The glittering Gran Tesoro, a city of entertainment beyond the laws of the government, is a sanctuary for the world’s most infamous pirates, Marines, and filthy rich millionaires. Drawn by dreams of hitting the jackpot, Captain Luffy and his crew sail straight for the gold. But behind the gilded curtains lies a powerful king whose deep pockets and deeper ambitions spell disaster for the Straw Hats and the New World alike.
One Piece Film: GOLD is a good watch for those who would like to have fun with a story unconnected to the manga/anime canon. All the Straw Hats feel like they are involved with the story in one way or another, which cannot be said about the special Heart of Gold that acts as a prequel story to this film. Gild Tesoro feels like a threatening villain to not only the Straw Hats but also to the other new characters introduced into the film, such as Carina or Raise Max. These two new characters are fleshed out enough to where I do care about what happens to them. Tesoro is a much better villain than Mad Treasure from Heart of Gold (who briefly appears in Nami and Carina's flashback). But, I wish Tesoro was fleshed out a bit more as a villain than just giving him a very short, sad backstory (which lasts about a minute but covers a lot) to show why he has so much gold/wealth. Also, the location of Gran Tesoro itself being a massive casino ship was visually exciting and something that could actually exist somewhere in the wider One Piece world.
