Dream Soccer King is an animated short coupled with the Toei anime’s third film, Chopper’s Kingdom on the Island of Strange Animals.
From every corner of the world, soccer-lovers – pirates, Marines, and civilians alike – assemble in an exclusive stadium for the legendary Grand Line Cup playoffs. After a grueling series of matches, two teams remain in fierce contention: Monkey D. Luffy’s Luffy Pirates and Buggy’s Villain All-Stars.
To break the deadlock, a penalty shootout is announced. With designated neutrals Koby and Helmeppo as goalkeeper and referee, each contender must send five players forward to take one shot each; whichever team scores more goals wins the Cup.
Under the gaze of thousands (including cheerleaders Nami and Vivi), Luffy handily scores, as do his teammates Zoro and Usopp; however, Chopper accidentally forfeits his shot when his Heavy Point muscles break the ball. Meanwhile, Buggy misses his shot with an ill-conceived curve kick, but his teammates Jango, Hatchan, and Mr. 2 all succeed, leaving the shootout tied at 3-3.
For their last shot, the Villain All-Stars summon the mysterious backup player Odacchi, revealed to be none other than the tournament’s announcer. Though boasting of his extensive experience with the sport, he delivers a completely unremarkable shot that Koby easily blocks; instants later, he flees and tries to “resume” his announcer duties, but is immediately caught and pummeled by his furious teammates. With the tie still in place, the shootout falls to the Luffy Pirates’ last player, Sanji.
To the amazement of all, Sanji’s kick launches the ball clear over the goal, straight into the sky. Thinking the ball – and the entire shootout – forfeit, Buggy gleefully calls sudden death, only to be interrupted by reports of an unidentified flying object over the Grand Line. To Buggy’s horror, this object is soon identified as the “forfeit” ball, circumnavigating the entire world from the sheer force of Sanji’s kick, and reentering the stadium with more than enough momentum for a successful goal.
As the stadium explodes with cheers, the Luffy Pirates embrace and celebrate their triumph as the Grand Line’s Pirate Soccer Kings – whereupon Luffy awakens on the deck of the Going Merry, having dreamed the whole game during a nap. To his delight, he then spots a soccer ball under the mizzenmast, and charges in with a powerful kick, blithely unaware that the “ball” is actually Usopp’s bottom.
Here’s the full video:
