This post contains SPOILERS for the One Piece anime and the manga.
Summary
There’s a lot of hype around the second season of Netflix’sOne Piece, as the upcoming season will introduce audiences to new members of the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy has successfully gathered the founding members of the Straw Hats, but the team is incomplete without the Reindeer Doctor and the “Devil Child” archaeologist. In fact, Luffy won’t simply stop atTony Tony Chopperor Robin, as he will gather several other members of his crew and allies along the way.
So far, the creators have confirmed that Robin and Chopper will appear in the much-anticipated Season 2 of Netflix’sOne Piece.However, the upcoming season, specifically the Loguetown arc, might actually tease one ofLuffy’s biggest alliesthat will make an appearance later in the story. TheOne Pieceanime and manga foreshadowed the appearance of this character, so the live-action might take a similar approach. The creators might also go one step ahead and actually give viewers a glimpse of Luffy’s biggest fanboy during the Loguetown story arc.
Bartolomeo The Cannibal’s Role InOne Piece’sLoguetown Arc
The Captain Of The Barto Club Sees Luffy In Loguetown
The Loguetown arc is a crucial one inOne Piecefor several reasons.Not only does it showLuffy visiting the place where Gol D. Roger was executed, but it also features a brief confrontation between Luffy and Smoker. On top of that, Buggy comes extremely close to killing Luffy during this story arc, which eventually leads to the grand reveal of a fan-favorite character. While some new characters make a direct appearance in Loguetown, there’s one character whose appearance is foreshadowed during the Loguetown arc. That character isBartolomeo the Cannibal.
Apparently, when Buggy was about to execute Luffy, the boy yelled in front of the spectators that he would become the King of the Pirates. At the time,Bartolomeo was an ordinary spectator witnessing Luffy’s words from the crowd. He saw the determination in Luffy’s eyes, and was awestruck by how fearless Luffy acted in the face of death. Bartolomeo also witnessed a lightning bolt saving Luffy’s life, and he took it as a sign from God.
Affliations
Straw Hat Grand Fleet (Captain)
From that very moment, Bartolomeo became a fanboy of Luffy and decided to become a pirate, hoping that someday he would be able to meet the future King of the Pirates. Interestingly, while all this happened during the Loguetown Arc,Bartolomeo’s story isn’t revealed in the anime and manga until theDressrosa Arc. Bartolomeo makes his first appearance during Dressrosa and confirms that he was present at Loguetown when Buggy was about to execute Luffy.
At this point, Bartolomeo was obsessed with Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates. He had been following Luffy’s movements ever since Loguetown, and two years later, he got to meet his idol during the Dressrosa arc. Not only did Bartolomeo helpLuffy against Donquixote Doflamingo, but he also volunteered to continue his pirate journey under the banner of the Straw Hats, thusforming the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. Of course, Luffy makes several allies during his pirate journey, butBartolomeo is one of the most loyal and passionate ones.
Netflix’sOne PieceMight Foreshadow Bartolomeo, Just Like The Source Material
The Creators Might Also Give Us A Glimpse Of The Character In Season 2
Netflix’sOne Piecedecided not to adapt Loguetown in its first season, but fortunately, audiences will see these events unfold in the second season.Season 2 of the live-action series will see Luffy exploring Loguetownand realizing that Roger’s final words still echo in every corner of the town. Buggy will also return in the second season, so fans will finally get to witness the legendary failed execution scene in the live-action format. And everyone familiar with Bartolomeo’s origin story knows that the Cannibal will be somewhere in the crowd, watching the entire thing unfold.
Just like the source material,the live-action adaptation might hide Bartolomeo’s presence only to reveal the character in later seasons. This will lead to a great reveal when Bartolomeo makes an appearance in the Dressrosa arc and reveals his origin story. That being said, when the anime series reached the Loguetown arc, Bartolomeo hadn’t made an appearance in the manga. So, no one knew that a character like him existed. However, things are different with the live-action version. The story source material is far ahead, and the writers at Netflix know how significant Bartolomeo is to Luffy’s journey.
This gives Netflix’s live-actionthe perfect opportunity to give a nod to Bartolomeoby giving fans a glimpse of the character. Even a brief side or back glimpse will be enough for hardcoreOne Piecefans to recognize Bartolomeo. At the same time, it won’t spoil anything for the newcomers. Alternativesly, the creators could make the bold decision to show a younger version of the character watching Luffy’s failed execution, much like how we saw Smoker watching Roger’s execution.
It remains to be seen whether the live-action takes the same approach as the anime, or if it has planned something else for the Super Rookie Pirate. Regardless of the approachOne Piece Live-Actiontakes with the character,every fan will still try to spot Bartolomeo while watching the epic Loguetown scene in the second season.
