An upcoming flashback in Netflix’s One Piece season 2 signals a potential early debut for one member of Luffy’s Straw Hat crew. Following the original manga by Eiichiro Oda, Netflix’s live-action One Piece cast included the first five pirates of Luffy’s crew during season 1: Monkey D. Luffy himself, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp. The Straw Hats gather even more members as the manga story progresses: Chopper the doctor, Nico “Devil Child” Robin, the cyborg shipwright Franky, Brook the skeletal musician, and former member of the Seven Warlords, Jinbe.

Based on the trajectory of season 1, it seems highly likely that both Chopper and Nico Robin will be introduced in One Piece season 2, with Chopper joining Luffy’s crew midway through and Robin hopping aboard the Going Merry at the very end. The other three characters will have to wait until another season, but thanks to a key flashback confirmed to happen in One Piece season 2, one of those future Straw Hats could make their live-action bow early.

One Piece Season 2’s Laboon Flashback Teases A Brook Cameo

Brook In One Piece Season 2 Looks Very Likely

A set photo from South Africa where Netflix’s show is filmed has revealed a new ship constructed for One Piece season 2 – the ship belonging to the musical Rumbar pirates. Following One Piece season 1’s ending, Luffy’s crew will cross into the Grand Line with help from Clover and his whale friend, Laboon. In the past, Laboon was a member of the Rumbar pirates before the crew entered the Grand Line and left him behind with Clover. One Piece will evidently show Laboon’s origin story via flashbacks, hence the Rumbar ship appearing in season 2.

Crucially, the Rumbar Pirates was the crew Brook belonged to decades before sailing with Monkey D. Luffy. Episode 63 of the One Piece anime showed Laboon with the Rumbar pirates in a flashback sequence, but contained no glimpse of Brook – simply because Eiichiro Oda hadn’t created the character at that point. When Netflix’s live-action One Piece gets around to Laboon’s flashback, it will have the perfect opportunity for an early Brook debut, either via a small cameo role or as a major flashback character.

Not only would seeing live-action Brook so early be a huge treat for One Piece fans, his inclusion is a narrative necessity. One Piece‘s anime later reveals Brook and Laboon were very close friends, so omitting the future Straw Hat from season 2’s Rumbar flashback wouldn’t just be a missed opportunity for a great Easter egg, it would be a huge oversight for Laboon’s story.

When Brook Could Potentially Join The Straw Hats In Netflix’s One Piece

Don’t Expect Brook To Join Luffy’s One Piece Crew Anytime Soon

One Piece season 1 ended with Luffy’s victory over Along, and the protagonist’s next big win, according to the source material, comes against the Warlord Crocodile, suggesting One Piece season 2 will cover the entire Baroque Works and Alabasta arcs up until Crocodile’s defeat. Based on the progression of the manga, the Skypiea arc could be season 3, leaving Water 7 and Robin’s rescue for season 4. Netflix’s live-action One Piece would then get around to Thriller Bark, which is when Brook first appears, in season 5 – potentially season 4, since there’s no guarantee One Piece‘s Skypiea saga will get an entire season to itself.

For most TV shows, introducing a season 4 or 5 character as early as season 2 risks a casting problem, as the same actor isn’t necessarily going to be available two or three years later when the show is finally ready to include them as a main cast member. That isn’t a problem for Brook in One Piece. The actor who gets cast as Brook in season 2 will portray the original Brook with all body parts intact. When the character returns in One Piece season 4 or 5, Brook will be a CGI skeleton, leaving no downside to including a cameo in Laboon’s flashback.