Warning! The following contains SPOILERS for One Piece's live-action Season 2. Stream the series when it is available with a Netflix subscription and read at your own risk!
One Piece is on its way to the 2026 TV schedule, and while many will get the chance to see the first two episodes in theaters on March 10th, some have already seen it much sooner. A bunch of people got an early look at these opening Season 2 episodes, and fans of the One Piece anime reported there's a wild reveal that happens way earlier than in the manga or anime.
Here I thought Season 1's offhand reference to Jimbei was big, but that doesn't even hold a candle to this. As mentioned, we're going to get into some spoilers, so be sure to take heed and read at your own risk!
One Piece Season 2's Opener Features A Big Flashback Scene Between Garp and Gold Roger
According to @Zoro__navigator and others who attended the early screening of Netflix's One Piece Season 2, the first episode opens with a pretty big flashback scene between Vice Admiral Garp and Gold Roger. For those needing a refresher, Garp is Luffy's grandfather, who is in the Marines, and Gold Roger is the world-famous late pirate who told the world of his grand treasure he'd hidden before his execution.
During this flashback sequence, Roger reveals to Garp that he has a child. In the anime, this scene didn't unfold until Episode 460, but given the live-action series also revealed Garp was Luffy's grandfather way early, this isn't an unprecedented move.
It is certainly wild, however, because the reveal ends up being pretty substantial in the context of One Piece. Gold Roger's son ends up being a big topic several arcs down the line, and its significance to the Straw Hat Pirates is also notable.
Who Is Gold Roger's Child?
This is a pretty big plot twist, so I feel the need to drop the SPOILER ALERT again for those who may not want to know this. Read at your own risk!
In One Piece, we eventually learn that Gold Roger's child is Luffy's brother Ace, who we also learn is not his brother by blood. Readers may remember that Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña was cast as Ace and will make his debut in Season 3. What's interesting about this flashback, however, is just how out of sequence it is. While we do meet Ace in Alabasta and learn he's Luffy's brother, we don't know Ace is Gold Roger's son until the Marineford arc. I won't spoil anything that happens there, but I will note it's the final One Piece arc before the story skips ahead two years.
Right now, the live-action adaptation is about twelve story arcs away from Marineford. It took the anime a decade to close the gap between those storylines, so I think it's fair to speculate the live-action series will never reach that arc unless it skips a few story arcs along the way. Could this reveal hint that the Netflix series will jump ahead past some key moments in the show? I guess we'll have to wait and see.
One Piece Season 2 premieres on Netflix on March 10th, and the anime will return with the Elbaf arc not long after. I'm excited for its return, but I'm sure I'll have a hundred questions about all the various changes and how the team behind the live-action show will shape the future of the overall story.
