Popverse's top stories

• Secret Wars gives up its mysteries in a new book about the origins of the Marvel epic - and you can help make it happen
• Here's how to watch all the New York Comic Con 2025 panels
• Watch GUNDAM Showcase - featuring Iron-Blooded Orphans, Hathaway, and the Future of Gundam from NYCC 2025

We’re still months away from One Piece season 2 coming to Netflix, but the streamer is already keen to keep moving forward with the recently confirmed third season. In the first big casting news to come out of One Piece season 3, Netflix has confirmed that Cole Escola will play Bon Clay, aka Mr. 2 in One Piece.

Escola is perhaps best known for their roles in At Home with Amy Sedaris and Big Mouth, but they have also been working on stage. Most recently, their play Oh, Mary! opened on Broadway and earned them a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play in 2024. 

Fans of One Piece will be familiar with Bon Clay as a member of Baroque Works, the infamous criminal organization that plays a key role in the Alabasta Arc. Although originally male in the manga and anime, initial reports around Cole Escola’s casting of Bon Clay indicate that the character has been reimagined as non-binary to match the actor. A master of disguise with the ability to change their face into anyone with the touch of their hand, Bon Clay is a formidable opponent who eventually becomes a stalwart ally of Luffy and the Straw Hats in later arcs.

So far, One Piece has only been confirmed through season three by Netflix, which would take it through the Alabasta Arc from the manga, but the casting of Bon Clay makes us yearn for the possibility of more seasons down the road. Like Nico Robin, the payoff for Bon Clay’s character doesn’t come until much later in the series; in this case, the Impel Down Arc. At their current rate, we wouldn’t expect Netflix to cover that until at least season six of the live-action show, but we can hope, right?

THE ONE PIECE IS REAL...ly important to Popverse! That's why we've put together the key articles to keep your fandom of the manga-turned-anime-turned-live-action-show alive:

• How to watch One Piece One Piece in chronological and release order (All 1,100+ episodes plus the movies!)
• When the next episode of One Piece is coming
• Netflix almost missed casting Superman star Mikaela Hoover as Tony Tony Chopper because the audition materials were too vague
• Netflix enlists a Bridgerton star to show off the first big set piece of One Piece season 2, with a Loguetown that is full of easter eggs from the manga
• Why One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy is the perfect hero for the dark times ahead
• Every difference between the live-action One Piece and the original manga
• One Piece Gear 5 Form: Everything we know about Luffy's latest transformation
• Ranking the One Piece anime's arcs, from best to worst
• Why is One Piece more popular now that the anime is 25 years old? We asked around and found out
• The English cast of One Piece explain what they love about Eiichiro Oda's storytelling - "He's a genius!"