Spoilers are ahead from One Piece season 2 episode 2!
The first episode of One Piece season 2 saw the Straw Hats take a pit stop at Loguetown to gather supplies and food for their travels to the Grand Line. Of course, it wouldn’t be One Piece if a simple stopover stayed simple. Chaos quickly erupted as old enemies resurfaced, new threats appeared, and the crew found themselves caught in a whirlwind of battles, narrow escapes, and dramatic showdowns that set the tone for the season ahead.
By the end of the first episode, the Straw Hats made their way back to their ship and set sail for the Grand Line. Now, it’s time for them to face their next challenge in episode 2. That's navigating the perilous waters of Reverse Mountain.
The Straw Hats cross Reverse Mountain
Determined to make it safely through Reverse Mountain, the Straw Hat Pirates pull together every ounce of skill and teamwork they have. Luffy takes the helm with his usual fearless energy, while Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp help manage the ship against the raging currents. Nami navigates carefully, reading the dangerous waters and calling out obstacles before they can hit. In the end, they successfully survive the treacherous rapids and sail down into the Grand Line.
However, their relief is short-lived. As they descend the mountain, they encounter Laboon, a massive whale that lives at the base of Reverse Mountain. While Luffy's able to escape the ship before it sails into Laboon's mouth, the others aren't as fortunate. Luffy then wakes up on Twin Capes, which is located at the bottom of Reverse Mountain. He sees Laboon in the water and tries to get him up to open up his mouth, but Laboon dives underwater instead. Luffy then meets an elderly man named Crocus who lives on the land.
Laboon comes up from under the water and rams his head into the mountain (Red Line). Crocus then shoots him with a sedative, and Laboon goes back underwater. Luffy yells at Crocus that his friends are still in the whale and that he needs to get them out. Crocus then tells him that his friends are dead.
That's not true, though. The episode cuts to inside Laboon, where Nami, Usopp, and Sanji are still very much alive. They're trying to find a way out and are given separate tasks. Sanji and Usopp search the other ships in Laboon's stomach for a rowle for their broken ship, and Nami and Zoro work on a plan to get them out of the whale.
Back in Loguetown, Smoker instructs Tashigi to prepare his bike for their journey to the Grand Line. Tashigi, however, reminds him that they must first submit a formal petition to their superiors since the Grand Line lies beyond their jurisdiction. Before Smoker can dismiss her concerns, Garp appears and asks to speak with him privately.
During their talk, Smoker makes it clear to Garp that he wants to go after the Straw Hats. Garp, however, tells him that they have more important matters to deal with. He explains that the Kingdom of Alabasta is on the verge of civil war and that their princess is still missing. Additionally, they have the problem of the Revolutionary Army constantly gaining supporters in its quest to overturn the World Government. We learn in this scene that the Revolutionary Army's leader is the mysterious man in the black robe from the previous episode. His name is Dragon.
Back at Twin Capes, Crocus enters his lighthouse. Luffy bangs on the door multiple times before bursting through. Due to Luffy's persistence, Crocus then gives in to helping him save his friends.
The Straw Hats meet Mr. 9 and Miss Wednesday
Back inside Laboon, Usopp and Sanji search around a broken ship for a rowle. They find one under a seemingly dead guy's arm. But just as Usopp reaches for the rowle, the dead guy awakens and grabs him by the wrist. Usopp quickly backs away, and the guy stands up. A fight then breaks out between him and Sanji. While this is happening, Usopp grabs the rowle. The fight ends when the guy gets caught in a net. During the physical altercation, the guy mentioned that another person was with him.
The episode then cuts to Nami and Zoro on the Going Merry. Nami can't get her compass to work, but she lies to Zoro that everything's fine. She then turns around to look for her compass on a table, and finds it missing. Suddenly, a sharp object pierces through the table. A mysterious woman with blue hair appears. She and Nami get into a fight that ends when Usopp and Sanji arrive with the guy from the other ship. Ah, so they're working together! Shortly after, we find out their names. They're Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9, and they work for Baroque Works.
Back at Twin Capes, Luffy asks Crocus why Laboon keeps ramming his head into the Red Line. To answer his question, Crocus then shares Laboon's backstory. Many years ago, Laboon was separated from his pod as a baby and became a close companion of the Rumbar Pirates. But when the pirates set out on the dangerous Grand Line, they had to leave Laboon behind under Crocus's care.
Before leaving, they promised the whale they would return someday. Laboon has been waiting faithfully at the same spot ever since. He thinks they're sailing behind the Red Line, and that if he keeps ramming his head into it, he'll be able to eventually break through to them. Crocus has been sedating him ever since, so that Laboon doesn’t seriously hurt himself.
Back at Loguetown, Garp gives Smoker his next mission. He tells him that he needs to capture a Baroque Works member alive. The Marines want to get more intel on them and their objective. Garp then hands over a list of the code names for the organization's members and leader.
Suddenly, Tashigi bursts through the door. Smoker tells her to leave, but she notices a photo of Miss All Sunday on the screen before she's pushed out of the room. The conversation between Garp and Smoker then ends with Garp telling him that he's allowed to travel to the Grand Line to hunt down the Baroque Works organization. But that's it.
Laboon finally releases the Straw Hats
Back inside Laboon, the Straw Hats argue with the captured Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 before they're interrupted by the whale's movement. Usopp is repairing the Going Merry at the time, and goes flying when Laboon starts moving. While Nami, Zoro, and Sanji try to rescue him, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 get out of their bindings. They then help the Straw Hats successfully bring Usopp back to the ship.
We're then taken outside of Laboon, where Luffy sings the old song that the Rumbar Pirates use to sing to the whale. This calms Laboon, and he opens his mouth to set the Straw Hats free. Before they leave Twin Capes, Nami learns from Crocus what a Log Pose is. It's basically a special compass that's used to navigate the Grand Line.
Normal compasses don’t work there because the magnetic fields are chaotic. The Log Pose records the magnetic signal of an island and then points the crew to the next island once it resets. Crocus even gives Nami his Log Pose for their journey.
As the Straw Hats get ready to head to their first island in the Grand Line, Luffy paints a Jolly Roger on Laboon's face. He promises Laboon that they'll come back to him one day. Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9 are forced to tag along on their journey. The Straw Hats will figure out what to do with them once they get to their first island.
Back at Loguetown, Smoker and Tashigi get ready to sail the Grand Line in search of a Baroque Works member and the Straw Hats. We're then taken back to Twin Capes, where Crocus watches as the Straw Hats leave. He speaks out loud and mentions that perhaps Luffy might be the pirate who finally makes it to Laugh Tale and finds the One Piece.
The second episode then wraps up on the Going Merry. Nami tells Luffy that their first island is straight ahead before the episode cuts to the credits.
One Piece season 2 episode 2 review
What another incredible episode of One Piece season 2! The second episode marks the crew’s official entry into the Grand Line. The Straw Hats find themselves trying to make their way through Reverse Mountain, only to then crash straight into Laboon. While at first it seems like Laboon might be a vicious creature, the episode soon reveals there’s much more to the giant whale than meets the eye.
Honestly, I teared up a bit when the episode got to Laboon's backstory. Although I knew his backstory from the manga prior to watching the episode, it was still really hard to watch. But those tears dried up once Luffy told Laboon that he'll be back for him one day. This episode also introduced two new Baroque Works members, one being a fan-favorite character from the manga. I can't wait to see more of Miss Wednesday going forward!
You can stream all eight episodes of One Piece season 2 on Netflix right now!