The epic story of One Piece includes a 2 year time skip where Luffy's Straw Hat crew head off to train. Here's where they went and what they learned.
What did the Straw Hat pirates get up to during One Piece's 2-year time skip? One Piece is one of the most popular anime in the world, soon to get a live-action adaptation on Netflix and its story spans multiple years, including a substantial time gap. Landing at the Sabaody Archipelago, Monkey D. Luffy was brimming with his usual enthusiastic confidence but received a stark wake-up call thanks to Bartholomew Kuma and the World Government. Kuma easily defeated Luffy's entire crew, sending each Straw Hat flying to a different island.
Still separated from his crew, Luffy broke into Impel Down to free his sibling, Portgas D. Ace, and then participated in the legendary Summit War between the Marines and Whitebeard. The bloody battle ended with the deaths of both Ace and Whitebeard. Recognizing his weakness, Luffy sent a message to the other Straw Hats via newspaper. Instead of meeting at Sabaody in 3 days as originally planned, they'd each take 2 whole years to refine their skills.
When the matured Straw Hat crew eventually reunites, each character is exponentially stronger, with new techniques, new weapons, and new allies. The One Piece time jump offered an opportunity to update these characters, offering a fresh new status quo. Here's what Luffy and his friends did during this blank period, as well as where they went, who they met, and what skills they learned.
One Piece Time Jump Explained
The One Piece time jump covers a period of two years, during which the Straw Hat members are all training in isolation to better develop their abilities. This period lasts from the end of the Summit War story arc to the Straw Hat crew's reunion on Sabaody Archipelago — and is largely not depicted in the One Piece manga and anime. The period after the One Piece time skip is commonly referred to as "Part 2" of the series.
Long-running shonen action series often skip time like this to allow characters to power up off-screen and get new outfits and designs. For example, Naruto's timeline includes a time skip after the Sasuke Retrieval arc, which in the anime marks the break between the original series and Shippuden. Similarly, the Dragon Ball manga featured a substantial gap during which Goku grew up and became a parent, which led to a shift in tone and the change in the anime title to Dragon Ball Z. While the One Piece anime didn't have a title change like this, its time skip had no less dramatic changes in the Straw Hat members.
Monkey D. Luffy - Training With Rayleigh
The Straw Hats made a powerful friend during their initial visit to Sabaody — Silvers Rayleigh, the first mate of the Pirate King. Following Ace's death, it was Rayleigh who suggested the 2-year training break and offered to take Luffy as his student. Luffy and Rayleigh trained together on Rusukaina, an island dominated by powerful wild beasts near Amazon Lily. Under Rayleigh's guidance, One Piece hero Luffy learned how to use the three forms of Haki, having previously been unable to control the ability. He gained mastery of Armament and Sensory Haki, while also discovering how to use his incredibly rare Conqueror's Haki at will. Combining these skills with his Gomu-Gomu Fruit, Luffy developed the Gear Fourth transformation, practicing on the island's animal population before being left alone for the final 6 months of the One Piece time gap.
To signal his determination, Luffy abandoned his famous straw hat during the training, only reclaiming it when ready to set sail, and often refused food if he couldn't complete Rayleigh's tasks. Flashbacks later show that Rayleigh told Luffy about using Haki to read the future and the mysterious Voice of all Things technique during the One Piece time gap.
Roronoa Zoro - Training With Mihawk
As the One Piece anime's resident swordsman, Roronoa Zoro was sent to Kuraigana Island, home to the world's strongest swordsman, the warlord Dracule Mihawk. Zoro and Mihawk came to respect each other after the budding swordsman foolishly challenged Mihawk in East Blue and got thoroughly beaten, spurring Zoro to become stronger. Reuniting during One Piece's time skip, Zoro begged his rival for training. Whether due to curiosity, boredom, or the desire to find a worthy opponent, Mihawk agreed.
During his two years of his training during the One Piece time skip, Zoro learned how to infuse his swords with Armament Haki and strengthened his three-bladed technique. Honing his skills on the Humandrill beasts native to Kuraigana Island, Zoro was accompanied by former enemy Perona, a popular One Piece side character like Pedro, who had also been sent flying by Bartholomew Kuma's paw. The biggest mystery from Zoro's time skip training is the fate of his left eye. When Zoro landed on Kuraigana, he had two perfectly healthy, working eyes. By the time he left, one was permanently closed. Was this simply a training accident? Or does Zoro have a hidden power lurking behind his eyelid?
Sanji - Training With Ivankov
Although Luffy didn't find his brother in the pits of Impel Down, he did discover Ivankov, a member of the Revolutionary Army and a close friend of his father, as well as a very questionable example of trans representation. Ivankov escaped the prison at Luffy's side and joined him during the Summit War, before returning to his native Kamabakka Kingdom on Momoiro Island. As fate would have it, Kuma (another Revolutionary) chose to send the Straw Hats member Sanji to the Kamabakka Kingdom also. This is where things get problematic.
Sanji is chased by Ivankov's okama followers, who want to see him dress in women's clothing. Despite having no desire to wear such garments, Sanji could recognize Ivankov's strength and made a bet with the Queen. If the Straw Hat cook could beat the 99 masters of Newkama Kenpo dotted around the island, Ivankov would bestow him with the recipes for Attack Cuisine, which provides a physical enhancement to those who consume it. Fighting Ivankov's warriors during the One Piece time gap strengthened Sanji's kicking technique and Haki (the Armament form especially), and broadened Sanji's cooking repertoire —much to Luffy's delight.
Nami - Studying On Weatheria
The ever-changing One Piece character Nami arrived on the sky island of Weatheria — an artificial island that floats but, unlike Skypeia, is able to land on regular islands when necessary. Since Nami's chief weapon is her knowledge of weather, it's only fitting that she ends up in Weatheria, a place where wizard-like scientists research climate and meteorology. After hearing about the peculiar weather to come in the New World, Nami utilizes the scientists' knowledge to improve her navigation skills, but she also takes time to create a new version of her signature Clima-Tact pole. The people of Weatheria had developed Weather Ball technology — small clusters of different weather types locked inside a small bubble. Nami weaponized this phenomenon during the One Piece time gap and now uses these balls to attack opponents with powerful lightning.
Usopp - Pop Greens
Usopp, set to be played by Jacob Romero Gibson in Neflix's live-action One Piece, didn't cover himself in glory during the first part of One Piece's time skip. Sent to Greenstone Forest in the Boin Archipelago, Usopp met a kind warrior named Heracles who was just as prone to drama as the Straw Hats' sniper. Brimming with tasty food at every turn, Usopp dramatically gained weight in Greenstone, but after seeing Luffy's secret message, he trimmed down and became stronger by avoiding the hazardous plants dotted around the island. As well as improving his shooting, Usopp found fascinating new ammunition in the form of Pop Greens. These seeds allow Usopp to fire plant weapons such as bamboo javelins and man-eating fly-traps, and he would master their usage during the 2-years spent alongside Heracles. Usopp's never-ending supply of Pop Greens is explained by a garden on the Thousand Sunny where he grows new seeds.
Chopper - Med School
Of all the Straw Hat Pirate members, the "cute character" Chopper's 2-year training period is perhaps the most basic. Kuma apparently knew the Tanuki was a doctor rather than a pet because Chopper was sent straight to the Torino Kingdom, where he befriended both the animal and human populations and resolved a conflict between the two. As reward for his good deeds, Chopper was led to a library full of medical books about rare plants with healing properties. Spending his time studying, Chopper became a much better doctor but didn't neglect his battle abilities either. Previously, Chopper was unable to control the giant monster form triggered by his Devil Fruit and Rumble Ball combination, but after the One Piece time skip, Chopper uses the transformation at will. The cotton candy lover also develops a new Kung-Fu mode, blows up his antlers for Horn Point, and gets a fancy new hat.
Nico Robin - Joining The Revolutionaries
After the Straw Hat members' encounter with the shichibukai member Bartholomew Kuma, Nico Robin landed in Tequila Wolf, where she was immediately captured and enslaved along with the local population. Kuma didn't intend for Robin to suffer, he simply must've known the Revolutionary Army planned to liberate the island. Monkey D. Dragon's gang readily accepted Robin due to her connection with Luffy and reputation as an enemy of the World Government. Robin spent her 2 years helping other subjugated territories alongside the Revolutionaries, but One Piece doesn't reveal any specific training she undertook during this period. After the One Piece time skip, however, Robin is able to use her Hana-Hana Fruit to bloom larger limbs, pairs of wings, and even entire clones.
Franky - A Vegapunk Upgrade
Franky spent the One Piece time gap rebuilding himself, inspired by the villainous Vegapunk. Since Vegapunk was responsible for transforming Kuma into a Pacifista, a Terminator-like unstoppable robot, the big bear knew the visionary creator was someone Franky could learn from. Obviously, Kuma couldn't send a Straw Hat straight into Marine territory, so he picked the next best thing — Vegapunk's old lab on Karakuri Island. After accidentally detonating the facility, Franky discovered a hidden lab beneath the first, where he studied Vegapunk's old blueprints to improve his engineering skills. The Straw Hat shipwright also made a number of personal modifications, upgrading himself into BF-37, which comes complete with lasers, tank treads, fireballs, and, best of all, nipple lights. While on Karakuri Island, Franky also built General Franky (BF-38) — a mech unit with enhanced weapons and a beastly sword that he can occupy like a suit of armor.
Brook - Went On Tour
While most of the Straw Hats crew members used their 2-year break to train, Brook decided to live out his rockstar fantasies instead. Initially, Brook landed on Namakura Island, home to a group of occultists who adopt Brook as their demonic leader, a story that echoes one of One Piece's humorous filler episodes. This might've been why Kuma chose Namakura as Brook's destination, but the plan failed, and the musician was taken hostage by the local Longarm tribe who used him as a sideshow. The Longarms gave their prisoner his "Soul King" alter ego and Brook became a musical sensation on the Grand Line, with the Longarms taking a cut of the profits. Brook played to sold-out crowds over the two years, but was more than happy to return to the Thousand Sunny when the time came.
Despite not intending to train, Brook did become stronger during the One Piece time skip. The skeleton starts imbuing his blade with the icy chill of death (by virtue of being a corpse) and is visibly improved as a swordsman after returning to Sabaody. Brook also begins using his Devil Fruit to separate his soul and body, which proves invaluable for infiltration and surveillance.
