The large number of characters in the Arabasta Arc includes the Straw Hat Pirates: Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, and the temporary member Princess Vivi. On the antagonist side, there's Crocodile, leader of the Baroque Works group, with subordinates like Mr. 1, Daz Bonez; Mr. 2 Bon Clay; and Miss All Sunday, Nico Robin. Other major characters include Nefertari Cobra, Vivi's father and the king of Arabasta; Kohza, leader of the rebel army; and Pell and Chaka, both of the royal guards.
This arc takes place in the desert kingdom of Arabasta, which is right on the brink of drought and civil war. The most critical reason for this arc is that the Straw Hats' mission is to help Princess Vivi save her kingdom from the machinations of Crocodile and Baroque Works.
The Arabasta Arc opens with the Straw Hat Pirates just entering the Desert Kingdom and finding a country on the verge of collapse. One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile, secretly leading Baroque Works, manipulates these incidents to breed a civil war. He desires Arabasta to rise and get an ancient weapon called Pluton. In essence, the Straw Hats are dragged into complicated politics and find themselves racing against time to prevent a possible outbreak of war—with some help from Princess Vivi, of course.
On arrival, the crew breaks up into groups to look for information. They confront many problems, ranging from battles against agents of Baroque Works to some of the extreme conditions of the desert and growing animosity between the royal army and rebels. Luffy and his friends need to deal with Marine Captain Smoker's continued pursuit of the Straw Hats.
As things get hotter, they find out about the scheme Crocodile had set up on the king, using Dance Powder—a rain-producing powder—to make him take the fall for the lack of rain in the country. This discovery would prove to be vital in exposing Crocodile to the people of Arabasta. Finally, the arc climaxes into a final string of bitter battles around Alubarna, the capital of Arabasta, between each member of the Straw Hats and high-ranking agents of Baroque Works, highlighting their growth and powers.
The most crucial battle is that of Luffy against Crocodile. Their fight is the most formidable because of Crocodile's Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit powers, which make him invincible. Now, Luffy has to defeat this tough guy while racing against time so that he can stop the rebellion army from attacking the royal palace. It really is a tough fight where Luffy is pushed to his limits, so he had to devise new techniques and strategies in order to defeat Crocodile.
Throughout the arc, we see major themes of loyalty, justice, and the impact of leadership upon a nation. Indeed, the conflict in Arabasta serves as a microcosm for bigger issues in the world of One Piece: government corruption and manipulation of public opinion, and the ravages of war on ordinary people.
The Arc finally concludes with the triumph of Luffy over Crocodile, thus revealing the schemes of the Warlord and ending the civil war. The artificial drought is unveiled, and the kingdom enters into peace again. That really came at a great cost; Pell was among the many characters who made huge sacrifices for his country. This arc finally ends on the bitter-sweet note of the Straw Hats bidding goodbye to Vivi, who will stay behind to rebuild her nation.
Well, the end of the Arabasta Arc is one of the big steps in the One Piece series. It symbolizes the very first triumph the Straw Hats achieve against one of the Warlords of the Sea and establishes them as a crew that has what it takes to affect the course of events in the world. The arc also brings along the character Nico Robin, an archaeologist with mysteries in her past. It also depicts her joining the crew and brings aboard her expertise in archaeology and mysterious past into the group's dynamic. In addition, the events of Arabasta will happen to show a very high-reaching impact in terms of power balances around the world and establishing the stage for future conflicts.