Dragon in One Piece live-action makes a powerful debut in the second season’s premiere, One Piece: Into the Grand Line, but his presence raises more questions than it answers for newcomers to the series.
Who was the mysterious figure in the green cloak who dared to stand his ground against a Marine Captain?
| THE BIGGEST MYSTERY OF THEM ALL The biggest One Piece spoiler is sitting under 600 tons of water pressure |
In this article, we’ll dive into the clash at Loguetown to finally reveal the truth and answer the burning question, “Who saved Luffy from Smoker?”
What happened in episode 1 of Netflix’s One Piece: Into the Grand Line?
The second season of Netflix’s One Piece kicks off exactly where the East Blue Saga left off, bringing the Straw Hat crew to Loguetown.
This legendary city is known as the “City of the Beginning and the End.” Loguetown is the final stop before the Grand Line, and the central location of the premiere episode, “The Beginning and the End.”
While the crew is busy stocking up on supplies, the atmosphere is heavy as the town commemorates the anniversary of Gold Roger’s execution.
Luffy heads straight to the execution platform to stand where the Pirate King’s journey ended, but his moment of reflection is cut short. The past quickly catches up to him as Alvida and Buggy the Clown return for revenge, joining the Marines in a pursuit across the city.
Luffy vs. Smoker in One Piece live-action Season 2: Why did Smoker want to capture Luffy?
After narrowly escaping Buggy the Clown and Alvida, Bartolomeo helps the Straw Hats flee the festival area as the Marines swoop in last-minute to tie up loose ends.
In the chaos, Luffy and Sanji are separated from the crew, and Captain Smoker quickly intercepts them.
When Sanji attacks, his kicks go through Smoker completely like a ghost. The captain then reveals the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit: as a “Smoke Human,” this Logia-type Devil Fruit allows him to create, control, and transform his body into smoke at will.
Smoker expresses pride in his untainted record — before Luffy’s arrival, no pirate has ever escaped his grasp in Loguetown.
Beyond his 30,000,000 Berry bounty, he sees Luffy as a unique threat due to his uncanny resemblance to Gold Roger — one who laughs in the face of death. Because of this similarity, Smoker is determined to stop Luffy from ever reaching the Grand Line.
Spoiler warning: The next section contains information from the One Piece anime and One Piece manga that the live-action has yet to reveal.
Who saved Luffy from Smoker in Loguetown in One Piece live action Season 2?
As Smoker pins Luffy to the ground, a mysterious figure in a green cloak intervenes. The man grabs Smoker’s weapon, stopping the Marine captain in his tracks.
The man who saved Luffy is none other than Monkey D. Dragon. He is known in the franchise as the leader of the Revolutionary Army and the World’s Most Wanted Man.
After the tense standoff, both Dragon and Smoker vanish into thin air, allowing Luffy the chance to escape.
Dragon in One Piece live-action: Who plays this mysterious figure?
Unknown to live-action-only viewers, Dragon in One Piece live-action is actually the father of Monkey D. Luffy.
This major revelation occurs much later in the anime and manga. As the son of Monkey D. Garp, Dragon has chosen a vastly different path from his naval officer father, becoming famous for his powerful opposition against the World Government.
Dragon was once a Marine cadet. He eventually abandoned the organization after witnessing the horrific events of the God Valley Incident years ago.
This experience disillusioned him with the World Government, leading him to realize that the system could not be changed from within. He turned his back on the Marines and the World Government, eventually forming the Revolutionary Army to fight for freedom, equality, and the eradication of global corruption.
While the exact nature of his power has not been fully confirmed, it is heavily implied that Dragon possesses the ability to manipulate the weather, including wind and storms.
During his intervention at Loguetown in the One Piece anime, he appeared to summon a powerful storm and lightning to aid Luffy’s escape.
Rigo Sanchez plays Dragon in One Piece live-action. He is an American actor with a background in television, known for playing intense and gritty characters.
Before joining the One Piece cast, he appeared in Outer Banks as Lightner, a mercenary belonging to the Lupine Corsairs. He is also well-known for his role in Station 19 as the firefighter Rigo Vasquez and in Animal Kingdom, where he played Manny, the leader of Smurf’s original crew of career criminals.
