One Piece Season 2's Depiction Of Mr. 3 Already Has Us Excited For Future Seasons

Spoilers for Netflix's "One Piece" season 2 and Eiichiro Oda's source material ahead.

Eiichiro Oda's ongoing "One Piece" manga is a sprawling saga, and its anime adaptation is similarly lengthy, so much so that some of its filler episodes can be skipped entirely. In contrast, Netflix's live-action "One Piece" series adopts a faster pace to counteract the limitations of the medium, given how challenging it is to bring Oda's fantastical (and, often, bizarre) work to life. Just consider season 2, episodes 4 and 5, which adapt the manga's Little Garden Arc to take the Straw Hat pirates to the prehistoric island of Little Garden. With the threat of Baroque Works' Miss All Sunday (Lera Abova) looming over Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his crew, their adventure takes an especially dangerous turn once the sinister Mr. 3 (David Dastmalchian) shows up.

The disorienting tropical forest of Little Garden scatters the group from the get-go. Miss Wednesday (Charithra Chandran), who reveals herself to be Princess Nefertari Vivi, even comes across some plant-eating dinosaurs (!) with Luffy. Meanwhile, Sanji (Taz Skylar) and Zoro (Mackenyu) are stuck having to battle a vicious dinosaur, while Nami (Emily Rudd) and Usopp (Jacob Gibson) encounter a friendly giant named Brogy (Brendan Murray). Amidst all this chaos, we glimpse a house completely made of wax, which is revealed to be Mr. 3's lair. The immediate impression is creepy, as Mr. 3 has an obsession with covering living people in wax and turning them into "works of art." This is different from how Baroque Works assassins Mr. 5 (Camrus Johnson) and Miss Valentine (Jazzara Jaslyn) work, as they also arrive on the island with the intent to kill the Straw Hats on sight.

Dastmalchian's Mr. 3 is easily the best aspect of these dual episodes. Here's why. 

David Dastmalchian's strengths as a character actor are on full display as Mr. 3. The "Prisoners" and "Dune" actor brings an intriguing blend of villainy and comedy to the role, which is in keeping with Mr. 3's complex characterization in the "One Piece" manga. While other Baroque Works members are ranked by strength, Mr. 3's high standing can be attributed to his intelligence. This contributes to his inflated ego, as he views himself as a prodigal artist and master of strategy. This is also why he employs Miss Goldenweek (Sophia Anne Caruso) to apply hypnosis-inducing paint to Zoro, Nami, and Luffy. Without Luffy to rescue them, Nami, Zoro, and Vivi are turned into wax statues on a revolving wax cake, which Mr. 3 views as his artistic masterpiece.

Such a whimsical role would obviously fall flat if played without humor. Thankfully, Dastmalchian hams it up while still reminding everyone of Mr. 3's sadistic tendencies when he weighs down Luffy's limbs with (seemingly) unbreakable wax. His only weakness is his absence of combat abilities, which is why he resorts to fighting dirty when pitted against Luffy's formidable strength. His ability to create dozens of clones of himself to confuse Luffy is played for laughs, but the mood turns somber as soon as Luffy calls him out on his cowardice. This tonal whiplash keeps these dual episodes interesting, as it's easy to get lost in the chaos of a setting populated by giants, dinosaurs, and assassins alike.

As for the future? "One Piece" season 3 has already been confirmed, but we've no idea how long the series will last overall. That said, Mr. 3 will become crucial down the line, and Dastmalchian is the perfect actor to evolve the character accordingly.

The live-action "One Piece" has already passed one of its greatest challenges: capturing the unique tone of Eiichiro Oda's original manga. Indeed, while Mr. 3 is an antagonist during the Little Island Arc, he eventually turns into Luffy's begrudging ally during the Impel Down Arc, which spans chapters 525-549 of Oda's source material. Without getting into too many spoilers, this is where Luffy infiltrates the underwater prison of Impel Down to rescue someone important to him. There, he ends up coming across Mr. 3, who is going by Galdino at this point and is able to break out of his cell thanks to Luffy and his allies. In return, Mr. 3 agrees to assist Luffy (though he secretly hopes to double-cross him).

Long story short: Mr. 3 helps Luffy escape Impel Down by using his Candle Wall powers against the prison's vice-warden Magellan. Luffy being Luffy, though, stays behind knowing Mr. 3 needs his aid despite him claiming he doesn't want to be in Luffy's debt. Later, we even see Mr. 3 openly weeping after someone close to him sacrifices themself, further illustrating just how much the character has changed. This, in turn, lays the groundwork for Mr. 3's role in the Marineford Arc, where he takes on a more protective role towards those who matter to him.

Netflix's "One Piece" will (hopefully) get to these arcs someday, and David Dastmalchian is uniquely suited to depict the softer aspects of Mr. 3/Galdino. It's one of many reasons for audiences to keep watching "One Piece" and every strange, wonderful adventure it has to offer.

"One Piece" season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.