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Baroque Works is set to exert significant influence in Netflix’s upcoming season of One Piece, even if the real showdown isn’t set to occur until the third season, and a adored, audience-beloved member has just been cast.

Netflix announced Tuesday that Cole Escola is now part of the One Piece cast for the third season and will play Mr. 2. This character possesses the power to transform into an exact copy of any person they’ve made contact with with their right hand. The performer, who is gender non-conforming and prefers they/them pronouns, will play a rendition of that character re-envisioned as gender non-binary, as opposed to as a drag queen, in the live-action show, unlike the initial comic and animated series.

This performer is joined by a number of fresh additions tasked with bringing the group to reality, such as leader the main antagonist, brought to life by the well-known actor, Sophia Anne Caruso as another operative, and Sendhil Ramamurthy, who will appear as the cast as the ruler of Alabasta.

Though this character is a major member of the organization, the individual will be introduced in One Piece the upcoming installment. With season 2 set to cover the Little Garden arc, this marks a notable change in the timing of their first appearance, one that could signal more adjustments to the story’s structure.

The actor’s combination of excellent comedic sense and deep sensitivity makes them a standout choice for the part. Besides their recent voice performance in the animated feature Boys Go to Jupiter, they received high praise and multiple awards for penning and acting in the successful stage production Oh Mary!, showcasing the versatility they’ll bring to one of One Piece’s widely praised roles.

The streaming service’s real-life One Piece series is due to premiere for its next installment on March 10th, 2026.