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The grand adventure of the Straw Hat Pirates is only just beginning. While Netflix’s live-action adaption of One Piece had a stellar first season following the manga’s iconic East Blue saga, the crew has barely scratched the surface of the vast world created by Eiichiro Oda.

Thanks to some intriguing set leaks, it’s clear that One Piece season 2 is poised to introduce several new characters and ships that will significantly expand the show’s scale.

The Rumbar Pirates Set Sail

One of the most eye-catching set photos revealed the construction of a very distinctive pirate ship – the haunting vessel of the Rumbar Pirates. In Oda’s original One Piece story, this crew hails from the West Blue and was pivotal in the origin of the massive whale Laboon. Fans last saw Laboon in the company of Crocus at the entry to the Grand Line.

The presence of the Rumbar Pirates’ ship strongly indicates that season 2 will depict Laboon’s tragic backstory through an extended flashback sequence. This gives the live-action One Piece the perfect opportunity to introduce two very significant future Straw Hat pirates well before they’d normally join the core crew.

An Early Debut for Brook?

Brook, the lovable skeletal musician, is eventually recruited by Luffy at the Thriller Bark arc deep into the series’ run. However, Brook’s first canonical appearance ties directly to the Rumbar Pirates, as he was a founding member and de facto leader of that crew decades before meeting the Straw Hats. The Rumbar flashback gives One Piece’s creative team a chance for an amazing Easter egg.

By including a pre-skeletal Brook origin story in season 2, the live-action adaption could bring the character into the fold much earlier than expected while setting up critical future story beats. Fans would get to meet the iconic character from his origins while also reinforcing his friendship with Laboon – an important relationship for things to come.

More Pirates on the Horizon

Beyond just Brook, depicting the Rumbar Pirates allows season 2 to bring in a handful of other future allies and adversaries well before their manga introductions. Brook’s whale-obsessed crewmate Yorki and fellow Rumbar members like Mizuta Madaisuki and Mizuta Mawaritosuki could all make early live-action debuts.

While perhaps less impactful than a Brook reveal, fleshing out these side characters from the start provides added depth. It lets viewers become familiar with them piecemeal rather than an overwhelming number of new faces all at once down the line.