One Piece season 2 announced by Netflix

Straw Hats rejoice! Netflix has confirmed that One Piece season 2 is officially in the works. 

The news was confirmed by an official announcement on social media from Netflix creator Eiichiro Oda himself. "Two weeks after the launch," says Oda, "I just received some great news... Netflix has decided to renew the show!"

"The adventures of Iñaki and the live-action Straw Hats will continue onward! It'll still take a while to get the scripts ready so please be patient. From here on, it seems to me the Straw Hats will need a great doctor... We will see!"

The end of the brief message shows a sketch of Chopper, the aforementioned doctor and ostensibly the next member of the crew. How, exactly, Netflix will manage to do right by that character remains to be seen.

We’re happy to hear it, but we’ve got to be honest, it’s not a huge surprise. One Piece has undoubtedly proved a huge success for Netflix. Not only has it been a mainstay in the show’s top 10 since its release, but it’s also broken a big record for the streaming platform.

Then there’s the fact that the show’s producers revealed their scripts for the second season are ready to go when the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes have ended. Speaking to Variety, they even teased it’s not unrealistic we’d see new episodes pretty soon as well. "Realistically, hopefully, a year away, if we move very quickly, and that is a possibility," Tomorrow Studios president Becky Clements said. "Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air."

So what can we expect from One Piece season 2? Well, we know there’s no shortage of material for the live-action adaptation to use thanks to Eiichiro Oda's lengthy – and beloved – manga series. That’s not all, either, as a pre-credits nod at the end of season 1 teased a big new character could be joining the show.

If you recall, we saw a man smoking a cigar and looking down at Luffy's wanted poster. Yes, we’d know that white hair and fur-trimmed coat anywhere. It’s Smoker, and he looks like he's going to cause some trouble for our favorite stretchy pirate.

While we wait to see how that plays out, check out our exclusive interview with One Piece’s showrunner Steven Maeda and our guide on how to read the One Piece manga.