One Piece season 1 ends with Luffy heading toward the Grand Line, but a mysterious figure is coming after him. Here's who the character really is.

Warning: spoilers ahead for One Piece.

Summary

• The final scene of One Piece season 1 introduces a new character, Captain Smoker, who is a member of the Marines and is chasing after Luffy.
• Smoker is a Devil Fruit user and is more formidable than previous enemies Luffy has faced. However, Smoker is not a villain but one of the "good" Marines.
• Smoker makes an earlier appearance in the show, as a younger version of himself in a flashback, and his presence in Loguetown suggests that it will be Luffy's next destination in season 2.

One Piece season 1 reveals a brand-new character in its final moments, and their identity can be discerned from Eiichiro Oda's original anime and manga. Netflix's live-action One Piece adaptation neatly establishes the ongoing dog-and-monkey chase between pirates and the Marines, with Luffy pursued by his grandfather, Vice-Admiral Garp, throughout season 1. Having earned his grandpa's pardon and stomped every other pirate in East Blue, One Piece ends with Luffy seeking new challenges in the Grand Line, but a mysterious figure awaits.

Although the character's face is never shown, this cigar-chomping brute sports cloudy white hair and a pair of dark gloves, and has a thing for burning holes in pirates' wanted posters. In particular, the mystery man has developed a distaste for Monkey D. Luffy before the two have even crossed paths. Evidently, a storm is already brewing ahead of One Piece season 2.

One Piece Season 1's Final Scene Introduces Smoker

The character revealed in One Piece season 1's ending is Captain Smoker - a member of the Marines stationed at Loguetown. Unlike the Marines Luffy encountered in One Piece's first live-action outing, Smoker is a fellow Devil Fruit user, making him infinitely more formidable than the likes of Axe-Hand Morgan, and infinitely less forgiving than Monkey D. Garp. Nevertheless, Captain Smoker is no villain in Eiichiro Oda's original One Piece story. Smoker is one of the World Government's "good" Marines - not that Luffy will notice when the captain is chasing him through the streets of Loguetown in One Piece season 2.

Given One Piece season 1's multiple overt references to Baroque Works, it would be easy to mistake Smoker's cameo as a Crocodile debut. The Baroque Works leader is highly likely to appear in One Piece season 2, assuming Netflix green-lights another season, and both characters are gruff, cigar-smoking Devil Fruit users who consider Monkey D. Luffy an especially annoying thorn in their side. The unseen figure's white hair and the lack of a hook-hand, however, confirm the newcomer to be Smoker instead of Crocodile.

Smoker Secretly Appears Earlier In One Piece Season 1

The final moments of One Piece season 1 are actually not Smoker's first appearance in the Netflix show. The premiere episode's opening flashback to Gold Roger's execution shows several notable faces in the crowd - Shanks and Dracule Mihawk being the most obvious. However, the camera also focuses on a third figure with wild blond hair looking distinctly un-pirate-y. This is a younger version of Smoker from before he joined the Marines. His clothes are the biggest giveaway, as they perfectly match the outfit young Smoker is seen wearing in One Piece's corresponding anime flashback.

These details will prove vital in One Piece season 2, with Loguetown highly likely to be Luffy's next stop. Smoker delights in stopping any aspiring pirates from reaching the Grand Line, and after his employers slapped Luffy with a mammoth 30,000,000 berry bounty, the Straw Hat captain has made himself Smoker's prime target. Far stronger than Buggy and Arlong, Smoker is not a character Luffy is capable of beating at his current power level, meaning some divine intervention may be required when One Piece continues.

What Smoker's Arrival Means For One Piece Season 2

Aside from setting up Loguetown as season 2's first major location, the arrival of Captain Smoker will have significant ramifications for One Piece. Although Vice-Admiral Garp can hardly be described as forgiving, Luffy's grandfather never sought to kill the Straw Hats during their cat-and-mouse chase in One Piece season 1. Smoker, on the other hand, will have no qualms whatsoever about ending Luffy's life, which will make the Marines a far bigger threat. More intriguingly, Smoker's pursuit of Luffy in One Piece season 2 makes a cameo from Monkey D. Dragon, Luffy's father, highly likely. In the original anime and manga, it is Smoker who first forces Dragon to emerge from the shadows.

Oddly, however, Smoker's presence in Netflix's serieshas already been diluted by the changes made in One Piece season 1. Garp chasing Luffy across East Blue does not happen in the original anime and manga, meaning Captain Smoker is the first Marine to truly take an interest in apprehending Monkey D. Luffy. Since Netflix's One Piece has already shown the Straw Hats being tracked doggedly by Marines, albeit Marines led by Luffy's own grandfather, the novelty has somewhat worn off. Smoker's introduction arguably feels less significant after Garp's increased role in live-action One Piece.

One Piece is currently streaming on Netflix.