Koby in One Piece

Koby is a Marine Captain who Vice Admiral Garp trained. He is presently serving with SWORD, a Marine special forces group. He was the first person Luffy made friends with while traveling; he was formerly an uninvited caretaker of a pirate ship for the Alvida Pirates until Luffy freed him. He met Luffy again in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc after he had attained the rank of Marine soldier.

Koby gained fame for his deeds during the time skip due to the Rocky Port Incident. He was held captive by the Blackbeard Pirates following a failed attempt to have Boa Hancock arrested until he managed to escape with the aid of Perona, his SWORD teammates, and his mentor, Monkey D. Garp. Koby has been given a 5-star bounty by the Cross Guild, worth 500,000,000 Berries, because of his hero status.

All About Koby

Name	Koby
First Appearance in Anime	One Piece Episode 1 "I'm Luffy! The Man Who Will Become the Pirate King!"
Voice Actors	English Dub: Chio Su-Ping (Episodes 1-67) Kayzie Rogers Leah Clark (Episode 1-69) Micah Solusod (Episode 313+) Japanese: Mika Doi
Date of Birth	May 13th
Age during death	18
Sex	Male
Status	Alive
Affiliations	Marines (SWORD) Marine 153rd Branch (former) Alvida Pirates (defected)
Occupation	Marine Captain Master Chief Petty Officer (promoted) Chore Boy (promoted) Pirate Ship Caretaker (former)
Origin	East Blue

Koby’s Personality

Koby is initially shown as the helpless ship's keeper, terrified of the crew and the commander. After being in captivity for two years, he had lost all chance of escape and his dream of joining the Marines, leaving him with few objectives aside from avoiding being killed by Alvida's iron mace.

Koby's cowardice did not impress Luffy, who called him "pretty stupid and useless...and kinda wimpy too." The poor ship caretaker had a similar belief before. Still, Luffy's rampant optimism and relentless pursuit of his ideal gave it new life. As a result, the captive could resist his captors even when facing a horrific demise at the hands of Alvida's mace.

He remained frightened and cautious as the two continued their journey, frequently depending on Luffy to complete risky tasks and becoming concerned by his companion's careless actions. He showed his insight by remarking that it was "strange" that Shells Town residents were terrified of a Marine Captain and informing Luffy that he had "a bad feeling about this." When Koby saw what Axe-Hand Morgan and his son did, his naive belief in the absolute purity of the Marines was shattered, but it just made him more determined to become, in his words, "a real Marine."

Under Garp's direction, Koby's timidity has given way to confidence. However, he still acts courteously, modestly, and with a sense of remorse if he believes that something he has done has been excessively ambitious (such as declaring his intention to become a Marine admiral in public). He remains a sentimental, caring individual who is readily moved to tears for several reasons.

Koby makes decisions based on moral constraint rather than the reckless daring of many other characters. He has risked his life at least twice to uphold his true beliefs. Koby is modest, considering all he has accomplished and is capable of.

Koby’s Appearance

Koby was initially depicted as a young boy with pink hair, a round-framed pair of glasses, and hesitant behavior. Garp's training caused Koby to become taller and leaner, towering nearly as tall as Luffy. Additionally, a cross-shaped scar above his right eye was probably acquired under Garp's strict teaching. Since his growth surge, his hair has gotten longer and shaggier but has kept its pink hue.

Koby's appearance in manga after time skip.

Koby is dressed in a standard-issue Marine neckerchief, jacket, slacks and bandanna fastened across his brow. While Koby's spectacles are still there, he now wears them on his forehead and only infrequently uses them for reading.

Koby has gotten even taller since the time skip, reaching Garp's shoulders. He now wears a scarf, a new bandanna, a Marine senior officer's coat with the word "justice" on it, and merit on his jacket. His forehead scar has also become wider.

Koby’s Abilities

Koby had no combat prowess at first, let alone even above-average physical ability. Alvida claimed that she only kept him because he was a skilled navigator. After studying the Rokushiki with Helmeppo and receiving instruction from Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, he developed certain fighting skills.

After the two-year time skip, he attained the rank of Captain, giving him control over lower-ranking Marines and responsibility for his ship. In addition, at some point, he also joined the secret Marine squadron SWORD, which is given sufficient freedom to carry out tasks that regular Marines could not, such as confronting any of the Four Emperors.

He eventually earned the title of "Hero" as a result of his role in the Rocky Port Incident, where he helped Blackbeard, the Emperor, defeat Ochoku, a well-known pirate who had once belonged to the Rocks Pirates and was on par with Shiki and Captain John in terms of fame. He was observed training with Helmeppo and Bogard, showing some proficiency with a sword.

Koby was one of the few people who was not petrified by Boa Hancock's powers during the Marines' invasion of Amazon Lily. This was a noteworthy achievement considering other petrified Marines and Pirates. Given that most Marine Captains are only worth 100,000,000 Berries, his bounty of 500,000,000 Berries was particularly remarkable after the Cross Guild set bounties on Marines.

Physical Strength & Rokushiki

Koby gained a remarkable amount of physical strength and speed due to his rigorous training under Garp. He used one of the Rokushiki techniques, Soru, to momentarily surprise Luffy and kick him before he could react, as well as evade his blow. During the two-year time skip, he continued to practice and perfect Rokushiki, gaining tremendous physical strength and becoming an expert swimmer who could quickly catch up to a torpedo and deflect it with just his hands.

Koby breaks metal disk with a single punch.

After working with Garp, Koby has developed the strength to use at least one of the Rokushiki, or Soru techniques. He has perfected his Rokushiki methods after the time skip.

Haki

Koby awoke Kenbunshoku Haki during the Summit War of Marineford. On the battlefield, Koby was seen slumped over and crying hysterically as he said that the voices in his head were dying one by one as the enemies around him were murdered. After the time skip, Koby had reached a very high level in Kenbunshoku Haki. Koby is also capable of using Busoshoku Haki.

Koby’s Relationships

Straw Hat Pirates

Monkey D. Luffy

Koby was one of the first persons Luffy encountered while traveling. After Luffy had assisted him in escaping from his enslavement to Alvida, he briefly traveled with Luffy, serving as his temporary navigator. After the Captain Morgan incident, he later enlisted in the Marines. Koby and Luffy still consider each other friends despite being on opposing sides and having to battle, as Luffy gave Koby the courage to enlist in the Marines.

Zoro

While held captive at Captain Morgan's Marine outpost, Koby also got to know Zoro. Koby first feared Zoro because of his nasty reputation. On the other hand, Koby began to respect Zoro after he realized he had a kind spirit. At Water 7, they were happy to see one another again. Zoro agreed that Koby was more compatible with Luffy than he was with himself.

Marines

Monkey D. Garp

Koby and Helmeppo have Garp as their teacher and mentor; he keeps them out of trouble and ensures they are working hard. He knocks them around to make sure they know their place if they get out of control. Koby respects Garp even though he keeps a tight grip on him because he would not be where he is now without him.

Helmeppo

Helmeppo rejected his father after being taken hostage and held captive by him. He began to develop into a bolder, less entitled child. Koby and Helmeppo eventually become close friends. They are currently working together, and Helmeppo seems to care about Koby.

Sakazuki

Koby seemed to fear Fleet Admiral Sakazuki very much. He and Helmeppo watched in horror as he executed a fellow marine for merely leaving his post. Additionally, Sakazuki was completely unaffected by Koby's statement regarding the lives of their fellow soldiers and attempted to assassinate him before Shanks intervened. Koby's Marine standing was unaffected by this occurrence because he was elevated to the rank of Captain following Akainu's promotion to Fleet Admiral.

X Drake

Koby is one of the few persons who know that Drake's return to piracy was a hoax. Yet, he is still associated with the Marines as the commanding commander of the SWORD unit. Thus they have a trustworthy professional connection.

Enemies

Alvida Pirates

After unintentionally boarding Alvida and her crew's ship, Koby was made to work as a chore boy for them for two years. He was such a coward that he would do everything that was asked of him without question. Koby was told by Luffy that he was prepared to die for his dream when he arrived. Koby summoned the resolve to publicly disobey Alvida and confess his true feelings for her after realizing that he should also be prepared to die for his ideal. This infuriated Alvida, who was on the verge of killing Koby, but Luffy intervened and stopped her.

Boa Hancock

Koby was ordered to capture Boa Hancock, who was getting ready to strike again when the Seven Warlords of the Sea disbanded. Hancock resisted his demands to surrender angrily, turning Vice Admiral Yamakaji and most Marines into stone while leaving Koby helpless and weak. However, he appears not yet aware of her connection to Luffy.

Marshall D. Teach

After the invasion of Amazon Lily, Blackbeard and his crew kidnapped Koby. Koby scornfully rejected Blackbeard's attempt to use him to negotiate with the government to make Hachinosu a legal haven for criminals.