Since the beginning, Coby has been posited as Monkey D Luffy’s rival in One Piece. People have likened him as the Garp to Luffy’s Roger – the up-and-coming Marine hero. That is hardly surprising to believe as he was trained by Vice Admiral Monkey D Garp. However, he consistently fails to deliver on any feats every time he appears on screen.
People have considered that Coby will become a Marine Admiral by the time One Piece ends. However, knowing the strength of the current Admirals, Coby has a long way to go. While Luffy is already an Emperor of the Sea, Coby is far from being a Vice Admiral, despite mentions of his heroic endeavors off-screen.
As a result, Coby’s function in the series is a little hazy. Let’s dive deeper into the character and his importance in the anime.
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Who Is Coby In One Piece?
Previously an unwilling pirate vessel caretaker and member of the Alvida Pirates, Coby is the first person Luffy meets (and releases) on his travels. After becoming a full-fledged Marine soldier, Coby reunited with Luffy when they were in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc.
During the time skip, Coby rose to prominence as a hero due to his activities in the Rocky Port Incident. Because of his hero status, the Cross Guild has issued Coby a 5-star reward worth Beli500,000,000.
Throughout the Romance Dawn Arc, Coby is Luffy’s ally. He and Helmeppo are the main protagonists in the Diary of Coby-Meppo Cover Page Serial as the secondary villains in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc. Coby also appears briefly as an enemy in the Marineford Arc.
What Is Coby’s Personality Like?
Initially, Coby is portrayed as the hapless ship’s caretaker, scared of the crew and the captain of the ship. After two years in captivity, he had lost all hope of escape and had given up the idea of joining the Marines. This left him with little goals other than avoiding being slain by Alvida’s iron mace.
Coby’s hesitancy changed to confidence under Garp’s guidance, perhaps signifying major roles for him to take on. However, if he realized that whatever he did was overly ambitious (such as publicly stating his ambition to become a Marine admiral), he would still act politely, modestly, and with remorse. He remained an emotional, loving person often moved by grief for a variety of reasons.
What Are Coby’s Powers & Abilities?
Coby initially lacked combat prowess let alone above-average physical ability. Alvida said that she kept him simply because he was an excellent navigator. He obtained specific fighting skills after studying the Rokushiki alongside Helmeppo and receiving tuition from Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.
After the two-year time jump, Coby was promoted to Captain, giving him command of his ship and authority over lower-ranking Marines. In addition, he joined the secret Marine squadron SWORD at some point, which granted him enough leeway to carry out duties that ordinary Marines cannot, such as facing any of the Four Emperors.
During the Marines’ invasion of Amazon Lily, Coby was one of the few who were not terrified by Boa Hancock’s abilities. Considering other scared Marines and pirates, this was an impressive feat. Given that most Marine Captains tend to be worth 100,000,000 Berries, his 500,000,000 Berries bounty was especially impressive after the Cross Guild imposed bounties on Marines.
Due to his intense training under Garp, Coby achieved an incredible level of physical power and speed. Soru utilized one of the Rokushiki methods to catch Luffy off guard and kick him before he could respond, as well as escape his punch.
During the two-year time jump, Coby continued to practice and refine Rokushiki. He gained incredible physical strength, becoming a skilled swimmer capable of catching up to and deflecting a torpedo with just his hands.
Coby awoke Armament Haki at the Summit War of Marineford. On the battlefield, Coby was seen bent over and sobbing violently throughout the battle. He spoke of how the voices in his head had begun to die one by one as the opponents around him were slaughtered. Coby had advanced to an extremely high level in Kenbunshoku Haki after the time skip. He could also use Observation Haki.
Coby’s Relationships in One Piece
Coby has developed both antagonistic and friendly relationships with other major characters in One Piece. These relationships hold the clue to his final role in the story, as Luffy takes down the corrupt world government and embraces his true role as Sun God Nika.
Monkey D Luffy
Coby was one of the first people Luffy met while travelling. After assisting Luffy in his escape from Alvida’s servitude, he briefly travelled with Luffy as his temporary guide. He later joined the Marines after the incident with Captain Morgan. Despite being on both sides and fighting each other, Coby and Luffy remained friends, as Luffy inspired Coby to join the Marines.
Roronoa Zoro
Coby met Zoro while imprisoned at Captain Morgan’s Marine station. Coby was first afraid of Zoro because of his bad reputation, but he grew to admire Zoro after discovering his gentle nature. They were relieved to see each other again at Water 7. Zoro acknowledged that Coby was better suited to Luffy than he was to himself.
Marshall D Teach
Blackbeard and his men captured Coby after the capture of Amazon Lily. Blackbeard’s attempt to use Coby to make the island of Hachinosu a lawful sanctuary for criminals was scorned by Coby.
Monkey D Garp
Garp is Coby and Helmeppo’s teacher and mentor. He keeps his students out of trouble but ensures they work hard. He knocks them about to make sure they know where they belong if they get out of hand. Coby respects Garp, despite his tight grip on him, because he wasn’t going to be where he is now without his mentorship and close guidance. Garp’s role was even more pronounced in the live action.
Helmeppo
Helmeppo renounced his father after being kidnapped and held hostage by him. He began to mature into a more confident, less entitled child. Coby and Helmeppo ended up becoming great friends. They are currently collaborating, and Helmeppo appears to be concerned about Coby.
Admiral Sakazuki
Coby appeared to be terrified of Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. He and Helmeppo stood there in awe as Sakazuki murdered a fellow marine for simply leaving his post. Furthermore, Sakazuki was entirely unfazed by Coby’s speech about his fellow soldiers’ lives and attempted to dispose of him before Shanks intervened.
What Is Coby’s Possible Role In The Story?
As such, there are various narrative roles that Coby might embrace in the future. Most of them, are related to Luffy’s ultimate goal. While many readers imagine Luffy and Coby working together and facing down villainous pirates and corrupt marines alike — like Garp and Roger had done to Rocks — it is important to keep in mind that Coby has no Devil Fruits.
Coby is not the chosen one like Luffy and wasn’t blessed with a mythical power; rather, his power is based on his will, kindness, and desire to make a positive change in the world. In that way, the following is the most likely way in which Coby might be relevant in the story.
Theory About Coby’s Role In One Piece’s Ending
At the end of the series, Coby could be tasked with reforming the World Government and the Marines. We are well aware that the World Government is led by the Celestial Dragons, a group of fundamentally immoral and greedy individuals who place themselves above all others. It is one of the series’ major plotlines, and they always come across as the bad tyrants.
It is probable and has been prophesized several times that a massive conflict would erupt if someone discovered the ‘One Piece’. It would likely reveal the truth pertaining to the Void Century and the creation of the World Government. It is possible that this will incite the fury of many people, including the Straw Hats, who have demonstrated to be deeply concerned about the health and well-being of the people they care about.
All this could lead to a Final War with the entirety of the World Government itself. At the conclusion of the war, the World Government will most likely be defeated, and the Celestial Dragons will be treated equally with the rest of humanity, if not imprisoned. Because the old rulers will either be defeated or quit after the truth is revealed, the World Government, with the help of the Marines, will most likely be reconstructed.
The Revolutionary Army, as well as several important New Era Marines like Smoker, Drake and Coby, are likely to play a role in the reformation. I believe Coby will play this position in the series since he has been foreshadowed as a Marine who actually cares about the people and has always been good at heart.
