Netflix's One Piece Sets Up A Huge Future Debut With A Sneaky Easter Egg

Netflix's "One Piece" finally made its highly-anticipated debut today, solidifying the Straw Hat Pirates' place among the streamer's top shows. While the series introduces audiences to Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates, it didn't take long for Netflix to tease what's to come if "One Piece" continues sailing the Grand Line.

In Episode 1, "Romance Dawn," Luffy and Koby (Morgan Davies) arrive at Shells Town, examining a wall of wanted posters. While Luffy focuses on his lack of a bounty, "One Piece" uses this scene to cleverly tease the arrivals of a few notable pirates, should the series continue with future seasons. Arguably, the most significant is Bellamy, the captain of the Bellamy Pirates, whom the Straw Hats encounter in the manga's Jaya Arc. While he's clearly made a name for himself in the live-action universe, amassing a 55 million berry bounty, his inclusion suggests a fan-favorite villain is out sailing the seas of Netflix's world, Donquixote Doflamingo.

As a relatively rookie pirate captain, Bellamy aligned his crew with the Donquixote Pirates, led by Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and a formidable foe the Straw Hats face in "One Piece." Incredible fashion sense aside, Doflamingo is the king of Dressrosa, using his military-sized crew to usurp rule over the New World kingdom and earning a massive 340 million berry bounty. He's also a legendary underworld smuggler with the powers of the Ito Ito no Mi devil fruit, allowing him to create and manipulate string. As the main villain of the Dressrosa Arc, it'll be interesting to see how the Netflix series tackles Doflamingo, assuming it makes it that far in the "One Piece" story.

Depending on how Netflix's "One Piece" approaches the manga's arcs, fans could be looking at a very long wait for Doflamingo's live-action introduction. Season 1 adapts most of the East Blue Saga, but as the series continues, it'll only encounter longer and longer stories, so don't hold out hope to see the Warlord in a possible Season 2.

Following Season 1, the Straw Hat Pirates will sail toward the entrance to the Grand Line, making a quick stop in Loguetown before the Netflix series dives into the Arabasta Saga. While the live-action adaptation will likely continue condensing these stories, Loguetown and Arabasta seem more than enough to fill Season 2, possibly pushing Doflamingo's introduction in the Sky Island Saga to Season 3.

Assuming this is the case, Season 3 would then open with the Jaya Arc, paying off the Season 1 tease by introducing Bellamy and Doflamingo. In the anime, the pink-themed Warlord briefly appears in this arc as the story pulls back the curtain on the Seven Warlords of the Sea. We see Doflamingo meet with the Marines, discussing who the Warlords should add to their ranks, and he also arrives in Mock Town after the Straw Hats leave to punish his subordinate, Bellamy, for losing to Luffy. Unfortunately, he doesn't stick around for long, meaning it'll be an even more of an extended wait to see Doflamingo as the main villain when — fingers crossed — the Netflix series arrives at Dressrosa, which doesn't happen in the anime until a few hundred episodes in.