One Piece: Luffy, Blackbeard, and 5 Other Characters Who Were Saved by the Plot

This article contains spoilers for the One Piece series.

The phenomenal manga known as “One Piece” can largely be attributed to the creative genius of Eiichiro Oda. This series boasts some of the most captivating lore and storytelling in shonen genres. However, like many other works within this genre, “One Piece” isn’t without its imperfections, particularly in instances where characters seem to be rescued by the plot.

It’s well-known that Oda is averse to eliminating characters, yet there are some peculiar moments within the manga when characters seemingly escaped death due to plot convenience, making events appear illogical or confusing.

Roronoa Zoro

Oda Created a New Drug Just to Have Him Back Fighting

Zoro, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, is renowned for his swordsmanship. He’s often deeply immersed in battles among the crew, which frequently places him against formidable adversaries. Consequently, Zoro frequently encounters challenging predicaments with powerful foes.

In the story, it’s not surprising that Zoro has benefited from plot protection, as often happens in narratives. More recently, in Wano, Oda created a new plot-driven substance. This substance was developed by the Minks and served to help Zoro regain his strength to face his primary adversary, King. The drawback was that Zoro felt twice as much pain once the effect wore off. This decision seemed unusual and didn’t align well with the storyline.

Kinemon

Sustained Attacks That He Shouldn’t Have Survived

As a devoted follower of the Red Scabbards, I proudly stood front and center during our relentless charge against the mighty Kaido and the formidable Big Mom on Onigashima. In my role as leader, I fearlessly launched attacks, only to receive some severe blows directly, leaving me gravely wounded. Even a powerful blow from Kaido’s Conqueror’s Haki-infused fist struck me squarely on the head! To top it off, I was ruthlessly cleaved apart in the heat of battle.

Other characters among the nine Scabbards, such as Ashura or Izo, died from far fewer injuries.

Trafalgar D. Water Law

Used His Awakened Devil Fruit Against Big Mom

In simpler terms, during the Wano storyline, Big Mom, a formidably powerful pirate who was part of the elite group known as the Yonko, posed a significant challenge to many characters, even Luffy. With everyone busy dealing with their own battles, it fell upon Law and Kid to confront Big Mom. In this intense battle, both characters managed to utilize their awakened Devil Fruits, which seemed unusual since there was no prior build-up for this development.

During the battle, Law managed to withstand some formidable attacks from Big Mom, attacks that under normal circumstances seemed impossible. In order to ensure Law and Kid’s survival, Oda intentionally weakened Big Mom significantly, preventing her from using Conqueror’s Haki in this particular fight.

Eustass Kid

Another Character Who Got Lucky Against Big Mom

In the storyline of “One Piece,” similar to Trafalgar Law, Kid found himself engaged in a fierce struggle against Big Mom during the Wano arc. Interestingly, during this combat, Kid unexpectedly displayed his Devil Fruit’s awakened abilities, despite no previous indication that he could do so. This was rather unusual, as he seemed to have fewer prelude scenes compared to Law, leaving many readers somewhat perplexed.

In simpler terms, Oda was searching for a method to defeat Linlin, as Law and Kid hadn’t truly vanquished her. Instead, they only managed to knock her off the island of Onigashima.

Blackbeard

The Plot Is Always on His Side

In the world of One Piece, Blackbeard is a notable antagonist. Interestingly, fortune seems to favor him often in the story. Similar to Luffy, Blackbeard was severely poisoned by Magellan, a situation that typically would have marked the end of his journey.

Nonetheless, somehow Blackbeard survived and was nursed back to health by Shiryu, despite there being no known antidote for the poisons he had been exposed to, as Magellan himself admitted. It remains a mystery how this occurred, given that Luffy needed a divine intervention from Ivankov to survive a similar ordeal.

Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy Came Close to Death More than Once

Luffy, the central character of One Piece, has frequently found himself in situations where it seemed like death might be imminent.

One notable instance from the early stages of “One Piece” is when Luffy suffered his initial loss against Sir Crocodile. In this encounter, Luffy was moments away from meeting his end, having been shot into the water. Another pivotal moment occurred in Impel Down where Luffy was poisoned by Magellan. His life was spared due to Ivankov’s intervention; however, it was foretold that his lifespan would be significantly shortened as a result.

Pell

Oda’s Most Outrageous Fake-Out Death

Without a doubt, when the discussion turns to characters who seem to be saved purely by plot contrivances, many fans think of Pell. Pell is a trusted servant of the royal family in Arabasta. In a critical scene from the Arabasta storyline, he made a selfless decision to carry a massive bomb away from the city at great personal risk.

Despite Pell being right in the path of the blast, remarkably, he managed to live through it. Undeniably, this surprising twist by Oda ranks among the most questionable deceitful deaths the series has presented so far.

In one week’s time, the latest chapter of One Piece will be released. As per the regular schedule, this installment will come out on a Sunday. For readers in Japan, the chapter will appear at 12 AM JST on Monday. However, for most international fans, they can expect to access the new chapter on August 31st. The official launch date of One Piece Chapter 1158 is set for August 31, 2025. Excitingly, readers can enjoy the chapter at no cost through Manga Plus!

2025-08-25 23:37