One Piece is a varied, and vibrant story. The author, Eiichiro Oda, is known for his patient storytelling, wild character designs and off-the-wall world building. A shape-shifting man-giraffe and floating sky islands share the stage with year long story arcs and heartbreaking flashbacks.
This is the standard One Piece fans have come to expect, and One Piece Odyssey, having been written by Eiichiro Oda himself, is no exception. Odyssey retells many of the anime's most iconic moments, which are a joy to revisit. Wholly original side quests also have Oda's signature quirks written on their faces. The mix of nostalgia with the new evokes the name "One Piece" all the way throughout.
10 Violin Of Memories: Our Musician
Brook is the resident Straw Hat Pirates musician and skeleton. As the musician, Brook is functionally the bard of the DnD campaign. He lifts the mood and rallies the party after a fight. He's also the saddest, and most sullen of the Straw Hats. Brook is given plenty of screen time in the late game, which is a treat.
Given a tragic backstory, Brook understands pain and loss. When he then finds a lost violin, he stops at nothing to find its owner. The owner, however, is dead, and it's up to Brook to find the violin a home. Fans of Brook's character will love seeing him take the spotlight.
9 The Fake Germa 66: Absolute Hacks
The Germa 66 were introduced roughly 800 episodes into the series, and they're vital to understanding the backstory of a main character. This is the level of patience Eiichiro Oda is capable of. Despite being late comers to the story, Oda took no time off taking the punch out of these characters with the fake Germa 66.
The fake Germa are all color coordinated like the real Germa, and they use elemental items to emulate them as well. The Straw Hats will waste no time wiping up these villain wannabes. The parody doesn't end there either. Fans will remember the Straw Hats had imitators that also had to be dealt with.
8 Why Eye-Lashes Enlisted: Return Of The Camel
Eye-lashes is a camel with exceptionally long eye lashes, and fans will be happy to see him back. Oda loves his joke animals, like the hiking bear, or the kung-fu dugongs. Eye-lashes' gimmick is that he acts way too human. Nothing about this animal suggests they are anything more than an ordinary camel, but he keeps asking for stuff, and he's doing it again!
The Straw Hats can understand Eye-lashes because of their reindeer medic, Chopper, and in Odyssey, Eye-lashes demands perfume to motivate him to join the military relief effort in Alabasta. The existence of that sentence alone is nothing short of confusing, but the fact that it's true is what makes this One Piece.
7 Helping Iceburg: Procrastination Optimization
Fans are very familiar with Iceburg as the mayor and key figure in the Water 7 arc. He's lazy and somehow incredibly motivated at the same time. He's the world's best procrastinator, and much of that ability is awarded to him by his secretary. Normally, his secretary is responsible for canceling meetings and events to free his schedule.
The Straw Hats get to play the role of Iceberg's secretary for a quest chain, and the entire thing involves canceling Iceburg's plans and making up a good enough excuse for him to not get in trouble. Usopp is the protagonist of the quest as his lying skills are essential to freeing up Iceburg's day.
6 Skypiea: It's Everywhere
If there is one arc that fans took as completely unassuming before realizing its importance, it's Skypiea. Everything about this arc felt disconnected and distinct from the rest of the One Piece world. Yet, as time goes on, it's apparent how important the arcs themes are. Odyssey piles on the Skypiea love by making the entire game one long parody of it.
Fans will notice Adio's Skypiean tattoos early on, and a textbook about sky islands can be found on Adios desk. Skypiean motifs of freedom and wrongful judgment are present as well, as Adio's entire tribe was persecuted. This is a direct juxtaposition to the Lunarians in the anime.
5 Zoner Quizzes: The Mysterious Lady
Zoner is an entirely original quest chain in One Piece Odyssey. A pink haired NPC quizzes you about One Piece trivia in each of the games worlds. It's real trivia too. A decent amount of information in the quiz comes directly from the anime. This makes the quests rewarding in their own way, but they also have Oda's signature charm built into their story.
Zoner seemingly shape-shifts between meetings, and it puzzles the crew as a new face produces information only the true Zoner would know. The reveal is delightfully simple, and drives some of the crew crazy with how obvious it was. Zoner is a group of people obsessed with trivia. Their goal is to make the world happy with trivia. It's drawn out. It's nonsensical. It's One Piece.
4 A Friendly Chase: Helping Bon Clay
One Piece is no stranger to villains turned friend. Bon Clay is one of the earliest examples. Sanji bonded with him over their fight in Alabasta, and Luffy staged a prison break with him. One leg of his journey that was untold however was how he got imprisoned. Odyssey allows you to experience this story in a side quest where they help Bon Clay avoid Marine capture.
Bon Clay is confused why the Straw Hats would help him so much, as technically they haven't become friends yet. This quest strengthens the foundation of their bond, and would fit perfectly in the anime. It's unknown exactly what Eiichiro Oda wrote himself, but it'd be believable if he wrote this entire quest chain.
3 Pell: Apparently He's Dead Now
The Alabasta bomb is one of the biggest controversies in the One Piece fanbase. The character Pell flew a timed bomb into the sky to avoid it destroying an entire city. This should have cost him his life, but somehow, he survived. It must be stressed; somehow. This event reinforced that people don't die in One Piece.
By some mistake of writing or lapse in memory, however, when the bomb is reintroduced in game, the crew laments that they couldn't save the person who defused it last time. That's not what happened. That's not even a metaphor for what happened. Pell survived the blast and everyone was happy. The crew is either lying, or they sincerely think this man died.
2 Revisit Marine Ford: Exploring The Unexplored
Exploring Marineford is something you never got to do in the series. It's the Marine HQ, but it was the setting of a war when the story visited it. Once Odyssey has concluded its Marineford arc, however, you can freely visit the location. Role playing as the Straw Hats can peak here as you help people rebuild, and watch as everyone swears Luffy look just like the Straw Hat captain.
A final reward awaits after the story if you return to Marineford. These locations exist within memories, meaning the impossible can happen. Luffy's brother, Ace, can return in Marineford to have one last conversation with his younger sibling. It's sad, but it's even sadder seeing Luffy, as he wants to collapse inside. It's only a memory, though, and he has to keep moving.
1 The Going Merry: Goodbyes Shouldn't Happen Twice
If there is a One Piece fan who says the death of the Going Merry didn't make them cry, they're lying. The Going Merry has been gone for so long that, when the story of Odyssey reveals its time travel mechanic, fans hearts may break when they see the old ship; knowing what they'll have to do again.
Water 7 inevitably approaches, and the Merry's time draws to a close. Every step of Water 7 is laden with dramatic irony. Last time the crew was here they were so angry, and sad. Usopp almost left the crew, but this time he knows what has to happen. Sometimes you gotta say goodbye. Maybe it'll be easier the second time around.