MANGA · STORY NOTES

One Piece, Volume 18

Volume 18 of One Piece. It follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hats, as he searches for the legendary treasure known as the "One Piece" to become the next King of the Pirates.

Description adapted from Wikipedia contributors, One Piece · CC BY-SA 4.0. Text adapted for this entry.

VIZ Media

FULL SPOILERS AHEAD

The story, including the ending.

These write-ups discuss major events and outcomes for this listed work. Each source and its coverage are identified below.

Complete story — includes the ending

Chapter 156
Five days after leaving Drum Island, the stock of food is shrinking. While crossing a smoke steam made by undersea volcanoes, Luffy and Usopp find an okama dressed like a swan. After saving him from drowning, he reveals that he ate a Devil Fruit. Making a show with his ability to imitate anybody he touches, the Okama strikes up an immediate friendship with the trio of Usopp, Chopper and Luffy. However, their encounter is cut short when the Okama's crew arrives to retrieve their captain. Leaving the Merry, he makes a promise of eternal friendship but, as his men greet him, his name is revealed to be Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. Understanding that they have met with an enemy, now able to usurp their identity, the Straw Hats decide to take countermeasure.

Chapter 157
After days of privation, the crew are finally reaching Arabasta. Before approaching, they prepare a countermeasure against Mr. 2's power by wearing a sign of friendship on their arm. In the port of Nanohana in Arabasta, a group of people are intrigued by an unconscious guy in a restaurant. This strange guy who fell asleep while eating is no other than Portgas D. Ace, Whitebeard's second division commander. This is revealed by an old adversary: Smoker, who also appears to be in town in the search for the Straw Hat Pirates. Ace is looking for his little brother.

Chapter 158
The crew is waiting for Luffy to get back, when they spot Mr. 3's ship. Meanwhile, Smoker confronts Ace and the spectators are astonished that a commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is there, while Luffy smells food from the restaurant, Smoker prepares to attack Ace when Luffy rockets into the room. Luffy then orders food while Ace apologizes for the mess and recognizes Luffy, but is pushed down by Smoker who recognizes him as well, but is annoyed by Luffy's lack of interest and rudeness. Luffy then recognizes Smoker and runs away while Ace and Smoker chase after him. Smoker warns Tashigi of Luffy, who then tries to stop Luffy but is unable to, and Smoker is forced to go after him alone. Meanwhile Vivi and Nami are trying out different perfumes to the pleasure of Sanji but to the horror of Chopper. Vivi then explains that they need to get to Yuba so that she may talk with Koza the leader of the rebellion. Suddenly, Luffy appears being chased by marines, including Smoker who attacks him until he is stopped by Ace, whom Luffy recognizes.

Chapter 159
The Baroque Works association has some strange rules. In order to reach the envied agent seats, its members do not hesitate to kill each other. Mr. 11, who had been arrested by the Marines, learns this at the cost of his life.

Meanwhile, the Straw Hats have escaped the Marines, thanks to Ace, and are heading back to the Going Merry, intending to sail the ship up the river, then continue on to the desert. Prior to departing, Vivi entrusts Karoo with an important task: to carry a letter detailing the situation and explaining what she and Igaram have discovered in regards to the Baroque Works conspiracy to her father, Cobra, in Alubarna, in order to give him hope.

On board of the Merry, Luffy tells his friends about Ace. He is his elder brother by three years, and is a pirate as well. Luffy also expresses his surprise that Ace has eaten a Devil's Fruit - the Mera Mera no Mi. Suddenly, Ace appears on board. He proposes that Luffy and his crew join the Whitebeard Pirates, an offer Luffy flatly denies. Ace tells Luffy of his admiration for Whitebeard, and his desire to see him become the Pirate King, to which Luffy replies that he will just have to fight him for the title.

In Nanohana, Smoker appears concerned: not only because Ace's intervention prevented him from apprehending Luffy, but also because he recognized the princess of Arabasta among the Straw Hat Pirates. He expresses his contempt for the Warlord, telling Tashigi that tigers never change their stripes - once a pirate, always a pirate.

Back on the Going Merry, Ace hands Luffy a strange piece of paper, which he says will help them see each other again, and thanks Luffy's crewmates for taking care of his younger sibling before returning to his ship. Ace is currently chasing after a pirate named Blackbeard, his former subordinate, who committed the unforgivable crime of killing a crewmate. As the boats of the Baroque Agents Billions close in, the members of the Straw Hat crew express their surprise and admiration at the two brothers' relationship. Ace then single-handedly takes down the many Billions ships, urging his brother to meet him, 'at the top'.

Chapter 160
After Ace's departure, the Straw Hat Pirates head to Yuba. They ask Luffy about the piece of paper Ace gave to him, which has nothing written on it. Despite that, Luffy wants to hold on to it because Ace wanted him to, so Nami sews the paper to the underside of Luffy's hat for safekeeping. The Straw Hats change into clothes that will protect them from the burning temperatures, which Vivi warns Luffy about. They arrive at the mouth of the Sandora River, and Vivi explains the way they will travel to Yuba with a map she sketched. They will exit the river and head inland, across from the town of Erumalu, where they will lay anchor. Afterwards, they will travel across the desert to the Yuba Oasis, so Vivi can meet the Rebel leader to explain the situation. Vivi is convinced that they can stop Baroque Works and save her country.

Meanwhile Crocodile and Miss All Sunday are finalizing their plan, which begins in two days at 7 o'clock AM. Crocodile asks Miss All Sunday about the necessary preparations and Miss All Sunday answers reassuringly, telling him about the 150 Billions agents waiting at Nanohana. She also mentions Mr. 2 Bon Kurei's failure in finding and taking care of Mr. 3, much to Crocodile's annoyance. Miss All Sunday also reveals that the remaining Officer Agents are set to meet at Spiders Cafe that night at 8.

Spiders Cafe is revealed to be the Baroque Works Arabasta Headquarters. Inside, a woman is reading a magazine while listening to a vinyl record. Immediately after, Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas come into the Cafe with a ruckus. Miss Merry Christmas blames Mr. 4 for the long trip, which caused her hips to ache, and Mr. 4 apologizes very slowly. Miss Merry Christmas greets the woman, Paula, the owner of the Cafe, and asks her how business is. She notes how there isn't anybody else in the Cafe, and Paula explains that the Cafe is reserved for the Officer Agents that night. Paula mentions how she hasn't seen the Mr. 4 team in a while, and offers an orange pekoe tea to Miss Merry Christmas and an apple tea to Mr. 4. Miss Merry Christmas urges Paula to hurry with the drinks and impatiently bangs on the counter. Paula then asks about their work. Miss Merry Christmas snaps at her, saying work is dangerous as always, so Paula apologizes.

Suddenly, singing is heard in the Cafe despite the music being played being a sonata. Outside, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei and his subordinate Billions dance towards the Spiders Cafe while singing about the okama Way. Mr. 2 Bon Kurei enters the building on tip-toe, causing Paula to ask if Mr. 2 is an idiot. Mr. 2 laughs it off saying he's an okama and asks Paula for an octofait, octopus parfait, which Paula doesn't serve. Mr. 2 then dismisses his billion subordinates, reminding them not to slack off on their dance practice. Meanwhile, Miss Merry Christmas is getting a massage from Mr. 4, and Mr. 2 observes that "the fat old hag" is also attending. He then asks Paula about the Mr. 1 pair, whom he has never met. Though he has heard rumors of Mr. 1's intimidating personality, they don't bother Mr. 2. From afar, it is revealed Mr. 3 is spying on the gathering through a window.

Chapter 161
The Straw Hat Pirates cross the Sandora River and lands near a town. They then meet a colony of kung-fu dugongs. Vivi explains her friends that the animals normally live in sea water, but because of the current drought, the river has become salty. The same happened to the ghost town they enter. Erumalu was once called a green town, but three years without a drop of rain took the best of its inhabitants and nowadays, Erumalu is nothing but ruins. Vivi then tells them that the only town which did not suffer of lack of water was Alubarna, the capital of Arabasta and the king's residence.

However, two years ago, an "accident" happened in Nanohana. A ship cargo is dropped, revealing its content: a huge amount of Dance Powder. The people in charge of the cargo looked terrified and mention that the powder was for the king. The Dance Powder is a forbidden material which has the power to generate rainfall but at the expense of the clouds in the surrounding area. After the scandal, it rained nowhere besides near the king's palace. People started to become suspicious of Vivi's father, unaware that it is part of the mischievous plan brought by Crocodile. Vivi is determined to not let him continue making her people suffer, and all the Straw Hats are ready to help her.

Chapter 162
After walking all day in the desert under the sun, the Straw Hats are exhausted, Luffy then drinks some water which upsets Usopp, and the two get into an argument. Finally the Straw Hats take a break, only to have their stuff stolen by thieving birds, Luffy then goes off to chase the birds but encounters a giant lizard. Fortunately it is no match for the straw hats and they kill it, and eat it, they also find a camel whom they name Matsuge. Luffy then starts to hallucinate and after a while falls asleep, forcing the crew to carry him until he wake up, and by night they have reached Yuba, unfortunately Vivi finds something wrong with the town.

Chapter 163
The Straw Hat Pirates enters Yuba after it was hit by a sandstorm. Nobody is here except, Toto, digging in the sand. When Vivi ask him about the rebels, the old man reveals to them that, due to the drought Yuba faced for three years, the rebels had moved to Katorea, an oasis close to Nanohana, the city they have left before going to Yuba.

When Luffy says Vivi's name, the old man starts to cry, asking the princess if she remembers him. Vivi, in shock, realizes who he is and starts to remember their first encounter.

Eleven years ago, a young kid named Koza asked King Cobra to stop the drought in his village because the villagers were suffering. When Cobra told him it is out of his power, Koza's father, Toto appeared, ashamed by his son's rudeness and begs the king to forgive them. Koza, being too proud to beg the king for forgiveness, rushed out of the room. Cobra was moved by the kid's care for his fellow villagers and decides to allow them to live in Alubarna temporarily until they can decide on what to do.

After confronting the king, Koza, in tears, ran out and encountered young Vivi, who called him a crybaby. This is the start of a fight between the two kids, which rapidly transformed into a friendship. Vivi became the sub-leader of the Sand-Sand Clan, just under Koza. But one day, when Vivi was searching for her leader, she bumped into two dangerous men.

Chapter 164
The Sand-Sand Clan attacks the bandits while Vivi runs away, later Igaram finds the members of the suna suna clan lying around the sand, injured, he asks what happened to which a member tells him, and also tells him that Vivi ran to the ruins and was chased by a bandit who was chased by Koza. The leader of the bandits manages to find Vivi but is confronted by Koza, who stands up to him, and beats him but is stabbed in the process, the other bandits arrive but are stopped by the king and Igaram. Koza is then rushed to the hospital where he is treated, the next day he informs Vivi that he and his dad are going to start new town, by the name of Yuba. It is then revealed that the rebels plan to strike the capitol in one big invasion and take over the government, it is also revealed that Koza is the leader of the rebellion.

Chapter 165
Remembering when Mr. Toto left Yuba, Vivi offers him a tissue and promises to stop the rebellion, the crew then decides to stay the night while Mr. Toto, and Luffy continue to dig for water. Meanwhile, the top brass of Baroque Works meet up, but are awaiting for Mr. 0, suddenly Miss All Sunday shows up and reveals that they are in Rain Dinners, a casino owned by Crocodile. It is also revealed that the leader is Crocodile himself and that he has been there the whole time, which surprises all the members, he then explains his "Utopia" plan. The next day, the Straw Hats are preparing to leave Yuba, and Mr. Toto gives them some water for their journey, but Luffy suddenly decides to quit.

Chapter 166
An old face interrupts Baroque Works meeting. It is no other than Mr. 3, who snuck in after the other members from Spiders Cafe. He came to be given another chance to defeat the Straw Hats. Crocodile is surprised by this revelation since, after the call from Little Garden, he assumed all of the Straw Hat Pirates and Vivi were dead as he was not aware that it was Sanji who answered the call and lied to him. Mr. 2 confirms that the Straw Hat Pirates and Vivi are alive since he met them on the way to Arabasta. With the help of his power, they are able to make pictures of the Straw Hats (omitting Sanji), and start to take counter measures so that they can prevent Vivi from meeting with the rebel leader, Koza. Disappointed with Mr. 3, instead of giving him a second chance, Crocodile dries him up and feeds him to his Bananawani.

Meanwhile, Luffy and Vivi's argument is intensifying. Luffy finds her naïve in wishing for no one to die. Upset, Vivi and Luffy start a fight until Luffy reveals his true intention: he wants Vivi to risk the life of her friends with her so that he can beat Crocodile, who is responsible for this situation.
Sources and content license

Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from One Piece Wiki contributors. Complete listed chapter synopses combined; illustrations and reference markup removed. Sources and revision history: https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_156?oldid=2020738; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_157?oldid=2068008; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_158?oldid=2068009; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_159?oldid=2068060; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_160?oldid=2090615; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_161?oldid=2098143; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_162?oldid=1973085; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_163?oldid=2020740; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_164?oldid=2020743; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_165?oldid=1986790; https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Chapter_166?oldid=2068230 · Content license