The season is adapted from the first twelve volumes of the manga by Eiichiro Oda and aired on Fuji Television from October 20, 1999, through March 7, 2001, totaling 61 episodes.

The series made its U.S. premiere on September 18, 2004, on Fox as part of its FoxBox TV programming block, lasting until July 30, 2005.

The season's uncut home video release generally received positive reviews from critics due to its humor, fight sequences, characters and music.

The Arlong Park storyline has been highlighted as the strongest of the season, although David Brook less favorably described these episodes as "melodramatic" for Blueprint Review.

[111] David F. Smith writing for IGN gave the uncut home video release a 7/10 saying that "One Piece is a pretty good time.

It's a colorful, funny, action-packed kids' adventure show, and Funimation's wrapped it up in a well-produced package at a price that can't be beat."