One Piece chronicles the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy, a young boy on a quest to find a fabled treasure and become the King of the Pirates. Along the way, he makes allies like the swordsman Roronoa Zoro, a thief named Nami and Sanji the chef, and he also faces terrifying enemies like the beastly Kaido and Buggy the Clown.

One Piece's mix of action and adventure paired with its fantasy setting has made it one of the longest-running anime series, with over 1,000 episodes and counting. Episode 1,071 saw Luffy activate Gear 5 — the awakened form of his Devil Fruit — which came with big consequences for One Piece's story moving forward. The best One Piece episodes since Luffy tapped into his new powers have seen the return of fan-favorite characters, Luffy's Gear 5 powers in all of their glory, and set the story up for its exciting Egghead Arc.

10 Shanks and His Crew Make Their Long-Awaited Return

Episode 1081: "The World Will Burn! The Onslaught of a Marine Admiral!"

In Episode 1,081, Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates arrive at Wano in their pursuit of the One Piece treasure. During this time, Shanks reminisces about his experiences with Luffy and the Gomu Gomu no Mi Devil Fruit and is looking forward to being reunited with Luffy in the future. While fans have theorized that Shanks may secretly be evil, his return to prominence in this episode certainly makes One Piece's treasure hunt even more exciting.

The episode also deals with Navy Admiral Ryokugyu preparing to strike the Flower Capital and facing opposition from the Akazaya samurai. Compared to One Piece's manga chapters, the anime extended the scenes that showed the Nine Red Scabbards pursuing Ryokugyu and the fight against him, making this a great episode for fans of both the manga and the anime alike.

9 The New Emperors of the Sea are Named

Episode 1080: "A Celebration Banquet! The New Emperors of the Sea!"

One Piece's story is full of many powerful pirate crews, with the Four Emperors being widely considered the most notorious pirate captains in the world. In Episode 1,080, news breaks out around the world that two of the Emperors, Big Mom and Kaido, were defeated, and the Five Elders work to censor Luffy's wanted poster, depicting him as Nika.

Unfortunately for the Five Elders, the uncensored image is shown to the public, and Luffy now gets a bounty of 3 billion Berries. In addition to the new bounty, Luffy is also chosen alongside Buggy the Clown to replace Big Mom and Kaido in their Emperor roles. This episode highlights just how far Luffy has come since his early days when he had to prove to everyone around him that he was a pirate worthy enough to pursue the One Piece treasure.

8 One Piece's World Expands with Captain Koby

Episode 1087: "The War on the Island of Women! A Case Involving Koby the Hero"

In Episode 1,087, Navy Captain Koby arrives at the Island of Women with new Pacifistas to arrest Pirate Empress Hancock. The episode also deals with Blackbeard coming to the island to raid it and also targeting Hancock, keeping it full of action and excitement.

Koby has had a complex journey throughout One Piece, starting out as friends with Luffy early in the series before parting ways to join the Marines -- a pirate's natural enemy. As Koby rises through the ranks of the Marines, his time in this episode allows One Piece's anime to further explore the series' rich world as it exists outside of Luffy's viewpoint. Episodes like this one have been peak One Piece, setting the Egghead Arc and the final saga up for greatness.

7 Luffy Battles an Emperor with his Newfound Powers

Episode 1072: "The Ridiculous Power! GEAR 5 in Full Play"

Episode 1,072 followed right after Luffy activated his Gear 5 and showed the full extent of the new powers he unlocked. Using his new Gear 5 abilities, Luffy bounces on the ground and becomes a giant, able to take on the Emperor Kaido in battle with ease. Kaido assumes his dragon form and even manages to swallow Luffy, but it's not enough to ensure the Emperor is victorious.

Luffy beats Kaido from inside his stomach and comes back out through his mouth, much to Kaido's bewilderment. This episode shows that Gear 5 Luffy is not to be messed with; he and Kaido go head-to-head until they both collapse from exhaustion, but it's Luffy who is the one to resume the fight and declare that he will ultimately be the Pirate King.

6 Emperor Kaido's Past is Revealed

Episode 1076: "The World That Luffy Wants!"

Luffy's intense battle with Emperor Kaido comes to a conclusion in Episode 1,076, with the story also shedding light on the King of the Beasts' past. It is shown that Kaido entered the army at the age of ten and was sold against his will to the Marines.

Kaido escaped the Marines but, in doing so, became a criminal wanted by the World Government. He went on to form the Beasts Pirate crew, hoping to overthrow the World Government and create a world full of chaos. In Kaido's final clash with Luffy, he asks the young pirate what kind of world he will create. Luffy responds that he wants a world where "people can eat as they please", before knocking Kaido out and sending him falling into an abyss, presumably to his death.

5 Luffy Wields the Power of Lightning

Episode 1074: "I Trust Momo - Luffy's Final Powerful Technique"

Luffy's battle against Kaido was one for the record books, and it saw Luffy utilizing clouds and lightning to take on the all-powerful beast. Seeing Luffy's lightning strike attacks brought to life in full-color animation was amazing, even for fans of the manga who already knew what was going to happen in the battle.

One Piece's animation quality has gotten even better following Luffy activating Gear 5, and episodes like this show just how fun and lively the fights of the series can be. To top it all off, the episode ends on a cliffhanger, proving just how much suspense was built up as Luffy gets ready to launch a final attack against Kaido.

4 Dr. Vegapunk Reveals the Seraphim's Devil Fruit Powers

Episode 1101: "The Strongest Form of Humanity! The Seraphim's Powers"

One Piece's Seraphim are mysterious human weapons that the Marines developed with the intention of having them replace the Seven Warlords of the Sea. In this episode, Sanji and his group are with Dr. Vegapunk, the genius scientist who created the Seraphim weapons. He explains that Paramecia Devil Fruit powers can be replicated using blood transfusions, which was used to grant the Seraphim their insanely strong abilities.

While much of the action in this episode revolves around Luffy and Lucci's battle at the Fabiriophase level of Egghead, Dr. Vegapunk's revelations are arguably more significant to One Piece's lore moving forward. Devil Fruit Powers are one of the most unique aspects of the series, and this episode proves that there's still more to be learned about this incredible source of power.

3 Law and Blackbeard Battle It Out

Episode 1093: "The Winner Takes All! Law vs. Blackbeard!"

Episode 1,093 has Blackbeard challenging Law to a battle with the mysterious Road Poneglyph copies as the prize. A full-scale battle between Law's Heart Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates eventually breaks out, with this episode also seeing Law and his crew transformed into a woman by Doc Q. It is also revealed that Sanji's former fiancée, Pudding, is being held captive on Blackbeard's ship, foreshadowing that the two may be reunited in future episodes.

Blackbeard, who has many Devil Fruit powers at his disposal, doesn't hold back in his battle against Law, despite being impaled by his enemy's sword. He admires Law's Devil Fruit abilities before blocking his further attacks and unleashing his Kurouzu, consuming Law in its darkness.

2 Awakened Luffy and Lucci Have a Legendary Rematch

Episode 1100: "Powers on a Different Level! Luffy vs. Lucci!"

Episode 1,100 sees Luffy and Lucci battling each other once more, but their awakened forms have elevated both fighters' powers to new levels. The two clash in an epic battle that is both beautifully animated and hilarious, as Luffy expertly dodges Lucci's attacks by moving his own head with his hands.

Luffy's Gear 5 powers add a new, even more comedic element to One Piece's battles, and Luffy vs. Lucci is a prime example of this. The episode is also full of plot developments in addition to its action, with Luffy's time spent with Dr. Vegapunk on Egghead revealing even more information about the full powers of One Piece's Devil Fruits.

1 One Piece's Final Saga Begins

Episode 1089: "Entering a New Chapter! Luffy and Sabo's Paths!"

One Piece's Egghead Island Arc kicks off with Episode 1,089, as the World Government destroys Lulusia Kingdom. Luffy's brother, Sabo, contacts the Revolutionary Army to let them know he did not assassinate King Cobra, despite what the news is saying. Unfortunately, the Five Elders were eavesdropping on the call and cut off communications before Sabo's full message could be delivered.

Meanwhile, Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are on their way to their next island destination, with Luffy's dream of being the King of the Pirates closer to reality than ever before. This episode marks the beginning of One Piece's final saga, and it came with a new art style and intro, perfectly encapsulating this epic moment in the franchise's story.

One Piece has been delivering non-stop action and adventure since Luffy activated Gear 5, and the series shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. With the final saga and the Eggheard Arc kicking off, One Piece prepares to come to a conclusion, but recent episodes have shown that fans still have a wild journey full of exciting revelations in store.