
May 06, 2025
One Piece | Spa Island Arc (Filler) | Summary, Recap, & Review
The Straw Hats take a relaxing detour, but, as usual, nothing is as simple as it seems in these seas. What starts as a much-needed vacation turns into a crazy adventure, even if it is a short one.

3.5
Unnecessary
A short arc that fails to deliver an interesting plot or any memorable moments.

Pros

Fun scenes

Nukky is cute!

Cons

Predictable and flat

Not many interesting characters

Villains with weak motivation


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Table of Contents +
The Spa Island arc is a brief detour after the emotional, dark, and thrilling experience of Thriller Bark. The Straw Hats attempt to unwind on this odd, lavish, man-made resort. But, as you can probably guess, these things are never as simple as they seem. What starts as a chill vacation experience quickly becomes a bizarre scramble and a messy adventure. So, let’s get started!
Spa Island Arc | Summary & Recap
A Restless Vacation
After barely making it out alive from Thriller Bark, the Straw Hats find themselves at Spa Island, a man-made resort just outside the Florian Triangle. This floating resort is fully equipped with all the recreational facilities you could dream of and some you never could. There’s candy-raining clouds, slides, cola baths, and all kinds of swimming pools and restaurants, just to name a few.
The Spa Island was managed by a seemingly affable owner named Doran, who cared not whether his visitors were pirates or marines, so long as they all paid. While the crew was resting and calmly enjoying the amenities, Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp played carefree in the slides. They meet a girl named Lina, accompanied by a strange pet, a shapeshifting sea raccoon named Nukky. Her older sister, Sayo, clutches a mysterious notebook.
As Nami and Robin join them in inquiring about the notebook, the girl gets uneasy and makes for a hasty exit with her sibling and Nukky. Their exit was interrupted by an unpleasant, familiar face as Foxy and his loyal Porche and Hamburg appear.
Foxy’s Return… Again
Foxy is still salty about their previous defeat, even though Luffy barely remembers him. This time, the Foxy pirates are trying to steal the mysterious notebook from Sayo. Foxy now has a mirror-covered mecha and uses it to reflect his Noro Noro Beam, firing in different directions and hitting the Straw Hats and the sisters.
As they are slowed down, he steals the notebook and removes the floor beneath everyone so they’ll fall to the ocean once the effect of the Noro Noro Beam passes. Amidst the chaos, Franky and Brook arrive. Franky easily defeats Foxy as Luffy and Robin save the sisters and the others. As Foxy retreats into his mecha, angry that Luffy got more crewmates after defeating him the last time, Hamburg slams the door, accidentally smashing all the mirrors. Luffy then sends them away, tumbling into the ocean.
Sayo reveals the significance of the notebook, containing the research her father made as a scientist, trying to create a “genuine gem,” for which he was mocked by his village. Though ridiculed, he maintained his optimism and left the village on a research expedition, taking Nukky with him and leaving the girls alone. Nukky returned by himself a year later with the notebook of their father and a letter informing the girls about their dad’s passing.
Even though Lina becomes bitter at first, Sayo’s resolve grows to finish her father’s dream. She now asks for the crew’s help to fulfill her father’s request. Suddenly, they fall through a trap door, and it’s revealed that Doran, the man running the Spa Island, has been behind the plan to steal the mysterious notebook all along.
Doran’s Master Plan
After Doran’s treacherous move, the Straw Hats are in a fight against time to rescue the girls. Luffy, being Luffy, comes up with the drastic solution of destroying the island to save them as quickly as possible. Even though the crew initially disagreed, they set it in motion in no time.
As the crew destroys the island and takes down the guards, Doran reveals Sayo is tied up and a giant cannon pointing at her. He fired a warning shot, narrowly missing her. He demands an exchange of the notebook for her life. Lina agrees to comply but Sayo insists that her father’s dream must never be abandoned. Sayo reveals that their father is still alive and was trying to finish the rainbow gem as a gift to Lina. He could not make it back to them due to the Foxy Pirates following him, so he sent Nukky with the notebook to the girls.
To put an end to all the madness, Luffy uses Gear 3 and launches a giant Gomu Gomu no Giganto Axe, saving the girls and splitting the Spa Island in half. He shrinks after that, prompting Sanji to rescue them in the ocean quickly. With the debris and mess of the destroyed island settling, Lina notices the X-shaped crack in the ocean floor, leading to an underwater volcano.
Sayo immediately realizes that this X marks the spot for the final ingredient for the gem her father envisioned, the last powerful underwater volcanic steam and the rainbow it causes. Doran and the remnants of the Foxy Pirates witness the spectacle. Doran allows the pirates to “keep it” as he makes a hasty escape, with the Foxy crew chasing him down with a joyful conclusion to this whole mess.
The Straw Hats sail on to continue their journey. Soon enough, Nukky flies to the Sunny with carrying a letter from the girls. It says that they’ve finally been able to create the Rainbow Gem and that their father is back. They are all living happily together now. They also send the crew a piece of Rainbow Gem, which causes a sudden rain of candy. This rain of candy makes them go insano-style in a candy-eating frenzy, nearly losing the stone. Nami orders everyone on the ship to search the entire deck for the gem as they sail away.
Spa Island Arc | Story Impact
The Spa Island is a filler arc and a really short one at that. There is no story impact since it’s not canon. However, I have to make the curious note that it does something that’s happened before in other filler arcs: it predicted something from the future.
Even though it’s not at all the same, in the Elbaf Arc, we are introduced to the Rainbow Gem. A mysterious gem that can create rainbows in the sky where the ships can sail as if they are flying. So, that’s another one of those things the filler arcs came up with that we later see in the canon story, like the dragons and Zoro cutting steel.
Spa Island Arc | Review
Category |
Rating |
Animation and Visuals |
7/10 |
Character Development |
2/10 |
Sound and Music |
4/10 |
Reception and Impact |
1/10 |
Overall Score |
3.5/10 |
Animation and Visuals | 7/10
Spa Island is a pretty short arc, but the visuals are great here. Of course, you can always expect cartoony madness when the Foxy Pirates are present, but the animation is also pretty good here. Nukky is a cool character that opens up a lot of possibilities. If it were canon, it could be interesting to see other shapeshifting sea raccoons in the future. But if there’s one aspect I’d save from this arc is the animation. It’s pretty, colorful, fluid, and overall surprisingly nice. It makes it feel like a movie.
Character Development | 2/10
Again, being a filler arc, it does not present any real development for the crew, we have to judge it by the character development of the original arc characters. These characters don’t have a lot of time to develop. They are pretty straightforward and predictable. I wouldn’t call this a good character development in any real way. I just think it’s funny to see the Foxy Pirates mess things up again, as usual.
Sound and Music | 4/10
Not much to say here, once again, this arc doesn’t do enough to be relevant in any real way, relying on the already used One Piece themes for most things.
Reception and Impact | 1/10
This is one of the easiest to forget filler arcs in the series. There are a lot of people that don’t even remember it exists and many more people that were already feeling the Foxy fatigue. So overall, I would say this arc did not succeed.
The closest thing here that resembles an impact is the fortunate coincidence of the name of the Rainbow Gem.
Overall Score | 3.5/10
The Spa Island arc is a classic example of a forgettable filler arc. Of course, the animation is cool and the designs are all crazy and fun, but that’s expected of anything One Piece related. The minimal character development and lack of real memorable moments are what make this filler so unfulfilling.
However, I do understand that there could be a reason for the existence of this arc, as it comes directly after Thriller Bark. Not only is the Thriller Bark arc quite literally very dark, but it also ends in such an emotional moment that you might need a little break. Especially considering we’re about to sail into one of the most gut wrenching, intense, and hardcore sagas in the series. We are now about to enter the Summit War saga, so get ready to sail into a thrilling adventure!

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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Spa Island Arc of One Piece filler?
+Yes, the Spa Island Arc is completely filler and it is pretty inconsequential at that.
How long is the Spa Island Arc?
+The Spa Island Arc is only three episodes, spanning from 382-384.
Who are the Foxy Pirates?
+The Foxy Pirates are a recurring group of pirates that Luffy has taken down a few times. They are best known for Davy Back Fight during the Long Ring Long Land arc.
Is filler considered canon?
+No, filler arcs are not considered canon. They are anime exclusive episodes or arcs that are not included in the manga.
Who are the main antagonists of the Spa Island Arc?
+Initially, it seems like the Foxy Pirates are the main antagonists, but it turns out that Doran, the spa owner, is the villain. He is trying to steal the Rainbow Gem from Lina and Sayo.
Is the Rainbow Gem in the Spa Island Arc the same as the one in the Elbaf arc?
+No, the two Rainbow Gems are completely separate items. One rains candy (awesome), the other allows travel by rainbow (also awesome).
What arc is after the Spa Island Arc?
+The Sabaody Archipelago Arc starts after Spa Island which beings the Paramount War (Summit War, Marineford) Saga.
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