Summary

• Season 2 of One Piece's live-action adaptation will seemingly not end with Luffy battling Crocodile, as previously expected.
• Possible final opponents for Luffy in Season 2 include Wapol from Drum Kingdom or the Baroque Works criminals.
• Whether One Piece has a strong enough antagonist in season 2 without Crocodile is a matter of debate.

Luffy's final opponent in One Piece season 2.

That no longer appears to be the case. A One Piece season 2 update from Oda himself confirms the new batch of episodes will cover Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Kingdom. Oda's statement suggests that the Arabasta arc in which Luffy fights Crocodile will not be covered in the forthcoming season, and will instead form the basis of season 3. As a consequence of delaying Arabasta, Luffy's final opponent at the end of One Piece season 2 is no longer obvious.

One Piece Season 2's Final Battle Won't Be Luffy Vs. Crocodile

One Piece Season 2's Predicted Final Villain Now Looks Impossible

How much manga material to cover was always the biggest challenge Netflix's One Piece faced in its second voyage. On one hand, Arabasta is the next significant chapter of the manga and anime story, and Crocodile represents the next logical step up from Arlong in of power and villainy. On the other hand, squeezing Arabasta into One Piece season 2 was always going to be a tall order, especially considering the various smaller, albeit still important, stories that must play out beforehand.

One Piece's live-action crew has evidently chosen to prioritize pacing and authenticity to the source material over skipping straight onto the next landmark saga. Crocodile may appear in a background role, lingering in the shadows ominously like a sandy Thanos. Oda's list of islands that One Piece season 2 will visit, however, points toward there not being enough time to adapt the Arabasta arc. That, in turn, means season 2 cannot conclude with Luffy punching Crocodile into the sand.

Who We Think Luffy's Final Opponent In One Piece Season 2 Will Actually Be

3 Main Contenders To Face Luffy In One Piece Season 2's Finale

If not Crocodile, there are a selection of alternative options for Luffy's final opponent in One Piece season 2. The last island on Oda's list is Drum Kingdom, where the crew first meets new Straw Hat member Chopper. The villain of that particular arc is Wapol, the snowy island's greedy ruler, suggesting Luffy and Wapol could be scheduled to trade blows in One Piece season 2's finale. It should be noted, however, that the big-mouthed Devil Fruit- functions as more of a comedic character than a genuine threat, lacking the same dangerous edge carried by Arlong and Crocodile.

Another possibility is that One Piece season 2 places greater focus on Baroque Works, Crocodile's underground criminal organization. The high-ranking Baroque Works agents play ing roles in One Piece's anime and manga, but casting a major Hollywood actor like David Dastmalchian as Mr. 3 implies that Netflix's live-action adaptation has bigger things in store for the group. Baroque Works' various criminals serving as the Straw Hats' final opponents in One Piece season 2 would then lead directly into Crocodile, their leader, assuming main villain duties for season 3.

A final option would be to shift Captain Smoker into One Piece season 2's prime antagonist berth. Smoker's arrival was the big sting teased at the end of season 1, and Callum Kerr has since been cast in the all-important role. According to the manga and anime, Smoker's screen time should be rather limited after Loguetown, but Netflix's One Piece has already afforded marine characters such as Garp and Coby greater prominence compared to the source material.

According to the original One Piece story, Luffy and Smoker should only fight near the beginning of season 2. Their match gets interrupted by Luffy's father.

The same could happen with Smoker, culminating in the marine captain going head-to-head against Luffy as season 2's headline match. The only snag would be whether Smoker is truly villainous enough to provide a genuine threat. Essentially just a marine doing his job, Smoker's morality is not entirely dissimilar to Garp's, and the captain certainly isn't an outright evildoer in the same mold as Arlong and Crocodile.

Does One Piece Season 2 Have A Big Enough Main Villain Without Crocodile?

Delaying Crocodile Risks Disappointment In One Piece Season 2

The doubt over Luffy's final enemy in One Piece season 2 raises questions over whether the live-action show has a big enough main villain if Crocodile is forced to stand on the sidelines until season 3. Arlong possessed a swagger - an air of invincibility that made him the perfect obstacle for Luffy to overcome in the dying moments of One Piece's debut season. Luffy fights a lot of rogues and tyrants between Arlong Park and Arabasta, but just like Buggy the Clown in season 1, none seriously trouble him. Wapol is much too weak, the Baroque Works criminals are underlings, and Smoker cannot truly be tagged as a villain.

By pushing back the big battle against Crocodile, One Piece is ensuring it can do justice to the Arabasta arc and the characters introduced within it. As a downside, that decision inevitably leaves One Piece season 2 at a disadvantage by risking a less explosive final battle compared to Luffy vs. Arlong.