Yorki

Yorki was the Pirate captain of the Rumba Pirates who brought Laboon to Reverse Mountain fifty years ago from the West Blue. He shook hands with Crocus.

History
Fifty years ago before the current timeline, as Yorki and his crew were sailing the West Blue, they came across a baby whale that was lost. Seeing that the whale was crying, Brook, one of Yorki's crew, suggested that they cheer the whale up with some music. Having cheered the thing up, the whale, Laboon, began following Yorki and the rest of the Rumba Pirates through their adventures. As Yorki and crew drew nearer to the Grand Line however, Yorki and some of the other Rumba Pirates asked Brook to convince Laboon to stay in the West Blue since he was the closest to the whale. This was because Yorki and the rest feared that Laboon was too young to face the dangers of the Grand Line. When Brook's attempt to convince Laboon failed, Yorki ordered his crew to ignore Laboon and not play any music in hopes that Laboon would stop following them.

Grand Line
Seemingly having convinced Laboon to stop following, Yorki and his crew sailed into the Grand Line through the Reverse Mountain. Upon arriving at the Grand Line, Yorki and his crew met up with Crocus and asked if they could stay to repair their ship. To their surprise then, they found out that Laboon had followed them into the Grand Line. For the next three months, Yorki and crew stayed to fix their ship whilst singing with Laboon all the while. Seeing that the Grand Line was just too dangerous for a young whale, Yorki asked Crocus to take care of Laboon while they ventured into the Grand Line. As Yorki and crew left Laboon in Crocus's care, they promised to return someday in two to three years and take Laboon back with them.

While in the Grand Line, Yorki and his crew experienced all the hardships that the sea had to offer. Along the way, Yorki and his crew fought against a Marine base. For this attack, Yorki's bounty went up. Despite the challenges they encountered, Yorki and his crew sailed onwards.

Disease
However, after disembarking at a forest, Yorki and some of the other Rumba Pirates contracted an incurable disease. In order to save the rest of the crew, Yorki decided to take himself and the other infected, and escape the Grand Line through the Calm Belt. With much regret, Yorki told the crew that were still well to give his regards to Laboon. As he lay dying, he asked Brook to play his favorite song to send him off. Yorki's attempt to escape was then written in a report. However the report misinterpreted Yorki's escape as an act of cowardice rather than show his actual reason.

Anime and Manga Differences
Originally in the manga Yorki is depicted wearing a cowboy hat. He also has two tattoos on his face. One under his right eye and one under his lower lip. In the anime, he is depicted wearing a typical tricone and has a tattooless face.

Trivia

 * Yorki's nickname resembles that of the real life pirate, Calico Jack.


 * It should be noted that, although it's unknown what was the disease that Yorki caught, two other similar deadly diseases have already been addressed in One Piece: Kestia, the disease transmited by the sting of the tick in Little Garden, and the disease transmited by the trees in Jaya that plagued the Shandians before Montblanc Norland arrived there. Like the mysterious disease the Yorki contracted, Kestia and the Jaya disease are endemic to forests. It is most likely that it was the jaya disease, as the crew's doctor mentioned that the infection had spread to some other members of the crew, which fit the Jaya disease as it was highly contagious, whil the kestia disease seems to be unable to transfer from human to human.