Tony Award–winning performer and playwright Cole Escola (Oh Mary!) is joining One Piece Season 3 as Bon Clay (aka Bentham or Mr. 2 Bon Kurei), the flamboyant assassin who transforms every fight into a full-blown performance in Netflix’s hit live-action adaptation.
One Piece follows a daring young pirate named Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) as he sails the seas with his Straw Hat crew—swordsman Roronoa Zoro (Mackenyu), cartographer Nami (Emily Rudd), storyteller Usopp (Jacob Romero), and chef Sanji (Taz Skylar). Luffy dreams of becoming the King of the Pirates by finding the infamous pirate Gold Roger’s legendary treasure, the One Piece. In Season 2, the adventure continues with the introduction of the mysterious Miss Wednesday (Charithra Chandran).
From Broadway to the Grand Line
Escola, who recently made history as the first openly non-binary performer to win the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play, is bringing their signature flair from the Broadway stage straight to the high seas. Their hit play Oh Mary! became one of the year’s biggest theatre sensations, earning rave reviews and a West End transfer following its extended Broadway run.
In One Piece, Escola will portray Bon Clay, a flamboyant, swan-inspired fighter who begins as a villain before becoming an ally to Luffy and his Straw Hat crew. Known for their expressive ballet-like combat and unmatched charisma, Bon Clay is one of the most beloved characters in Eiichiro Oda’s original manga and a standout in anime queer fandom for decades.
What’s Next for One Piece
Season 3 of One Piece begins filming later this year in Cape Town, South Africa. The live-action adaptation follows Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) and his pirate crew as they search for the legendary treasure known as the “One Piece.” The hit series debuted in 2023, topping Netflix’s Global Top 10 for eight weeks and reaching No. 1 in over 75 countries.
Season 2, titled One Piece: Into the Grand Line, sets sail March 10, 2026. The new season “finds our fearless friends navigating epic new territories as they sail through the legendary and venturesome stretch of sea. Among the new locations are Loguetown, where pirate king Gold Roger (Michael Dorman) was executed; Reverse Mountain, a perilous summit with a river that flows upward; the pirate-friendly island of Whiskey Peak; and the prehistoric island of Little Garden.”
