The One Piece cover stories develop major and minor characters through focused storylines in addition to the main plot following the adventures of the Straw Hat Pirates in the One Piece manga chapters. Each chapter of the manga is preceded by a cover page, which series author and artist Eiichiro Oda uses either to draw reader requests, present a scene with the Straw Hats, or serialize cover stories. The first cover story explained how Buggy the Clown reunited with his pirate crew and formed an alliance with Alvida after his defeat by Monkey D. Luffy in Orange Town. The cover stories provide official details which explain later appearances, such as the friendship between the pirate Django and Navy officer Fullbody ("Django's Dance Paradise") shown during the Marineford Arc. With few exceptions, they have not been animated. , there are 19 cover stories.
Buggy's Crew: After the Battle! +Buggy's Crew: After the Battle! Timing After: Buggy's defeat (Orange Town) Before: Straw Hat Pirates land in Roguetown Parts 25 (ch. 35–75) Key characters Buggy, Alvida Animated as "Buggy's Adventure" (S1:46–47)
Other translated titles used in the manga for this cover series are "Adventures of Buggy's Crew" and "Adventures of Ritchie's Pirate Crew!"
The diminished Buggy poles furiously away from Orange Town, pursued by hungry fish. When Buggy reaches land, he hungrily pursues a baby bird, but drops the plan when he runs into the enormous mother and tries, unsuccessfully, to trap her. She eats him but he tastes foul so she spits him out; he flies through the air until he reaches the Island of Rare Animals, where he duels and later befriends Gaimon. Gaimon sends him off on a new ship, which is wrecked by an enormous crab, and Buggy is rescued by a beautiful woman; as they are both pursuing Luffy, they join forces.
Meanwhile, Richie, Mohji, and Cabaji are chased out of town by Chouchou. The crew mourn their fallen captain, setting up a memorial with the leftover body parts. Mohji and Cabaji fight to determine the next captain, but both are defeated by a sleepwalking Ritchie. The Ritchie Pirates soon are defeated by the indigenous Kumate tribe, who start stewing the lion captain in red wine and release Buggy's body parts. Alvida and Buggy sight his former ship and land near his memorial; restored, Buggy single-handedly defeats the Kumates. The reformed Buggy Pirates sail away.
Koby and Helmeppo's Chronicle of Toil +Koby and Helmeppo's Chronicle of Toil Timing After: Morgan's defeat (Shells Town) Before: Water 7 Parts 30 (ch. 83–119) Key characters Koby, Helmeppo, Garp Animated as "Diary of Koby-Meppo" (S2:68–69)
Diligent Koby and resentful Helmeppo begin their Navy careers as chore boys, scrubbing floors and laundry; they are assigned to the ship escorting Helmeppo's father to prison. Helmeppo frets that Captain "Axe-Hand" Morgan may be sentenced to death as Garp's ship arrives to take the prisoner. Morgan takes advantage of Garp's narcolepsy and seizes Helmeppo as a hostage, running away on a small launch. As the sailors prepare to fire on the launch with Morgan and Helmeppo, Koby stands in front of the cannon to save his friend; eventually, Garp disables the cannon. Helmeppo denounces Morgan and escapes by swimming back to Garp's ship and the pair beg the Vice Admiral's forgiveness. Morgan is left adrift while Garp takes Koby and Helmeppo back to Navy Headquarters, where he puts them through intense training.
Django's Dance Paradise +Django's Dance Paradise Timing After: Kuro's defeat (Syrup Village) Before: Impel Down Parts 37 (ch. 126–172) Key characters Django, Fullbody
Django awakens to see the Black Cat Pirates sailing away; some time later, Onion recognizes him eating at a restaurant and the Usopp Pirates chase him out of town. Kaya has become a doctor's apprentice. While sailing to Mirror Ball Island, Django passes Morgan, each unaware of the other's boat. Ashore, he realizes the Navy is looking for him, so he disguises himself and enters a dance contest, which he wins; Fullbody is the runner-up. As they celebrate together, the Navy find Django's original clothes, raising Fullbody's suspicions.
However, the Tulip Pirates, led by Captain Eureka, attack Mirror Ball Island and Django takes advantage of the chaos to escape; Fullbody fights the Tulips, but they take a hostage, forcing his surrender. As Eureka stands triumphant over Fullbody, Django returns, teaming up with Fullbody to defeat the Tulip Pirates. Django is taken into custody and sentenced to death, but Fullbody protests through dance and wins his friend's freedom. As Django intends to flee, he hypnotizes Fullbody to forget their friendship, but they are distracted by the beauty of Captain Hina and both decide to join her crew.
Hachi's Walk on the Sea Floor +Hachi's Walk on the Sea Floor Timing After: Arlong's defeat (Arlong Park) Before: Sabaody Archipelago Parts 40 (ch. 182–228) Key characters Hachi, Camie
Hachi escapes custody and leaps into the sea, where he helps a panda shark, who gives him a gift of meat, which he uses to feed a hungry man stranded on an island. The man gives him a ring, which he returns to the goldfish princess, and she gives him a golden trident; he saves a sea boar by stabbing a larger sea monster in the tongue, and the boar spits out Camie, the mermaid, and her friend Pappagu. The Macro Fishman Pirates arrive and greet their old friend Hachi; he sells Camie to them for a map to a delicious recipe, but it is a trap which leads to the Great Octomash. Enraged, Hachi defeats Octomash and hunts down the Macro Pirates, then destroys the cage holding Camie. The Macro Pirates protest, saying the map does lead to the treasure, and Hachi returns to Octomash with Camie and Pappagu, where he finds the secret sauce hidden in the giant octopus.
Hachi returns to pursuing his girlfriend, Octopako; along the way, he feeds a village of starving catfish she had passed and mocked. He makes a final trade, exchanging his treasures for cooking equipment, and opens a shop with Camie and Pappagu. Octopako asks for the last box of but rejects Hachi's proposal of marriage, so he gives it to the catfish elder instead, earning a punch from Octopako as she leaves. Abandoned with Camie and Pappagu, he remembers his childhood dream of owning a cart and the catfish village repay him by building a new floating restaurant for him, the Takoyaki 8.
Wapol's Omnivorous Rampage +Wapol's Omnivorous Rampage Timing After: Wapol's defeat (Drum Island) Before: Reverie Parts 23 (ch. 236–262) Key characters Wapol
On Drum Island, new king Dalton of the Cherry Blossom Kingdom helps the citizens by shoveling snow. After landing far away, fallen king Wapol eats trees, lamps, and benches before consuming an entire town. Wapol is penniless, reduced to selling matches and living under a bridge, where he eats discarded trash, recycling it into surprisingly appealing toys which earn him a small fortune. A scientist discovers the toys contain a new alloy dubbed Wapometal and his Munch-Munch toy factory quickly expands into a corporate empire; he marries Miss Universe and declares himself king, showing his unrestrained ambition.
Ace's Great Search for Blackbeard +Ace's Great Search for Blackbeard Timing After: Ace meets Luffy (Nanohana) Before: Showdown at Banaro Island Parts 29 (ch. 272–305) Key characters Ace, Moda
Ace does a dine and dash before attacking an innocent Dr. Black Beard in a case of mistaken identity; the incensed villagers throw him into the river and he is rescued by Moda, a milkmaid. To repay her kindness, he agrees to deliver a letter. Ace infiltrates Naval Base G-2 in a sloppy disguise and heads to the buffet as his first order of business. He blows his cover after overhearing someone insult Whitebeard but upgrades his rank by knocking out and stripping a commander. A returning reconnaissance ship is set afire by pirates, threatening its secrets; Ace leaps onto the buring ship to save lives and the information, once again revealing his identity when he returns, aflame. Before he leaves, he delivers Moda's letter to the commander of G-2, Vice Admiral Komille. Ace stole information that leads him to Blackbeard; Moda reunites with her parents, who are cooks on a Navy galley vessel; and the milk she sells to the Navy makes the base's bitter coffee palatable.
Gedatsu's Unexpected Life on the Blue Sea +Gedatsu's Unexpected Life on the Blue Sea Timing After: Gedatsu's self-defeat (Skypeia) Before: Reverie Parts 32 (ch. 314–348) Key characters Gedatsu, Goro, Toh-Toh, Vivi
Gedatsu survives a fall from Skypeia, landing on an island full of holes dug by Goro, who dreams of building Ukkari, a hot spring island. Inspired, Gedatsu, the Sky Boss, vows to become the Boss of the Blue Sea, but first helps Goro with his holes despite his glaring lack of common sense. Eventually, Gedatsu uncovers, awakens, and vanquishes the Boss of the Earth, a giant mole miner. Gedatsu and Goro use the mole to burrow into the earth, finding a deep hot spring; the commotion awakens the Boss of the Forest, a giant baboon carpenter, which Gedatsu also defeats. Leaving the Forest Boss in charge of the island, they continue to dig with the Earth Boss, eventually surfacing in the oasis at Yuba in Alabasta. It turns out that Goro is Toh-Toh's brother; he and Koza return with Gedatsu and Goro to inspect the Forest Boss's surprisingly fine hot springs inn. Pincers sets up a shuttle bus service between Alabasta and Ukkari using the Earth Boss's tunnel. Vivi visits Ukkari with her entourage to enjoy the baths, and Gedatsu ends up as the attendant at Accidental Baths on Ukkari.
Miss Goldenweek's Big Plan, A Baroque Reunion +Miss Goldenweek's Big Plan, A Baroque Reunion Timing After: Crocodile's defeat (Alabasta) Before: Impel Down Parts 42+1 (ch. 359–413) Key characters ex-officers of Baroque Works
Abandoned on Little Garden with Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine, Miss Goldenweek learns that Baroque Works has collapsed and starts packing to visit the prison over her colleagues' objections. They hitch a ride with a pterodactyl made amenable through her painted symbol as Brogy and Dorry resume their stalemate, reduced to using fists.
In a storm, the paint washes off and the ex-Baroque trio crash onto Vacation Island, where Captain Hina is seeking Mr. 3. They try to disguise themselves to free Mr. 2, but Hina identifies them almost immediately. Mr. 5 and Miss Goldenweek manage to escape, but Miss Valentine is captured, and the Navy threaten to hang her if the others do not surrender. As Mr. 3 flees Kyuka Island, Bon Clay pulls him back to help him rescue Miss Valentine, who is calling for help from the beach. Trussed up, Mr. 3 is flung onto a cart and rolled toward a surprised Hina; it is Bon Clay in disguise, who bursts from the bonds and knocks out Django and Fullbody before facing off with Hina. As they fight, Miss Goldenweek and Mr. 5 free Miss Valentine and hijack Hina's ship, sailing it to the Naval prison.
The reunited trio pretend to be captured to infiltrate the prison, where Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Mr. 4 are terrorizing the other prisoners. Miss Valentine and Goldenweek meet Miss Merry Christmas and Miss Doublefinger and the reformed nucleus of Baroque Works break out of the prison, although Crocodile stays behind, as he is in no mood to escape, accompanied by Mr. 1. Miss Goldenweek paints their ideal dreams into reality and the others repair an abandoned saloon, reopening it as the New Spiders Cafe. Mr. 2 and 3 are reunited with Crocodile and Mr. 1 in Impel Down
Where Are They Now? (Skypiea) +Where Are They Now? cover updates Timing After: Eneru's defeat (Skypiea) Before: N/A Ch. Characters shown 424 Conis, Aisa, Raki, Nola 425 Wyper 427 Ganfor, Shandian Chief