One Piece Season 2 Netflix: The Plot Of The Second Season, From Drum To Alabasta

Netflix’s journey with One Piece has just begun, but the resounding success of One Piece in 93 countries speaks for itself: the renewal of the live-action series now seems obvious, and at this point, we have to ask ourselves how Monkey D’s adventure could continue Luffy along the Grand Line. Because from here on out the challenges will become more and more demanding, which is why let’s try to imagine how Season 2 could be structured! Before continuing, however, it is necessary to warn all newbies that in this article there are spoilers on the events of the manga from volume 12 onwards, and consequently on the possible events of the next season.

One Piece Season 2: A More Cohesive Plot?

As is known, the first season more or less covers the first 12 volumes of Eiichiro Oda’s manga, telling the entire East Sea saga. This is undoubtedly a rather embryonic phase of the story, aimed at introducing us to the picturesque world of One Piece and some of the protagonists. All in all, as already highlighted in the review of One Piece, the work of adapting the paper material into eight one-hour episodes was excellent: Matt Owen and Steven Maeda managed to condense all the main events perfectly, cutting out the necessary (and the superfluous) with some sacrifices which ultimately did not distort the essence of the original story. The biggest change, for example, concerns the role of Don Creek, who in the comics storms the Baratie, putting both Luffy and Sanji to the test. In the live-action, the pirate is given a brief appearance before being defeated by Drakul Mihawk. The series has chosen to dedicate that space to the entry onto the scene – earlier than in the manga – of the Fishman Arlong, whose shadow has weighed on our heroes since the first episodes of the live-action.

This is precisely the winning choice that gave the first season a more cohesive plot, connecting the mini-narrative arcs of the East Sea with a horizontal narrative that led to the final clash between the Straw Hat Pirates and Arlong’s gang in the last two episodes. We expect the second season of One Piece to show a similar trend, and to bring the shadow of a new great adversary into the background of the events. The key figure, in this sense, must be Crocodile, the ruthless member of the Fleet of Seven and leader of the Baroque Works. We met this criminal group already in the pilot of the series when a swordsman named Mister 7 appears in front of Zoro to recruit him. This event, in the manga, is only mentioned through the mouth of Roronoa himself, but the authors of the live-action have cleverly chosen to show it on screen. In short, the main antagonist of the second season will necessarily have to be Baroque Works, with Crocodile as the final opponent.

From Chopper to Robin!

It follows that the focus of the next block of episodes should be the Alabasta saga. But before reaching that point there would be other key stages of the journey that cannot be skipped. First of all, our heroes stay in Rogue Town, the city where Gold Roger was executed 22 years ago. Rogue Town is important because it is here that the group will face Smoker, the Navy captain who appears in the final scene of Season 1, starting a real hunt that will continue on various subsequent islands. Furthermore, it is also here that Luffy will have to face the unlikely alliance between Buggy and Alvida, whom we see meeting in an inn during the epilogue of the eighth episode.

Finally, a sensational meeting will take place in Rogue Town: the one between Luffy and his father, Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army that has been fighting the World Government for years. On this occasion the Mugiwara captain will even show other connections with the former Pirate King, increasing his aura of fear towards the Navy. In short, the entire first episode of One Piece Season 2 should focus on the events of Rogue Town, which are too important for Eiichiro Oda to agree to cut them. Then there is the entry into the Major Route with the crossing of the Reverse Mountain, a place where our men will meet the whale Laboon and his guardian Crocus. These are also crucial characters, as they are both connected to Roger’s past and especially to Brook, a future member of Luffy’s crew.

There are at least three other stops from here on out that the live-action should take into account: Whiskey Peek, the village where the Mugiwara face hordes of Baroque Works henchmen and meet Bibi, and Little Garden, the island on which they encounter the giants Dori and Brogi. As regards the first, we believe that the first contact between the Straw Hats and the Princess of Alabasta cannot be overlooked, and as regards the second there are some factors to consider. In Little Garden, the crew faces Mr. 3 for the first time, one of the strongest generals in Crocodile’s service, while their friendship with the two giants is quite preparatory for other big future events. We are not naive: it will not be at all easy to adapt all these events into a handful of episodes, which is why it would be reasonable to think that Netflix decides to condense them into a single solution: skip, for example, Whiskey Peek and move all the developments to Little Garden, so as not to preclude the appearances of all the main supporting characters, saving on the running time and variety of the sets.

The Kingdom of Drum absolutely cannot be missed, however. This is the island on which Luffy will meet the fifth member of his crew, the adorable Tony Tony Chopper. For the moment, let’s overlook the gigantic challenge that will entail transforming Chopper (a humanoid reindeer capable of changing shape and adapting his body to any situation) into a creature that in live-action can be consistent with the artistic direction. A couple of episodes, at least, to dedicate to its narrative arc are necessary before the Going Merry sails towards the Kingdom of Alabasta, which on the other hand should colonize the entire second half of the season.

At the same time, it would be appropriate if, in the wake of the manga, Crocodile is introduced to us from the beginning as he pulls the strings behind Alabasta’s intrigues – a bit like what was done with Arlong – so that his final confrontation with Luffy can be filled with pathos and expectations, and above all that the future sixth member of the Mugiwara crew appears: Nico Robin. Ultimately, Season 2 of One Piece should be structured in this way: Rogue Town and Reverse Mountain in the first episode, Whiskey Peek and Little Garden in the second, Drum in the third and fourth, and finally Alabasta from the fifth to the eighth, with a season finale which could anticipate the events of Skypea. We hope to check as soon as possible whether our predictions will prove correct…