Netflix's One Piece Is Replacing Crocodile In Season 3

Published Nov 15, 2026, 7:15 AM EST

Maggie Dela Paz is a News and TV writer at ScreenRant. She has nearly a decade of professional experience in writing entertainment articles about a wide range of topics, including movies, television, music, anime, streaming, and more.

Warning! This article contains potential spoilers for Netflix's One Piece season 3 and major spoilers for the manga and anime.

As Crocodile steps into a bigger role in One Piece season 3, another villain is likely to make his presence known in the highly anticipated next installment of Netflix's hit fantasy show. Throughout the franchise, Crocodile has been one of One Piece's most beloved villains. Famous for his stylish look, signature facial scar, and golden hook hand, the fan-favorite antagonist is also a powerful Devil Fruit user who can manipulate sand.

In Netflix's One Piece, True Blood alum Joe Manganiello plays Crocodile. Season 2 introduced him as Mr. 0, the mysterious leader of the crime syndicate Baroque Works, who sent his agents after Princess Vivi and the Straw Hat Pirates. One Piece Season 2 ended with the reveal that Mr. 0 was actually Crocodile, a member of the World Government's Seven Warlords of the Sea. This title grants him immunity from the Marines. In exchange for being the World Government's ally, warlords can continue with their pirate activities.

With One Piece season 3 finally tackling the Alabasta arc, Crocodile will officially step out of the shadows to enact his plans to hijack the Alabasta Kingdom's throne from Vivi's father, King Cobra. While he becomes the new season's main villain, another popular antagonist will begin to cast an even bigger shadow over the entire narrative: Blackbeard. Unlike Crocodile, Blackbeard is poised to become the Straw Hat Pirates' most terrifying recurring threat in future seasons.

Blackbeard Will Become One Piece's New Overarching Villain In Season 3

The audience will likely learn more about Blackbeard in One Piece season 3 through Portgas D. Ace's storyline. Luffy's brother Ace, portrayed by Cobra Kai star Xolo Maridueña, will finally be introduced during the Alabasta arc. While Ace's storyline involves him helping Luffy and the Straw Hats against the Marines and Baroque Works, it will also be revealed that he's on a mission to hunt down Blackbeard, who betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates after he murdered a fellow crew member to acquire the power of the Yami Yami no Mi, or Dark-Dark Fruit.

Scratch & Peek

Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as possible.

In Eiichiro Oda's long-running One Piece manga, Blackbeard, also known as Marshall D. Teach, originally served as a Whitebeard Pirate under Edward Newgate, one of the Four Emperors ruling the Grand Line. As one of Whitebeard's commanders, Ace took it upon himself to avenge his friend's death. However, Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit powers were no match for Blackbeard's dominant Devil Fruit power, which gives him the ability to consume everything into a black hole and nullify the Devil Fruit powers of anyone he touches.

Because of Blackbeard's overpowering Devil Fruit gift and manipulative strategy, Ace's unsanctioned solo revenge mission eventually leads to one of One Piece's most heartbreaking story arcs to date. Through Ace, Blackbeard gets closer to his ambitious goal, while also establishing himself as one of Luffy's most formidable enemies.

So far, Netflix hasn't announced any casting news for Blackbeard in One Piece season 3. However, given Blackbeard's importance to Ace's storyline, the show teasing his impending introduction in the new season wouldn't be surprising. As seen in the first two seasons, the live-action adaptation tends to reshuffle the manga's timeline to focus on major character introductions. Fan favorites like Monkey D. Garp, Bartolomeo, Sabo, and Brook have already appeared in the Netflix series, ahead of their official canon debuts. The writers could easily start laying the groundwork for Blackbeard's live-action arrival in the upcoming season.

Blackbeard Might Still Be One Piece's Endgame Villain

Netflix

Like Luffy, Blackbeard has also become one of the Four Emperors in the current storyline of the One Piece anime and manga. The live-action adaptation still has a long way to go before it can adapt their ascent in the New World era. However, Netflix's One Piece series can certainly plant the seeds for Luffy and Blackbeard's parallel rise to power and inevitable rivalry. Instead of the all-powerful ruler Imu, Blackbeard could become the final obstacle in Luffy's journey to finding the One Piece and becoming King of Pirates.

Making Blackbeard the ultimate endgame villain of One Piece would be more meaningful than having Luffy face an ancient god like Imu because of the years-long build-up that's tied their journeys together. Luffy and Blackbeard are ideological mirrors of one another, sharing many similarities from their unwavering belief in dreams to having the mysterious "Will of D," to their ambitious goal of claiming the One Piece. Despite this, they use opposing methods to achieve their dreams. Luffy appreciates loyalty, camaraderie, and freedom, while Blackbeard attains his goal through chaos and domination.

One Piece season 3 arrives on Netflix in 2027.

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  Iñaki Godoy

  Monkey D. Luffy

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  Emily Rudd

  Nami