Netflix’sOne Piecelive-action adaptation set sail in Season 1, and the hugely positive response and reception from fans and critics alike predictably (and rightfully)earned the series a Season 2. Being almost universally celebrated asone of the best anime/manga adaptations ever made,One PieceSeason 1 largely covers the East Blue Saga, whereMonkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy)recruits the greatest pirate crew ever assembled, so they can seek out the elusive One Piece treasure. The first season plants the seeds of several significant arcs, characters, and storylines for the second season and (hopefully) beyond.
In a seafaring world, a young pirate captain sets out with his crew to attain the title of Pirate King, and to discover the mythical treasure known as ‘One Piece.’
Netflix’s ‘One Piece’ Season 1 Introduces Baroque Works Earlier Than the Anime
Should Netflix’sOne Piececontinue to befaithful to the original animeand manga series,Season 2will likely be exploring the Arabasta Saga. In Luffy and the gang’s first proper voyage into the Grand Line, they take a detour to help a princess reclaim her homeland.The villains of this saga are a crime syndicate known only as Baroque Works, and the shadowy organization pops up a bit early in the first episode of Netflix’sOne PieceSeason 1.
In the live-action introduction of Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), the legendary swordsman has his meditation session interrupted by an unfamiliar face. When Zoro asks the stranger for his name, the individual calls himself Mr. 7 (Ben Kgosimore), an assassin for an organization called Baroque Works. Mr. 7 is hoping to recruit Zoro for the exclusive shadow cell, but when Zoro flips Mr. 7 a Mr. 1-shaped finger, an all-out duel ensues. The conflict ends with Zoro goingThe Phantom Menaceon Mr. 7 and cutting the Baroque Works member clean in half.
The sequence between Zoro and Mr. 7is not one seen in the animebut it does explain how Zoro knows about Baroque Works during the Arabasta Saga. The hierarchy of Baroque Works consists of male agents ranked numbers 0-13, with 0 being the highest and 13 being the lowest. They also typically have a female partner joining them on their missions, but Mr. 7 tries to recruit Zoro solo. Mr. 0 in particular becomes the main antagonist of the Arabasta Saga, andit’s quite likely we’ll see his rise to infamy in a second season.
Buggy and Alvida Team Up For Revenge
One of the standout characters of Netflix’sOne Pieceis its interpretation ofCaptain Buggy the Clown(Jeff Ward), who gets a lot more screen time and urgency in the live-action series during the East Blue arc than he did in the anime. Still, Buggy would ultimately return for revenge in the Lougetown Arc, but not before making an alliance with a villain seen earlier in the storyline.
The first pirate captain that Luffy dispatches inOne Pieceis Captain Alvida (Ilia Isorelýs Paulino), who views herself asthe ultimate pirate captain. In the anime, Alvida finds a Devil Fruit after her fight with Luffy called the Smooth-Smooth Fruit. The magical artifact completely changes Alvida’s appearance and makes her skin so smooth to the point where any projectiles will slide right off of her.
Buggy and Alvida’s defeat by the Straw Hats is what connects them, and the two decide to get vengeance on Monkey D. Luffy. Withtheir Devil Fruit abilitiesin hand, the two dreaded captains hope to dispatch Luffy before he even makes it to the Grand Line.The finale ofOne Piececonfirms Buggy and Alvida’s alliance but doesn’t reveal if Alvida has found the Smooth-Smooth fruit yet.
Smoker Is Ready To Hunt the Straw Hats in ‘One Piece’ Season 2
Netflix’sOne PieceSeason 1 concludes witha pre-credits tease that sets up a classicOne Piecevillain. The sequence sees a spiky-haired man sitting in a hazy room as he sets the new wanted poster of Luffy ablaze with one of his cigars. The bleached hair, two cigars, and smoke-covered room prove beyond any reasonable doubt that this can only be one man — Captain Smoker.
The Marine military leader of Lougetown, which is the place where Pirate King Gold D. Rodger (Michael Dorman) was executed all those years ago, a younger Smoker (Matthew Leck) was present at that historic event, and you can actually get a glimpse of him during the Netflix show’s prologue. Smoker is no ordinary Marine captain, as much like Luffy,Smoker has also eaten a Devil Fruit. Instead of giving him stretchy powers, Smoker is able to turn his body into pure smoke to defeat scallywag pirates in creative ways.
Smoker is not just a one-off roadblock for Luffy andthe Straw Hat Crew. Following their first meeting, Smoker becomes a tenacious pursuer of the heroic pirates, even being willing to follow them in waters as dangerous as the Grand Line.
Did ‘One Piece’ Tease Blackbeard?
Just like Monkey D. Luffy, this one is a bit of a stretch, but hear us out. A practically guaranteed face that will appearin a future season ofOne Pieceis Marshall D. Teach — theOne Pieceuniverse’s take on real-life pirate legendEdward Teach, who is better known by his infamous nickname, Blackbeard.Luffy has faced many villains in his long-running series, but Blackbeard may just be the worst, being responsible for some of the most heinous acts in the entire franchise. Plus, he is the holder of not one, but two Devil Fruit abilities, making him a near unstoppable threat.
The prologue ofOne Piecemay have teased Marshall D. Teach through the sequence’s narrator. If the voice narrating Gold D. Rodger’s final tale sounds familiar, that’s because it’s none other than Winston from theJohn Wickfilms himself,Ian McShane. The actor being cast as a narrator is hardly surprising given his truly epic bravado and voice, but one former role from McShane got us thinking.
McShane just so happened to play another romanticized take on Blackbeard inPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. While this may purely be a coincidence, McShane’s legendary charisma is very fitting for a devious villain like Marshall D. Teach. Perhaps this seemingly minor narrator’s cameo is setting up something or someone far more significant.
Will ‘One Piece’ Season 2 Include Tony Tony Chopper?
While there’s no direct tease for this particular character in Netflix’sOne PieceSeason 1, Season 2 of the series will almost certainly feature the fan-favorite sixth crew member of the Straw Hats. That character isTony Tony Chopper, the anthropomorphic reindeer doctor who is going to be tricky to bring to life. The main reason for that is, well, Chopper is an anthropomorphic reindeer doctor. Not only is that somehow goofier than everything we’ve seen so far, but he’ll likely be a CG creation in a series that is largely focused on practical effects.
Is adapting Chopper impossible? No, but it is tricky. If done right, Tony Tony Chopper could become the next Baby Yoda in terms of lovable cuddly creatures. If done wrong, we’re looking atan uncanny valley nightmare. Still, Chopper’s all-but-confirmed live-action debut potentially has one big thing going for it. Academy Award-winnerJamie Lee Curtis, who is an avidOne Piecefan herself, has expressed interest in joining the cast as Chopper’s mentor, Kureha. Netflix? Do it.
