Contents
General
The movie is estimated to take place between the Arabasta Arc and Water 7 Arc, since Robin is already in the Straw Hat Pirates, but not Franky.
Storyline
The film begins with the Going Merry once again comfortably sailing on the Grand Line, when Luffy suddenly finds a message in a bottle. In the bottle is a map of Omatsuri Island as well as a log port with the course and a message that reads as follows:
If you are the pirate of pirates of all pirates, then come to this island with your faithful comrades. The name of the island is Omatsuri Island. Omatsuri Island is the only resort on the Grand Line. As the name suggests, there is a big party there every day. There are many springs and beauty salons there, the most beautiful women in the world will have a great time with you, and there will be a “Manchurian-Han” banquet for dinner..
Lured by the beauty salons, the beautiful girls and delicious delicacies Nami, Sanji and Chopper are eager to go there, but Luffy also wants to set course for the island, but of course because of the adventure mentioned at the beginning.
So it’s a done deal, the crew heads to Omatsuri Island, but when they get there, nothing is as described. The island isn’t busy – more like extinct – and other than a large beach and a huge jungle, there isn’t very much on the island. That’s when Robin notices that there isn’t a single flower on the entire island, and that’s despite the fact that there were so many marked on the map of Omatsuri Island. A remark that at the beginning seemed insignificant, but later turned out to be very important.
As Zoro is already suggesting to leave again, Chopper hears a noise, far away from their current location. Luffy confirms that it is coming from the depths of the jungle, and so the crew goes to investigate the sound. What ends up stretching out in front of them there seems almost unbelievable. In the middle of the forest is a gigantic hotel complex and amusement park, all very grand and ostentatious.
Suddenly the gang is surrounded by countless people, all wearing pink dresses and covering their faces with a pink fan. Sanji already sees the pretty girls in his mind’s eye, but when they show their true faces, the illusion is shattered. The hoped-for ladies are in fact a horde of strange men, all of whom have a leaf growing out of their heads. More and more such comical figures, also in slightly more masculine attire, join them and a grand reception begins. A group of elephants also enters the square in front of the hotel, on whose back sits a scowling man with a beard and a flower on his shoulder, he introduces himself as Baron Omatsuri.
He welcomes the Straw Hat Pirates and also assures them that all the things that were on the note are true. But he also explains that they have to pass a hellish test before that. When the gang hears this, it’s a done deal for most of them, they want to leave again. However, Luffy is interested in this test and is eager to participate. Although most of the crew is against it at first, Luffy eventually manages to get them to participate.
This is the signal for the Baron, he lets the infernal test begin. Suddenly the whole island begins to change completely. The hotel sinks into the ground on a giant elevating platform, the amusement park is pushed together as if on an assembly line to save space, and even the jungle disappears behind them. Instead, rows of spectators appear as if out of nowhere and the floor begins to restructure itself tile by tile, so now they’re just standing on a small island surrounded by water. The Baron takes advantage of this small “reconstruction break” to explain the hellish test to them. It is the well-known game Kingyo Sukui (a popular game at Japanese fairs. There are lots of goldfish swimming in a large pool, which you have to catch with the help of a small landing net. The surface with which you catch the fish is made of very thin paper, and even a slight contact with moisture will cause it to tear. Therein lies the entire difficulty of the game, if you manage to catch the fish, you get to keep it). Suddenly, a tank of goldfish appears among the crew. Omatsuri declares that whoever catches the most fish in 3 minutes is the winner.
Next, the antagonist and hero of the locals, Muchigoro, is introduced. A slightly chubby boy, with glasses and unclean skin, who also has a leaf on his head. The crew is completely confused as Muchigoro has slurred pronunciation and so understood. mutsugorô, a Japanese fish (mudskipper).
When the Baron asks who Muchigoro’s opponent is, Usopp “death-defyingly” turns himself in. (He was previously the one most afraid of the hellish test, but now puts on his typical airs because it’s all about Kingyo Sukui.) Here we also learn that Muchigoro is similarly gullible as Chopper. He believes Usopp’s every lie regarding his career as the “famous goldfish one-net man”.
Then the flower on Baron Omatsuri’s shoulder lets the game begin, but things happened in a way that probably no one thought possible. A huge fountain rises from the water and suddenly a giant goldfish rises from the sea that was around the team. Muchigoro explains that this is his cute pet baby Rosario and it was about fishing only him.
Usopp flees and gives the net to Nami to catch the fish, she actually wants to try it, but when the huge fish rushes towards her, she renounces again and everything looks like it’s going to crash into her, but that’s when Sanji comes in and works the fish over with several kicks. While Rosario is still airborne, Nami hands the net to Zoro and he is now to try his luck. He jumps towards the fish and wants to attack it with his swords, but that’s against the rules and so he strikes with the sword still in its sheath. Luffy has the net handed to him and with a gum-gum gun his arm stretches out to the fish, when it reaches it, of course, it immediately tears.
Now Muchigoro sees his chance, he pulls out a gigantic net, which he used to carry on his back. When the Straw Hat Pirates asks if this isn’t also against the rules, Baron Omatsuri explains that he only told them that the small nets tear extremely easily, but not that you have to use them.
Using the giant landing net, Muchigoro catches the fish and catapults it into his bucket, but before baby Rosario flies in there, Robin weaves a web of arms over the opening of the bucket. Rosario hits there and flies out of the bucket towards the Straw Hat Pirates, but too short. Just as he would hit the island, Chopper gets in his way and uses a Rumble Ball. Using his Guard Point, he protects himself and when Rosario bounces on him, he gets springboarded into her bucket. With that, the team has passed the “hellish test”!
Chopper was so shaken up by the impact that he staggered into the water, completely dazed. Luffy jumps in to save him, but he can’t swim either. Fortunately, Sanji is able to save them both. Here you can see the seabed at Omatsuri Island, which is littered with shipwrecks.
When Luffy and Chopper come to, everyone is of course very happy. They have passed the test and could finally celebrate, but Baron Omatsuri tells them that the test is not over yet. The Straw Hat Pirates is completely outraged and thinks he’s a sore loser. However, when Luffy hears that there’s another test, his thirst for adventure is awakened once more, and he’s determined to take part. But the others have had enough of the whole thing, they want to get off the island and set off in search of the Going Merry. Only there’s a little problem, where their ship used to be is now jungle. They don’t find the ship, instead they find a kind of theater stage in the middle of the jungle and Baron Omatsuri, who was already expecting them. He now announces the “infernal test – part 2”. It is, once again, a party game Toss the Hoop. The rules are as follows: Each team sends 4 competitors into the race, each on 2 speedboats, now you have to try to throw a life ring over your opponent so that they are eliminated. Whichever team runs out of players first loses.
Now the opponents of the Straw Hat Pirates are introduced: 4 small-sized people in frog costumes, all of senior age. (Captain Kaeru Yoshi, Kaeru Shoot, Kaeru Tuck and Kaeruko). All 4 also have the Japanese word Kaeru (=frog) in their names, which explains the getup a bit.
For this round, Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji enter on the side of the Straw Hat Pirates.
The race itself takes place in a canal landscape reminiscent of Venice. Small, narrow waterways surrounded on the sides by large houses with locals cheering from their windows. In addition, the motorboats are reminiscent of gondolas in terms of their design.
While the four are at the race, Luffy, Chopper and Robin can enjoy themselves in the huge hotel complex. Here, Luffy becomes aware of a person who seems to have been watching them for some time and when he spots him, a chase begins.
Robin has meanwhile made herself comfortable in the hotel lobby, she is served by Muchigoro, since these are the rules of Omatsuri Island. Robin feels a bit suspicious, so she starts drinking with Muchigoro to get information from him.
Chopper also finds it strange that there is no one else on the island except the Straw Hat Pirates, so he wants to take a closer look.
Meanwhile, Luffy is still pursuing the stranger, who can now be seen in full form. It is a small man, with a tiny mustache under his nose, glasses, and a safari hat on his head. He introduces himself as Letter, captain of the Mustache Pirates. He asks Luffy if he and his crew would like to become members of the Mustache Piratesbut also warns him about Baron Omatsuri and this island.
Now there is a cut and you see Chopper on his discovery tour. He finds a very large cemetery where several thousand graves lie. Suddenly he is attacked by a strange person in swimming trunks, but he seems to be quite a coward. He strikes up a conversation with Chopper and introduces himself as the captain of the Teahouse Piratesa small “family business” among pirates. He tells them that he and his children only wanted to vacation here on this island, but were also tricked by Baron Omatsuri and failed the Kingyo Sukui exam.
Meanwhile, the second test enters the decisive phase. While all eight players are still in, it turns out that once again the Straw Hat Pirates has been cheated. While they are in the gondola-like boats, their opponents have high-tech speedboats with machine guns, grappling arms, and the like. Nami and Usopp’s gondola has caught fire, so the two open the first aid kits on board. While Nami’s box has two hand-molded cups in it, the one Usopp opened has a paraglider in it, which Usopp takes off in, rather involuntarily. As he soars into the air, he catches sight of a large mountain with a thick stalk growing out of the ground at the top.
Robin in the lobby also asks the now completely drunk Muchigoro about a flower on the island and as an answer she gets the Riri Carnationwhich is supposed to grow on the highest point of the island.(Riri = lily, Carnation = carnation )
Sanji and Zoro are at loggerheads once again. The competition is only secondary now, their conflict comes first. Meanwhile, they’re being pursued by a drill-tipped speedboat turned into an airplane. But when the old people won’t let them settle their conflict, they destroy their boat and throw 2 rings at them. Now all of a sudden Nami is seen hanging from a lantern, she is eliminated. Kaeru Yoshi appears on the scene and Zoro and Sanji now want to defeat him too. But the old man knows how to play them off against each other well, and so the two become careless, and at the opportune moment he wants to throw both rings at them. Zoro manages to dodge at the last moment by virtually sacrificing Sanji. Only Kaeru Yoshi and Zoro seem to be left, as Kaeruko is also floating on the water.
Now there is another cut to Chopper and the teahouse pirates. From them he learns that Baron Omatsuri and his men were also pirates in the past and operated under the name Red-Arrows. The teahouse pirates know this because they found a wanted poster of the gang. But looking at the picture on the wanted poster, Chopper notices a huge difference: Not a single one of the pirates had the leaf so prominent on their heads, and the Baron doesn’t yet have the little talking flower perched on his shoulder. It’s also noticeable that the whole crew seemed much younger, happier, and livelier. A coincidence?!
Zoro and Kaeru Yoshi go for the final blow. Zoro wants to put an end to it all with a monster strike, but the lightning-fast frogman has shot him in the face with one of his wooden sandals and thrown the ring over. Still in the air, Kaeru Yoshi rejoices at the victory, when a familiar voice is heard and with a massive Usopp Hammer, Usopp reappears on the scene. He throws the ring over Kaeru Yoshi, so the Straw Hat Pirates has won the game.
But nobody is really happy about it. Nami is angry at Usopp for leaving her alone, and Sanji also wants to get Zoro for the action on the boat. The effect of Omatsuri Island mentioned by Brief seems to be taking place. The team spirit that seemed so unshakable at the beginning begins to falter.
Chopper and the Teahouse Pirates continue to analyze the Red Arrows pirate gang’s wanted poster, but suddenly a person appears behind them, aiming at them with a bow. Chopper is shot down and the person steps out of the shadows, it is Baron Omatsuri.
Change of scene, back at the hotel. The crew wonders where Chopper is for so long. The mood is still tense. But then they are interrupted by Baron Omatsuri, who entertains them with a drum show and a Outdoor teppanyaki (teppanyaki is a huge iron plate grill) wants to keep happy.
A “performance chef” appears, moving around the griddle by having two pieces of grease on the soles of his shoes and now gliding across the griddle as if on roller skates. He prepares the food in a giant show, which mocks Sanji’s idea of food preparation. When Luffy and the others get excited about it too, he’s had enough. He stands on the griddle as well. The duel of the cooks can begin.
Robin wants to go for a little walk before dinner, but the Baron doesn’t understand, it’s dinner time now. She answers that she wants to get flowers for the decoration, whereupon the Baron asks whether the flower on his shoulder is not enough.
Usopp has also disappeared, angry at Nami for being so vindictive. He disappears into the forest and meets a strange boy with a turtle shell and also a leaf on his head, who attaches a “pu” syllable to every sentence. Usopp asks him why he does that and the boy gets angry.
Back at the hotel: in a stunning finale, Sanji is seen winning the cooking duel. To his disappointment, none of the female crew members have seen his great performance. Nami sits with the still, or rather already again, drunk Muchigoro and eavesdrops on him about Baron Omatsuri. She learns in the conversation that they used to be Red Arrows pirates and Baron Omatsuri used to be their captain. Supposedly, the Baron’s skills are comparable to Gold Roger’s, whom Muchigoro and the others have even met. When Nami said that this must have been at least 20 years ago, Muchigoro affirms that it was only recently, the night before “the one storm”.
After that there is a scene change to Robin, who has arrived at the foot of the mountain in the meantime. There is a kind of galley grave there, countless shipwrecks lie there. She is surprised by Baron Omatsuri, who gives her a glimpse of Riri Carnationthe plant of death and rebirth, before he shoots an arrow at her as well.
At the hotel, the others notice that 3 members of their gang have already disappeared without a trace. Baron Omatsuri enters the scene again and wants to start the third round of the test. The little boy Usopp met in the forest is entered into the race, you learn his name: DJ. But the Straw Hat Pirates has no more interest in these tests, they want to find their friends. The third round, called “Shooting”, begins. There are no more rules, whoever gets hit is out. While Sanji, Zoro and Nami go in search of the others, Luffy just stops. He challenges the Baron to a fight and he agrees. He makes an arrow appear out of nowhere and fires it at Luffy, but he is able to dodge it with ease. But this isn’t a normal arrow, it’s some sort of tracking arrow that follows Luffy wherever he runs. It also gives off a big explosion every time it hits.
Luffy flies into a ravine after an explosion and is rescued by Brief.
Now you see again how Nami and the two boys flee from Baron Omatsuri’s people. Zoro finds this all too much and attacks DJ with a monster strike, but his swords seem to have no effect on the boy. That’s when Zoro is also shot by an arrow and goes down. But DJ also feels weak after the fight and you see him, wrinkled and dehydrated. Now you see more and more of the locals, all of whom seem to be drying up, like the Kaeru team or the cook.
Luffy is coming to again. He is with Brief in his underground tunnel system. You learn at this point that the Mustache Pirates once had many members, but was completely wiped out by a “monster”.
At the top of the mountain, it’s “feeding time” for Riri Carnation. At this point, the little plant on the Baron’s shoulder says “I’m hungry!”. Although it was assumed up to this point that Riri Carnation was the giant stalk on top of the mountain, it turns out here that while they’re not wrong, the little part on the Baron’s shoulder is part of it too. When the plant grabs the teahouse pirate captain’s little daughter, Digi, Chopper intervenes. But the Baron has no trouble defeating him, and so he is just the plant’s first victim. He insists on being saved by his crew anyway, but when he arrives at the top of the Ririshe already sees his friends in it.
Now comes a last short panning shot to Luffy and Brief. You learn something about the Baron’s motives. He hates pirates who form a unit, he loves to see how such alliances break at the same time. You also learn more about Riri Carnation‘s role now. She is the crew’s power provider. Whereas before everyone went down and dried out, after Riri’s meal they got back up.
Then Luffy appears on the hill, the final battle can begin. But Baron Omatsuri tells Luffy that he is too late. The fate of his friends is sealed, he says. In turn, he shoots arrows at Luffy’s limbs, pinning him to a giant rock. The Baron presents Luffy with a decision: live on alone without his crew, or die?
Just as he is about to fire the last arrow, Luffy is rescued once again by Brief through an underground tunnel. The teahouse pirates are also in his house, tending to Luffy’s wounds. He learns from Digi that his friends are not dead yet and that he can still save them!
Luffy goes into battle again, only this time with the will to save his friends. Also, he now has a tactic. His goal is Riri Carnation ‘s stalk and to get there he uses Briefs tunnel passages. This went very well for some time until Brief is hit by an arrow and is about to die when Baron Omatsuri fires another load of arrows at him. Luffy comes to his rescue and protects him with a stone slab as a shield. He is also able to land a powerful hit with a gum-gum gun, knocking the Baron out. He uses this moment to wildly pummel Riri Carnation’s stalk, destroying it.
Luffy and the rest previously assumed that this was Riri Carnation ‘s only source of power, and hadn’t yet realized that it was actually the small plant on the Baron’s shoulder.
The shattered stalk dissolves into a thousand arrows, all trembling and aimed at Luffy, waiting for the command to be fired. And Riri CarnationThat is, the little plant on the Baron’s shoulder also shows its true colors and mutates into a disgusting monster with the silhouettes of Luffy’s crew depicted on its surface. Then Baron Omatsuri gives the order and the countless arrows aim at their target and pelt down on Luffy.
At this point you learn that the Baron’s crew is long dead and only kept alive by‘Riri Carnation. The Baron himself is the only survivor from that time. Each of the 100,000 arrows represents a day of loneliness spent full of reproach and self-loathing.
Luffy seems to be done for, pierced by the arrows he staggers towards the Baron. Then the leader of the tea house pirate gang, who was given courage by Digi, takes the initiative and grabs Omatsuri’s bow and an arrow and shoots Riri Carnation. This literally shreds it and the Baron knows it’s over now. (In parallel, you see all the members of the former Red Arrows pirate gang turn into little saplings). Omatsuri kneels down in the puddle of slime and collects the remains of RiriBut suddenly Luffy is standing in front of him and attacks him with a huge gum-gum gun.
Then comes a dream sequence of the Baron talking to his crew. They explain to him that their death was not his fault and that they won’t blame him if he starts a new gang or makes new friends.
A final cut follows, Luffy awakens from his swoon. He has done it, Baron Omatsuri is defeated. And his friends are also fine again, but they can’t remember anything. Then Robin suddenly sees a small dandelion on the once “flowerless” island.
Miscellaneous
- Omatsuri translates to celebration or festival in English.
- The film was released on DVD on July 21, 2005.
- The 6th movie of One Piece made it to the fifth place of the Top Anime Movies 2005.
- The film was supposed to be a parable of Hosoda’s work for Ghibli with “The Walking Castle (note: needs link)″ (Mamoru Hosoda was the director of the 6th movie).
- The film was released on Blu-ray in the United States at the same time as the DVD. )
