans, and as a kid, he didn't know any better. Hody Jones was an ardent follower of Arlong's ideas, and he instilled those beliefs within his crew. He believed that humans were pathetic and weak, and that they could never be forgiven for what they did to Fisher Tiger.
Hody Jones and his crew tried everything to ensure that humans and Fish-Men would never be at peace together. He went as far as killing Otohime to make sure the hostility between the two groups prevailed. Oda decided to show how prevalent racism is in the world of One Piece, and Hody Jones was the perfect medium. Oda used Hody to demonstrate how far people filled with hatred are willing to go. Hody Jones risked his life by using Energy Steroids just to make sure that his ideas of hatred would prevail. Also, the argument about the villains being weak is flawed. The New Fish-Man Pirates were created to show the dangers of radical ideology and to allow the Straw Hats to showcase what they had learned during the time skip. Pitting them against super-strong opponents straight away would not have been a wise idea.
Many Iconic Moments
The Fish-Man Island arc has many special moments, which continue to live in the memories of fans. The scene where Luffy takes out 25,000 Fish-Men with his Conqueror's Haki will forever be iconic. There was another beautiful moment toward the end of the arc when Jimbei gave his blood to Luffy, which was a big slap to all the racists on the island. Another reason why the moment was so great was that it was a parallel to the Fisher Tiger, and his death, who died because he refused to use human blood.
Jimbei also had another brilliant moment with Nami, where he apologized to her for everything that Arlong had done to Cocoyashi Village and to Bell-mere. Nami accepted Jimbei's apology, which was quite heartwarming to see. Joyboy's name was also mentioned for the first time in the story. The revelation about Shirahoshi being Poseidon, an Ancient Weapon was also extremely significant. Fans got a glimpse of what she was capable of doing, and how she could play a crucial role in the future. However, the arc truly peaked during the flashback of Fisher Tiger, which covered his journey and his untimely end. Overall, the Fish-Man Island arc was very solid in terms of writing. Hopefully, fans will see the light and recognize the significance of the arc, and they will stop criticizing it for the lack of strong villains.