The 7 Most Heartbreaking Moments of ‘One Piece: Into the Grand Line,’ Ranked
One Piece: Into the Grand Line is a rollicking adventure filled with larger-than-life pirates, bizarre islands, dangerous rivals, and the Straw Hat crew’s relentless quest to find the legendary treasure known as the One Piece.
As Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and the Straw Hat Pirates continue their search for the One Piece, they head into the legendary Grand Line, a narrow stretch of ocean that circles the globe along the equator and is infamous for its extreme weather, unpredictable currents, and powerful pirates.
As they journey through the Grand Line, the Straw Hat crew encounters a host of unforgettable characters, many marked by loss, betrayal, and difficult pasts. The crew’s own histories are also revealed, uncovering the hardships and painful moments that shaped who they are.
Here are a few of the saddest, most heartbreaking moments in the second season of One Piece. Warning: Thar be spoilers ahead, matey!
7. The "death" of Brogy the giant
On the island of Little Garden, the giant Brogy (Brendan Sean Murray) duels fellow giant Dorry (Werner Coetser) every day, a ritual they have continued for the past 100 years. Though they fight, the two share a deep mutual respect that has grown into friendship over time. Their clashes have become routine and an honored tradition between them.
However, Baroque Works interferes by tampering with Brogy’s ale, causing severe internal pain just before the duel, something Dorry knows nothing about. Usopp (Jacob Romero) desperately tries to warn Dorry, but he is too small for the towering giant to hear him. Only after Dorry fatally stabs Brogy during the battle does he learn the truth. Devastated, Dorry laments, “My dear friend is dead. For what? Not honor. For nothing!”
(It is later discovered that Brogy is fine and dandy, but the moment still captured a raw moment for poor Dorry and the Straw Hats, who didn’t know at the time.)
6. Chopper realizes Dr. Hiriluk won't be back
While under Dr. Hiriluk’s (Mark Harelik) tutelage, the eccentric doctor tells Chopper (voiced by Mikaela Hoover) about the legendary “cure-all mushroom,” a rare fungus said to heal any disease, including Hiriluk’s own illness. Hoping to spare the young reindeer the pain of watching him die, Hiriluk later banishes Chopper. Determined to save the man who took him in, Chopper braves the wilderness and returns with what he believes is the miracle mushroom. Hiriluk gratefully eats a soup made from it and then sets off for Drum Castle to “help” the island’s doctors.
When Dr. Kureha (Katey Sagal) arrives, she delivers the devastating truth: the mushroom Chopper found is actually a deadly poison. Hiriluk had knowingly eaten the mushroom before embarking on what was essentially a suicide mission to confront the corrupt ruler, King “Tin-Plate” Wapol (Rob Colletti). Overwhelmed with grief, Chopper breaks down, sobbing over his mistake and the crushing realization that he will never see the man he considered a father again.
5. Igaram's sacrifice
Captain of the Nefertari Royal Guard Igaram (Yonda Thomas) and Princess Nefertari Vivi (Charithra Chandran) are eventually exposed by Baroque Works as undercover agents trying to dismantle the criminal organization and save their kingdom of Alabasta. During the chaos on Whisky Peak, Igaram is shot while the pair fight to survive against the assassin group.
Realizing he will only slow down the Straw Hats’ escape, Igaram makes a final sacrifice by confronting Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 (Jazzara Jaslyn and Camrus Johnson), giving Vivi a chance to flee. As she escapes aboard the Going Merry, Vivi watches the explosion from afar and screams his name. Igaram was not just her protector but a fatherlike figure who practically raised her, and the loss devastates her. Overcome with grief, she collapses into Nami’s (Emily Rudd) arms, sobbing.
In the next episode, she pay tribute to him, stating she will never forget him or his sacrifice.
4. Dr. Hiriluk's final gift
Doctors find many different ways to heal people, and Dr. Hiriluk (Mark Harelik) was certainly an unconventional one, though his intentions were always noble. He believed the people of Drum Island needed more than medicine to recover. Convinced that hope itself could be a cure, he spent his life trying to create a special formula that could restore that spirit. Hiriluk eventually succeeded, but he never lived long enough to see the results of his work.
In the story’s final moments, Dr. Kureha, a.k.a. Doctorine (Katey Sagal) loads Hiriluk’s concoction into a cannon and fires it into the sky, seeding the clouds and causing it to snow “cherry blossoms” over the war-torn island. To Hiriluk, the blossoms symbolized hope. Seeing the sky filled with their immense beauty was meant to remind the people of Drum Island that even in the darkest times, miracles are possible and there is always a reason to keep on believing. Seeing his dream come true, little Tony Tony Chopper (voiced by Mikaela Hoover) bursts into tears for his deceased father.
3. Sanji reveals how he learned to cook
As Sanji (Taz Skylar) nurses Nami (Emily Rudd) back to health after a scare, he reveals a softer side rarely seen from the dapper chef. While he picked up a few tips from Chef Zeff (Craig Fairbrass), he explains that he is largely self-taught, learning to cook out of necessity when his mother became seriously ill.
Sanji recalls how he would prepare “mushy banana amuse-bouche” for her, and how his mother would always praise his efforts, hiding how sick she truly was. As he remembers her kindness, Sanji begins to cry, and Nami quietly tears up as well. Determined to make her proud, he kept improving, trying to cook better meals each time. “But while I was getting better, she was getting worse,” he tells Nami. Eventually, the day came when he no longer had to make her lunch. From that moment on, every dish he prepares carries her memory.
2. Laboon the lonely whale
As the Going Merry enters the Grand Line, the Straw Hat crew travels a treacherous route through Reverse Mountain, where their descent is abruptly stopped by a gigantic whale named Laboon, who blocks the exit and swallows the ship whole, leaving only Luffy (Iñaki Godoy)
undigested. He meets a man named Crocus (Clive Russell), who explains Laboon’s strange and territorial behavior. To help Luffy understand, Crocus shares the whale’s emotional story.
Fifty years earlier, a pirate crew known as the Rumbar Pirates passed through Reverse Mountain with a baby Laboon in tow. The whale loved the crew, believing the music-loving pirates were his pod. But when the crew prepared to enter the dangerous Grand Line, they feared the young whale would not survive the journey and left him behind.
Unable to understand why he had been abandoned, Laboon believed the pirates were simply on the other side of the mountain and would soon return. For 50 years, he has waited faithfully at Twin Cape by Reverse Mountain, repeatedly slamming his head against the rock wall in an attempt to reach them, leaving his head scarred from decades of grief and longing. Unable to accept that he is alone, he waits by the wall for his friends to one day return.
1. Chopper gets thrown out
This season, audiences are introduced to the reindeer doctor Tony Tony Chopper (voiced by Mikaela Hoover), a beloved member of the Straw Hats with a tragic backstory. In Episode 7, his heartbreaking history is fully revealed, giving viewers a deeper understanding of the character.
After Dr. Hiriluk (Mark Harelik) finds an injured Chopper and takes him in, the two form a deep father-son bond. But Hiriluk knows he is dying and cannot bear the thought of Chopper watching him fade away. Hoping to spare the young reindeer that trauma, he cruelly drives him away by throwing him out of the only home he has ever known, claiming his treatment is finished and that he must leave. Hiriluk locks the door and calls him a “blue-nose fool,” forcing Chopper out into the cold.
Not understanding why and believing he did something wrong, Chopper desperately begs for forgiveness, pounding on the door and pleading to be let back inside. The moment is gut-wrenching to watch. On the other side of the door, Hiriluk is also crying, knowing his cruelty is meant to protect the child he loves. Even when the audience understands his intentions, the scene is devastating to witness, as Chopper’s innocence collides with the doctor’s good intentions.
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