Monkey D. Luffy regularly visits new islands throughout One Piece’s epic story, and that often means adding someone new to his crew, especially in the “East Blue” saga. It’s always thrilling to meet another fascinating new character and see how Luffy can convince them to join his crew to fill a vital role, from navigator to cook to carpenter. However, the “Skypiea” story arc didn’t deliver on that front.
Some One Piece fans deride the “Skypiea” saga for being expendable compared to the likes of “Alabasta” and “Water 7” since the “Skypiea” arc is like a partial isekai adventure where no one joined the Straw Hat crew. That may seem like a letdown, but for the sake of pacing, it was actually a good idea to let the crew of seven shine a little more before another new face joined them.
Nico Robin Was Skypiea’s Real Star
When the “Alabasta” saga ended, Luffy’s former enemy Nico Robin joined the Straw Hat crew since she had no other crew to join or cause to fight for. The Straw Hats were all she had left, so after some debate, Luffy welcomed his new kuudere friend to the crew. It was almost like a redemption arc for Robin, considering her role in the Baroque Works organization before that. She was certainly never evil, but the lonely, troubled Robin struggled to find a found family where she could truly shine — until then. She also had many talents beyond her Flower-Flower Fruit’s abilities.
Robin was the newest and most intriguing Straw Hat member when the “Skypiea” saga unfolded, and she was still the newest when that arc ended and “Water 7” began. Some One Piece fans felt disappointed that no one else joined the crew in “Skypiea,” which contributed to the saga’s reputation for being skippable filler, but there’s also an upside to that. Even if “Skypiea” feels rather detached from the larger One Piece universe in terms of characters and worldbuilding, Robin got a much-needed chance to shine. All throughout this arc, and for most of “Water 7” after it, Robin was the newest Straw Hat, and the story shone a spotlight on her. Her complex backstory needed time to unfold, so Franky wasn’t added until many chapters/episodes later. In “Skypiea,” Robin was the star.
Robin did more than help Luffy fight Enel’s warriors and save the floating island from doom. She was the only one who could fully understand the wonders of El Dorado, the gold city, and read the poneglyph found there. Robin isn’t just a Devil Fruit user — she is a scholar with a powerful and clever mind, which made all the difference in Skypiea’s worldbuilding. Without a new Straw Hat to shift the narrative’s focus, Robin had a serious impact regarding the Poneglyph she found in El Dorado, foreshadowing Laugh Tale and the story of Gol D. Roger well ahead of time. In many ways, that was the real narrative core of the “Skypiea” saga, with this being far more than a partial isekai adventure just for its own sake. Even if Skypiea floats high in the clouds, it still has strong connections to the oceans and land below, and Robin alone made that fact perfectly clear.
When New Straw Hat Pirates Don’t Get a Chance to Shine
One Piece’s “Skypiea” saga was hardly skippable filler — it was an essential chance for Nico Robin to truly shine, and her character was deepened even more in the “Water 7” saga when fans learned the truth about Ohara island and Robin’s connection with the World Government. Of course, every time a new Straw Hat member is introduced, they become the story’s main focus right before they’re added to the crew, such as Usopp helping fight Captain Kuro or Sanji’s backstory being explored during the “Baratie” arc.
However, these characters are often introduced right after one another, so once they’re added, they partially fade into the background. The moment Usopp was welcomed to the crew, for example, One Piece immediately ushered in Sanji, and the moment Franky was added to the crew after “Water 7” ended, the “Thriller Bark” saga began and Brook was introduced. In just a few chapters or episodes, Franky was no longer the new guy on the team — Brook was.
However, Robin stood out as the crew’s intriguing new member throughout “Skypiea” and even for most of “Water 7” as well. This is partly because Robin was a mysterious enemy in the “Alabasta” arc, so she wasn’t explored in much detail during that time. Instead, her personal story began with “Skypiea” and “Water 7,” and she was much deeper than Sanji, Nami and the others at the time. This suggests that, in hindsight, the Straw Hats could and maybe should have had a major story arc between each new member’s introduction so that each of them gets a recruitment arc and then a substantial breaking-in arc the way Robin did. After all, “Skypiea” strongly suggests that staggering out the Straw Hat introductions can work wonders for the characters and ensure that each new member stays in the spotlight a little longer to show everyone what they can really do.
