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The Polar Tang[2] was the submarine serving as the ship of the Heart Pirates.[1] It was broken in half and sunk during the battle between the Heart Pirates and the Blackbeard Pirates at Winner Island.[3]

It was built by Wolf, and originally given the name Hanamaru Muteki (花マル無敵号, Hanamari Muteki-gō?, lit. "Invincible Hanamaru").[4]

Ship Design and Appearance[]

The Polar Tang was a yellow submarine with a light green underside lined with torpedo cannons. Unlike most pirate ships, it was mostly made out of metal and ran on engines instead of sails. However, the upper decks was made of wood, and there were two tall masts on both the front and back levels. These two masts had retractable sails that are to be used when its engines were not activated, with the front mast having a rectangular dark-colored sail bearing the Heart Pirates' Jolly Roger on it.[5] Circular windows line the craft, and the Heart Pirates' Jolly Roger and Law's "DEATH" tattoo were plastered on the exterior. There were also lights resembling streetlamps on the outside in order to allow sight underwater.

Inside the ship is an advanced medical room, where Law can perform operations on patients.[6]

Polar Tang Rear View
Rear-view of the Polar Tang.
Life-Support
Luffy hooked up to one of the life-support systems.
Polar Tang's Sails
The Polar Tang with its two sails in use.

History[]


The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.


Past[]

The ship was built by Wolf on Swallow Island, using money he gained from finding Captain Ladoga's treasure,[7] and named it the Hanamaru Muteki. He used it occasionally patrol the island, but it remained unknown to the residents of the island, and the loud noise it produced birthed a legend of a "flying undersea swallow" that lives around the island.[4][8]

Novel Law[]

When Artur Bacca attacked Pleasure Town, Wolf, Law, Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin used the submarine to sneak attack the pirate, breaking through the floor of the Pleasure Town Temple of the Sea God.[4] Once Bacca learned that Wolf had used Ladoga's treasure to create it, he planned to dismantle it and sell the pieces.[7]

When the Heart Pirates were leaving Swallow Island, Wolf gifted them the submarine, with Law renaming it Polar Tang. Wolf drew the Heart Pirates Jolly Roger on the side and the crew left the island, taking the ship with them.[7]


Concludes non-canon section.


Summit War Saga[]

Marineford Arc[]

The Heart Pirates came to Marineford on the Polar Tang during the Summit War of Marineford in order to save Monkey D. Luffy.[1] They fled Marineford with Luffy and Jinbe, managing to evade Aokiji's Ice Age and Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama attacks.[9]

Post-War Arc[]

Later, Law turned the recovering Luffy and Jinbe over to Boa Hancock on a stolen Marine ship.[6] They traveled to Amazon Lily and the Polar Tang was docked at a small beach while Law waited to return Luffy's hat.[10] However, Law and his crew departed after Silvers Rayleigh arrived and Law passed the hat to the former pirate.[11]

Unlike the other Supernovas, Law decided not to take the Polar Tang and his crew to the New World just yet, and to stay in Paradise slightly longer.[12]

Whole Cake Island Saga[]

Zou Arc[]

After the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance was formed, the Heart Pirates prepared to set sail for Wano Country in the Polar Tang along with some of the Straw Hat Pirates and the Kozuki Family retainers.[13][14]

Wano Country Saga[]

Wano Country Arc[]

During the day of the Fire Festival, Law's ship arrived where the Scabbards were heading towards Onigashima as the submarine lifted their boat and entered the battle with the Beasts Pirates.[15]

Later on, the submarine was used to transport some of the Scabbards (Inuarashi, Kikunojo, Raizo, Ashura Doji, and Kawamatsu) to the back of Onigashima. When the submarine got close enough, it rose to the surface and Law teleported himself, Bepo, Shachi, Penguin, and the Scabbards with them to Onigashima's back entrance. Once they left, the submarine submerged back underwater.[16] After Kaidou levitated the island with his Flame Clouds the Heart Pirates were no longer able to disembark, so they sailed around Onigashima. Soon after, the crew started hearing a voice calling them, and when they sailed towards it, they found the drowning Luffy. They then surfaced the submarine while catching Luffy on the deck, and quickly performed CPR. When he didn't immediately regain consciousness, the crew didn't know what to do, until Luffy suddenly yelled for meat, prompting the Heart Pirates to dock the ship off the coast of Udon and look for food. They presumably left the Polar Tang there, as the crew was later seen joining the battle on Onigashima.

After the alliance won the raid, the Polar Tang was seen undergoing repairs in Udon, alongside the Thousand Sunny, the Victoria Punk and the General Franky. Some days later, the Heart Pirates set sail at the same time as the Straw Hat and Kid Pirates, with the Polar Tang and Thousand Sunny heading for Mogura Port, where they were going to take a hidden gondola which could safely transport them to sea level. However, after Eustass Kid taunted the other two captains, Law and Luffy personally steered their respective ships off of the Climbing-Koi Waterfall, alongside the Kid Pirates, much to the distress of their crews. [17] The Polar Tang did not suffer any irreparable damage from the fall.

Final Saga[]

Egghead Arc[]

Polar Tang Destroyed

The Polar Tang destroyed.

As the Heart Pirates approached Winner Island underwater, the ship was suddenly assaulted by powerful vibrations, while the crew started feminization from a strange disease. Forced to surface, the crew soon found their attackers to be none other than the Blackbeard Pirates, with Marshall D. Teach's Gura Gura no Mi ability being responsible for the vibrations and Doc Q's Shiku Shiku no Mi ability for the disease (which Law countered using Haki). The Emperor knew that one of the three Worst Generation pirates would sail to Winner Island, and he planned this impromptu ambush in order to steal their copies of the Road Poneglyphs. Some of the crew got off on land to help their captain in battle, after which the Polar Tang submerged, with more of the Heart Pirates disembarking underwater, using their superior swimming abilities to attack the enemy's ship from below.

The Polar Tang was eventually broken in half at the conclusion of the battle and sunk.[3]

Trivia[]

  • Tang, or surgeonfish, are members of the family Acanthuridae that are characterized by their scalpel-shaped spines, fitting the theme of the Heart Pirates.
  • The Polar Tang also shares its name with two individual submarines (the USS Tang (SS-306) and the USS Tang (SS-563)) as well as the Tang-class submarines used by the United States.
  • The Polar Tang is quite literally a yellow submarine, this could possibly be a reference to the 1969 album Yellow Submarine by The Beatles.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 578 (p. 18-19) and Episode 487, The Polar Tang makes its debut at Marineford.
  2. SBS One Piece Manga — Vol. 82 (p. 46), The Polar Tang's name is revealed.
  3. 3.0 3.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 107 Chapter 1081.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 One Piece Novel — Law Chapter 3, Wolf introduces his submarine.
  5. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 97 Chapter 977 (p. 3-4) and Episode 981, The two sails of the Polar Tang may be seen while en route to Onigashima.
  6. 6.0 6.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 581 (p. 9-13) and Episode 490, Luffy's getting healed with the help of the submarine's medical equipment.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 One Piece Novel — Law Chapter 4, Wolf describes how he got the funds to create the submarine, and gives it to the Heart Pirates
  8. One Piece Novel — Law Chapter 2, The legend of the "flying undersea swallow" is explained.
  9. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 580 (p. 4-7) and Episode 489.
  10. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 59 Chapter 582 (p. 8) and Episode 491.
  11. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 60 Chapter 591 (p. 2-3, 6) and Episode 507.
  12. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 61 Chapter 595 (p. 3) and Episode 513.
  13. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 82 Chapter 820 (p. 13) and Episode 773.
  14. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 82 Chapter 822 (p. 5) and Episode 776.
  15. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 96 Chapter 974 (p. 15-17) and Episode 977.
  16. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 97 Chapter 984 (p. 9-11) and Episode 992.
  17. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 105 Chapter 1057 and Episode 1085.

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