Koby

Chief Petty Officer Coby (コビー曹長 Kobī Sōchō) is the first person Luffy meets on his haphazard journey.

Appearance
When he first appeared Coby was a small, timid, bespectacled boy with pink hair. He was slightly chubby and somewhat shorter than Luffy. After training with Garp, Coby became somewhat thinner and taller. He now stands nearly as tall as Luffy. He also gained a scar across his forehead above his right eye. He now wears a jacket with the standard Marine colors.

Personality
Coby is first introduced as a cowardly Chore Boy on board Alvida's ship. Through fear of being smashed by her Iron Mace, whenever she asked him who was the loveliest on the sea, he would reply, 'You are, Miss Alvida'. Eventually with the help of Luffy he found the courage to pursue his dream of leaving her and becoming a Marine.

The first time he appears to have changed is when he and Luffy arrive at the base Captain Morgan is at. Helmeppo holds a gun to his head, but he pulls together his courage and tells Luffy not to worry about him. After their mini-arc series, Helmeppo and he become good friends.

Coby values his friendship with Luffy a lot, as shown when even after their brief fight, he asks if they're still friends.

Abilities and Powers
In his first appearance he 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 Helemeppo and Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp. He has since become strong enough to use Rokushiki, or at the very least, Soru. However, he was easily defeated by Luffy. He also has some knowledge of swordsmanship, as he was seen practicing with Helmeppo, as well as Garp's attendant.

Past Story
Coby had intended to board a ship for a fishing trip one day, but by accident, instead found himself amid the dangerous crew of Lady Alvida. To stay alive, he 'volunteered' to become a lowly cabin boy for this band of pirates, but fostered a desire to escape one day, and even join the Marines. His fear of Alvida prevented him from leaving, 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 Naval base from the grip of the tyrannical Captain Morgan, Coby is admitted to join the Marines as a Chore Boy (雑用 Zatsuyō), alongside the Captain's disgraced son Helmeppo.

Freedom and Dream Come True
If I succeed, that's fine. If I die, that's fine also.

-Luffy's speech to Coby on death and fighting for ones dreams.

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. He 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.

Post-Enies Lobby arc
He appears to be at Water 7 alongside Helmeppo after Garp pays Luffy a visit. He tells both Luffy and Zoro about "The New World", and also tells them that the next time they met, it will be in the New World, and then he will be an Admiral and he will have to fight and capture Luffy. Luffy just says he'll look forward to their fight.

Coby sees Luffy one more time as he leaves Water 7, when Garp attacks.

Marineford arc
Coby, along with Helmeppo, reported to Marine Headquarters as part of the fight against the Whitebeard Pirates. Three hours before Ace's execution saw him with Helmeppo listening to Sengoku's speech about Ace's past. After hearing that Ace is Gol D. Roger's son, they came to a conclusion that Ace and Luffy aren't real brothers.

Scared by the display of power from both sides, they run away. They hid when they spotted Akainu and witness the Admiral punishing a Marine for running away. They overhear Sengoku's strategy, from Akainu's Den Den Mushi, to ignore the schedule and execute Ace right away. They then notice a ship falling from the sky.

Luffy's unconventional arrival at Marineford has him and Helmeppo thunderstruck.

Major Battles

 * Vs. Luffy (Captain Morgan arc)
 * Vs. Morgan (After becoming a recruit)
 * Vs. Bogart
 * Vs. Garp
 * Vs. Luffy (after training with Garp)

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 Calm Belt. Despite this rewrite of the animes initial mistake, one error remains; Coby and Helmeppo had passed a few sentences about the Reverse Mountain and how frightening it had been for them. Also, in the manga, Coby got shot on his left shoulder, however, in the anime, it was left out. Zoro was also surprised of Coby's presence in the Grand line (like in the original manga) though he saw the article with Luffy on the newspaper.

Trivia

 * Coby was the first person that Luffy 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