I Think One Piece May Have Just Handled The Mr. 0 Twist Better Than The Anime

Warning: SPOILERS for One Piece Season 2 are ahead!

One Piece Season 2 premiered on the 2026 TV schedule last week, and while there were a lot of new antagonists introduced to give the Straw Hat Pirates trouble, the biggest of them all was barely present. Joe Manganiello’s Mr. 0, the leader of Baroque Works, is only seen twice in Season 2: first from the shadows during “Wax Off, Wax Off,” and then in full during the final moments of the Season 2 finale, titled “Deer and Loathing in Drum Kingdom.” With that full look came a major reveal, and after watching the new One Piece season with my Netflix subscription, I think the live-action series handled the Mr. 0 twist better than the original manga or anime did.

Mr. 0 Is One Of The Seven Warlords

Mr. 0 is obviously a man of means if he can fund a secret, wide-reaching criminal syndicate. He’s also not someone to be trifled with physically, as evidenced by the massive golden hook covering his left hand, and when he used a mysterious power to dry up a plant on his desk (spoiler alert, he ate the Sand-Sand Fruit) after learning that Sanji, a.k.a. Mr. Prince, killed The Unluckies. Well, Season 2 revealed the truth about Mr. 0 before wrapping up: he’s really Sir Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, like Dracule Mihawk.

The Seven Warlords are supposed to be cooperating with the World Government in exchange for their bounties being cancelled and being generally given free rein. So Crocodile running Baroque Works in secret obviously flies in the face of that deal, and it’s no wonder he wants Vivi killed since she knows his true identity. Thankfully, we’ll be seeing a lot more of Crocodile when One Piece Season 3 adapts the Alabasta arc, as Joe Manganiello is one of the four actors who have been promoted to series regulars.

Netflix’s One Piece Smartly Plays The Crocodile Reveal More Dramatically

For as faithful as Netflix’s One Piece is to the source material, obviously, like with any adaptation, creative liberties are taken. In this case, Mr. 0 being revealed as Crocodile happens much later, as Vivi originally shared this information with the Straw Hats during the anime and manga’s Whisky Peak arc. More importantly, however, is the fact that Netflix opted to play this reveal in a dramatic fashion, whereas it was previously done for comedic effect, which included Nami violently shaking Vivi for blurting out this information.

Humor is one of the main things I’ve appreciated about One Piece since I read some of the manga in my younger years and then started the anime after watching the live-action show’s first season. In this case, though, I’m glad it didn’t try to make light of Mr. 0 being Crocodile. Having this criminal mastermind be one of the most powerful pirates in the One Piece world is a great twist, and as such, should be handled with a serious hand to make it all the more impactful.

I’m looking forward to seeing more of Joe Manganiello’s Crocodile in One Piece Season 3, as well as for people unfamiliar with the anime and manga to learn how much of a powerhouse he is. The good news is we won’t have to wait nearly as long for the next season as we did for Season 2, as it’s expected to premiere sometime in 2027. Then we’ll meet other Baroque Works members like Cole Escola’s Mr. 2, Awdo Awdo’s Mr. 1 and Daisy Head’s Miss Doublefinger.