Jinbe


 * The subject of this article is sometimes called "Jinbei" or "Jimbei".

Jinbe (ジンベエ) is a whale shark fishman and second captain of the Sun Pirates after Fisher Tiger, and who became a Shichibukai eleven years ago. He renounced his Shichibukai title at the Battle of Marineford, allying himself with the Whitebeard Pirates. After the timeskip he allies with the Straw Hat Pirates to prevent the New Fishman Pirates' coup d'état against the Neptune Royal Family and the Ryugu Kingdom.

Jinbe's name was first mentioned by Yosaku when he was explaining about the Shichibukai. However, his first appearance only occurs much later during Impel Down Arc where he is formally introduced through an infobox.

Appearance
Jinbe is a large blue whale shark fishman with a face that is commonly associated with various Japanese demons such as the Oni. His yellow eyebrows and sideburns are distinctly shaped like those found on such demons, in addition to a bulb-like nose and an angular lower lip pointing upwards; a lightning-shaped scar can be seen from his left side burn and reaching over his left eye. He also possesses two tusk-like conical lower fangs associated with Oni as well; the rest of his teeth from the upper and lower rows are pretty much the same, albeit much smaller. He also has a severe underbite, which makes room for his huge fangs.

He has long, two-toned black hair, with two long white stripes coming from the roots over his forehead and trailing down the back, a topknot, and tuft of hair on his chin with a slight green hue. This topknot did not exist during his time as a member of the Sun Pirates, instead his shorter and flowing black hair trails off half way to a light color concentrated at the back of his head. He kept his chin clean-shaven before joining the Sun Pirates, after which it gradually grew in over time. His hands and feet are also webbed, typical for a fishman, and his limbs that are somewhat thin in comparison with his enormous girth. His gills (which are pale and pinkish in color) are in between his shoulders and neck.

Under his pale red coat, he appears to be wearing a Coral colored traditional Japanese clothing called a jinbei covered all over with black and white square-shaped patterns with the black and white layers alternating each other (beginning with the black outline from the edge) and ending with a dark square at the middle of each and every one of them. He also ties this attire up with a purple scarf like a ribbon around his waist.

His jinbei's pattern changes overtime: he wore a karakusa and later a floral design during his time as a member of the Sun Pirates; he wore square designs during his debut and a plain one after the Battle of Marineford. Four years ago, when fighting against Ace, he wore a black gi instead with fish designs on either side of the chest, and a red sash with a tanto tied to it. Two years after the war, while waiting for Luffy at the Sea Forest, his jinbei has leaf-patterns. For footwear, he appears to wear simple sandals on his webbed feet. His Sun Pirates tattoo is on the center of his chest.

He wore a Neptune Army uniform while he was serving as a soldier, and was often seen smoking a pipe back then. During Otohime's funeral, Jinbe wore a suit.

Personality
Jinbe is a fishman of great pride and honor. He is known to the World Government as a pirate-hating pirate, possibly due to the actions of the pirates in Fishman Island, kidnapping fishmen and merfolk to sell them as slaves. However, he has a soft spot for Whitebeard and his crew as he sees them as a completely different story. Because of what Whitebeard had done for his homeland, Fishman Island, he understands the damage a war between the World Government and Whitebeard would cause. He knows that places like his home, which are protected by simply being part of Whitebeard's territory, would suffer the most should Whitebeard lose the war. Also, despite hating pirates, he does not spare a second thought of becoming one in order to aid his brethren Fisher Tiger.

Despite his pride, Jinbe appears to put his priorities and principles over his honor, and is not above retreating from an otherwise unfinished battle (despite being shamed or openly mocked by an opponent) if it was for the sake of the greater good. He also doesn't seem to hesitate from encouraging others to do likewise for a similar cause, as seen when he pleaded and managed to convince Luffy to prioritize Ace's safety first over avenging his brother's loss against Blackbeard. Jinbe has also displayed great humility regarding his personal strength and status, a trait most unique among the Shichibukai. This was made apparent by his willingness to even lose his status for his refusal to fight against the Whitebeard Pirates.

Also, unlike his former crew mate Arlong, the fact that he is willing to aid a human (Whitebeard) as well as team up with others separates him from the other fishman. Where as Arlong would never dream of such a thing (even Nami's recruitment into his crew was near slavery), Jinbe proves to be able to at least respect some humans and also acknowledge when he owes one a debt. While he is a fishman with great emotional control, he is empathetic and understanding of the pains of others, such as being brought to tears when Luffy broke down from losing his brother in front of him after he had awoken from the battle at Marineford. Jinbe is also capable of crying aloud when someone dear to him is lost, such as Ace and Tiger.

His personality in the past dramatically contrasts with the apparently tame temper in the present. In a flashback showing a battle between the Sun Pirates and Marines, Jinbe was shown to exhibit excessive brutality to enemies that even made Arlong ask him to stop. He seems to be a no-nonsense person and appears to be quite passive at times. Though he did not agree with Arlong's thinking that humans always looked down on fishmen, he noticed that they always seemed to be afraid of them. After asking a former human slave named Koala why that is, she said it was because they didn't know much about them. Jinbe stated that the unknown was scary and remembered Otohime talking about how fishmen don't know anything about humans.

Originally, Jinbe was doubtful of Otohime's ideals, thinking that they didn't mean anything. He even openly stated that he didn't care about her petition. However, after listening to Fisher Tiger's speech about peace, Jinbe grew supportive of Otohime and even admitted about the trouble the Sun Pirates caused her and joined the Shichibukai to support her cause.

Fisher Tiger
Jinbe was good friends with Fisher Tiger. They grew up together in the Fishman District and Jinbe saw Tiger as family, evidenced by his habit of calling him big brother Tai. When Tiger attacked Mariejois and became an enemy of the World Government, Jinbe resigned from the Neptune Army and joined Tiger's crew to assist him without a second thought. Jinbe respected Tiger and his leadership a great deal. He was always thoughtful and receptive towards Tiger's opinions. He also seemed to care a lot about Tiger's well being and was not above showing brutality to the Marines who threatened his captain's life. It's been shown that Fisher Tiger confided to Jinbe about the "demons" that dwell in his own heart. When Tiger was fatally wounded and refused a blood transfusion due to it belonging to a human, Jinbe begged, to no avail, for Tiger to live, and cried when Tiger died.

Arlong
While Jinbe and Arlong grew up together in an orphanage in the Fishman District, Jinbe, while a soldier of the Neptune Army, showed hostility towards Arlong when he was harassing the Fishman Island citizens, calling him scum and even garbage, indicating that Jinbe frowned upon Arlong's distasteful attitude. Upon Jinbe's entrance into the ranks of Shichibukai, the Sun Pirates disbanded and split into smaller factions. Jinbe felt guilty about releasing Arlong into the East Blue, showing that he objected to Arlong's treatment towards humans. Jinbe states that it was difficult for him to tell Luffy about his connection to Arlong, but after meeting Luffy again after two years, Jinbe musters the strength to reveal that he was the one who allowed the Arlong Pirates to run loose in the East Blue, and was quite shocked to hear that one of Luffy's crew members suffered personally under Arlong's rule.

Aladdin
Jinbe seemed to form a close friendship with Aladdin after becoming captain of the Sun Pirates after Fisher Tiger. Like Jinbe, he also understood Fisher Tiger's will. He is also understanding of Jinbe's reasons for not stopping Arlong. One of the reasons why Jinbe joined the Shichibukai was to allow Aladdin, along with other members of the Sun Pirates who choose to, to return to Fishman Island as a Government pardon.

Hatchan
Jinbe did also worry over the well-being of Hatchan, seeing the octopus fishman heavily injured. However, it is apparent that Jinbe and Hatchan had not been in touch with each other since Jinbe did not know Hatchan escaped imprisonment before meeting him in the Sea Forest.

Whitebeard
Though no interaction has been shown between the two, Jinbe has a high respect for Whitebeard. Whitebeard claimed Fishman Island as his territory and, in doing so, saved it from the World Government and other pirate attacks. For this, Jinbe has expressed many times that he owes a great deal of gratitude to the Yonkou and refused to participate in the war against Whitebeard, even if it meant losing his Shichibukai title and being imprisoned in Impel Down. Over the years, Jinbe's respect has grown to the point where he will readily declare himself as an adversary to anyone or anything with ill intent upon the Yonkou's life, which is why he immediately engaged in battle against Ace on their first encounter, since Ace was out to assassinate Whitebeard at that time.

As for Whitebeard himself, the Yonkou appears to have developed a sense of tolerance towards Jinbe, despite the fishman's Shichibukai status (Jinbe has even implied that he visits Whitebeard and his crew from time to time).

Portgas D. Ace
Jinbe and Ace were once enemies (since the latter wanted to kill Whitebeard), and nearly killed each other in a fight that lasted five days. Despite this, the two respected each other deeply and Jinbe was determined to help Ace's brother Luffy rescue him. Upon witnessing Ace's death at the hands of Admiral Akainu, Jinbe was fully prepared to give up his life in revenge and to buy even the smallest amount of time. He also mourned over Ace's death and even shed tears when telling Luffy that Ace was dead.

Monkey D. Luffy
He was quite impressed by Luffy's recklessness of breaking into Impel Down in an attempt to save just one life (Ace's), a feat that not even Whitebeard has done. This makes him one of the very few pirates outside of Whitebeard's crew whom Jinbe respects. His respect for Luffy grew as they made their way out of Impel Down to save Ace in Marineford. He also seems to feel gratitude and guilt for Luffy's defeat of Arlong. Upon learning that Luffy is the Revolutionary Dragon's son, Jinbe didn't show much surprise. During the battle of Marineford, Jinbe was shown to be just as dedicated to Luffy's well-being and safety as he was to Ace's. The reason is shown in a flashback where Ace asks Jinbe to watch over Luffy if he were to die, and Jinbe responds by stating he will only protect those he cares for. He is later seen saving Luffy from Akainu's magma attack, and escaping with him from Marineford thanks to Trafalgar Law. After Luffy woke up from his coma two weeks later on Amazon Lily, Jinbe was looking after him and saved him from his self-pity and self-inflicting injuries by telling him about the people he can still protect. This makes Luffy realize that he hasn't lost everything and he still has his crew.

As for Luffy himself, Jinbe's respect seems to be reciprocated, since the Straw Hat captain was seen explaining to his crewmates that he only managed to come back alive from the great war two years ago due to the fishman's protection prior to the timeskip. Also, while Jinbe began his talk about how he set Arlong into East Blue, Luffy has pretty much stayed quiet and allowed Jinbe to explain himself before jumping to conclusions.

Nami
Jinbe, for the longest time felt ashamed of what Arlong had done to Nami's village and that he didn't do anything about it. After telling the history of Fishman Island's discrimination, Jinbe stated that he was willing to accept any punishment. After Nami told him she had no qualms against him or the fishman race as a whole, Jinbe broke into tears, saying he is indebted to her. Nami also refers to him as Jinbe-chan now.

Emporio Ivankov
Jinbe and Ivankov were on good terms with each other from the time they met when Jinbe was freed from his cell. They both played key roles in the breakout (along with the other named characters of the breakout team) and throughout the war, they were seen together, aiding and protecting Luffy. After the war and before Ivankov left for Kamabakka Kingdom, Ivankov trusted Luffy to be in Jinbe's care.

Fishman Island
Jinbe is a popular native of Fishman Island and was once a soldier of the Ryugu Kingdom; everyone refers him as "Boss Jinbe" (ジンベエ親分). He is always welcome at Ryugu Palace and comes and goes as he pleases, and even royalty like Fukaboshi and Shirahoshi knows him well, and the former was willing to give his message to Luffy. However, after abdicating his Shichibukai position, Jinbe could no longer stay on Fishman Island. Even so, he is still respected by the citizens.

Crocodile
Among his fellow Shichibukai, Jinbe seems to have some sort of history with his former peer Crocodile and is noticeably upset upon realizing Crocodile is incarcerated in the cell adjacent his own.

Gekko Moriah
He also appears to be familiar enough with Gekko Moriah to be aware of his zombies' weakness to salt water, and used it to his advantage during their battle.

Marshall D. Teach
He also seems to be familiar with the most recent Shichibukai to abdicate the position, Blackbeard, presumably from back in the days when Blackbeard, as Marshall D. Teach, was still a member of Whitebeard's crew under 2nd Division Commander Ace. Currently, Jinbe is furious with Blackbeard for Ace's incarceration and execution. He briefly warned Luffy of Teach's history when he was still part of Whitebeard's crew, saying he was an individual who must not be antagonized recklessly.

Boa Hancock
According to Hannyabal, despite the title of Shichibukai bestowed upon them, Jinbe had never personally met Boa Hancock prior to her visiting him and Ace at Impel Down. He was rather displeased with her at first, thinking she came to mock Ace, and that he distrusted her when she told them that Luffy was in the prison to save Ace. It is unknown what he thinks of her after realizing that she told the truth and in heat of battle, she attacked Commodore Smoker to protect Luffy and openly stated that Luffy is her beloved. It seems that their relationship now is bordering neutral to friendly, as she allowed him to set foot on Amazon Lily as an exception, where no men, aside from Luffy, were allowed before.

World Government
Jinbe was an enemy of the Marines and the World Government when he was with the Sun Pirates until he was accepted into the Shichibukai. But by siding with Luffy and the Whitebeard Pirates instead of with the Marines during the Battle of Marineford, Jinbe once again became a willing enemy of both the Marines and the World Government. Sengoku was greatly distressed by Jinbe's choice and some Marines such as Akainu and Brandnew refer to Jinbe as a traitor. The Gorosei comments that Jinbe's renouncement of his Shichibukai title was regretful.

Hody Jones
Hody considers that Jinbe and the part of the Sun Pirates that follow him are an annoyance. Jinbe also knows Hody and he was aware that Hody was plotting something in the Fishman District. At Gyoncorde Plaza, Hody states that he has liked Jinbe when the former Shichibukai has been wilder than now; Hody states that he now hates Jinbe the most for siding with humans, especially the ones who defeated Arlong.

Abilities and Powers
It is stated that Jinbe was able to battle Portgas D. Ace on equal terms, even when Ace had Logia powers. They both nearly killed each other in a five-day long fight just before Ace was taken in by Whitebeard, and in Impel Down, he and Ace shared a cell on level six. He was able to easily punch Gekko Moriah (a fellow Shichibukai) a few meters away, almost knocking him out.

Jinbe has a huge tolerance for pain: not only was he one of the few people to be able to take a "baptizing" in boiling water in Impel Down without flinching (which is considered an impressive feat), but he could stop a direct magma punch from Akainu with his bare hands, unperturbed despite being badly burned, and took a direct hit from Akainu, which pierced his body completely, and his only reaction was to apologize to Luffy for allowing him further hurt. Oddly enough, he exclaimed in pain when bitten by Luffy, though this is most likely due to the fact that he was prepared for Akainu's attack, but was caught off guard from Luffy's bite.

Jinbe also has a knack for discerning military strategies after witnessing any subtle change in enemy formations, as seen when he quickly guessed that Magellan dispatched the order to the battleships outside Impel Down to flee during the mass breakout, and during the battle in Marineford where he surmises that the Marines were plotting something after Ivankov informs him that the enemy is retreating further into the plaza. He also has some penchant for strategy as he divulges a way to smuggle Luffy and his crew into Gyoncorde Plaza while deceving Hody into believing he and the princess were captured.

As a fishman who is so familiar with the sea, he is a capable helmsman, shown when he steered a stolen Marine battleship.

Being a fishman, Jinbe possesses immense strength. He is the most powerful fishman seen thus far, shown when he threw away a giant fishman with just one kick. He also appears to be quite swift, even on dry land, in contrast to his large size. He could intercept an enraged Luffy (in Gear Second mode) and prevent him from further assaulting Blackbeard, and later Akainu, when the latter was about to deal a second life-crippling blow upon the already-injured Ace (who was being held by Luffy) in the latter's last moments.

Though strong, he admitted that he is of no use on land battles, implying he is much stronger at sea. Jinbe stands up to this claim when he lifted one of Impel Down's massive entrance doors with little effort and used it as a raft to provide passage over the sea for Crocodile, Mr. 1, and Buggy (all Devil Fruit users), with himself acting as the raft's propeller underneath. He not only managed to pursue the fleeing battleships, but even outmaneuvered the incoming cannonballs fired at them by the Marines with relative ease, all the while bypassing the Sea Kings that infested the surrounding waters of the Calm Belt.

From his demonstration of underwater activity, it is obvious that he does not have the powers of a Devil Fruit, even at one point cursing the weakness of Devil Fruit users as he saved them from drowning. His power over sea water may very well make Jinbe a natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users, as seen in his fight against Gekko Moriah in Marineford, where the fishman rendered Moriah's ability to summon his zombies useless by splashing them with sea water, thus purifying them with the salt from the seawater.

Fishman Karate
Jinbe is a master of Fishman Karate, revealed that he already had a black belt when he was still a child, which he can use to knock away many guards at once. His skill is such that his strikes don't even need to make physical contact with an enemy as the water particles in the air will blow them away after a few seconds of time from the attack's initiation. Another example of his strength and Fishman Karate level is that he defeated Minorhinoceros, one of the four Demon Guards, with a single uppercut.

He also displays the ability to manipulate water as if it were a tangible cloth through Fishman Karate, even using it to attack from a distance. He can cause devastating damage with this kind of technique, to both people and ships. Jinbe later reveals that Fishman Karate allows him to control all the water within his vicinity including the water in a person's body. Jinbe demonstrated this ability by splashing seawater on Moriah's zombies even though he was standing on a battlefield covered in solid ice. And with this ability, he is able to harm Luffy despite him being rubber.

Thanks to his mastery of Fishman Karate, Jinbe can perform blocking moves which are able to stop attacks as powerful as the thrusts from a shadow-strengthened Gekko Moriah, a member of the Shichibukai. He was even able to stop Wadatsumi’s punch, who is a giant and had also taken the energy steroid with a single kick and even breaking one of his fingers. It should be noted that few moments ago, Wadatsumi had brutally defeated Surume, a massive Kraken well-known for its abilities. Moments before this he was able to deflect a super powered Hody Jones's water shot with relative ease, with Jinbe even commenting that Hody's own mastery of the fighting style pales in comparison to his. Also Jinbe is capable of using Fishman Karate’s hidden technique Buraikan. With this attack Jinbe blasts the opponent’s body with water. After Jinbe used this powerful attack, he sent Wadatsumi in the air.

Weapons
He was seen with a trident when he was a soldier in the Neptune Army though was never seen using. Other than that it was shown that he had a tanto under his belt when he was fighting Ace, but he didn't use it.

Interactions with Marine Life
Among fishmen, Jinbe has shown the unique ability to communicate with fish, even over long distances. The ability to speak with fish is usually unique to merfolks, so Jinbe's ability to do so is considered noteworthy by Crocodile.

He summoned a large school of whale sharks to the Calm Belt (which was usually too dangerous, with the Sea Kings infesting it) to assist him in a mass-breakout of Impel Down. He can give the whale sharks precise orders, so they understand and obey him.

Due to the Calm Belt being dangerously inhabited by Sea Kings, Jinbe would summon his whale-shark comrades to help him to pass through it, as he did when leaving Amazon Lily. This indicates that the whale sharks are capable of outmaneuvering the Sea Kings, something that the former Shichibukai admits is troublesome for himself.

Fisher Tiger's Time
Jinbe grew up in the orphanage that became the Fishman District, alongside Arlong, Macro, and Fisher Tiger.

Around sixteen years before the current storyline, Jinbe was a soldier of the Neptune Army. While Otohime was preaching to her people, Jinbe commented that her preaching was going nowhere. He was then seen frowning at Arlong's ill-mannered behavior towards the Fishman Island citizens. When Arlong was harassing a new recruit of the Neptune Army, Jinbe scornfully commanded Arlong to let him go, which Arlong complied. Jinbe and Arlong then gave Fisher Tiger a warm greeting after he returned to the island from an adventure. After Fisher Tiger attacked Mariejois and became an enemy of the World Government, Jinbe resigned from the military and joined the Sun Pirates.



During a battle with the Marines, Jinbe displayed his brutality by beating unconscious Marines. Jinbe scorned them for overlooking slavery and calling freeing slaves a crime. During their time roaming the Grand Line, the Sun Pirates battled numerous Marines including those led by Rear Admiral Kadar. After the battle, Tiger had a discussion with Jinbe and Arlong telling them not to kill humans. Otherwise, they will stoop to their level. Tiger went on saying that their ultimate goal was freeing the oppressed and not becoming cold-blooded murderers. This did not go well with Arlong and he suggested to Tiger that they should instill fear in humans by using ruthlessness and extreme brutality. Jinbe smacked Arlong in the head to silence him.

The Sun Pirates later visited an island where a former slave of Mariejois named Koala resided. The inhabitants there had no way of returning the girl to her homeland so they asked the Sun Pirates to take her. After taking the girl, Jinbe showed his sympathy after seeing how traumatized she was.

Jinbe tried to understand why the girl was so afraid of them. Eventually during the Sun Pirates voyage, she warmed up to him. However when they reached her hometown, the Sun Pirates were ambushed by marines led by Rear Admiral Strawberry, causing Jinbe and the other fish- and mermen to abandon ship and steal a marine vessel. Unfortunately for Fisher Tiger, he was badly wounded during the battle. After escaping the marines, Jinbe along with the rest of the Sun Pirates surround Fisher Tiger's bed as he confessed about his past as a slave and how he hated humans. Jinbe begged for Fisher Tiger to live, but he eventually passed away with Jinbe crying heavily.

After Tiger's Death
After Tiger's death and Arlong's capture, Jinbe took over Fisher Tiger's legacy and became the new captain of the crew. While reading a newspaper explaining Tiger's death, Jinbe noticed that Arlong had lied about how he died. The Sun Pirates battled more enemies, but Jinbe continued living by Tiger's will of not killing anyone. Eventually, his bounty raised to 250,000,000. Then one day, a government messenger bat send Jinbe an invitation to join the Shichibukai. Chew suggested that the Sun Pirates should take an opportunity to make an infamous name for themselves, but Jinbe told the crew that he was thinking about accepting the government's offer. He then spoke with King Neptune, telling him about his plan to strengthen the bond between species.



With Jinbe's acceptance into the Shichibukai, Arlong was released. Arlong showed his resentment towards Jinbe and told him that he was going back to being captain of the Arlong Pirates. At an island, Arlong told Jinbe to kill him if he wanted to stop him or Arlong will do as he pleased. Arlong's arrogance then lead both him and Jinbe into a fight, leaving Arlong beaten to a pulp and carried off afterward. With that settled, Jinbe and Arlong went on their separate ways. Jinbe was then seen on his ship, expressing disappointment that Arlong could not understand Fisher Tiger's will. Aladdin assured Jinbe that if Arlong goes too far, they will have to stop him themselves.

Some time later, an uproar occurred on Fishman Island when a World Noble arrived to the island. Jinbe and his faction of the Sun Pirates were present on the island. The former fishman slaves attempted to kill the noble, but Otohime stopped them and then preached to the people about not passing their hatred to their children. After hearing her words, Jinbe then remembers Fisher Tiger's last words. When the queen was threatened by the noble she was protecting, Jinbe then witnessed Shirahoshi's ability to call Sea Kings. Jinbe and everyone else present were stunned by this revelation. After Otohime accompanied the noble to the surface, the people of the island anxiously waited for her. Jinbe told the children that all they could do was believe in the queen.

The queen returned safe and sound and she finally reached out to the Fishman Island citizens and collect their signatures. Her success was short lived.



One day in the Gyoncorde Plaza, the box containing all of the signatures suddenly caught fire and Otohime was shot. Jinbe then ordered the soldiers to protect the royal family. After Otohime died, Hody Jones claimed that he captured the culprit: a human pirate. Jinbe told Hody to keep it quiet, but Hody didn't listened.

Jinbe later attended Otohime's funeral, tearful, alongside Aladdin and watched Fukaboshi's speech through a visual broadcast.

About two years before the start of the series, when Portgas D. Ace attempted to challenge Whitebeard, the pirate who protected Fishman Island, Jinbe appeared to fight Ace, due to the fishman seeing Whitebeard as a hero. The two pirates fought non-stop for five days, nearly killing each other, until they finally collapsed from exhaustion. After Ace joined the Whitebeard Pirates, he and Jinbe rekindled their relationship.

Held in Impel Down
Jinbe was previously imprisoned in Impel Down headed by Sengoku, due to Jinbe being the only member of the Shichibukai who has chosen not to follow with the World Government on their summons to face against the Whitebeard Pirates. He has decided to fight the Marines and is prepared to lose his status as a Shichibukai in the process.

He was held in the same cell as Portgas D. Ace. There he stated that he would gladly give his life to end the fighting.



He is later seen talking with Ace about how Whitebeard saved Fishman Island and the reasons he's prepared to die to stop the fighting. Apparently, being in the same cell with the imprisoned Whitebeard Division commander allowed Jinbe to provide Ace with company down in Level 6. Ace would then pass the time prior to his death sentence by sharing with the fishman tales of his younger brother, Monkey D. Luffy, who (ironically enough) will later infiltrate Impel Down and, in the process of attempting to reach Ace, will ultimately release Jinbe from his incarceration.

Knowing that Ace's captivity, as well as his impending execution are being used to incur Whitebeard's wrath, Jinbe further states that he wants to break his cellmate out of the Great Gaol. He also states that he would stop the war from occuring, telling Ace that he still trusts in miracles and luck. This however brings out a reaction from Crocodile, who explains to Jinbe and Ace that there are many pirates who have a grudge against Whitebeard.

Jinbe and Ace are visited by another Shichibukai, Boa Hancock who wanted to see Ace. Hancock claimed that she simply wanted to see the prisoner triggering the war against Whitebeard which she will be joining. Jinbe, apparently under the impression that the female Shichibukai was only there to gloat at his and Ace' imprisonment, remarks that even the "idle empress" would go to war to save her Shichibukai status, seeing this as a low point for Hancock. Hancock tells Jinbe she means no harm to them and cryptically reveals to Ace that his brother is trying to rescue him before leaving.

When Ace tells Jinbe this, he describes Luffy's behavior as "reckless". Jinbe also points out that although he doesn't personally know Hancock, there's a possibility that she was lying. However, Ace countered that Hancock would not go out of her way to lie to him, and knowing Luffy, his breaking into Impel Down after hearing Ace's incarceration down there is exactly the sort of crazy thing Luffy would do.

About 6 hours before Ace's execution, when Magellan came to Level 6 to escort Ace to his transfer to Marineford, Jinbe could do nothing but sit in his cell and watch.

Hope Finally Arrives
When Luffy, Emporio Ivankov and Inazuma reach Level 6, Jinbe immediately recognizes Luffy as Ace's brother due to the straw hat Luffy wears, and wasted no time yelling to the Straw Hat that the prison staff extracted Ace from his cell only moments ago and that there's still a chance to catch up to him. After Ivankov convinced Luffy into releasing Crocodile from his cell after the former Shichibukai offered assistance in providing a means to save the trio from their current predicament, Jinbe pleads that they release him as well, as he wants to save Ace too.

Luffy, realizing Jinbe's honesty, agrees to do so, earning him the fishman Shichibukai's gratitude. Upon his release, Jinbe immediately glowered menacingly at Crocodile (who was also simultaneously released by Inazuma) whom he makes it clear that he's not going to let him kill Whitebeard. Crocodile, unfazed, asked Jinbe if he wanted to fight to the death right then and there.

Afterward, he and the others headed up through Level 5 to Level 4, where Jinbe re-evaluates the designated time for Ace's execution, which will occur at 3 o'clock sharp. He also concludes that if Whitebeard and his crew made preparations beforehand, with Ace being escorted out in the open sea, the battle between the World Government and the Whitebeard Pirates could break out any time. After Crocodile reduced the gateway between Levels 5 and 4 to dust, Jinbe demonstrated his Fishman Karate by punching the jailers and launching a shock wave that wiped out the line of Gaolers descending upon him and his comrades.



When the three remaining Demon Guards, led by Sadi-chan, suddenly appeared, Jinbe urges Luffy to move further ahead and let him and the others worry about the three beasts; further adding that the fishman is apparently not as powerful on dry land as he is if he's out in the open sea. Despite this claim, Jinbe further showed his strength by taking out one of the Demon Guards (the Minorhinoceros) with one powerful blow along side Crocodile and Luffy, both of whom took out the other two. Jinbe continues in aiding the rebelling inmates as they rioted further up to Level 4, where they were momentarily halted at the entrance to Level 3 by Hannyabal (backed by a large platoon of bazooka-wielding jailers stationed at the other side of the entrance), whom Luffy made short work out of.

But it was the unexpected arrival of Marshall D. Teach that truly finished the Vice-Warden off. Jinbe recognizes the interloper as the one responsible for Ace's capture and is immediately angered, and asks what Teach is doing in Impel Down, immediately followed by asking if Teach ought to be called Blackbeard now. To which Blackbeard only replied that the fishman should not get worked up too soon, apparently aware that he and Ace were friends, and that he (Blackbeard) was only partly responsible for Ace's current predicament. As Luffy then starts to attack Blackbeard giving him significant injury, Jinbe was the one to stop Luffy from wasting his time fighting Blackbeard, telling him to consider the rescue of Ace as priority.

The breakout army eventually reached Level 1, and they united their forces with Buggy and Mr. 3's rioting squad. Jinbe then noticed that Magellan has ordered the guards to do something with the ships outside of the fortress, and Jinbe informed that they need to hurry out of the prison. Jinbe then leads the assault on the retreating warships as Luffy stays to fight Magellan.



Jinbe, along with Crocodile, Buggy, and Mr. 1 went to steal one of the battleships that was sailing off, with Jinbe carrying the rest of them on a makeshift raft. Jinbe then fiercely attacks the battleships, destroying half of one with a Spear Wave without much effort before being scolded by Crocodile. When the battleships near the one attacked by Crocodile, Buggy and Mr. 1 tries to sink them with the whole ship, Jinbe protects them by watering the cannons and making them useless. Later, he helps Luffy, Mr. 3, Inazuma and Ivankov escape from Magellan, calling a school of giant whale sharks as backup.

As the survivors were transferred onto the ship, Jinbe began to steer the ship towards the Gates of Justice. From an earlier conversation, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei revealed that he intended to stay behind, so he could disguise himself as Magellan and sneak back into the prison to open the Gates for everyone else. Mr. 2 has requested that Jinbe not to tell Luffy until they passed through the Gates, so the Baby Den Den Mushi's signal would be cut off, preventing any tearful goodbyes.

However, when confronted by Luffy, Jinbe told what happened before they passed the Gates, and protested Luffy's desire to go back to rescue Mr. 2, and that returning would only throw away what Mr. 2 sacrificed for. However, Jinbe gave Luffy a Baby Den Den Mushi to have one final talk with Mr. 2 before the signal would be severed.

War at Marineford
Jinbe is seen to have a certain amount of gratitude and guilt toward Luffy. He meant on Luffy defeating Arlong. But he decided that it is better to put this aside from now, and that they need to focus on their goal (saving Ace) and that they will talk about it later.



After the successful escape through the Gates of Justice, Jinbe finally introduces himself to Luffy, revealing he is a Shichibukai (to Luffy's surprise), or a former one since he escaped Impel Down with intent to save Ace. As the crew come into sight of the Gates of Justice, Jinbe tells Luffy that, if it had not been for the wind not blowing in their direction, they would've arrived sooner and then asks the latter how are they going to open the gates. Later, when Whitebeard's fleet finally arrives, the Gates of Justice open for them.

After landing at Marineford, Jinbe retrieves all the Devil Fruit users who fell into the water and then shouts to Fleet Admiral Sengoku that he resigns from the Shichibukai.



When Moriah creates an army of zombies, Jinbe splashes them all with saltwater, causing the shadows to leave the reanimated bodies. Sengoku's revelation, that Dragon is Luffy's father, seems to have spurred Jinbe into making some kind of connection. But what exactly that connection is has yet to be seen. He then does battle with Moriah, who is after his shadow. Despite being augmented with shadows, Moriah is sent reeling after one of Jinbe's punches. Despite Moriah only midly hurt, he breaks off from attacking further leaving Moriah infuriated. In the anime, he comes to Luffy's aid when he is being attacked by Dracule Mihawk. He uses his fishman karate to slow the oncoming cannon balls shot at him that Mihawk then cuts. The two then engage in a short clash, sending Jinbei flying back.

Upon seeing Squardo stabbing Whitebeard due to Sengoku's plan, Jinbe expressed shock at what had just happened. When the Marines then raised the seige wall to trap all the pirates and to burn them to death with Akainu's Meteor Volcano, Jinbe launched Luffy over the wall with one of his water streams, per Luffy's request.

Later, he is seen together with Ivankov on top of the siege wall. He was then seen asking a pirate doctor to attend Luffy's injuries before declaring that he would die in Marineford in the war. However, thanks to Ivankov, Luffy did not require any help. When Whitebeard was badly injured, as high ranked marine officers attacked him Jinbe was among the pirates who formed a formation behind Whitebeard in order to protect him.



He then watched Luffy makes his way to the execution platform and is very glad that Luffy freed Ace. Jinbe is then seen accompanying Ace and Luffy as they make their escape. After Akainu deals the fatal blow to Ace, he looks on in horror, but then defends Ace from a second attack, and declaring that he does not value his life and if he can do even a little to help Ace, it will be worth it. Unfortunately, it is already too late for Ace and Jinbe is then seen mourning Ace's loss. Marco then tells Jinbe to grab Luffy and run and Jinbe complies.

Jinbe continues to run with Luffy, not looking back as Whitebeard speaks his last words. After Whitebeard's death, Akainu appears in front of Jinbe and once again tells him to give Luffy to him, in which Jinbe replies back that he rather dies than giving up on Luffy. In a brief flashback, it is revealed that while imprisoned together with Ace in Impel Down, the 2nd Division Commander had personally asked the Shichibukai to take care of Luffy for him once he's gone, to which Jinbe apparently declined, saying that though it was Ace who asked, in the Pirate-infested world they are in, he has no obligation to look after someone he considers a complete stranger. As Akainu prepares himself to attack, Ivankov appears and attacks Akainu with a Hell Wink. That attack did not stop Akainu however. Jinbe is hoping to jump into the sea to gain the upper hand but finds the sea to be frozen. Akainu manages to strike Jinbe and harm Luffy at the same time. Jinbe apologizes to Luffy for letting him get injured.



When Akainu is about to finish off Jinbe and Luffy, Crocodile comes and repels the admiral and then summoned a sandstorm to launch Jinbe and Luffy into the air to get them out of the admiral's reach. Jinbe, while carrying Luffy, is then caught (unintentionally) by Buggy, who was floating high in the air also trying to escape (made possible by the once-again frozen sea, allowing him a decent foothold). After barely maneuvering out of the way of Akainu's colossal magma fist, Buggy then carries Jinbe (who appears to have lapsed into unconsciousness) and Luffy to the just emerged ship from the Heart Pirates.

He is seen getting thrown at Law's Submarine with Luffy by Buggy. They have both been transported and successfully entering the submarine. It was last seen departing with half of the submarine in the open and the other in the water. He was later seen lying next to Luffy in Law's sick bay, with Law standing over next to them and instructing his crew to ready the Shichibukai and Supernova's treatment.

After the War
Jinbe later wakes up and thanks Law for saving him before meeting Ivankov again. Despite Law telling Jinbe to rest, Jinbe finds it impossible as losing Ace and Whitebeard is too much for his heart to bear. The Knight of the Sea also comments that he is worried about Luffy, fearing the moment when he wakes up because that's when Luffy will realize that his brother is dead. Ivankov and his followers then head out and entrusts Jinbe with Luffy.

Two weeks after the war at Marineford, Luffy wakes up and goes on a rampage in Amazon Lily. Jinbe then asks Law what would happen if Luffy continues, which Law replies he'll most likely die. He catches up to Luffy and tries to inform him of Ace's death, but found out Luffy already realized that. He later tears up after seeing Luffy crying over Ace's death. Luffy demands to be left alone but Jinbe states he can't do that. Luffy tries attacking Jinbe but he quickly dodges his attack and slams him to the ground. Luffy continues by biting on his arm, which Jinbe becomes very irritated and pins him against a rock. He tells Luffy he must endure and move past his pain and says 'you have not lost everything yet'. Luffy tells him of his crew and he must meet them, which Jinbe responds with relief he has found something to hold onto.



He is later seen carrying Luffy back to the shore, where they meet up with Silvers Rayleigh, whose very presence Jinbe was scarcely able to believe. Hancock, her sisters and Lady Nyon soon arrived after that, bearing food that enticed Jinbe. This resulted in him being momentarily told off by Hancock, since she prepared the food solely to help Luffy's recovery, but apparently was lenient enough to allow Jinbe some, and the fishman was seen sharing and devouring the food with Luffy shortly after that.

Later, he returns to Marineford with Luffy and Rayleigh. He takes part in stealing a marine ship, circling around Marineford, and the ringing of the Ox Bell. He is later seen on the Kuja ship getting irritated by the Kujas pulling on his face. Soon after, Jinbe parts ways and says that he will be waiting for Luffy and his crew on Fishman Island.

Reunion with Old Friends
Unfortunately, Jinbe had to leave Fishman Island with his crew shortly after the war ended and could not meet Luffy at Fishman Island as he originally planned to do. Apparently, the Sun Pirates could only stay on the island as long as Jinbe was a Shichibukai. After Jinbe abdicated his position, he and his crew had to leave. Keimi relayed this information to Luffy, saying that it was much more complicated than the way she was explaining it. Some time before he left, he gave prince Fukaboshi a message to relate to Luffy, warning him not to fight Hody Jones and that he is waiting in the Sea Forest.

As he is waiting, he is sitting in front of the grave of Queen Otohime. Jinbe comments that even after her death, no one has forgotten her ideals.

Later, Luffy, Shirahoshi, Megalo, Chopper, Hatchan, and Sanji arrive at the Sea Forest. Jinbe is overjoyed to see Luffy again and deeply surprised that Shirahoshi is out of Hard-Shell Tower and is also surprised to see Hatchan, who was supposed to be captured with the Arlong Pirates. Jinbe then asks Luffy to explain why he brought Shirahoshi out of her tower. After Luffy reassures Jinbe about Shirahoshi's safety by intercepting an axe, Jinbe comments on how carefree Luffy is.

While Shirahoshi is paying her respects to her deceased mother in front of her grave, Luffy inquires about the grave. Jinbe informs Luffy that the grave belongs to Queen Otohime. Nami and Keimi soon arrive bearing terrible news about Hody Jones' rampage in the Ryugu Palace. Jinbe then decides to explain the situation as quickly as he can and reveal to the group that he was responsible for allowing Arlong into the East Blue.



Before Jinbe begins his explanation, he tells a distressed Shirahoshi not to worry about her father, saying that he will be saved from the clutches of the New Fishman Pirates. After Nami asks Jinbe about him setting Arlong loose, Sanji states that he heard about Jinbe from Yosaku and he thought that Jinbe was as bad as Arlong and was surprised that he allied with Luffy. Sanji then informs the ex-Shichibukai about Nami's suffering at the hands of Arlong and warns him that what he says next will determine on whether or not he should be forgiven. Jinbe starts off by explaining the fishmen and merfolk's dark past as well as the ideals of Queen Otohime and Fisher Tiger.

After finishing his story, Jinbe states that he will take any punishment Nami desires. Nami forgives Jinbe since Arlong was the one to blame. Jinbe expresses his gratitude. He then reviews the current situation on Fishman Island. Jinbe says that he knew Hody was scheming something after he left the Neptune Army, but Hody managed to keep Jinbe from getting any word of it. Hatchan starts revealing Hody's plan but is interrupted when a visual Den Den Mushi appears and broadcasts Hody's speech to Fishman Island.

When Hody shows the chained-up Neptune, Nami remarks on how the other Straw Hats, mainly Zoro, caused him to be captured. Jinbe shows shock at the news, but Keimi explains that it was a big misunderstanding and that the Straw Hats were attacked first. After Hody finishes explaining his plan of recreating the Ryugu Kingdom as well as executing Neptune and the imprisoned Zoro, Usopp, and Brook. Shirahoshi attempts to go with Megalo to rescue her father, but Jinbe stops her. Luffy resolves to fight Hody, but Jinbe tells him not to, saying that a human fighting Hody will only increase the fishmen's hatred towards humans. Luffy says that he needs to rescue his friends trapped at the palace and that if Jinbe wants to stop him, he will have to fight him. Jinbe regrettably agrees and prepares himself.



Luffy remains insistent on going to Ryugu Palace. He tries to hop on Megalo, but Jinbe stops him using Fishmen Karate. Luffy counterattacks using Jet Stamp and Jinbe blocks him. They then charge at each other but suddenly a clone of Robin appears in between them, shocking Jinbe at her unexpected appearance and yells at her to move out of the way. Before Luffy and Jinbe collide, "Robin" vanishes and the two hit each other. After the real Robin appears, Jinbe once again tries to reason with Luffy, but the Straw Hat captain remains stubborn. Jinbe eventually comes up with a plan that will make Luffy a hero instead of a villain. At first, Luffy disagrees but decides to go along with it when Jinbe agrees to give him all the meat he wants.

He is later seen riding on Megalo with Shirahoshi, heading to Gyoncorde Plaza to save the king. He and Shirahoshi then see what appears to be King Neptune, but that is a balloon dummy set as a trap. Shirahoshi is easily decieved. When they approach it, they got ensnared in a net. They are then tied up and taken to the plaza. Shirahoshi tearfully apologizes to Jinbe for falling for the enemies' trick. Jinbe isn't deterred since he planned on letting himself get captured from the start. Hody, thinking that his plan is going smoothly, is overjoyed and he reveals to everyone that he was the one who truly killed Otohime. Jinbe is stunned at this revelation. When Hody gloats about killing Otohime right in Shirahoshi's face, the princess says that she knew all along. Jinbe is shocked to hear this.

Battle for Fishman Island
Shirahoshi explains that Megalo witnessed Hody killing Otohime and relayed the information to her. Jinbe asks Shirahoshi about why she never told anyone. Shirahoshi tearfully states that she was following her mother's last wish of not holding any hatred towards the killer. Jinbe is surprised that Shirahoshi could actually uphold her promise and comments on Shirahoshi's strong spirit. Hody, on the other hand, ridicules the princess, saying that her kindness and mercy will lead to the deaths of the rest of her family. Jinbe assures the princess that she didn't do anything wrong. When Hody is about to kill Neptune, Luffy jumps out of Megalo's mouth and kicks Hody a great distance back. Jinbe is surprised that Luffy actually comes out earlier than planned. Nami retrieves the World Noble's letter, Robin frees the king and the princes, and Hoe takes them to safety. When the rest of the Straw Hats appear, Jinbe stands right next to them, preparing to fight against the New Fishman Pirates.

After Nami gives Shirahoshi the World Noble's letter, Jinbe tells the princess that he will help protect her ideals. Jinbe is then impressed when Luffy defeats half of Hody's forces with Haki. Hody then tries to kill Shirahoshi with a water shot, but Jinbe nullifies Hody's attack with his own water shot. Later he's seen choking a New Fishman Pirate while commenting on Hody's extortion of Surume through the threat of harming his siblings.

Suddenly, the plaza becomes dark. Noah has reached the island and is trying to break through the bubble. If the bubble bursts, then part of the island would be destroyed. Just as everyone realizes the bubble won't hold, they also realize that Shirahoshi is missing. She is high above the plaza and Jinbe realizes that at that height, she would redirect the ship away from the plaza. Jinbe tells Luffy that even though the ship is full of water, Decken is a Devil Fruit user, so there must be air somewhere and then tosses him a bubble-making coral to help him.

When Wadatsumi defeats Surume due to taking an E.S. pill, he attacks Jinbe but he easily counters it by using a roundhouse kick against the giant's punch. After Wadatsumi is kicked by Sanji, Jinbe then prepares himself to fight the giant fishman together with Sanji.

He continues to block Wadatsumi's attacks. When he sees Hammond's "Slave Tank" and how the New Fishman Pirates are treating their captives in the same way the World Nobles treat their slaves, he asks Robin to help and she agrees.

When Wadatsumi becomes almost spherical after sucking so much air in an attempt to intimidate his foes, Jinbe and Sanji starts executing their unseen plan.

Major Battles

 * Sun Pirates vs. Marines (numerous times at sea)
 * Sun Pirates vs. Marines (Foolshout Island)
 * Jinbe vs. Arlong
 * Jinbe vs. Portgas D. Ace
 * Jinbe, Monkey D. Luffy, and Crocodile vs. Minorhinoceros, Minokoala and Minozebra (Impel Down Level 4)
 * Jinbe and Monkey D. Luffy vs. Demon Guards (Impel Down Level 1)
 * Jinbe, Emporio Ivankov, and Monkey D. Luffy vs. Marines
 * Jinbe vs. Gekko Moriah
 * Jinbe vs. Admiral Akainu
 * Jinbe, Monkey D. Luffy and Heart Pirates vs. Kizaru and Aokiji
 * Jinbe vs. Monkey D. Luffy (Amazon Lily)
 * Jinbe vs. Monkey D. Luffy (Sea Forest)
 * Jinbe and Straw Hat Pirates vs. New Fishman Pirates
 * Jinbe and Sanji vs. Wadatsumi

Filler Battle

 * Jinbe vs. Dracule Mihawk

Early One Piece
Some early concepts of Jinbe were revealed in One Piece Green: Secret Pieces.

Anime and Manga differences
In the anime episode 470, Jinbe had a short battle with Mihawk in the war in Marineford which he lost and none of that was seen happening in the manga.

When the Heart Pirates arrive at Amazon Lily in the anime, they enter the harbor with the Kuja Pirates. Jinbe had to convince Elder Nyon that Law is needed to treat Luffy's wounds.

Translation and Dub Issues
His name comes from jinbei-zame (甚平鮫), which means "whale shark" in Japanese. It could also mean the type of clothing worn by Japanese during the summer, which Jinbe himself does wear.

Jinbe's name is sometimes spelled as Jimbei because when pronouncing it, the n of the name often sounds like a m to some. However, the fourth databook confirmed that the correct spelling is indeed Jinbe. The English versions spell his name as Jimbei.

His epithet, Kaikyou, would normally translate into "Strait" or "Channel". However since the kanji for it is written as (海侠) and not (海峡), the kyou part (侠) of it comes from (任侠), a honorific used when addressing a high ranking yakuza member, thus making his epithet a Japanese pun. Because this honorific is used for addressing high ranking yakuza members, it doesn't have a literal English translation. The closest translations used of the epithet that can be interpreted into English are made up based on the pun's meaning. These include "Yakuza of the Sea" and "Knight of the Sea" among others. These however are not literal translations, but titles made to convey the idea behind the original Japanese term used. In the Viz Manga and FUNimation subs, his epithet is translated as "First Son of the Sea".

Trivia

 * In Volume 63 SBS, Oda draws the Shichibukai as children. Jinbe as a child is seen with light hair wearing a tattered gi practicing his Fishman Karate. He already has a black belt at this age.
 * After his initial silhouette in Chapter 523, at the JUMP Festa 2009 Oda decided to a show a preview of Jinbe and drew a rough sketch of what he looked like.
 * Jinbe currently has the highest known bounty.
 * Among the Shichibukai, Jinbe has a whale shark animal theme.

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