Kicking off with the "Romance Dawn" arc, the seven-year-old Luffy meets Shanks and is inspired to become the Pirate King. A decade later, he sets out on his journey with little more than a dream (and a rowboat). He soon meets up with aspiring Marine Koby, who boarded the vicious pirate Alvida by accident and as a result was forced into more than two years of hard labor. Though Luffy's rowboat was short-lived, he and Koby escaped in a new boat after Luffy bested Alvida in a short skirmish. Luffy continues building his crew in Shells Town, where they encounter the pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, who joins up with them.
Luffy and Zoro meet a thief called Nami in Orange Town. Nami hates pirates, but joins them anyway, making for an unlikely crew as they fight the rule of Buggy the Clown. Nami becomes the team's navigator and the newly named Straw Hat Pirates acquire the Going Merry, a seagoing vessel. They are joined by Usopp, and face off against the Black Cat Pirates.
Usopp becomes the Straw Hats' sniper and they head to the Baratie restaurant vessel. While they're there, it's attacked by Don Krieg, freshly back from the Grand Line and wanting to sail the Baratie when he goes back. We meet the Seven Warlords of the Sea for the first time, and Sanji joins the crew.
Finding Nami has stolen the ship, the Straw Hats follow her to an island controlled by Fish-Man Arlong. She admits she's one of his pirates and that she only joined them so she could steal from them. This is when Luffy's famous "Wanted" poster makes its debut.
Finally, Nami joins the crew for real. The Straw Hats head to Loguetown, where Gol D. Roger was born — and killed. This is the last town before you hit the Grand Line.
