Warning: Spoilers ahead for the One Piece manga.
One Pieceseason 2 will include one of the anime’s saddest stories, and it will continue to be important as the Netflix show goes on. After covering the East Blue saga in the first season,One Piecewill now cover part of the Arabasta saga. As confirmed by Eiichiro Oda,the Straw Hat pirates will visit Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whisky Peak, Little Garden, and Drum Island during season 2of theNetflix live-action anime adaptation. While having to wait for a third season for Arabasta can be disappointing,One Pieceseason 2should have plenty of exciting moments.
Thecast ofOne Pieceseason 2makes it clear that the show will get through all of the important storylines of the Arabasta saga, although the show has yet to cover Loguetown before Luffy can actually enter the Grand Line. Once the events of Loguetown are behind us, it should not take long forOne Piecelive-action to introduce its version of Laboon. While seeing a giant whale in live-action will be a lot of fun,Laboon’s story should make for an emotional episode in Netflix’sOne Piece.
One Piece Season 2’s Laboon Story Should Be As Emotional As In The Anime
Luffy Meets A Giant Whale With A Heartbreaking Backstory
Before theStraw Hat pirates enter the Grand Line, presumably in the first couple of episodes of season 2, they will have to go through the Reverse Mountain. This is whereLuffy and his friends meet Laboon, a giant whale that lives in front of one of the entries to the Grand Line and never leaves it.The first encounter between Luffy and the whale is very chaotic, with the Straw Hat pirate punching Laboon after the whale caused damage to the Going Merry. Luffy’s crew also get themselves inside the whale while trying to navigate the Reverse Mountain.
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Drum Island
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What starts as a comical interaction in which a giant whale is getting in the way of Luffy and his dream of entering the Grand Line evolves into one of the most heartbreaking stories inOne Piece. We learn from Crocus, the man who is taking care of Laboon, that the whale never leaves his location because it is waiting for his friends to return.Laboon was once an official member of a pirate crew, yet when they entered the Grand Line, the whale had to stay behind until his friends returned. This was 50 years before Luffy arrived.
Laboon’s Live-Action Debut Means One Piece Can Set Up A Future Straw Hat
Brook Could Appear In Flashbacks Long Before His Proper Debut
Laboon’s friends never returned to reunite with him, which led Crocus to assume that all of them were dead by now. The fact that Laboon continued to wait and never left the entry to the Grand Line made it all even more emotional. While Crocus had given up on making Laboon accept that his friends were never going to return,Luffy admired the fact that the whale never stopped believing his crew would one day return.What is most fascinating is that, while every member of Laboon’s crew did die, one of them was still out there.
Binks' Sake, the song Brook and his crew used to play to Laboon, can be heard in One Piece season 1 during Luffy’s Shanks flashbacks.
In a laterOne Piecesaga – Thriller Bark – we are introduced to an undead pirate whose body was nothing but bones but still had a soul. Brook ate the Yomi Yomi no Mi, or Revive-Revive Fruit, which allows for someone to be revived after they die.One Piecethen reveals thatBrook was one of the pirates Laboon was friends with, and that despite having technically died already, he still wished to reunite with the whale someday. This means that, while Brook only joinsLuffy’s crew inOne Pieceepisode 381, he could already be referenced through flashbacks.
Luffy’s Encounter With Laboon Will Remain Important As The Show Goes On
Laboon And Brook Still Haven’t Reunited In The One Piece Manga
One interesting thing about Laboon’s story is that he and Brook have yet to reunite. After regaining his shadow and finally getting to bury his crew, Brook realized he could not immediately go back to find Laboon. Now a member of the Straw Hat pirate crew and far into the Grand Line already,Brook would have to complete his journey into the New World and then go back from the other side of the globe to reunite with Laboonin the Reverse Mountain. In other words, Brook and Laboon might only reunite at the end of the story.
“I Want To Live:” Nico Robin’s Most Iconic One Piece Moment Is About To Make Everyone Emotional Again
18 years ago, Nico Robin told Monkey D. Luffy she wanted to live, and we will have the chance to experience this iconic One Piece moment again.
The fact that Brook knows that Laboon is alive and waiting for him but cannot go back just yet is incredibly bittersweet and adds another layer to the Straw Hats’ journey. It’s also a perfect example of how, once Luffy’s journey in the Grand Line began, there was no going back. Meeting live-action Laboon and learning about him inOne Pieceseason 2 is sure to be very emotional, but it will not be the end of his story. Hopefully, the Netflix show will run long enough to cover Thriller Bark and introduce a live-action version of Brook.
One Piece
Cast
One Piece follows young pirate Monkey D. Luffy and his diverse crew as they embark on a daring quest for treasure. Released in 2023, the film brings the adventurous world of the popular manga to life, capturing Luffy’s relentless pursuit of the legendary One Piece treasure.
