when i started out watching the One Piece series, I wasn't aware of the movies being made. I got to the marine ford arc when I was made aware of the movies. So @weejoshi(shoutout to my Sanji) and I decided to watch them in the chronological order because she is on her first watch of the series.

The first one-piece movie comes after episode 18. As soon as she completed the 18th episode we had a watch party and watched the movie.

One Piece: The Movie is the very first full-length feature film based on the legendary anime and manga series One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. Released in 2000 (when i was born lol)
--------

----- The Movie falls in between the Syrup Village arc and the Baratie arc of the East Blue Saga. Hence the main characters in the movie are Luffy, Zero, Usopp, and Nami from the straw hats crew. For long-time fans, this film offers a nostalgic look at the early dynamics of the crew before they gained more members and before their adventures grew to epic proportions. Let's just call it a very canon side-quest.

The plot of the movie starts out as the straw hats set out to find the legendary treasure of Woonan, a legendary pirate who is said to acquire one third of the world treasure before disappearing mysteriously.That treasure is rumored to be hidden on an island and naturally the straw hats set out to find the gold. They are faced with another pirate El Drago who is also dead set on claiming that treasure for himself. who naturally becomes the antagonist of the movie.

Along the journey, the Straw Hats meet Ganzo, an old man running a small seaside restaurant who has his own connection to Woonan. The story gradually reveals that Ganzo and Woonan were once close friends, with Woonan’s dreams of piracy and treasure pushing them apart. Ganzo’s memories provide the emotional backbone of the story, giving a deeper layer to the treasure hunt and challenging the characters to reflect on what "treasure" truly means.

At the start of the movie, Woonan’s treasure is seen as the ultimate goal, a huge fortune of gold that could change the lives of whoever finds it. Both the Straw Hat Pirates and El Drago are searching for this treasure, but for different reasons. El Drago is driven by pure greed and is willing to kill and steal to get his hands on the gold. For him, treasure is all about power and wealth something to own, control, and keep for himself. He sees it as a way to gain status and importance.

On the other hand, Woonan’s story shows a deeper truth about treasure. As a young man, Woonan dreamed of becoming the richest pirate and succeeded in gathering a huge amount of gold. But despite his success, this wealth didn’t bring him happiness. Chasing after riches left him lonely and distanced from the people who truly mattered, like his childhood friend Ganzo. Woonan’s story reflects a common theme in One Piece: that focusing only on wealth or status can lead to an empty and unhappy life.

In this movie, Woonan’s treasure becomes a metaphor for dreams, friendships, and the things that truly matter in life

This made me realize that one piece might be the friendships we made along the way (i'm just kidding dont come at me please)

Luffy embodies this theme perfectly, as his primary goal is not material wealth but to become the king of the pirates. This is just my interpretation and i feel like, if the movie had a longer run-time maybe this point of view could be explored more.

This message ties closely to the themes of the One Piece series, where friendship, adventure, and personal growth take precedence over material gain.

now onto the next movie One Piece: Clock work island after episode 53. @weejoshi i'm waiting for you!