These specials serve as a tie in for the upcoming movie One Piece Z, which premieres also on December 15. Author Eichiro Oda is supervising the scripts.
The story of the Hand Island no Bōken special is set a little before the events of One Piece Film Z and depicts a major "Hand Island" incident during the New World storyline. The story is set at "Cannon Town" where a parent and a child work as craftspeople. The incident revolves around them and a commodore of a marine base. The special will also have a flashback scene to the story in the first chapter of the manga, but with new animation.