Luffy's final battle in One Piece Season 2 is now much more complicated for Netflix

Luffy's final opponent in One piece Season 2 looked set in stone, but a surprising story update for the Netflix adaptation has cast the upcoming bout in doubt. One piece Season 1's ending saw Iñaki Godoy's Luffy take down the fearsome fishman Arlong during a crushing climax. In Eiichiro Oda's One piece Anime and manga, Luffy faces a string of lesser opponents after his Arlong victory, and eventually meets his next main opponent: Crocodile of the Seven Warlords. It was pretty sure, then, that Crocodile would serve as the ultimate villain for Netflix One piece Season 2.

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

The final battle of One Piece Season 2 will not be Luffy Vs. Crocodile

The predicted final villain of One Piece Season 2 now looks impossible

How much manga material to cover has always been Netflix's biggest challenge One piece Fell in his second journey. on one hand, Arabasta is the next significant chapter of the manga and anime historyAnd Crocodile represents the next logical step up from Arlong in terms of power and villainy. On the other hand, squeezing Arabasta in One piece Season 2 was always going to be a tall order, especially considering the various smaller, though 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 roleLingering in the shadows ominously like a sandy Thanos. Oda's list of islands which One piece Season 2 will visit, however, shows that there is not enough time to adapt the Arabasta arc. This, in turn, means that season 2 cannot conclude with Luffy punching Crocodile in the sand.

What 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 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 this particular arc is Wapol, the snowy island's greedy ruler, suggestively 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 user 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 puts a greater focus on Baroque WorksKrokodil's underground criminal organization. The high-ranking Baroque Works agents play supporting roles in One pieces 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 serve as the Straw Hats' final opponents in One piece Season 2 would then lead directly into Krokodil, their leader, assuming main villain duties for season 3.

A final option would be to shift Captain Smoker in One piece Season 2's main antagonist Bert. Smoker's arrival was the big tease 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 quite limited after Loguetown, but Netflix One piece has afforded marine characters such as Garp and Coby greater prominence compared to the source material.

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 crux would be whether Smoker is truly wild enough to pose a genuine threat. Basically just a Marine doing his job, Smoker's morals are not entirely different to Garp'sAnd the captain is certainly not evil in the same mold as Orlong and Crocodile.

Does One Piece Season 2 have a big enough main villain without Crocodile?

Delayed Crocodile risks disappointment in One Piece Season 2

The doubts about Luffy's ultimate enemy in One piece Season 2 raises questions about whether the live-action show has a big enough main villain if Crocodile is forced to stand on the sidelines until Season 3. Arlong possesses a swagger - an air of invincibility that made him the perfect obstacle for Luffy to get into the die moments of One pieces debut season. Luffy fights a lot of rogues and tyrants between Arlong Park and Arabasta, but just like Buggy the Clown in season 1, no one gives him serious trouble. Wapol is far too weak, the Baroque Works criminals are underlings, and Smoker can't really be tagged as a villain.

By pushing back the great battle against Crocodile, One piece Is ensuring it can do justice to the Arabasta arc And the characters introduced in 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.