The Z's Ambition Arc

The Z's Ambition Arc is the tenth filler arc, the first filler arc after the time skip, and a set-up arc for the 12th One Piece movie, One Piece Film: Z. The Straw Hat Pirates arrive in the Maubeugemour Sea, a sub-sea of the New World, where they come into conflict with the Neo Marines and Marines. The Straw Hats arrive in the New World during a large storm and find themselves suddenly surrounded by a fleet of Marine warships. Robin responds that only the Marines could accomplish this, by knowing every move they make. Usopp and Chopper panic, but Luffy is only excited at this road block. He orders them to fight, as they rush to make preparations. Nami calls off the attack, as the ships disappear with the rain. She explains it was merely a mirage. Before either can relax, huge rain drops the size of the Sunny begin falling from the sky. Nami tells everyone they have entered the Maubeugemour Sea, home to weather conditions unlike anywhere else. The rain turns to giant chunks of hail, as the Straw Hats desperately try to protect the ship. Then, an avalanche of snow falls from the sky. Robin then uses her powers to shield the ship from the snow. The weather changes again, as the ocean splits underneath them. Robin notes they might hit a rock and drown, to the horror of Usopp. Luffy is merely excited at witnessing this phenomenon, as the others try to figure out how to escape. Franky uses Coup de Burst and launches the ship to safety, but are then struck by a bolt of lightning while in mid-air. Later on the Straw Hats change out of their wet clothes, as the weather is now sunny but very hot. Brook tells Nami how impressed he is about how much she knows about the weather in the New World. Nami tells him she spent the last 2 years studying hard to learn as much as she could about it on weatheria. Luffy and the others complain about being hungry, so Sanji goes into the kitchen to start cooking some food for everyone. The food he then makes suddenly disappears, as does the soup. Chopper panics thinking a ghost did it. A small figure the size of an insect then runs away, as Luffy and the others chase after it. It then devours all the food in the kitchen, much to Sanji's surprise. Luffy calls it a food thief, but it responds it merely ate what was laying around. Zoro helps chase it down when he is told it drank all the booze. It is able to grab and flip Franky over, as the crew go on the offensive surrounding it. It transforms into a large female giant, towering over everyone. She begins attacking, almost stepping on Sanji. Using a giant dinner fork like a pitchfork she attacks Luffy, that he is able to hold his ground against. He picks her up and tosses her overboard, but then realizes she can't seem to swim. Usopp suggests she is probably a Devil Fruit user, as Sanji jumps in to rescue her from drowning. Unable to swim, she shrinks back down to her smaller size as Sanji carries her back to the ship.

She awakens back on the ship, as the crew greets her warmly. Luffy tells her he finds her ability to grow and shrink fun. She explains she was born a Giant and ate the Mini Mini no Mi Devil Fruit, letting her change size. Luffy compliments her on her strength, being able to take Franky down so easily for being small. She tells Luffy even when she's small, she still has the power of a Giant, demonstrating by bouncing Luffy up and down on her palm. Franky asks what else she can do, to which she replies she can grow smaller and slip into an enemies body, where she will expand and blow them to pieces. Luffy tells her he can do similar feats by stretching, surprising her. Finally, she introduces herself as Lily Enstomach, or Lily the Glutton as others call her. Nami asks Lily why she was aboard their ship, as she explains she was searching for her father. She was floating around at sea in a glass container when their ship submerged from beneath the depths and shattered her container. Suddenly panicking, realizing with the bottle shattered she lost her only method of transport after venturing so far, after sneaking aboard Marine boats and warships. The Straw Hats ask who their father is, to which she happily tells them that he is greatest pirate chef in the New World. Now curious, Sanji asks who he is. Lily tells him her father is Panz Fry as Sanji knows his name. Lily tells them he is a volcano cooking chef, with Luffy now becoming more and more curious. Growing excited, Lily goes into great detail about him gathering rare herbs that grow around volcanoes and million year old salt crystals from between molten rocks, and then cooking over the volcano mouth. As Luffy grows more exited, she tells him of another dish of his. A frying pan filled with an assortment of foods from the sea and mountains, cooked over the volcano called Thousand Person Paella. She describes the taste like running through a field of flowers in heaven. As they fantasize over food, Lily suddenly snaps back to her dilemma, panicking once more. Robin notes she's heard of Panz Fry, that he steals victuals from the World Government, Marines, and other pirates and feeds the starving. Luffy calls him a hero, much to Lily's flattery. She begins to tell them she has been traveling with her father, but he went missing a couple weeks ago. The Marines had taken him, and she had been traveling from island to island in search for him. She found out he was to be taken to Impel Down, because of his high bounty. She traveled to the Maubeugemour Sea after overhearing her father would be transported through there, hoping to intercept the ships. After hearing her story, Luffy offers to help her rescue her father. The rest of the Straw Hats agree to help her, in exchange they get the chance to taste his heavenly volcano food. Lily happily agrees and promises they'll have enough food to make their stomachs burst. Elsewhere, aboard a submarine the Neo Marines are also tracking Panz Fry. Ain contacts Shuzo and reminds him of the importance of the plan. Shuzo informs her he is tracking Panz Fry and wants to kill him before he reaches Impel Down. Ain tells him they cant let the Marines onto their plans and to call off his attack. He disregards her warning and tells her not to worry as long as he kills all witnesses, there will be no evidence. Shuzo tells her if he pulls this off, he'll prove he will be a better right hand man to Zephyr. Ain warns him not to fail, or else the consequences will be severe. As the Straw Hats eventually catch up with the ships and find Panz Fry is being held on a raft heavily guarded by four warships. Robin observes that this level of security is unusual for one pirate, and that they would choose to pass through such a dangerous route. Luffy eagerly wishes to rush in and save them, but Nami chastises him that could endanger Lily's father and they need a plan. Usopp reminds Luffy if anything happened to him, he wouldn't get to eat his volcano food. Nami asks permission from Lily to take charge of the operation, as she gives her full consent. Nami pairs Luffy with Chopper, Robin, and Brook to be the diversion squad. That they take the Mini Merry II and distract them from a distance. Sanji, Usopp, Zoro, and Lily are paired as the infiltration squad. Their task is to use the Shark Submerge and sneak aboard the raft and free Lily's father. To escape with the prisoner, they are to detach the raft from the ship and whisk it away with Coup de Burst. Nami asks Franky to stay aboard the Sunny and prep it for the Coup de Burst. While Nami herself would be commanding from a distance on the Shiro Mokuba I. She reminds them that the weather might suddenly change and to take extra caution.