Luffy and his motley crew of Straw Hat pirates are at the helm of Netflix's ambitious, live-action adaptation of hit anime and manga series, One Piece, and the audience is already buckled in for a long ride across the Grand Line. But, after the end of the debut season, what's next?
As it turns out, the nautical miles stretching between the first and much-anticipated second season might be far longer than anyone would like.
Season 1's ending teased Captain Smoker, suggesting that Going Merry and the Straw Hats are sailing into the Arabasta Saga in Season 2, but with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes still ongoing, expectations for a 2025 return are now less of a prediction and more of an optimistic outlook.

The lack of a formal announcement about Season 2 isn't surprising given Netflix's usual caution in gauging viewership numbers before renewing a series. Nevertheless, it's hard to believe that One Piece won't be back. The show is already a substantial investment for Netflix, with sources claiming each episode cost between $17 and $18 million, exceeding even the per-episode budget of the final season of Game of Thrones.


