Demaro Black in One Piece

During the Time-Skip:

Two years after the Summit War of Marineford, the Straw Hat Pirates went off the radar, and many thought they were gone for good. Capitalizing on this belief, Black and his crew decided to pretend to be the Straw Hat Pirates.

In a bar at Sabaody Archipelago, Black posed as Monkey D. Luffy, searching for new crew members with his fake counterparts - Fake Nami, Fake Sogeking, and Fake Franky. They set a high bounty requirement for recruits. When the real Nami refused to join, they tried to force her. However, they were attacked by carnivorous plants from Usopp's Pop Greens. Despite the assault, Black ordered his crew to find their attackers after being struck by a thunderbolt from Nami.

Later, Black encountered a woman and a man resembling his targets. He shot the woman, sarcastically apologized, and then cold-bloodedly shot the man who objected. The real Luffy accidentally knocked Black over. Despite Luffy's attempts to apologize, Black, unaware of Luffy's identity, demanded an apology, boasting about his 400,000,000 bounty. Luffy, not wanting trouble, excused himself. Black attempted to shoot Luffy, but Luffy effortlessly knocked them all out with Haoshoku Haki.

Black and his crew later wake up and are found by Fake Zoro and Fake Sanji. Confused about Luffy's actions, Black dismissed Fake Robin's loss as bad luck. Determined to get revenge against Nami, Usopp, and Luffy, he gathered recruits and taught them a lesson. His attitude drove Chopper away, thinking the fakes were friends.

Learning the talking "raccoon-dog" is the real Chopper, Black orders Fake Sanji and Fake Zoro to capture him. Gathering recruits at Grove #46, he announced plans for the New World, intending them to fight and die for him. Their first task was to capture those who humiliated him: Luffy, Nami, and Usopp. Fake Zoro and Fake Sanji brought the real Luffy to him at that moment.

Black aimed to use the real Luffy as an example, but the Marines, led by Sentomaru and two Pacifistas, interrupted. Black ordered Caribou and Coribou to use a captured Marine as a shield to escape. However, the Caribou killed the Marine and started a battle. Unable to handle the Pacifistas, Black and the fake Straw Hats tried to flee, but Sentomaru blocked their escape.

Recognizing Black as a fraud from a previous encounter with the real Luffy, Sentomaru questioned why he claimed to be Straw Hat Luffy. Black, unable to intimidate Sentomaru, tried to use Luffy's reputation. Unfazed, Sentomaru swiftly defeated Black with a single attack. PX-5 revealed Black's true identity as "Three-Tongued" Demaro Black, with a bounty of Beli26,000,000. The assembled pirates, angry at the deception, scattered as Black lost his position of power.

Following the fight, Black was tied up and unconscious on the ground, right in front of Sentomaru, and the Marines had him in custody.

Crew

Demaro Black's connection with his crew differed significantly from the real Luffy's close bonds. He insisted on being called "Boss" at all times, seeking respect and obedience, unlike the genuine camaraderie of the Straw Hat crew. Instead of personally selecting members like Luffy, Black recruited any pirate captain with a bounty over Beli70,000,000. When faced with danger from Pacifistas, he showed a willingness to abandon his crew.

Although Black's crew appeared loyal, their allegiance was tied to his captaincy. Once his true identity was exposed, they abandoned him, claiming he coerced them into impersonation. Other recruits, joining for personal fame, felt deceived and were angry. Albion even dismissed Black as "random trash worth a mere Beli26,000,000."

Black's careless distribution of recruitment flyers not only attracted attention from potential crew members but also inadvertently led the Marines to the Sabaody Archipelago. This lack of caution had severe repercussions, resulting in arrests for many recruits.

Enemies:

Straw Hat Pirates:

When people thought Black was the Straw Hat captain, he got mad at anyone who offended him, even a little. Nami and Usopp humiliated him in a bar, so Black wanted revenge. While searching for them, the real Luffy accidentally knocked him over, making Black angry. Black tried to hurt Luffy, but it went wrong, and he didn't know the true identities of those who offended him.

Marines:

Pretending to be Luffy made Black a target for the real Luffy's enemies, like the marines. Sentomaru, who knew the real Luffy, didn't believe Black's act and stopped his deception.

Caribou Pirates:

The Caribou Pirates planned to kill the fakes, thinking they were real and joining them as a trick. Since Black got caught by Sentomaru, he avoided getting buried alive. Black had high hopes for the siblings leading the Caribou Pirates, thinking they'd make the fake Straw Hats hard to challenge.

Black's personality is a bit like the World Nobles, thinking that his impressive background and status give him special privileges. Unlike the real nobles who often do get such treatment, Black's act impresses only fellow criminals. He's really ruthless and full of himself, using Luffy's fame to act without consequences. Believing his high bounty makes him untouchable, he expects special treatment just because he's a famous pirate.

He easily gets mad when things go wrong or if someone offends him. Even a simple thing like getting knocked down makes him want to hurt someone. This anger stems from his stolen reputation, thinking it gives him the right to act that way. Despite being easily defeated by Nami, Usopp, and Luffy, his anger drives him to seek revenge at any cost, even gathering a whole bunch of recruits just for three people.

In contrast to Luffy, who doesn't care about backgrounds, Black loves bragging about his heritage and achievements. He uses it to justify his actions and intimidates others. He doesn't mind hurting innocent people and sarcastically apologizes when he accidentally harms bystanders. His crew is just a means to an end, and he cares less about them than even Fake Sogeking. His arrogance clouds his judgment.

Despite meeting the real Nami, Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper, he didn't recognize any of them and had to be told about Chopper's identity. He didn't think about the consequences of pretending to be a notorious pirate, forgetting the World Government wanted him. This mindset and his ego led to his downfall when his empty threats against Sentomaru backfired. Like many characters in One Piece, Black has a unique laughter style, and he is "Dohahahaha."

Black is a big, chubby man with a broad face that almost hides his eyebrows. His facial hair extends from his mouth to his chin, and his nose is wide with large nostrils. His legs are thin and hairy. Despite wounds, he's usually seen smiling or laughing. Notably, he has an X-shaped scar on his stomach and another on his left shoulder. His flintlock is always in his hand or tucked in his pants.

Trying to imitate Luffy, Black wears similar clothes, including a straw hat with an imitation scar beneath his left eye. But there are differences - his hat is messy, his shirt needs to be tight due to his large size, and he wears boots instead of sandals. His blue jeans, unlike Luffy's shorts, go to his shins. When talking to his recruits, he wears a typical pirate coat. Overall, he looks nothing like the real Luffy.

Black survives mainly by tricking others, as he lacks noticeable combat skills. His talent in deception is impressive; many who didn't know Luffy believed Black was the real Straw Hat captain. However, Sentomaru thought anyone falling for the impostor's lie was foolish.

Lacking power against stronger foes, Black depends on his stolen Straw Hat Luffy reputation to scare enemies into not fighting back. He's aware this won't work on everyone, showing some smarts. Despite his deception, he's fairly durable, enduring attacks from Usopp's Pop Greens and Nami's thunderbolt, though Sentomaru easily knocked him out with one hit.

Black has a weak will and is easily knocked out by Luffy's Haki. He uses a flintlock pistol in combat but seems proficient only at shooting close-range targets. His abilities are more about trickery than direct confrontation.

Video Game Appearances:

Playable Appearances:

• One Piece Treasure Cruise:

• Demaro Black is a playable character in the game.

• One Piece: Dance Battle:

• Demaro Black is also a playable character in the dancing-themed game.

Enemy Appearances:

• One Piece: Burning Will:

• Demaro Black appears as an enemy in this game.

Non-Playable Appearances:

• One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X:

• While not a playable character, Demaro Black makes a non-playable appearance in this game.

• One Piece Bon! Bon! Journey!!:

• Demaro Black is featured in a non-playable capacity in this game.

• Voice Actor Connection:

• Demaro Black's voice actor is the same as Sanji's voice actor. This mix-up happened because the Fake Straw Hat Pirates' voice actors were the true Straw Hat Pirates' voice actors, just switched around.

• Birthday:

• Demaro Black shares the same birthday as Luffy. Both were born on May 5.

• Possible Inspiration:

• Demaro Black might have been inspired by Ferdinand Waldo Demara, known for successfully impersonating various workers, including posing as a surgeon on a navy ship. Demara was capable of performing surgeries flawlessly after speedreading a textbook.

• One Piece Party Gag Manga:

• In the gag manga One Piece Party, Black was taken to Impel Down. While in Level 1, he encountered Usopp and, along with his crew member Manjaro, sacrificed his escape attempt to help Usopp getaway.

• Favorite Foods:

• His favorite foods are beer and fried chicken.