One Piece is one of the most expansive stories ever, spanning over 1,000 manga chapters and 1,000 anime episodes. But when Netflix began its journey to adapt Eiichiro Oda's epic tale, there was no way it was going to fit even a fraction of what the series' first saga, the East Blue Saga, covered. That led to some things being cut, but despite having to trim down the material, One Piece still took time to prepare for another outing.
After defeating Arlong and freeing Coco Village, the Straw Hats ran into trouble when Vice Admiral Garp and his band of Marines showed up to arrest them. He was really after his grandson, Luffy, who he didn't believe was ready to head out to the Grand Line in search of the One Piece. But Luffy proved in a battle with Garp that he wasn't going to back down from him or anyone else he might meet along the way. That put Luffy and his crew at the starting line of a truly amazing journey.
Buggy and Alvida Are Teaming Up
Buggy plays a major role in the first season of One Piece, acting as the first Devil Fruit-powered villain the Straw Hats must face and as a reluctant guide to both the Straw Hats and Arlong. After Luffy, Zoro and Nami take the clown out and save the residents of Orange Town, Arlong pays Buggy a visit and demands he take him to Luffy. Both groups end up crossing paths at Baratie, where Arlong beats Luffy but leaves behind Buggy's head, and he is able to lead the rest of the Straw Hats to Nami after she departs with Arlong.
But while the Straw Hats are under the impression that Buggy will join in their fight after they return him to his body, the clown pulls one over on them, escaping before any fighting happens. But that wasn't the end of Buggy, as he still has his sights set on taking down Luffy. At a bar in the East Blue, Buggy looks at Luffy's first wanted poster, only to be interrupted by another pirate the young upstart had wronged -- Alvida. Of course, she was the pirate Luffy fought in Episode 1 while rescuing Koby. She also wants her pound of flesh, and Season 2 might have one of the source material's most iconic duos make some noise.
Koby and Helmeppo's Training
Koby has a pretty substantial journey in Season 1 of One Piece, going from wannabe Marine to Vice Admiral Garp's most important cadet. But what earns him that top spot is his ability to speak his mind, such as when he refuses to arrest Luffy in Syrup Village after learning about the danger Kaya and the others are in. This determination actually rubs off on Helmeppo, Axe-Hand Morgan's smug son, who comes around by the end of Season 1 and begins to strive for his own goals.
Garp is so impressed by how the cadets are behaving by the end of the season that he promises to begin training them so they can take on pirates like Luffy in the future. However, while Helmepoo's training seems pretty cut and dry, with him wanting to become a swordsman on the level of Roronoa Zoro, Koby's is left a mystery. That's likely because it'll involve Haki, a mysterious power in the world of One Piece that allows its users to pull off amazing feats. Haki was teased a few times in Season 1, but it appears Koby will play a part in truly bringing it to life in Season 2.
Smoker Is Preparing for the Straw Hats
The ending of the first season of One Piece teases a major antagonist for the Straw Hats -- Captain Smoker. A Marine with no love for pirates, he's initially introduced in Loguetown, which was part of the East Blue Saga. Netflix's series doesn't make it there by the end, but that clearly didn't stop Smoker from catching wind of the upstarts, as he's shown looking at Luffy's wanted poster in the final episode.
Despite being a stand-up individual, Smoker is a major thorn in the Straw Hats' side alongside his Marines and Master Chief Petty Officer Tashigi. They're constantly hunting them but always seem to get wrapped up in their adventures. It's unclear if Season 2 will travel to Loguetown so the crew can have a run-in with Smoker or if he'll be chasing them from afar as Garp did, but either way, he's ready to get in the way of Luffy's quest for the One Piece.
The Straw Hats Are Off to the Grand Line
The most important reveal in the finale of One Piece Season One was that, after defeating Arlong and getting away from the Marines, Luffy and his crew were finally on their way to the Grand Line. Leaving the East Blue behind, the Straw Hats will head off to a new stretch of ocean where everything is more dangerous. And if the source material continues to be followed, that means their first stop will be an island known as Whiskey Peak, where they will find a foe familiar to Zoro.
From there, they will head to several other islands that may house giants, strange pirates and a certain adorable future crew member. But even more intimidating than all of that, Season 2, just like the first outing, will likely see the Straw Hats face off against one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Only this time, they won't have an opportunity to gain their respect and get away with only a few minor scratches.
All episodes of One Piece are streaming now on Netflix.
