Koby

Master Chief Petty Officer Coby (コビー曹長 Kobī Sōchō), is a Marine together with Helmeppo under Vice Admiral Garp. He was formerly a Chore Boy for the Alvida Pirates until he was liberated by Monkey D. Luffy, being one of the first people Luffy befriended on his travels. His current status is unknown.

Appearance
When he first appeared, Coby was a small, timid, chubby boy with pink hair and round-frame glasses.

Through the passage of time and due to the rigors of Vice Admiral Garp's training, Coby has grown thinner and taller, standing close to Luffy's height. He also has gained a cross-shaped scar above his right eye, presumably earned under Garp's heavy-handed tutelage. His hair has grown longer and shaggier since his growth spurt, but it has retained its pink color.

Coby wears standard-issue Marine jacket, pants, and neckerchief as well as a rather garish bandana worn tied across his forehead. Coby's glasses are still present, but he has adopted the habit of wearing them pushed up on his forehead and has not been seen using them since his appearance in the Post-Enies Lobby Arc.

Personality
Coby was first introduced as the Alvida Pirate's hapless chore boy who lived in fear of both the ship's crew and captain. Two years of forced servitude had robbed him of all hope of escaping as well as his dream of becoming a Marine, leaving him with few goals other than avoiding being bludgeoned to death by Alvida's iron mace. Luffy was less than impressed with Coby's cowardice, describing him as "pretty stupid and useless...and kinda wimpy too". However, Luffy's boundless optimism and single-minded pursuit of his dream rekindled a similar conviction in downtrodden cabin boy, allowing him to defy his captors even under the threat of a brutal death by Alvida's mace.

As the pair continued in their travels, Coby remained timid and cautious, often relying on Luffy to perform dangerous tasks and becoming alarmed by his companion's reckless behavior. He also was shown to be perceptive, noting that it was "strange" for the citizens of Shell Town to be afraid of a Marine lieutenant and telling Luffy that he had "a bad feeling about this". Coby's naive belief in the blanket integrity of the Marines was dashed when he witnesses the actions of Axe-Hand Morgan and his son, but it only strengthened his resolve to become, in his words, "a real Marine."

Under Garp's instruction, Coby's timidity has been replaced with confidence, although he remains polite, self-effacing, and apologetic if he feels he has done something overly ambtious (such as publicly stating his goal to become a Marine admiral). He continues to be an emotional, compassionate person who can easily be driven to tears for a variety of reasons, jokingly referred to as a "crybaby" by Zoro during their reunion at Water 7. Coby does not act with the reckless bravery that many characters in the series exhibit, but rather on moral compunction. He has put his life on the line at least twice for the sake of what he feels is right, most notably at the Battle of Marineford where he brought fighting to a standstill and bought the precious seconds needed for Luffy to escape.

Abilities and Powers
In his first appearance, Coby lacked any fighting skills. According to Alvida, the only reason why she kept him on was because he happened to be good at navigation. He is seen during his mini-arc training alongside Helmeppo and Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp. He also has some knowledge of swordsmanship, as he was seen practicing with Helmeppo, as well as Garp's attendant.

Rokushiki
Since his training with Garp, Coby has become strong enough to use Rokushiki or, at the very least, the Soru technique. He has used Soru against Monkey D. Luffy twice: once at Water 7 and once at the Battle of Marineford, although the technique did not help him win either fight.

Haki
During the Whitebeard War, Coby awakened an ability known as Kenbunshoku Haki (or Mantra according to Skypieans). Coby was shown hunched over and crying on the battlefield, saying the voices in his head were disappearing one by one as the combatants around him were slain, much like what Aisa felt during the Skypiea Arc.

Past
Coby had intended to board a ship for a fishing trip one day, but he found himself amid the dangerous crew of the pirate Alvida by mistake. To stay alive, he 'volunteered' to become a slave for this band of pirates, but secretly fostered hopes of escape and eventually joining the Marines.

Meeting Luffy
If I succeed, that's fine. If I die, that's fine also. Coby's fear of Alvida prevented him from leaving her crew on his own, but Luffy's arrival and triumph over the 'ugly old hag' (as Coby summoned the courage to call her) finally brought him hope.

After helping Luffy and Zoro free a nearby Marine base from the grip of the tyrannical Axe-Hand Morgan, Coby was admitted into the Marines' ranks as a Chore Boy, alongside Morgan's disgraced son, Helmeppo.

Freedom and Dream Come True
In his and Helmeppo's title page mini-arc, the two become unwillingly involved in an escape attempt by Morgan the prisoner (Morgan takes his son hostage and steals a ship). Though Morgan escapes, the bravery shown by the two earns them the respect of their superiors and the attention of Vice-Admiral Garp, who takes the two under his wing as pupils. Coby and Helmeppo are currently serving under the Vice-Admiral at the same base that is apparently Captain Hina's home port on the Grand Line.

Reunion With a Friend
Coby appears at Water 7 alongside Helmeppo when Garp pays Luffy a visit. On the Vice-Admiral's order, Helmeppo charges Zoro while Luffy is attacked by the then-unknown Coby. Both he and Helmeppo are easily beaten after a brief skirmish. Coby cheerfully admits defeat and reintroduces himself to Luffy and Zoro, asking if they remember him. Although the Straw Hat captain initially has trouble recognizing Coby due to his growth spurt, the trio are happily reunited (Helmeppo is hardly remembered at all, much to his chagrin). Coby, like the Straw Hat crew and the rest of Garp's men, is shocked when the Vice-Admiral reveals that the revolutionary Dragon is his son and Luffy's father.

After some time, Zoro goes back inside with the other Straw Hats, leaving Luffy, Coby and Helmeppo to sit outside and reminisce about their first meeting and the young marine's journey to the Grand Line. Luffy insists that the two marines come in and share a meal with his crew, but Coby declines the invitation, saying that he and Luffy are members of opposing factions and that they "shouldn't be too friendly with one another". Before he leaves, Coby asks Luffy what he knows about latter half of the Grand Line, which marines and pirates call "the New World". He requests to meet the Straw Hat captain again in that ocean, promising to be strong enough to fight and capture him. He becomes so worked up that he accidentally blurts out his dream of becoming an admiral before immediately collapsing in embarrassment. Luffy accepts Coby's ambitious proclamation as a certainty, saying that, if the marine wanted to fight with him the New World, then he couldn't be anything other than an admiral. Coby is moved to tears by Luffy's unshakeable faith in him and is teased by Zoro for "still" being a crybaby. Coby and Helmeppo depart, repeating their challenge to the Straw Hats to meet them again in the New World. Zoro smiles and observes that Luffy has "just creat[ed] another great enemy", noting that "Coby is a man of his word".

Coby sees Luffy one more time as he leaves Water 7, when Garp attacks. He is afraid the Vice-Admiral will sink the Thousand Sunny and her crew, but is relieved when the Strawhats manage to escape.

The Courage to Say 'Enough'
Coby, along with Helmeppo, reported to Marine Headquarters as part of the fight against the Whitebeard Pirates, and is present for Sengoku's speech about Ace's past. After hearing that Ace is Gol D. Roger's son, the two men come to a conclusion that Ace and Luffy aren't biological brothers.

Frightened by the display of power from both sides and the ensuing bloodshed as the Marines and Whitebeard's forces clash, Coby and Helmeppo run away. By chance, they cross paths with Akainu and, from their hiding place behind a wall, witness the Admiral brutally punishing another Marine for deserting. They overhear Sengoku's communication with Akainu through the Admiral's Den Den Mushi, which reveals the Fleet Admiral's plan to ignore the schedule and execute Ace right away. It is then that they notice Luffy's ship falling from the sky.



When Luffy attempts to charge the execution stand to rescue Ace, Coby blocks his path, determined to defend the Marines' objective even if it means the execution of his friend's brother. He tells himself that, if he cowers away from the situation, he will not be able to grow up. His resolve, however, is not enough: the Chief Petty Officer is no match for the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates and is defeated in with a single punch. Luffy moves on, leaving Coby unconscious in the middle of the battlefield.

Eventually, Coby wakes up, distressed that the war is still raging despite the fact that Portgas D. Ace has been executed. The trauma of the battle triggers his own Haki which comes on him in full force, allowing him to involuntarily sense every human presence nearby on the battlefield (described by Coby as voices "inside my head"). He is reduced to tears as he listens to the voices of the combatants disappearing one by one as they are killed. As the violence rises to a fever pitch, Coby screams at the top of his lungs, begging both sides to stop throwing lives away for a war that no longer has any purpose.

Let's stop this already! No more fighting! Let's end this! This is a waste of lives! Each one of these Marines has a family waiting for them at home! We've already completed our goal! Chasing after pirates who have no will to fight, desiring for wars that could be prevented, abandoning Marines that could be saved if attended to, and just piling more sacrifices on top of them! Every Marine that falls from here on out...don't you think they'll look like complete idiots?"''



The young marine's cry causes a moment's pause in the battle and inadvertently saves Luffy's life. Kizaru, who was seconds away from destroying Trafalgar Law's submarine, stops to look at Coby, which gives the Heart Pirates the time needed to submerge and flee from the battlefield with Luffy on board. Akainu, unimpressed, prepares to kill Coby for wasting precious seconds of the battle. The young marine fearfully steels himself for death, reassuring himself that he said what he had to say and that he has no regrets.

His life is saved by the sudden arrival Shanks, who commends the young Marine for his actions, explaining that his few seconds of courage have drastically changed the future of the world. Coby immediately falls unconscious after his timely rescue from an otherwise certain demise.

Post-War Arc
Coby is seen at marine headquarters healing center, surrounded by other injured soldiers, and a healthy Helmeppo at his bedside. He is still clearly traumatized by the events, saying that he's "felt human presences too strongly" and that he "can't calm down". The doctor tells him that what he is feeling is Haki.

The doctor informs Coby that all Marines ranked vice admiral and above have Haki control, and that Garp should be able to help him. Helmeppo feels jealous that Coby seems to have advanced in skill, though Coby claims to not have known about the ability in the first place.

Major Battles

 * Coby vs. Monkey D. Luffy (Shells Town, to let the Marines see he isn't a pirate)
 * Coby and Helmeppo vs. Bogart
 * Coby vs. Monkey D. Luffy (Water 7)
 * Coby vs. Monkey D. Luffy (Marineford)

Anime Only Battles

 * Coby and Helmeppo vs. Morgan
 * Coby and Helmeppo vs. Monkey D. Garp (training)

Anime and Manga Differences
In the anime, a report was published in a newspaper stating that Garp, Coby, and Helmeppo had traversed Reverse Mountain in order to enter the Grand Line. This report was later brought up before Coby by Luffy in a later episode. Upon hearing this report, Coby explained to Luffy that the report was just a cover story in order to hide the secret of how the Marines are able to pass directly through the Calm Belt.

Despite this rewrite of the anime's initial mistake, two errors remain;
 * Coby and Helmeppo had passed a few sentences about the Reverse Mountain during the adaptation of their mini-series and commented how frightening it had been for them.
 * Zoro was also surprised of Coby's presence in the Grand Line though he saw the article along with Luffy and the present crew members in the newspaper.

Also, in the manga, Coby got shot on his left shoulder, however, in the anime, it was left out.

Trivia

 * Coby was the first person that Luffy met and befriended on his journey.
 * A fan once asked why Coby looked so different from his first appearance. According to Oda, Coby just went through a growth spurt and tightened his muscles with discipline (due to Garp's training).

Related Articles

 * Helmeppo
 * Monkey D. Garp
 * Morgan
 * Marines
 * Monkey D. Luffy

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