Unraveling Baroque Works: Unveiling the Villainous Intrigue of One Piece Season 2
Unveiling the Enigmatic Baroque Works: A Glimpse into One Piece Season 2's Antagonists and Their Impact on the Series
Warning: spoilers ahead for Netflix's One Piece and the One Piece anime and manga.
Summary
Season 1 of One Piece lays the groundwork for a significant plotline in season 2 centered around a formidable group called Baroque Works. Led by the fearsome pirate Crocodile, Baroque Works is a dominant and ambitious organization focused on achieving financial and political goals.
Baroque Works introduces a fresh array of Devil Fruit abilities, new allies, and intriguing lore, resulting in a distinct visual and narrative shift from season 1 to season 2 of One Piece. Throughout season 1, the series hints at the existence of Baroque Works, setting up a captivating plotline that could unfold in a potential continuation approved by Netflix. Monkey D. Luffy's inaugural live-action adventure showcases a diverse range of adversaries, from the merciless Kuro and the Black Cat Pirates to the formidable and savage Arlong, a fish-man. Despite encountering numerous foes in season 1, Netflix's One Piece also paves the way for future epic confrontations.
Explicit references to Baroque Works are made throughout One Piece season 1, representing a significant departure from Eiichiro Oda's original manga. In the manga, Baroque Works is not introduced until much later. However, the anime adaptation introduces Baroque Works early on in episode 1 when Zoro rejects their invitation by defeating Mr. 7. Later in the season, in a scene exclusive to Netflix's One Piece, Vice-Admiral Garp is shown investigating Baroque Works' activities in East Blue. Baroque Works is not mentioned or shown again in season 1, but instead, the teaser at the end introduces Captain Smoker, another Marine character. Despite this, it is clear that Baroque Works will play a crucial role in One Piece season 2.
One Piece Season 2's Main Villain Will Be Baroque Works (If It Happens)
The live-action adaptation of One Piece on Netflix primarily revolves around the conflict between pirates and the Marines in season 1. However, Baroque Works, an organization with mafia-like characteristics, blurs the boundaries between these factions. Operating within the Grand Line, Baroque Works has grand aspirations both in terms of finance and politics, aiming to seize control of the nation of Alabasta. At the core of this organization lies Crocodile, a fearsome pirate and powerful user of the Devil Fruit. In the hierarchy of One Piece, Crocodile surpasses Arlong by a substantial margin. While Arlong carries a bounty of 20,000,000 berries, Crocodile's bounty reaches an astounding 81,000,000 berries, and even this value is outdated by the time Luffy confronts him.
The officers of Baroque Works, the upper echelons of Crocodile's pirate crew, are given code names as identifiers. For instance, Zoro's ill-fated friend is known as Mr. 7, while the females are assigned names related to days or holidays, such as "Miss Valentine." Most members of Baroque Works remain blissfully unaware of their true employer and the group's actual objectives. If Netflix proceeds with One Piece season 2, Baroque Works will emerge as a formidable final boss.
How Baroque Works Is Different To One Piece Season 1's Villains
The antagonists Luffy encountered throughout the first season of One Piece were mostly fragmented. Arlong played the role of the initial major villain, but it was only in the latter half of Netflix's debut season that the formidable fish-man truly took center stage. Alongside Alvida, Morgan, Buggy, and Kuro, the live-action adversaries in One Piece contributed to a more episodic structure in season 1. However, Baroque Works will alter this dynamic in season 2. If the live-action adaptation follows the anime, the Straw Hats will not engage in battles with unrelated foes. Instead, they will progressively ascend the Baroque Works hierarchy, starting with characters such as Mr. 5, ultimately leading to a decisive showdown against Crocodile.
What Baroque Works Means For One Piece Season 2
: Not all the villains in One Piece season 2 will necessarily be affiliated with Baroque Works. In the event that Netflix's TV show decides to introduce Chopper as the newest member of the Straw Hats during their visit to Drum Kingdom, we can expect the bothersome Devil Fruit-user Wapol to make an appearance. However, Baroque Works will still play a significant role, providing the consistent and ongoing narrative that has thus far been absent in One Piece. In fact, Eiichiro Oda's Baroque Works and Alabasta storylines contain enough material to potentially extend the Netflix adaptation into a third season of One Piece.
The inclusion of Baroque Works in One Piece season 2 will have significant consequences for the Netflix series. Firstly, the introduction of these new villains will bring about a surge of Devil Fruit powers in the live-action adaptation. In the first season, only Buggy the Clown possessed one of One Piece's notorious fruits. However, with Baroque Works, both Crocodile and the majority of his superior officers possess various Devil Fruit abilities, such as the power to manipulate candle wax, wield swords for hands, transform their faces, and even cause explosive snot. This alone will transform One Piece season 2 into a visually stunning spectacle unlike anything seen before.
Baroque Works is responsible for introducing important allies to the Straw Hat Pirates, such as Nico Robin and Vivi. These characters are likely to appear in season 2. In addition to new characters, Baroque Works brings a wealth of new lore to the world of One Piece. Crocodile's grand plan is connected to the ancient three weapons, a mystery that has yet to be fully solved after 1000 manga chapters. Encountering Baroque Works in season 2 would also bring significance to poneglyphs, Luffy's brother, and the history of the One Piece world. One Piece can currently be streamed on Netflix.
