10 One Piece Storylines The Live-Action Series Must Cover In Season 2

Netflix’s live-action adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece owes its popularity and praise to its faithful treatment of the manga and anime, and season 2 has to live up to the expectations by doing exactly the same with the upcoming storylines. After a string of failed Netflix anime-to-live-action adaptations, including Cowboy Bebop and Death Note, the studio finally struck a chord with audiences when One Piece came out. The series proved to be everything devoted viewers expected and more from the East Blue Saga, the story arc that started it all, as it turned out surprisingly close to the original.

Season 1 is a testament to the hard work of the entire team, led by showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda, and, of course, Eiichiro Oda, the dedicated One Piece creator with strict demands for Netflix’s live-action adaptation and a no-nonsense attitude. One Piece season 2 will have pretty big shoes to fill in terms of keeping things grounded and viewers satisfied, and some storylines from the anime and manga are must-haves in the eyes of many since they are essential to the story of the Straw Hat Pirates. Here are 10 arcs Netflix’s One Piece needs to cover in season 2.

10 Alvida’s Devil Fruit Powers

Pirate captain Alvida makes her terrifying debut in One Piece season 1, episode 1, “Romance Dawn” when she crosses paths with Monkey D. Luffy who frees Koby from her grasp and successfully fights her, punching her right out of her own ship. Alvida keeps a low profile for the majority of season 1 until she finally reappears in the finale where she makes a vow to kill Luffy alongside an unlikely ally. In season 1, Alvida, played by Ilia Isorelýs Paulino, is shown in her original state, but by season 2, she is supposed to have gone through a drastic transformation, caused by her Smooth-Smooth Fruit.

This type of Devil Fruit has made Alvida’s skin so smooth and slippery that no physical attack can actually harm it, which will be fascinating to see in One Piece season 2, considering how well Luffy and Buggy’s abilities have been translated into the live-action series so far. However, Paulino’s Alvida is already a fan-favorite side villain, so it would be quite difficult to replace her. Considering that Alvida and Buggy were together during One Piece season 1’s ending, Alvida may already have her Devil Fruit powers and will not go through the same physical transformation that happened in the manga.

9 Buggy and Alvida Capturing Luffy in Loguetown

Before One Piece season 2 can explore the Arabasta Saga, it needs to cover the last bit of the East Blue Saga, which is the Loguetown Arc. Previously believed to have been skipped altogether, Loguetown will be featured in One Piece season 2, and this means that Buggy and Alvida, among some other antagonists, will come close to getting their revenge on Luffy. The two will capture the poor young pirate, and only sheer luck and fate itself will allow Luffy to escape from them with his head intact, even after he has given up all hope for survival.

8 Luffy Meeting Laboon the Whale

One Piece is known for its hard-to-believe stories and characters, and Laboon the Whale definitely falls into that category. As soon as the Straw Hat Pirates enter the Grand Line, they see Laboon but don’t immediately understand what he is. Laboon is an enormous and kind-hearted whale that Luffy saves from Baroque Works, and he is also an Easter Egg of sorts due to his connection to a future Straw Hat, Brook. One Piece season 2 simply has to feature Laboon’s storyline as it is both heartwarming and vital for understanding the plot intricacies of the seasons to come.

7 Sir Crocodile’s Mysterious Past

Another big-time villain, namely Sir Crocodile himself, is set to grace the screens for the first time in One Piece season 2. If the original timeline is preserved, the leader of the crime syndicate Baroque Works will appear toward the end of the Little Garden Arc of the Arabasta Saga, which will likely be the focus of the sequel season. Even though this character has yet to be introduced into the story officially as the next big bad, there is a One Piece gender-flip theory that indicates Crocodile has already been seen in Netflix’s live-action series, in the very first episode.

The younger versions of Shanks, Mihawk, and Smoker are all present at Gold Roger’s execution scene, but some eagle-eyed viewers have spotted a radically different Crocodile there too — a dark-haired woman with an earring who looks suspiciously similar to Sir Crocodile. This character’s gender has long been a subject of debate, and Oda’s early character designs as well as a strange line of dialogue delivered by Emperor Ivankov support the gender-flip theory. Still, there is a craving for an official confirmation of this Crocodile theory, and it would be exciting if One Piece catered to that need by revealing the character’s enigmatic backstory in season 2.

6 Tony Tony Chopper and Nico Robin Joining the Straw Hat Crew

If One Piece season 2 does manage to cover the whole of the Arabasta Saga, viewers will get to meet two more Devil Fruit users who will join the Straw Hat Pirates: Tony Tony Chopper and Nico Robin. Chopper is a reindeer who has eaten the Human-Human Fruit, which allows him to turn into a human-reindeer hybrid, and he is the doctor of the crew. Nico Robin starts off as the vice president of Baroque Works before joining Luffy and Co. as the team’s archaeologist, and she can grow her body parts anywhere she wants and use them as weapons thanks to her Flower-Flower Fruit.

5 Giants Brogy and Dorry Fighting

In One Piece, giants are another prominent race that the Straw Hat Pirates come across in their travels. When Luffy and Co. arrive at Little Garden, a strange island stuck in an era when dinosaurs were still alive, they encounter two giants, Brogy and Dorry, who have spent over a century fighting each other. This storyline is hardly the most essential element of the overall story, but it is certainly one to look forward to in season 2. From the initial reason for their argument and their explosive battle to fruitful interactions with the Straw Hats, Brogy, and Dorry’s subplot is one of the best.

In addition to the arc being interesting plot-wise, it will also mean more challenges for the live-action series crew in terms of bringing those creatures and their fights to life in season 2. Brogy and Dorry are not the only giants Luffy meets, but they are the first, so how One Piece covers their introduction matters a great deal. A bonus point: their century-old backstory is hilarious, and it will fit in with the goofy tone of the show established in season 1. Plus, dinosaurs will make their entrance within the same episode, which will just add to the fun.

4 Nefertari Vivi and Karoo Joining the Straw Hat Crew

The Straw Hat Pirates are not done recruiting new members for their crew yet, and a few other key characters will be joining their ranks in One Piece season 2, albeit for a short while. Nefertari Vivi, the princess of the Arabasta Kingdom and the double agent plotting against Baroque Works while simultaneously working for them under the alias of Miss Wednesday, and her pet duck Karoo will make their debut in the Reverse Mountain Arc. Vivi has a rather special relationship with each one of her teammates, so it is curious how these bonds will fit in within the existing dynamic in the upcoming season.

3 Introducing Luffy’s Brother, Portgas D. Ace

Portgas D. Ace is an important figure in Luffy’s character journey, as he is Luffy’s older brother, albeit a sworn one. Ace, who is another lucky Devil Fruit user that can transform into flames of fire, is briefly introduced during the Arabasta Saga, but he actually plays a much more vital role later, during the Summit War Saga. Still, Ace is a beloved character for many, and his connection with Luffy is central to the story at hand, so how Netflix’s One Piece approaches Ace’s arc in season 2 will determine the future of the series, should it be renewed for more seasons.

Ace’s fate is far from being a happy one. Orphaned as a child, he lived a short life, making the ultimate sacrifice for Luffy in the end. Although it was heartbreaking to see Ace go so soon, his untimely demise was what pushed Luffy to train for two years to become stronger and able to protect his friends better than before. The One Piece showrunners will have a lot of difficult casting decisions on their hands ahead of season 2, and finding Ace is definitely up there on the top, as the live-action character will have to live up to the legacy of his manga and anime counterparts.

2 Luffy Liberating Arabasta & Defeating Crocodile

The epic Arabasta Saga ends on a climactic battle where the Straw Hat Pirates take on Baroque Works, and that is something to look forward to in the upcoming One Piece season 2. Luffy and his friends decide to stand their ground and liberate Arabasta from Crocodile’s grasp, and that is when Luffy’s resilience is truly tested against a powerful enemy. It takes Luffy three attempts to take down Crocodile, but when he finally does, it is a big moment, full of hope, cheer, and new beginnings both for the Straw Hats and the Kingdom. The season 2 finale promises to be quite exciting.

1 Luffy’s Father Saving Him from Smoker

Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, is a fascinating character, and audiences can get their hopes up about seeing him sooner rather than later since he is supposed to be the mystery man who saves Luffy from Smoker in Loguetown. Right after Luffy has a near-death experience, following his capture by Buggy and Alvida, he is forced to face a new enemy, Smoker, a marine captain hell-bent on getting his hands on Luffy. Fortunately for him, his father is around to lend a helping hand, and that will definitely be a One Piece season 2 highlight.

With One Piece season 2 greenlit and currently, in the works, these storylines will come together in Netflix’s show in the near future, probably as soon as the sequel season. Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirates are already one step closer to the Grand Line and gaining a few new members, and season 2 will mark the beginning of the golden age of One Piece. The East Blue Saga (minus the Loguetown Arc) is down, and the whole of the Arabasta Saga is to go.