Smoker is a prominent character in the popular manga and anime series One Piece, created by Eiichiro Oda. But fans of the Netflix adaptation who have not been initiated into the manga lore would not know him at all.
In the post-credit sequence of the season finale of One Piece, we see a rather foreboding figure burning Luffy’s wanted poster with his cigar. This is the notorious Smoker. He is a Marine Vice Admiral, often called Smoker the White Hunter.
Smoker is easily recognisable by his tall, muscular build and distinctive jutted jawline. Plus, he is perpetually smoking cigars. However, what truly sets him apart is his weapon of choice, the Seastone Jutte, a large jitte—a weapon literally meaning ‘Ten Hands’, which was used by the Japanese police in the “Edo” period—made from Seastone. This Seastone jitte gives Smoker the power to suppress Devil Fruit powers in opponents, making him a potentially dangerous foe for Luffy and the Straw Hats in the upcoming season, which is likely to be greenlit by Netflix soon.
Becky Clements, president of Tomorrow Studios, alluded to the potential release of the second season of One Piece on Netflix as soon as 2024, contingent on the duration of the ongoing WGA/SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“Realistically, hopefully, a year away, if we move very quickly, and that is a possibility,” Clements told Variety, “Somewhere between a year and 18 months, we could be ready for air.”
Clements explained, “They keep it, as you know, close to the vest until post-launch. But with Netflix’s support of the title, we expected it to be number one, and we sensed their research and algorithms probably saw the possibility for that. But in our subsequent calls post-launch, we have been told that we have exceeded expectations, which is also fantastic.”
Smoker is doubly powerful because he is a Devil Fruit eater as well. The Moku Moku no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit, granted him control over the element of smoke. This allows him to transform into smoke, adjusting its density, and enabling him even to propel himself like a rocket. He expertly employs smoke to ensnare or surround adversaries. He can even solidify the smoke to immobilise his opponents or shoot power jets of smoke at them.
Throughout the series, Smoker is a recurring antagonist to the Straw Hat Pirates. Luffy and his crew are often seen as dangerous criminals by the world at large, including the Marines, leading to clashes with figures like Smoker. Despite their adversarial relationship, Smoker also recognises moments when Luffy and his crew do good deeds.
As the series progresses, Smoker’s character undergoes significant development. He begins to question the moral integrity of the Marines and their involvement with the World Government. That actually sounds too familiar to Garp and Koby’s story arcs in season one, but the series will hopefully utilise him differently.
