The Marineford arc marks the climax of the first part of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece. The arc sees Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace, about to get executed at Marine HQ, with the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies waging war to rescue him.
Luffy jumps into the storm to free his brother, and although he succeeds, Ace still ends up dying to protect him. Marineford is considered to be one of the greatest arcs in One Piece, if not the greatest, and it improved an already good story in a multitude of ways.
10 It Gave The Fans The Biggest Known War To Date In The Story
The Marineford arc features what is quite easily the biggest war in the series so far. After the capture of Ace at the hands of the Blackbeard Pirates, he was eventually turned over to the Navy, who then decided to execute him.
As expected of Ace's captain, Whitebeard didn't stand for this and called all his 43 allies who met the full force of the Navy and the Shichibukai at Marineford. Added to this was also the group who escaped from Impel Down, led by Monkey D. Luffy.
9 The Arc Saw One Piece Gather The Strongest Characters For The First Time
Being the biggest known war to date in the One Piece series, Marineford had lots of strong characters fighting against each other. The Yonko Whitebeard and his strong division commanders fought the Admirals and Vice Admirals of the Navy.
The Shichibukai had the likes of Hancock and Mihawk, and some other legendary figures such as Garp and Sengoku were also present in the war.
8 This Arc Marked The Death Of Two Beloved Characters In One Piece
The Marineford arc was massive in more ways than one as not only did it see the two biggest forces of the One Piece world collide, but it also gave fans a shocking blow with the death of Portgas D. Ace and Edward Newgate.
Whitebeard, the strongest man in the story, passed away after declaring the existence of the One Piece, while Ace gave up his life to protect his brother, Monkey D. Luffy.
7 The Marineford Arc's Conclusion Marked The End Of An Era
After the death of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, the world entered the Great Pirate Era with the likes of the Yonko on top. Whitebeard, Garp, Sengoku, and others from the old generation slowly became relics of the past and thus didn't become a part of the new era.
While Whitebeard died, Garp and Sengoku both resigned from their services but kept their positions to raise the next generation of the Marines. As such, the era shifted completely after the war of Marineford wrapped up.
6 Marineford Offered The Highest Stakes In One Piece Until Wano Country
The war of Marineford was incredibly tense where every little action was a defining moment in itself. The stakes of the war were quite literally the highest that One Piece has had to offer until the Wano Country arc.
Not only was Ace's life at stake but also the lives of Luffy, Whitebeard, and the other pirates present there as well. What's more, the Navy could have been destroyed right there and then, but they ended up winning the war.
5 The Conclusion Of The War Made The Seas Turbulent
As the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines clashed, the entire world prayed for the victory of the Marines and the destruction of the "evil" Whitebeard Pirates. However, the war's conclusion showed a reality that was quite different and, instead of bringing peace, made the seas more dangerous than ever.
Just like Roger, Whitebeard's death inspired pirates to find the One Piece and thus increased the number of pirates out there on the seas. This made the story even more exciting as the Straw Hats' journey became tougher than ever.
4 The War Finally Gave The Fans More Of Red-Haired Shanks
Shanks is one of the most loved One Piece characters and also the man responsible for pushing Luffy to surpass him and become a Great Pirate. He is also one of the Yonko who rules the New World which is why he hasn't been seen enough.
The Marineford arc gave the fans a glimpse of Shanks and showed them what he was capable of doing right toward the end when he managed to stop the war singlehandedly.
3 The Marineford Arc Gave Luffy A Reason To Grow Stronger
Luffy has always valued those close to him, be it his brothers or his crewmates. Having known what loss feels like at a young age, he promised to grow stronger to be able to protect everyone who is dear to him.
However, Ace's death made him realize that he had a long way to go. Thanks to Rayleigh, Luffy managed to get stronger in order to protect his crewmates and loved ones.
2 The Marineford Arc Paved Way For The Straw Hats To Grow Alongside Luffy
Just as Luffy decided to grow stronger for the sake of his dream and his friends, the other crew members decided to do the same. To make Luffy the Pirate King, everyone trained themselves to their absolute limits at the time and came back stronger after two years.
After the time-skip, the crew reunited at Sabaody Archipelago and finally set sail for the New World to topple the strongest and reach Laugh Tale.
1 The End Of The Marineford Arc Saw The Worst Generation Step Up & Take The Era By Storm
With the end of one chapter with Marineford, a new one began immediately after. The pirates of the Worst Generation finally decided to make the age theirs as most of them entered the New World and fought against the other pirates who held the same dreams as them.
The likes of Kid made a great name for themselves while others, such as Law, opted for a different strategy. Either way, the Worst Generation made their presence known after the Paramount War in the most fashionable way.
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