Nero in One Piece

Nero was a member of Cipher Pol and a Marine escort during the mission to take Nico Robin to Enies Lobby. He was aboard the Puffing Tom as it left Water 7. When the criminals (Straw Hat Pirates and Franky) escaped and caused trouble on the train, Nero positioned himself on the roof to confront them. Franky then engaged in a fight with him.

Both Nero and Franky displayed unusual abilities, but Franky managed to outsmart Nero with a surprise attack. As the fight continued, Franky used a centaur-like transformation, but Nero still gained the upper hand. Ultimately, Franky defeated Nero by restraining him with his mechanical legs and delivering a powerful blow.

Despite defeating Nero, Franky spared his life. However, Rob Lucci, another CP9 agent, deemed Nero weak and expelled him from CP9. Lucci brutally attacked Nero and threw him into the ocean during a massive storm, the Aqua Laguna. This marked the end of Nero's involvement in the Enies Lobby mission.

Nero underwent standard training for CP9 agents, making him composed and collected. Despite his calm demeanor, he displayed emotions like anger, fear, and exasperation during his encounter with Franky. Unlike some of his CP9 peers, Nero seemed less hardened and fell for Franky's trick easily.

He also exhibited a level of arrogance, considering his knowledge of four out of six Rokushiki forms enough to make him a "superhuman" comparable to other CP9 agents. When expelled from CP9 by Rob Lucci with a death threat, Nero was horrified and unsuccessfully tried to escape.

Nero looks different with a special hairstyle—bald on top with three mohawk-like strips. He wears a dark-brown T-shirt, orange pants, and fancy shoes.

His hat has a red plume, and he wears two necklaces, one with green beads and another with linked red jewels. Nero also has a glove on his left hand and bracelets on his wrist.

Nero, although not as physically powerful as his fully-trained CP9 counterparts, demonstrated intelligence during the Puffing Tom incident. He correctly anticipated the attackers using the train car roofs and identified Franky's vulnerability to back attacks.

As a new recruit with incomplete training, Nero only mastered four out of the six Rokushiki techniques: Soru, Geppo, Kami-e, and Rankyaku. His inability to use Tekkai and Shigan limited his defensive and piercing capabilities.

To compensate, he relied on evasive maneuvers and creative improvisation, using pistols for offense instead of finger-based attacks. Despite his resourcefulness, Rob Lucci deemed Nero "worthless" to CP9, leading to his expulsion.

• "Nero" means "black" in Italian and was also the name of a tyrannical Roman Emperor.

• Nero's theme revolves around a weasel, evident in his nickname, whiskers, ear-like hair, and the habit of making a weasel noise ("shao") when he speaks.

• His appearance is reminiscent of a Kamaitachi, a demonic weasel from Japanese folklore, possessing agility (Geppo), flexibility (Kami-e), speed (Soru), and the ability to launch air slashes (Rankyaku).

• Unlike other CP9 members, Nero lacks a childhood picture in SBS Volume 44, and his Doriki is not stated by Fukurou.

• In the 4th Shonen Jump Fan Poll, Nero ranked 122nd among the most popular One Piece characters.

• Nero's favorite food is meat-stuffed habanero peppers.