: Luffy and Koby escape in a small boat, heading toward a Marine base where they hope to find the "Pirate Hunter" Roronoa Zoro . Key Differences from the Manga
: The ship is suddenly attacked by the Alvida Pirates, led by the iron-club-wielding Captain Alvida .
: In the manga, Luffy meets Alvida on an island base; in the anime, the encounter happens on a cruise ship. One Piece Episode 1
Episode 1 of the One Piece anime, titled , originally aired on October 20, 1999 . It serves as the series premiere and the beginning of the "Romance Dawn" arc. Plot Overview
The episode introduces the protagonist, , a young man who dreams of finding the legendary treasure known as the "One Piece". : Luffy and Koby escape in a small
: Luffy’s childhood and his meeting with Shanks are not shown in the first episode but are covered later in Episode 4 .
: The story begins with a barrel drifting at sea being brought aboard a cruise ship by its crew. Episode 1 of the One Piece anime, titled
While the One Piece Manga starts with Luffy’s childhood backstory, the anime chose to start with his adult journey to emphasize the pirate theme immediately.