T Bone

Captain T-Bone (Ｔボーン大佐 Tī Bōn Taisa) is a former knight, now Marine officer.

Appearance
T-Bone has curly long black hair, a skull-like face and a long neck. He is pot bellied, with muscular arms and thin legs. Even after becoming a Marine, his overall appearance mirrors his former occupation: he is cladded in a golden, sleeveless chain mail armor with an ornately decorated collar and he wears a helmet with a long, flowing plume on the top. Over his cuirass, he has a tunic with the Marine symbol on it. He carries around his signature weapon, a decorated sword reminiscent of the ones used by Templars in popular fictions, either on his right hip (suggesting he may be left-handed or ambidextrous) or hanging from his back. Also, instead of wearing the standard officer's Marine coat, he has a high-collared mantle with the kanji for '"justice'" (正義, Seigi) printed on it. He torn it to pieces during the travel on the Puffing Tom in order to treat his injured comrades; however, he seemed to have repaired it or have gotten a new one in his appearance in the Marineford Arc. He has a rope belt tied around his waist, similar to the ones worn by some samurais. His attire is completed by standard pants and shoes. It should be noted that many elements of his outfit have one or more crosses on them: he has this symbol on his helmet, on the pendants hanging from his belt, and on his sword's hilt.

Personality
T-Bone is a very honorable and considerate person, and absolutely abhors needless violence. His main fault is his tendency to take life very seriously - although he values the soldiers under his command, he has a tendency to fuss over their minor problems in a melodramatic manner, which can make them uncomfortable. He is noted for being far too willing to sacrifice himself, even when the situation does not call for something so drastic. Apparently, he has a penchant for dramatic phrasing, and he often speaks about honor and justice. He claims to dislike curved swords, such as Roronoa Zoro's swords.

Powers and Abilities
T-Bone is well-known for his mastery in swordsmanship: he's skilled enough to send attacks composed of blue lines of energy acting as blades, something only the strongest swordsmen like Zoro or Juracule Mihawk were capable of. Those are powerful enough to cut through trains, boats, and sea kings. T-Bone is known as the "Ship-Cutter" (船斬り Funekiri) for his skills in wielding a blade. His weapon of choice is a long, straight-bladed sword with ornately decorated hilt and sheath.

T-Bone is also very strong and resistant: his thin and apparently frail legs allowed him to run for a long time on the Sea Train's rails during a storm. He was struck by a hit strong enough to destroy his own sword without receiving permanent damage. Also, Zoro commented to himself twice that T-Bone was strong, and the fact that their fight lasted only moments doesn't mean he was inferior to Zoro at all (at this point the fight could only be settled in mere moments as the Rocket Man was racing towards the rails T-Bone was standing on.)

Attack List

 * Chokkaku Senkō Bōn Sowāru (直角閃光　ボーン空割（ソワール）, Right Angle Flash: Bone Slash): T-Bone first makes a right angle cut in the air with his sword, and then swings it, sending a rectangular cut forward. This makes a clean, rectangular cut on whatever it hits. In the Viz Manga, this is called Right Angle Flash...!! Bone Soir.


 * Chokkaku Hichō Bōn Ōdorī (直角飛鳥　ボーン大鳥（オオドリー）, Right Angle Flying Bird: Large Bone Bird): T-Bone slashes the air and propels a beam-shaped cut at the enemy. The cut is able to bounce off the air on sharp angular turns, and appears with a bird shaped head at the front of the cut. In the Viz Manga, this is called Right Angle Flying Bird Bone... Bird of Prey.

Enies Lobby Arc
He was assigned to help escort the CP9 agents to Enies Lobby, the Judicial Headquarters of the World Government on the Grand Line, where T-Bone is usually stationed. He was stationed in the 5th car of the Puffing Tom alongside 40 of his men. After Sanji's appearance, he chased him, but he and his men were separated from the other passengers when Sanji detached their car from the train.

After killing in one blow a Sea King who assaulted their car, T-Bone started running along the tracks by himself, seeking help and chasing the train. He was then reached by the Rocket Man, and he battled Zoro on the rails. Despite his skills, he was defeated by the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates. Zoro's blow destroyed his blade and knocked him into the sea as the Rocket Man sped down the tracks.

He was later seen flowing in the ocean and thinking about his defeat, as his men were approaching to assist him rowing on the car bifurcated by Zoro.

Current Events


When the execution of Portgas D. Ace was announced, T-Bone reported to the summoning of the Marines to reinforce Mariejois. He is later seen looking shocked at Oars Jr.'s awakening.

Trivia

 * A fan asked Oda whether T-Bone was a zombie like the ones in Thriller Bark or a boney man like Brook. Oda jokingly explained that T-Bone would be a General Zombie through the process of deductive reasoning. His explanation was that since T-Bone is neither a Wild Zombie nor a Surprise Zombie, and that Soldier Zombies are those that are without weapons, then T-Bone would be a General Zombie.
 * In a recent Japanese Fan Poll, T-Bone is currently ranked the 122th most popular character in One Piece.