In a historic departure for the franchise, the next theatrical One Piece feature film will completely exclude protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates. Creator Eiichiro Oda and studio Toei Animation announced the milestone project during the One Piece Day 2026 event on August 23, 2026, confirming that the upcoming movie, titled One Piece Film: God Valley, will launch in Summer 2027 with a different pirate crew leading the narrative.
Since Eiichiro Oda debuted the manga in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in July 1997 and its television anime adaptation followed in 1999, the Straw Hat Pirates have driven every major movie release. Blockbusters such as Strong World, Film Z, Film Gold, Stampede, and Film Red all featured Luffy's crew at the heart of the action. However, God Valley will mark the first time in the franchise's 27-year screen history that not a single Straw Hat member will appear.
The announcement arrived alongside details of another upcoming project, One Piece Film: Baad, scheduled for a 2029 release. God Valley stands out as the first canonical manga adaptation in the movie franchise, shifting its focus to Gol D. Roger and the Roger Pirates. Promotional materials for the film already highlight the change, replacing the traditional Straw Hat insignia in the logo with the banner of Roger's crew.
The story will bring the legendary God Valley Incident to life, an event first referenced in manga chapter 957 in September 2019 and fully depicted through chapters 1159 to 1166 in the Elbaf arc's Loki flashback. The plot centers on Gol D. Roger forming a temporary alliance with Marine Vice Admiral Garp—Luffy's grandfather—to defeat the corrupted pirate Rocks, who has been transformed by Imu. Key members of Roger's crew, including Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban, will also take center stage through subplots involving Rayleigh saving Shakky and Gaban securing treasure on the island.
While stepping away from the Straw Hats is an unprecedented move for a One Piece film, the shift away from Luffy is temporary. The manga's historical flashback spans roughly 18 chapters before returning to the main timeline in Elbaf, ensuring that future animated installments will eventually bring the original main cast back to center stage.
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