One Piece's finale then saw Luffy come face-to-face with the B-plot - otherwise known as his grandfather, Monkey D. Garp. Rather than arrest his grandson for piracy, Garp's beating was revealed as a test to ensure the rookie pirate was ready for the perils of the Grand Line. Satisfied by Luffy's conviction, Garp allowed the Straw Hats to sail on, with the quintet cementing their status as a proper pirate crew via ceremonial barrel kick. Inevitably, danger awaits, as the One Piece season 1 ending reveals new threats waiting for Straw Hat Luffy in season 2.

Who The Mystery Man Is In One Piece Season 1's Ending

One Piece season 1 ends on a shot of a mysterious figure burning a hole through Monkey D. Luffy's wanted poster with a lit cigar. The pale hair and penchant for tobacco confirm this new live-action character is Captain Smoker, an especially powerful marine whose Devil Fruit allows his body to transform into pure smoke, rendering Luffy's punches inert. A young Smoker can actually be spotted earlier in One Piece's debut season, watching Gold Roger's execution during the opening flashback. The character is broadly similar in morality to Garp. Smoker abhors pirates and hunts them down doggedly, but is not corrupt or villainous like Morgan or the officer Arlong was paying off.

Smoker's introduction suggests One Piece season 2's first location will be Loguetown - the place in East Blue where Gold Roger was executed. This island is the final stop before pirates the Grand Line, and Smoker is the captain of the local Marine base, crushing many a crew's dreams of reaching the legendary ocean before they even reach it. This is why Smoker is shown burning Luffy's poster in One Piece season 1's finale. There is no personal connection between the two, but Luffy's swift ascent to becoming the most wanted pirate in East Blue is something Smoker finds especially infuriating.

Why Garp Laughs When He Lets Luffy Go

Although Vice-iral Garp's pursuit of Luffy throughout One Piece season 1 was just a way of testing his mettle before the next stage of his adventure, Garp strangely laughs when he realizes Luffy's determination to become Pirate King is unshakable. This unexpected reaction is because, in this specific moment, Luffy reminds his grandfather of Gold Roger, the previous Pirate King. Roger is shown laughing when Garp oversees his execution in One Piece's introductory flashback, and as revealed by the original anime and manga story, the pair were actually friends, despite being on opposite sides of the law.

When Garp is holding Luffy by the neck and his grandson laughs while reaffirming his desire to find the One Piece treasure, the vice-iral is immediately reminded of his deceased pirate pal. This realization ties into Dracule Mihawk's comment to Garp earlier in One Piece season 1, where the Warlord pointed out an uncanny similarity between Luffy and Roger. Live-action-only viewers would be forgiven for assuming Roger is actually Luffy's father - and, therefore, Garp's son - here. This is not the case, but the characters do hail from the same ancient clan.

Where Are The Straw Hat Pirates Going Now?

The introduction of Captain Smoker strongly implies One Piece season 2 will begin in Loguetown, but season 1's ending already sets up how the Going Merry reaches the Grand Line. When Nami is confused by her map appearing to indicate a river cour a mountain in One Piece's closing scenes, she foreshadows the famous Reverse Mountain. Nami assumes this to be an error on the map, but Reverse Mountain will be a major moment in One Piece season 2, and the milestone where Netflix's show leaves behind East Blue and moves exclusively onto the Grand Line.

As for what awaits on the other side of Reverse Mountain, Netflix's One Piece has already made several overt references to a shady organization known as Baroque Works. Its will be the main antagonists of One Piece season 2, and, breaking the show's current episodic formula, Baroque Works will provide an overarching long-term storyline that culminates in the appearance of a second Warlord of the Sea. At the time of writing, Netflix has not confirmed One Piece season 2 is going ahead, but season 1 lays significant foundations for future stories nevertheless.

Why Luffy Gets A Bounty (& Why The Other Straw Hats Don't)

The World Government assigns bounties based on how much they consider a pirate to be dangerous, and Luffy ends One Piece season 1 with a huge 30,000,000 berries price on his head, despite only targeting criminals and other pirates. This is because the World Government deems the Straw Hat Pirates a danger to peace and order, rather than a danger to citizens. By beating Arlong, the previous holder of East Blue's highest bounty, Luffy is automatically assigned a higher one. As such, One Piece's bounty system broadly works as a way of ranking how strong pirates are - although that comparison is not always accurate.

Luffy is the only Straw Hat pirate to receive a bounty because, bluntly, the others are not yet deemed important enough by the World Government. As the crew's captain, as well as the individual responsible for taking down Arlong, Luffy is the only Straw Hat the World Government currently has interest in capturing. As the crew's notoriety increases, that will change, and all of Luffy's nakama will eventually receive hefty bounties of their own.

Is Arlong Dead After One Piece Season 1's Ending?

One Piece season 1's ending fails to directly address what happens to Arlong after Luffy defeats him. The fish-man pirate is buried underneath the remains of his former home, and only Luffy emerges. Vice-iral Garp instructs his Marines to sweep up the remaining pirates that fled when the Straw Hats attacked, but these closing wrap-up moments make no mention of Arlong himself. Although Arlong has never physically returned in the One Piece manga since his defeat, Eiichiro Oda's source material has verbally confirmed the villain survived Luffy's brutal Gum Gum Battleaxe.

The same is likely true for Netflix's One Piece TV show, although the somewhat darker tone and more mature approach mean it also wouldn't be outlandish to assume Arlong was crushed to death. In either case, the villain is highly unlikely to return in One Piece season 2. With plenty of new enemies to introduce and no precedent for his comeback in the source material, Arlong's story appears finished in One Piece.

What Nami's New Tattoo Means

As One Piece revealed during season 1, Nami ing the Arlong Pirates meant she was forced to get his symbol tattooed on her arm. Following Arlong's defeat, Nami's tattoo is changed, with Arlong's flag replaced by a less offensive design. Nami's new body art symbolizes her newfound freedom from Arlong's control, but the tattoo's imagery of a pinwheel combined with an orange holds an even deeper meaning. In the original manga, the pinwheel was a toy given to Nami as a child by her village chief, Genzo, while tangerines were grown as a specialty of Nami's adopted mother, Bell-mère.

In Netflix's story, the tattoo is a more general tribute to Nami's home village. The image of the tangerine represents both Bell-mère, who grew the fruits, and of Coco Village as a whole, where they are a local specialty. Netflix's One Piece flashbacks show Bell-mère giving Nami a pinwheel made of tangerine skin, which likely inspired the pinwheel element of Nami's new tattoo. Strangely, however, flashbacks also show the younger Genzo with a pinwheel in his hat - the same pinwheel he gifts to Nami in the anime. Genzo is never shown handing her the toy, so the village chief has no connection to Nami's redrawn tattoo in live-action.

How Mihawk & Shanks Know Each Other

In one final scene of celebration, One Piece season 1's ending shows Red-Haired Shanks and his pirate crew in the present day, happily drinking to Monkey D. Luffy's very first bounty. Strangely, they are ed by Dracule Mihawk, an official Warlord of the Sea under the employ of the World Government. Technically speaking, Mihawk should not be drinking so cordially with a pirate of Shanks' renown. The duo's conversation exudes familiarity, giving the impression of a friendly rivalry that has played out across the years. The full nature of Shanks and Mihawk's relationship - assuming there is one beyond the occasional skirmish at sea - is still yet to be revealed, even in the One Piece manga.

Are Buggy & Alvida Teaming Up?

One Piece season 1 ends by showing Luffy's various friends and foes reacting to his new wanted poster, and one of the less delighted reactions comes from a morose Buggy the Clown, now returned from his temporary alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates. Bemoaning his stretchy nemesis, Buggy finds a kindred spirit in Alvida - Koby's original captain and the pirate Luffy punched into the ocean during the opening episode. This scene strongly hints toward an alliance between these two low-level adversaries in One Piece season 2, and that theory is ed by the original anime and manga, in which Buggy and Alvida both play roles in One Piece's Loguetown arc alongside Captain Smoker.

Intriguingly, One Piece's Buggy and Alvida team-up team has major ramifications beyond season 2 alone. Buggy is a significant character even in the current manga chapters, and Alvida remains part of his crew - albeit not one seen prominently. Whether Netflix's version reaches that point remains to be seen, but the One Piece season 1 ending holds nothing back in setting up future storylines.

One Piece is currently streaming on Netflix.