One Piece: Best Moments of the Egghead Island Arc, Ranked

After the Straw Hats finally managed to defeat Kaido and liberate the country of Wano, their next destination was the quirky and hyper-advanced Egghead Island, the home of Vegapunk. Because the last few One Piece story arcs had been primarily centered on reaching Wano and taking down the Yonko, it was nice to return to the series’ roots of simply exploring an island and uncovering all of its hidden secrets, but that’s not the only reason why Egghead has stood out to so many fans.

This story arc also contains some frankly incredible action scenes, providing a nice balance between juicy revelations and high-octane fights to keep things interesting. Needless to say, the Egghead Island arc has provided some incredible moments for fans to enjoy, some of which will no doubt go down as iconic. When taking a look at the arc as a whole though, here is how the biggest moments rank in terms of their impact, memorability, and overall relevance to the wider story of One Piece.

8

Vegapunk Preaches the Joys of Science

The Smartest Man Alive Has Big Dreams of How to Protect the World Through Science

Vegapunk is a character who is mentioned countless times in the story before he actually appears in the flesh, but his formal introduction does a great job at highlighting who he is, and most importantly, what he truly believes in. While Luffy may not have understood anything Vegapunk says, the man himself continues to preach about the importance of science and how he believes that it can be used in a way to benefit the world and save it from destruction.

Unfortunately, most of Vegapunk’s creations often end up in the hands of the Marines, who are more than willing to use them to obliterate anyone who challenges the status quo. Regardless, seeing Vegapunk putting his passion for science on full display made it really easy for fans to sympathize with him, making for a brilliant introduction to the world-renowned scientist.

7

Luffy Reunites With Rob Lucci

Two Old Rivals Duke It Out One Final Time

Rob Lucci is one of those villains who is honestly hard not to love, primarily because of his cool and charismatic personality, which can convince anyone to join his side. The last time he and Luffy fought was back in Enies Lobby, where the Straw Hat captain just barely managed to overpower him after activating Gear 3. Considering both had become much stronger since then, it was inevitable that their brief battle in the Egghead Island arc was going to be a real treat for long-time fans, and it’s fair to say this battle certainly didn’t disappoint.

While it’s always going to be a blast seeing what sorts of wacky attacks Luffy can come up with while in Gear 5, it was also a feast for the eyes to see Lucci awakening his own Zoan Devil Fruit, becoming even more ferocious than he was all those arcs ago. It seems likely this will be the final battle Luffy and Lucci ever have together, but if that’s the case, it’s a pretty epic sendoff for their longtime rivalry.

6

Kizaru Lashes Out at Akainu

Tension Brews Between Kizaru and the Fleet Admiral

Many of the Marines present themselves as serious and stoic soldiers who are more than willing to carry out any orders given to them, but it’s clear that there’s always a lot more than meets the eye brewing beneath the surface. Kizaru is a prime example of this, as during the Egghead Island arc, he was sent to assassinate his friend Vegapunk, who he had known since he was still a youngster in the Marines.

After barely managing to complete this mission, he then receives a less than friendly call from Akainu, who goes on to berate him for his incompetency. To everyone’s surprise, Kizaru, who is usually known for being very laid-back and casual, begins to lash out at Akainu with tears rolling down his face, highlighting just how difficult this mission truly was for the Admiral. It’s not often that someone can stand up to Akainu and live to tell the tale, so this was a very important scene that did a lot to develop the relationship between the two.

5

Vegapunk’s Speech

One Final Message From Vegapunk That Spilled the Beans on Everything

As someone who willingly decided to research the Void Century, Vegapunk knew that he was always in danger of being assassinated, considering that he was essentially gaining forbidden knowledge. As a way to prepare for this, the scientist recorded a message that would play as soon as his heart stopped beating, and to say that this message is full of interesting revelations would be putting it lightly.

Much to the dismay of Imu and the World Government, every nation around the world was privy to this recording where Vegapunk spills the beans on pretty much everything. Not only does he openly talk about the Void Century and the Ancient Weapons, but he even makes the proclamation that the world is sinking, while also revealing a bunch of other hidden secrets along the way. Everybody knew that Vegapunk was wicked smart, but this final message really goes to show just how much information was really stored in the old geezer’s gigantic head.

4

Garp Unleashes Galaxy Impact

Garp’s Greatest Showcase of Power Yet

Most story arcs in One Piece won’t only focus on the island in question, as there will also be brief intermissions that highlight what’s going on in the rest of the world to keep fans up-to-date with current events, and Egghead is no exception. After the Warlords were officially disbanded, Koby was ordered to apprehend Boa Hancock, but this ended up going horribly wrong once Blackbeard and his ragtag crew of pirates got involved.

Not someone to sit back and relax while his protégé is in danger, Garp decided to take it upon himself to rescue Koby, but it’s the way he decided to go about this that makes this moment so epic. After launching himself into the sky, Garp unleashes one of the strongest attacks ever seen in the series: Galaxy Impact. With a single punch, he was able to rock the island to its core, obliterating everything in close proximity just to ensure his student’s safety, which is undoubtedly the greatest showcase of power Garp has ever shown in the story so far.

3

Luffy Faces Off Against Kizaru

Luffy Used His Gear 5 Technique to Fend Off a Powerful Admiral

It feels like only yesterday that Luffy was being humiliated by Aokiji back on Long Ring Long Land, but it’s fair to say that the Straw Hat captain has come a very long way since then. After Kizaru is sent to Egghead to execute his longtime friend, Vegapunk, Luffy decides to enter Gear 5 in an attempt to hold him back, resulting in one of the flashiest and most intense battles ever seen in the series.

While Kizaru was able to use his speed to shoot himself around the island in the blink of an eye, in the end, Luffy’s destructive power and cartoon-like attacks were too much for even an Admiral to handle. This scene really stands out as a true showcase of Luffy’s underlying power, and it also gave one of the most beloved Admirals some much-needed time to shine, considering he had been out of action for quite a while by this point of the story.

2

The Five Elders Arrive

The Legendary Gorosei Finally Make Their Presence Known

It’s been known from very early on in the One Piece story that the Five Elders are some of the most influential and powerful individuals in the entire world, so it only makes sense that only a select few characters would ever be able to actually see them. However, after Saturn arrives on Egghead to confront the Straw Hats and Vegapunk, he is eventually followed by the other four elders, who not only show up, but also transform into their unique beastly forms, which may be a result of Devil Fruits.

It’s honestly pretty epic seeing the Straw Hats come face to face with these infamous figures, as none of them could have ever once dreamed that they would even be able to speak with the Gorosei in their lives, let alone fight them. It’s pretty clear that the Elders will continue to play a pretty big role in the final saga of the story, but Oda still made sure to give them one hell of an introduction to remind fans why they are so feared among the populace.

1

Kuma’s Backstory

Arguably the Most Heartbreaking Backstory in the Series

Just when it seemed like the flashbacks in One Piece couldn’t get any sadder, Oda managed to deliver what many consider to be the most heartbreaking backstory of them all. In the middle of the Egghead Island arc, fans are given a clear look at Kuma’s life as a child and how he was treated as a slave due to being a member of the Buccaneer race. After falling in love with a woman named Ginny, and then taking in her daughter Bonney after Ginny sadly passed away, Kuma was tasked with finding a way to cure Bonney’s Sapphire Scale disease, which would only give her a few years to live.

In the end, he would make the ultimate sacrifice by giving himself over to the Marines, where he would become a soulless killing machine whose free will had been completely removed, in exchange for Vegapunk finding a cure. Kuma’s backstory is definitely the highlight of this story arc, not only because of the emotion that’s packed into it, but also the many ways it relates to the story, such as how it explains why Kuma protected the Sunny — and why he separated the Straw Hats on Sabaody in the first place.