Key Insights
- One Piece’s Cover Stories play a pivotal role in the overarching narrative.
- Characters like Koby and Hatchan experienced remarkable development in their designated Cover Stories.
- Key events from Cover Stories have repercussions in major series moments, including CP9’s resurgence and Pudding’s kidnapping.
The concept of Cover Stories in One Piece is undeniably ingenious, as these supplementary narratives featured at the beginning of various chapters allow Eiichiro Oda to gradually expand the intricate world of the series in a manner no other manga matches.
While some fans—perhaps not fully informed—might overlook Cover Stories as mere filler, they are in fact integral to the main storyline. From crucial character introductions to astonishing events that shift the course of the tale, numerous instances from Cover Stories significantly influence the overall plot of One Piece.
1 Koby and Helmeppo’s Development Post-Garp Training
Koby-Meppo Diary
- Chapters: 83 to 119
- Episodes: 68 and 69
When Monkey D. Luffy bade farewell to his acquaintance Koby at the start of the series, Koby was a small, inexperienced aspiring Marine full of dreams. However, their next encounter reveals that Koby and Helmeppo underwent significant physical and emotional transformations through intense training with Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp.
Koby’s transformation might seem abrupt, but it is thoroughly showcased in his Cover Story, Koby-Meppo’s Diary, where readers witness him and Helmeppo gaining Garp’s confidence and beginning their training. Interestingly, this Cover Story was among the few to be adapted into the anime, although dedicated viewers may have mistaken it for a random filler arc.
2 Hatchan’s Collaboration With Camie and Pappag
Hatchan’s Sea-Floor Excursion
- Chapters: 182 to 228
During the early Sabaody Archipelago Arc, the Straw Hat Pirates encounter mermaid Camie and her talking starfish companion, Pappag, who enlist their help to save Hatchan, their friend and business partner. Once a member of Arlong’s crew, the clumsy octopus fish-man had supposedly been captured by the Marines. So how did he escape, and why is he now seen running a takoyaki stall with Camie?
All these queries are addressed in the Cover Story titled Hatchan’s Sea-Floor Excursion, revealing Hatchan’s escape from a marine vessel, his heroic rescue of Camie from a colossal sea creature, and their subsequent venture into the food business. Notably, Camie is one of the few characters introduced in a Cover Story before her main story debut.
3 Wapol’s Surprising Return at the Levely
Wapol’s Omnivorous Episode
- Chapters: 236 to 262
Wapol stands out as one of the more outlandish villains in One Piece, and after his initial entrance, fans did not anticipate seeing him again. To their astonishment, he resurfaced during the Levely Arc, where he was revealed to be the opulent ruler of the Evil Black Drum Kingdom.
Wapol’s Omnivorous Episode recounts his misadventures following his exile from Drum Island. He indulges in bizarre cuisines from various islands, faces arrest, and eventually escapes captivity. Remarkably, Wapol leverages his Devil Fruit abilities to craft popular toys for kids, launching a successful business. Beyond his entrepreneurial triumphs, he inadvertently creates a reliable shape-memory alloy known as Wapometal, earning him a kingdom from the World Government. This new material, Wapometal, further influences the series by being used to construct Franky’s General Franky.
4 CP9’s Revival and Rise to CP0
CP9’s Independent Report
- Chapters: 359 to 413
Many fans regard CP9 as one of the most formidable adversaries faced by the Straw Hat Pirates. Consequently, it shocked audiences to learn that Rob Lucci and his associates not only survived the Enies Lobby Buster Call but also ascended to CP0. How did this transformation take place?
The details are provided in their dedicated Cover Story, CP9’s Independent Report. It reveals how Blueno rescued his comrades using the powers of his Doa Doa no Mi, how they relocated to St. Poplar, and earned funds to cover Rob Lucci’s medical expenses. The climax depicts the World Government’s attempts to apprehend CP9, ultimately failing due to their overpowering prowess. While not directly stated, it’s suggested that this feat led to their promotion to CP0, particularly since the story confirms Spandam’s survival after Nico Robin’s attack.
5 Caribou’s Journey to Wano
Caribou’s Kehihihihi in the New World
- Chapters: 674 to 731
The pirate known as “Wet-Haired”Caribou has been shadowing the Straw Hat Pirates since his debut in the Return to Sabaody Arc. Though it appeared they had finally rid themselves of him post-Fish-Man Island, Caribou resurfaced during the Udon Prison segment of the Wano Country Arc, temporarily aligning himself with Luffy.
How did Caribou transition from Fish-Man Island to Wano? This transition is unraveled in the Cover Story titled Caribou’s Kehihihihi in the New World. Following his capture by Jinbe, Caribou escapes, abandons his crew, and lands on an enigmatic island where an elderly woman mistakes him for her revolutionary grandson, Gaburu. Consequently, Caribou deceives everyone by impersonating Gaburu and triumphs over Scotch, a member of the Beasts Pirates, before being captured by X-Drake and taken to Wano for punishment. While the anime attempted to summarize this bizarre narrative with a quick flashback, it fails to capture the essence of this extended Cover Story.
6 Bartolomeo’s Clash with Shanks
Tales from the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet
- Chapters: 864 to 919
One of the most astonishing events in recent One Piece chapters occurred when Bartolomeo’s ship was destroyed by Shanks and his crew as punishment for setting fire to the Red-Haired Pirates’ flag on an island in the New World. This shocking turn of events felt sudden for many readers, particularly newcomers, but it was actually foreshadowed in the Cover Story, Tales from the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet.
This narrative delineates the subsequent actions of each Straw Hat Grand Fleet member post-Dressrosa Arc. Bartolomeo is notably intriguing as he immediately ignites the Red-Haired Pirates’ flag, intending to replace it with that of the Straw Hat crew. This incident, revealed seven years ago, has only recently come to fruition in the main storyline.
7 The Emergence of the New Giant Warrior Pirates
Tales from the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet
- Chapters: 864 to 919
Bartolomeo’s unfortunate fate is not the only plot development that found its roots in Tales of the Self-Proclaimed Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Current manga chapters introduced the New Warrior Pirates during the Elbaf Arc, including Goldberg the chef, Gerd the doctor, and Road the navigator. Road particularly captures attention as he captures half of the Straw Hat Pirates, places them in a grand diorama, and claims to be the “Sun God.”
As expected, such vibrant and eccentric characters didn’t appear out of thin air; they were initially introduced in the aforementioned Cover Story. It explains how they were affiliated with Buggy’s Delivery before Hajrudin persuaded them to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet instead. Notably, the remaining crew member, Stansen the shipwright, is the same giant rescued by Rayleigh from the Auction House during the Sabaody Archipelago Arc.
8 How Blackbeard Abducted Charlotte Pudding
Germa 66’s A Shallow Excursion
- Chapters: 1035 to 1078
Among Blackbeard’s significant misdeeds in the recent chapters of One Piece, his abrupt kidnapping of Charlotte Pudding, who possesses the ability to decipher Poneglyphs with her third eye, stands out. While the anime attempted to clarify this event through a brief flashback, it is fundamentally addressed in the Germa 66 Cover Story titled Germa 66’s A Shallow Excursion.
Just as Niji and Yonji make their escape from Whole Cake Island, Kuzan and Van Augur confront and overpower Cracker, abducting Pudding in the process. Notably, this incident unfolded in the cover of Chapter 1064, which later depicted Pudding alongside the Blackbeard Pirates during their battle with Law and the Heart Pirates. This establishes Germa 66’s A Shallow Excursion as the Cover Story with the quickest influence on the series’ main plot.
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