The Jaya Arc is the twelfth story arc in One Piece and the first arc of the Sky Island Saga. It features the Straw Hat Pirates: Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, and the newest member, Nico Robin. Notable characters introduced in this arc include Bellamy "the Hyena", Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard), and Montblanc Cricket.
Basically, the main reason for the arc is finding information about Sky Island and how to reach it. Jaya was portrayed as an island with a lawless town transcribed by famous pirates who were constantly at war with one another, making it very chaotic and dangerous to be in.
The Jaya Arc plot opens with the arrival of the Straw Hat Pirates on Jaya in search of information about Sky Island, a fabled land which has aroused their interest. Upon entering Mock Town—the main settlement of Jaya—Luffy and Zoro come across Bellamy "the Hyena", a pirate who ridicules their dreams about reaching Sky Island and lives by the philosophy that dreams are already over. The confrontation marks one of the important themes of the arc: a war between dream believers and dream mockers.
On their way around the island, they encounter Montblanc Cricket, an heir of the great explorer Montblanc Noland, who was branded as a liar over his tale of the city of gold. His story adds very precious clues about Sky Island and its accessibility. This encounter opens up the story, deepens the thematic exploration of dreams, and the weight of legacies inherited.
The seminal moment in the arc is when Luffy and Zoro finally meet Blackbeard in a bar. This chance encounter showed that Blackbeard would be key to the series in the future. He delivers a speech about the nature of dreams and piracy, drawing quite a contrast compared to Bellamy's cynicism. It is not just character interaction; it is supposed to point out the philosophies that exist within the pirate world and further presage more conflicts to come.
The arc culminates when Bellamy and his crew attack Cricket and his allies and steal their gold. Sticking to his code, Luffy refuses to fight Bellamy at first, even after being provoked. He later finds out that Bellamy had trashed Cricket for the same reason and confronts him to defeat him with just one punch, showing both his power and his promise to protect the people who believe in dreams.
Through the arc, the Straw Hats work to modify their ship, Going Merry, in hopes to make it to Sky Island. With Cricket's knowledge guiding them, preparation includes capturing a South Bird and strengthening the ship for the perilous ascent.
The Jaya Arc closes out with the Straw Hats finally ready to set off toward Sky Island. They leave Jaya rejuvenated and refreshed, armed with new knowledge and a refurbished ship, ready to continue their dreams once again. Bellamy's defeat serves as a statement against those who would mock others for their dreams, a reiteration of series themes of ambition and the chase of 'impossible' dreams.
This arc is important to the saga of One Piece as a whole for many reasons. First, it introduces Blackbeard as the main antagonist for later arcs and sets up the Sky Island adventure, thus representing a new frontier in the journey of the Straw Hats. Through Cricket, an arc also joins the theme of inherited will left behind by his ancestor Noland, reiterated throughout the series.