Streaming platform Netflix completed principal photography on the third season of its live action series One Piece in Cape Town, South Africa, in June 2026.
The upcoming season of the fantasy adventure series focuses entirely on the Battle of Alabasta story arc, chronicling the conflict between the Straw Hat Pirates and the criminal syndicate Baroque Works.
Filming for the third installment began in November 2025 and finished on June 30, 2026. Production has transitioned to post-production, which includes editing, audio assembly, and computer-generated visual effects work expected to take between six and twelve months.
Release Window and Teaser Trailer Details
Producers announced the 2027 release window in a short teaser released in spring 2026, though Netflix has not announced an exact premiere date.
Netflix frequently schedules major franchise continuations during summer months, including the third season of Squid Game and the second season of Wednesday. However, release schedules can shift to space out major titles across the calendar year, complete CGI sequences, and finalize localized dubbing and subtitling in dozens of languages.
Netflix has not released a full official trailer for the third season. The streaming service typically debuts full trailers three to four months before premiere, making a trailer release likely between late 2026 and early 2027. A 13-second teaser released in April 2026 provided no plot or character footage.
Story Arcs from East Blue to Alabasta
The first season, released in 2023, adapted the East Blue ocean arc from the manga. Captain Monkey D. Luffy, played by Iñaki Godoy, assembled his initial crew including Zoro, Nami, Usopp, and Sanji. Having eaten the Gum-Gum Devil Fruit as a child, Luffy gained the power to stretch and reshape his body like plasticine. The crew obtained a map of the Grand Line ocean current, and Luffy fought his grandfather, Marine Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, played by Vincent Regan, who eventually allowed Luffy to continue his journey.
The second season, released in 2026, covered the Loguetown, Reverse Mountain, Whiskey Peak, and Little Garden story arcs. The crew added talking reindeer Tony Tony Chopper, clashed with Marine officer Smoker, played by Callum Kerr, and met Princess Nefertari Vivi, played by Charithra Chandran. The Straw Hats agreed to protect Princess Vivi and escort her home to Alabasta after discovering that she knew the secret identity of Mr. 0, the leader of Baroque Works.
The third season centers on the desert Kingdom of Alabasta, a realm recognized for its culture and architecture. Baroque Works incites civil war and destruction across the country. The Straw Hat Pirates and Princess Vivi attempt to stop the criminal organization before the kingdom is destroyed. The narrative marks the first full-scale military conflict in the manga, featuring large battles and political intrigue.
Returning Characters and Core Squad Powers
Main cast members return for the third season alongside Princess Vivi and Baroque Works leaders. Captain Monkey D. Luffy, portrayed by Iñaki Godoy, retains his rubber stretching abilities, immunity to electricity and blunt force, and inability to swim while pursuing his dream of becoming King of the Pirates.
Roronoa Zoro, played by Mackenyu, fights using a three-sword technique to become the world's greatest swordsman. Nami, played by Emily Rudd, serves as thief and navigator with the goal of mapping the world. Usopp, played by Jacob Gibson, acts as sniper and story weaver who overcomes cowardice to protect friends. Sanji, played by Taz Skylar, is a chef and martial artist who fights exclusively with his legs to preserve his hands for cooking.
Tony Tony Chopper is a reindeer who gained human form, human speech comprehension, and animal translation abilities after eating a Devil Fruit. Chopper aspires to become a doctor and serves as the youngest crew member. The character is created with computer graphics, voiced by Michaela Hoover, who also provided facial expressions for performance capture.
Princess Nefertari D. Vivi, played by Charithra Chandran, is a master of disguise who temporarily joins the Straw Hats. Nico Robin, played by Lera Abova, serves as an archaeologist, Crocodile's right hand, and a Baroque Works spy under the codename Miss All Sunday. The main antagonist is Crocodile, played by Joe Manganiello, a Warlord of the Sea who leads Baroque Works, wields a gold hook on his left hand, and uses Sand-Sand Devil Fruit powers to control sand and transform his body into sand. The season also features King Cobra, played by Sendhil Ramamurthy, and royal guards Pell and Chaka.
New Characters Joining the Third Season
Season three introduces several additional characters from the original manga series. Portgas D. Ace, played by Xolo Maridueña, is Luffy's sworn older brother who manipulates fire and turns his body into flames, earning him the nickname Fire Fist.
Bentham, also known as Bon Klay or Mr. 2, played by Cole Escola, is a former Baroque Works officer who incorporates theatrical acting into martial arts combat.
Miss Doublefinger, played by Daisy Head, is a criminal who can transform any part of her body into sharp spikes. She partners with Mr. 1, played by Audu Audu, a former bounty hunter and senior Baroque Works agent who turns his body into steel blades.
Production Details and Franchise Background
Showrunners Matt Owens and Steven Maeda return to lead the third season. Owens previously wrote for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., while Maeda wrote for Lost and The X-Files. Manga author Eiichiro Oda continues as writer and executive producer. Oda maintained strict oversight during production, visiting the Cape Town set to review scenes against the manga and requiring reshoots for sequences that strayed from source material.
The series is an international co-production between the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, and South Africa, with primary filming based in Cape Town. Episodes run between 49 and 64 minutes. The show holds user ratings of 8.0 on Kinopoisk and 8.3 on IMDb. It streams on Netflix, though the service is unavailable in Russia.
Eiichiro Oda launched the One Piece manga in 1997. The ongoing comic has sold nearly 600 million copies worldwide, ranking second only to Superman among the best-selling comics in history. An anime adaptation premiered in 1999 and is broadcasting its 22nd season in 2026.
The live action series debuted in 2023, surpassing internal Netflix viewing records previously held by Wednesday and Stranger Things. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a 93 percent critic freshness score and a 95 percent audience popcornmeter rating for the series.
