The wait has felt longer than Luffy’s climb up Drum Mountain. Ever since Netflix’s live-action One Piece ended its first season with the Straw Hats finally setting their sights on the Grand Line, fans have been counting the days to the next chapter. Season 1 wrapped with the crew sailing away from the East Blue after defeating Arlong, while subtle teases, Smoker’s looming pursuit and the promise of Loguetown, hinted that the real pirate era was only just beginning. 

Season 2, arriving March 10, pushes Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hats into new territory: strange islands, the Baroque Works conspiracy, and the emotionally heavy Drum Island arc where the crew meets their future doctor. 

But before the new episodes even dropped, the cast has been in full promotional sail mode. And just hours before the premiere, Luffy himself, Iñaki Godoy, casually dropped a hint, the story that might break hearts in Season 2.

During a recent interview with Wired on YouTube, Iñaki Godoy was asked a deceptively simple question: whose backstory in One Piece is the saddest. The actor answered without hesitation, acknowledging just how emotionally dense Eiichiro Oda’s world can be.

“Whoa, that is complicated to answer. Some of these One Piece characters have been through a lot. I think maybe Chopper's. Chopper's story's quite sad….I'm gonna say Chopper. And maybe you're gonna be interested in knowing why I said that… he has a very emotional story that I think you should see.”

For anime veterans, that answer immediately points toward the devastating Drum Island storyline and the tragic past of Tony Tony Chopper. The blue-nosed reindeer, who gained human intelligence after eating the Human-Human Fruit, spent his early life rejected by both humans and reindeer because of his strange appearance. He finds unlikely acceptance from the eccentric doctor Dr. Hiriluk, whose belief that “a good doctor can cure anything” shapes Chopper’s dream to heal the world.

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While much of the promotional campaign has revolved around pirates, adventures, and looming battles on the Grand Line, one of the most charming stops on Godoy’s press tour took a surprisingly wholesome detour.

Iñaki Godoy’s promotional journey has taken him far beyond typical press stops. In one of the most unexpected crossovers of the campaign, the actor recently appeared alongside Sesame Street characters to promote both shows on Netflix. The moment coincides with the arrival of Volume 2 of the revamped Sesame Street episodes on the streamer. Four new half-hour installments arrive, where the beloved neighborhood gang continues teaching curiosity, empathy, and imagination.

Produced by Sesame Workshop and executive produced by Sal Perez, the new batch of episodes also features Halcyon Person as head writer, an Emmy, Humanitas, and NAACP-nominated creative who previously worked on Karma’s World and Dee & Friends in Oz. As part of the collaboration, Godoy dropped by to show Elmo his Luffy costume and explain the meaning of “nakama,” the One Piece idea of chosen family and loyalty.

Yet even amid sunny-day singalongs and playful social media moments, Godoy’s earlier hint continues to echo among fans. If his comments are anything to go by, Season 2 may introduce one of the most heartbreaking backstories in the entire One Piece universe.

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What do you think will Chopper’s story become the emotional centerpiece of Season 2? Share your thoughts in the comments.