In the East Blue, the pirate El Drago and his crew are searching for the treasure left behind by the legendary Great Gold Pirate Woonan, which is said to be a mountain of gold; El Drago eventually finds a treasure map to Woonan’s gold by killing Woonan’s former crew. While traveling to the treasure, El Drago’s men rob the Straw Hat Pirates, who have run out of food and are close to starving. Luffy attacks them and accidentally smashes their small boat in the process.
El Drago retaliates using his Scream-Scream devil fruit powers, sending a powerful shock-wave that completely destroys the small boat and knocks the Going Merry away. Zoro dives into the sea to save Luffy, separating them from the rest of the Straw Hats, and finds Tobio, a small boy who was forced to work for El Drago. Smelling food, Luffy, Zoro and Tobio use the remains of the boat to travel to a floating oden shop run by Tobio’s grandfather, Ganzo.
Not having any cash, Luffy and Zoro accidentally perform an eat and run and are chained together by Ganzo. El Drago and his crew land on Woonan’s island, where they encounter Usopp. Usopp convinces El Drago not to kill him by claiming to be a professional treasure hunter, and close friend of Woonan, and begins leading him around the island aimlessly.
Meanwhile, Luffy and Zoro, still chained together, chase after Luffy’s hat onto the island when it blows away in the wind; Tobio follows them and the group becomes lost. Nami finds Woonan’s crew, and Usopp lies about the location of the gold, telling El Drago’s men to dig in a random location for three days. However, El Drago decides to use his devil fruit powers instead, and Luffy, Zoro and Tobio follow the sound. Tobio attempts to attack El Drago, whose retaliation is blocked by Zoro.
Zoro and El Drago’s fight is cut short by Luffy’s leg getting caught on a rock and flinging them both across the island; Usopp and Nami use this distraction to escape, and regroup with Luffy and Zoro. Solving a riddle on Woonan’s map, the Straw Hats and Tobio find the cave in which Woonan’s treasure is buried, finding Ganzo ahead of them. Ganzo reveals that he and Woonan were childhood friends, and that as children Ganzo and Woonan had fought over disagreeing with each other’s dreams.
In this fight, the two were knocked off a cliff face and onto a breaking branch, and Ganzo let himself fall in order to save Woonan. Unknown to Woonan, Ganzo was saved by a passing boat, but Woonan has already set out to sea when Ganzo woke up. The group find an old house where the gold is hidden, but El Drago catches up to them and fights Luffy and Zoro. El Drago is defeated, and in a secret room the group find Woonan’s skeleton and a message left for Ganzo.
Before dying, Woonan realized that his treasure could not make him happy, and returned all the gold he stole, leaving nothing but his skeleton and the flag he showed Ganzo before their fight. Ganzo decides to build a grave for Woonan and continue running his oden shop, while Nami manages to steal El Drago’s treasure. Ganzo refuses to accept the money for the oden, so that the Straw Hats will still owe him and be obligated to visit him again. As the Straw hats sail away, Tobio comments that Luffy really will become King of the pirates some day.
