Death is a rare occurrence in most One Piece story arcs since it often contrasts with the series' lighthearted and adventurous tones. It's rare that someone will meet their end in the middle of an arc and even more uncommon if the person in question is a hero.
However, the notion of death has not been forced out of the story entirely. Rather, it simply happens in flashbacks and is used to justify a character's actions in the present. By identifying examples of deaths from the past, we come to better understand and appreciate the series' underlying themes and its casts' motivations.
10 Otohime Was Assassinated By Hody Jones To Spur Hostilities Between Fish-Men & Humans
Queen Otohime was once a major proponent in securing peace between humans and fish-men. She tirelessly worked to gather petitions for a treaty that would guarantee the prosperity of both worlds.
Overcome with xenophobia and hatred since childhood, Hody Jones sought to put an end to Otohime's campaign before it went out of control. To do so, he hired a human bounty hunter to assassinate her during a speech shortly after she returned from the care of the Celestial Dragons.
9 Scarlett Was Murdered By Diamante Of The Donquixote Family
Scarlett was the mother of Rebecca, the wife of Kyros, and the daughter of King Riku. During Doflamingo's takeover of Dressrosa, she was murdered by the notorious Diamante in order to quell potential threats in the future.
Since Kyros was transformed into a toy soldier by Sugar's devil fruit, Scarlett couldn't recognize him as she was dying in his arms. Nonetheless, she posited a single request that he would commit everything to honor, asking her husband to take care of their daughter after her passing.
8 Brook Succumbed To A Fatal Illness, Only To Be Resurrected
Brook and his pirate crew were once traveling musicians whose goal was only to bring a smile to every child. After being attacked and contracting fatal illnesses, however, the group was almost entirely wiped out.
In the end, the contagious sickness claimed the lives of every passenger including Brook himself. Although his devil fruit permitted a single resurrection, it took so long for him to find his body that he was a skeleton by the time he finally did. Despite this, he maintains an excessively jovial disposition to contrast his difficult life.
7 Cindry Died After A Fatal Stage Accident But Was Reanimated By Doctor Hogback
In life, Cindry was a famous actress and performer who caught the attention of Doctor Hogback. He sought her devotion and even made a creepy altar in her honor.
After an unfortunate stage "accident," Cindry died at a young age. Once Hogback collected her corpse, Gecko Moria offered to reanimate her in exchange for his services on Thriller Bark. Together, the two would make a nigh-unstoppable undead army, with the mad scientist's newfound thrall working as his most reliable henchwoman.
6 Jaguar D. Saul Gave His Life For Robin
During the destruction of Ohara, Robin's odds for survival seemed bleak. In the end, Jaguar D. Saul, a giant and former marine officer, managed to escort her from the wrath of the Marines' buster call.
Unfortunately, Aokiji caught up with them and immediately killed his treasonous former comrade. Nonetheless, he took pity on Robin and allowed her to escape. Saul may have died, but his lesson to never stop smiling would remain with Robin for the rest of her life.
5 Porchemy Was Murdered By Bluejam For His Failure
Porchemy was a minor pirate who was instructed to catch and interrogate Luffy for his friends' treasure. Despite being a hardened criminal, Luffy and his two brothers managed to overpower him before escaping.
Bluejam was disgusted by his subordinate's complete failure, especially given the fact that he was bested by a trio of children. When he discovered the level of Porchemy's ineptitude, he personally went to his hideout and shot him dead. Given Porchemy's utter failure to accomplish anything, it makes sense as to why he has one of the lowest bounties of the entire series.
4 Banchina Died To A Serious Illness
Banchina was Usopp's mother and Yassop's wife. After the latter's abandonment, she fell gravely ill and lingered on the brink of death. In order to lift her spirits, Usopp would often fabricate his father's return, claiming that he saw his ship just over the horizon.
She was endeared by this gesture, although it ultimately wouldn't be enough. In the end, she lost the battle against her illness and quietly died in bed. Usopp was heartbroken at her passing and mourned her immensely.
3 Bell-Mere Died Standing Up To Arlong
When Arlong's pirates arrived to terrorize the East Blue, most cowed before him. Fish-men were ten times more powerful than traditional humans, so submitting was a rational act of self-preservation. They were especially intimidating given how badly they brutalized Genzo.
However, Bell-Mere would not be subjugated and set an example for others by standing up against Arlong. Unfortunately, she was executed for her heroism, and her death significantly traumatized Nami. After the rogue pirates were thwarted, Bell-Mere's grave was honored, and her legacy would be remembered.
2 Kuina Died In A Tragic Accident
Kuina was a rival swordswoman who Zoro competed with for their master's attention. Despite how hard she trained, Koushirou favored Zoro since he felt he had higher potential for combat.
After Kuina died by falling down the stairs and breaking her neck, Zoro was completely crushed. He was haunted by her memory and furious that she'd never have a chance to prove their sensei wrong. Given how similar she is in appearance and personality to Tashigi, Zoro is often visibly uncomfortable while in her presence. He dislikes being reminded of what he has lost and is secretly curious about the woman's origins.
1 Gol D. Roger's Death Set The Pirate Era Into Motion
Gol D. Roger was the original king of the pirates and the man who assembled the treasure that would become the One Piece. After falling seriously ill, he was captured by the Marines and brought to a scaffold for his public execution.
Given the smirk he maintained in his final moments, Roger had no fear of death. With his last breath, he informed the world that his treasure was theirs for the taking and that the first person to find it would be crowned his successor as the king of the pirates.