Bartolomeo

Bartolomeo the Cannibal is a Super Rookie and the captain of the Barto Club. He is also a gladiator competing at the Corrida Colosseum for the Mera Mera no Mi.

Appearance
Bartolomeo is a lean yet muscular man. He has light green-colored hair in a wild rocker-like style and no eyebrows. He has a demonic looking face, sharp fangs, and a ring piercing on his nasal septum. There are two lines tattooed under his right eye that curve towards his ear.

He has a dark tattoo on his chest of a thick ring with an opening on the top, wings on the sides, and long fangs on the bottom. He wears a dark purple coat with a stripe down each sleeve and a plumed collar and cuffs. On the back of it is a face with its head on fire with two crossing sabers just underneath it. He has a light-colored ring-patterned belt with a chain on the left. He has a weapon tucked in the front of his baggy checkered trousers, and has light ruffled dark boots on his feet.

Personality
Bartolomeo can be rather vulgar and laid-back at times, as during the battle royale in Block B, he was lying on the sides watching the battle and then casually urinated off the side on the ring in front of all the spectators. His overall attitude and lack of refinement made him a very unpopular person among the audience, booing Bartolomeo at every turn. During his formal introduction, Bartolomeo is said to be ranked number one on the "pirate we wish most to disappear" list.

He is also very provocative, as Bartolomeo not only taunts the crowd with his shenanigans, but also mocks his opponents, usually in a nonchalant manner. Even when attempting to stay cool, however, Bartolomeo can become angered when provoked in return; when the spectators at the stadium insulted him, he threw a fake bomb at the audience to scare them. Bartolomeo also doesn't care what anyone else thinks of him, as he stated to Dagama that popularity among the audience is the least of his concerns. He also loves to mock his opponents as he pretends to be afraid when Hack was going to attack him only to reveal his Devil Fruit to make Hack's attack back fire on him. He also does not seem to hold a high opinion of people, as when he said he was disgusted when he threw the fake bomb at the crowd and the people were willing to step over each other to escape.

However, Bartolomeo seems to care for his crew (or at least its reputation), as he violently beat up Vice Admiral Maynard for what he did to Gambia. That aside, it is this particular course of violence that has made him infamous, as he was noted to have gunned down several innocent civilians in the past. Despite such a destructive nature, he can restrain his murderous rage to a certain extent, at least by the regulations set by Corrida Colosseum. While he is very laid-back, he is not immune to expressing shock as such when he heard that Luffy is around.



Despite the cruelty he shows to others, he has immense respect for a few people such as Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. After witnessing Luffy's miraculous survival on the execution stand in Loguetown two years ago, Bartolomeo became a massive fan of Luffy's and views him as his hero, even to the point of worshipping him. After following Luffy's exploits up till the Battle of Marineford, he was inspired to start his life of piracy. His respect for Luffy is so deep that he gets angry and attacks people who mock Luffy as when he squashed a man against a wall with his Devil Fruit powers and even cuts the man's tongue right after he badmouthed Luffy. Bartolomeo also expressed shyness towards Luffy as he hesitated to speak to him face to face. Bartolomeo has been shown to get easily excited when he sees the people he idolizes as when he saw Zoro, he burst into tears out of joy. He weeps uncontrollably even when doing something as simple as asking Zoro for an autograph. When he came face to face with Luffy, he screamed in joy. It has been revealed that he only entered the tournament in order to give Luffy the Mera Mera no Mi.

Bartolomeo has been shown to have some honor as he saved Bellamy from being brutally killed by Dellinger. Even though he and Bellamy fought against each other in the tournament, Bartolomeo stated that those who fought together are "friends" and he would not let a "friend" die without helping.

Crew
Bartolomeo seems to care deeply for his crew, as seen with the scene between him, Gambia, and Maynard.

Gambia
Bartolomeo hasn’t been seen interacting with Gambia, but he seems to care for him and the rest of his crew greatly since he beat up Maynard for knocking out his ship mate.

Straw Hat Pirates
Bartolomeo, an original admirer of Luffy from the time of Loguetown and onward, admires the crew in its entirety, saying he followed all of their actions and acting dumbfounded when he met Luffy and Zoro.

Monkey D. Luffy
Two years ago, when Luffy was saved by a stray lightning bolt from being executed, Bartolomeo was in the crowd and was amazed by the spectacle. He followed all of the news about Luffy and the rest of his crew, up until the war at Marineford, which inspired him to quit as the head of the mafia he ran and start a life of piracy. He even traveled to Dressrosa for the sole reason to acquire the Mera Mera no Mi to give to Luffy as a present. After his Block B fight, Bartolomeo heard a man criticize Luffy. Bartolomeo proceeded to scold the man and cut off his tongue, portraying the severity of Bartolomeo’s obsession and respect of Luffy.

When he met Luffy, he could barely speak and fainted multiple times. After a while, he managed to gain the confidence to talk to the young pirate but wasn’t able to look at him, or else he would faint again. When someone approached Luffy and Bartolomeo, saying that neither of them would get the Devil Fruit, Bartolomeo sprung to fight the man, showing that he is willing to do anything and fight anyone for the potential future pirate king.

Bellamy
Bartolomeo has an interesting relationship with Bellamy. The two originally were enemies in the Block B fight, and Bartolomeo seemed to enjoy knocking Bellamy to the ground. However, when Dellinger was ordered to kill Bellamy, Bartolomeo came to his rescue and protected him with his Devil Fruit abilities until the angry pirate left. When Bellamy asked why he had saved him, Bartolomeo said they were “friends” for fighting on the same battlefield and that he would stick up for him when he needed it.

Abilities and Powers
As a pirate captain, he has the power to command his subordinates.

He is a Supernova, recognized by the Marines, meaning that he has some skills that made him stand out. He is shown to be strong enough to easily defeat Vice Admiral Maynard, and was able to win the Block B of the Corrida Colosseum tournament without getting so much as a scratch (though he was actually laying on the sidelines watching while avoiding conflict until he was forced to use his barriers).

Devil Fruit


Bartolomeo ate the Bari Bari no Mi, a Paramecia type Devil Fruit which allows him to be a Barrier Human. He uses his Devil Fruit powers both to protect himself and attack his opponents. The barriers are seemingly very durable, as attacks from powerful individuals such as Hack and Bellamy had no effect and in turn even ended up damaging themselves. One of them even managed to block Elizabello II's "King Punch" attack.

He can also use his barriers to attack his enemies. This is seen when Bartolomeo used a technique called "Barrier Crash" to crush Elizabello II at the end of his group's battle royale.

Before Becoming a Pirate
During his early years, Bartolomeo was a kingpin of a mafia. Two years ago, he was at Loguetown when Luffy was about to be executed by Buggy. He witnessed what he called a miracle, seeing Luffy getting saved by a lightning strike. Ever since then, Bartolomeo followed Luffy's exploits from Alabasta, to Enies Lobby to Impel Down. After seeing Luffy at the Battle of Marineford, he decided to set sail.

During the Timeskip
One year ago, Bartolomeo became a big time rookie pirate. He became infamous for attacking innocent civilians.

Dressrosa Arc
Bartolomeo entered a tournament at the Corrida Colosseum to compete for the Mera Mera no Mi. After Maynard defeated Bartolomeo's underling, Gambia, Bartolomeo in turn defeated the vice admiral, before leaving to fight in the tournament.

As Block B was about to start, he was seen walking into the arena while the announcer listed all the details about him. Upon entering, he declared that he would send everyone to hell. As the audience showed their dislike towards him, Bartolomeo first taunted them and then threw what appeared to be a bomb at the audience, which scared them and made them panic. The bomb turned out to be a simple black ball though. After having mumbled that the audience disgusts him, Dagama scolded him and told him that he's making himself unpopular. Bartolomeo simply responded that he didn't need to be popular among the likes of them.

After the fight started, Bartolomeo pointed out that it is not really a battle royale anymore when Dagama was shown to have teamed up with Elizabello II, Tank Lepanto, and other fighters to take out Bellamy. Dagama simply stated that the ends justify the means. While everyone fought, Bartolomeo was seen laying down and nonchalantly watched the others fight.



Later, he calmly started urinating off the side of the ring only to be booed by the crowd. Hack came to take him out with a Fishman Karate attack, but Bartolomeo blocked it using his Devil Fruit ability, damaging Hack's hand in the process. Bartolomeo then proceeded to finish off the fishman.

Bartolomeo later fought against Bellamy. However, like Hack, Bellamy ended up taking damage whenever he attempted to attack Bartolomeo. Despite not having the upper hand, Bellamy still managed to grab him, saying that he should not underestimate his power. Before Bartolomeo could retaliate, Elizabello finally threw his legendary "King punch" which seemingly took out every remaining gladiator in the arena. When the announcer looked at the arena and said that no one could have possibly survived that punch and was about to declare Elizabello the winner of B block's battle royale.



However, when the smoke cleared up, it was revealed that Bartolomeo remained standing. He then revealed that he ate the Bari Bari no Mi, which allowed him to create barriers and that he used one to protect himself from the king's devastating punch. He then defeated the king with his technique "Barrier Crash" which effectively made him the winner of the B block, much to the crowd's displeasure. He then thought to himself about how the Mera Mera no Mi would go to 'that person' once he won it.

As the injured fighters were moved out of the ring, Bartolomeo came across Bellamy and Luffy (as Lucy) having a conversation and overheard Bellamy calling him Straw Hat. Upon learning of this revelation he showed signs of shock.

During Block C, Bartolomeo went to the observation deck and approached Cavendish with a suitcase full of warning signs while the latter was having a fancy meal. Bartolomeo noticed that Cavendish was aiming for Luffy (as Lucy). Cavendish congratulated him for his win and told him not to stick his nose into his business. While trying to grab some of Cavendish's food, Cavendish removed Bartolomeo's hand from his food and told him that Luffy will be his prey. Bartolomeo responded by saying that he and Luffy have a far deeper connection. He continued to watch Block C as Luffy and Chinjao, the two remaining fighters in the battle royale, clashed against each other.

After Luffy defeated Chinjao and won Block C, Cavendish aimed to kill Luffy the moment he left the arena. Bartolomeo interrupted Cavendish, and once again claimed that he would not be the one to kill the Straw Hat. Cavendish angrily threatened Bartolomeo to not get in his way.



While Cavendish tried to kill Luffy after Block C's conclusion, Bartolomeo kept his distance, too shy to get close to Luffy. A gladiator passed by and mocked Luffy for failing to save his brother at the Battle of Marineford. Bartolomeo angrily crushed the man against a wall, and explained his reasons for admiring Luffy, and then cut the man's tongue. He continued to watch Luffy from afar as he fended off Cavendish. He wanted to help Luffy, but he was too nervous to bring himself close to him. When Luffy ran away from Cavendish and Chinjao, Bartolomeo wondered how he should go about approaching Luffy.

While Zoro and Kin'emon were outside of the Corrida Colosseum wondering how to get in, Bartolomeo spotted them. Upon seeing Zoro, Bartolomeo burst into tears of joy as he recalled Zoro's past deeds.

He then spoke to Zoro and offered to help him find Luffy while asking for an autograph. He later found Luffy when the Straw Hat left the gladiators quarters. He then guided Luffy to Zoro and Kin'emon but foamed at the mouth along the way.



When Bellamy was about to be killed off by Dellinger, Bartolomeo got in the way and protected Bellamy with his barrier, much to the fury of Dellinger. Having been called away by Diamante, Dellinger angrily walked away, swearing that Bartolomeo and Bellamy won't leave Dressrosa alive.



Bartolomeo then offered to take Bellamy to the medical room, but Bellamy rejected his offer, tearfully stating that he has nothing to live for and questioned Bartolomeo's reason for helping him. Bartolomeo stated that those who fought together are "friends" and he would not let a friend die without helping. As Bartolomeo carried Bellamy around, they ran into Luffy, who was looking for an exit. Since Luffy needed to leave the tournament in order to rescue a friend, Bartolomeo proudly declared that he will win the Mera Mera no Mi for Luffy. His conversation was interrupted by a stranger who stated that the Mera Mera no Mi could not be given to Luffy. Bartolomeo responded with anger, explaining that he had no right to speak to the brother of "Fire-Fist Ace" and the future Pirate King in such a manner. The stranger responded that he knew these things about Luffy already and pushed Bartolomeo aside. Bartolomeo was annoyed watching the stranger, revealed to be Sabo, having a casual conversation with Luffy.

He was later seen standing next to Sabo (now taking Luffy's place as Lucy) at the observation deck. At the conclusion of Block D, Bartolomeo was surprised to see every big name fighter struck down almost instantaneously. He then saw Rebecca, the only one able to stand back up, declared the winner of Block D.

When Rebecca waved to "Lucy" after leaving the arena, Bartolomeo told her not to act casual towards him. He then walked alongside Sabo to the arena when the finals started.

Once the block winners and Diamante were present in the arena, they were interrupted when some of the disqualified participants from Block D charged in, refusing to accept that Rebecca was the winner. Bartolomeo then witnessed Diamante repelling them using the power of his Hira Hira no Mi. After Diamante explained the rules of this round, a five-person battle royale commenced.

When Jesus Burgess prepared to launch an attack against Sabo, Bartolomeo found Rebecca standing behind him. When Sabo shattered Burgess's armor, Bartolomeo was struck with awe from witnessing his self-proclaimed senpai's strength.

Later, when Rebecca took a blow from Diamante, Sabo asked Bartolomeo to protect her, much to his surprise.

While Diamante taunted Rebecca, Bartolomeo kept him away from her by using his barrier.

Major Battles

 * Bartolomeo vs. Maynard (unseen)
 * Bartolomeo vs. Corrida Colosseum Block B Gladiators
 * Bartolomeo vs. Hack
 * Bartolomeo vs. Bellamy
 * Bartolomeo vs. Elizabello II
 * Bartolomeo vs. Dellinger
 * Corrida Colosseum Finale
 * Bartolomeo vs. Diamante

Anime and Manga Differences
His confrontation with Maynard was shown in the anime, which started as a short conversation before their fight. The anime also showed Maynard attempting to attack Bartolomeo before being defeated. Bartolomeo's face was also revealed just prior to his fight with Maynard instead of when he entered the arena.

His fight against Hack was censored. While in the manga, Hack's punch was damaged and with blood; in the anime, the blow was made off-screen.

Trivia

 * Bartolomeo's epithet "Cannibal" is actually a pun. "Eating people" means to mock them in Japanese.
 * In Vietnam the crossing of one's fingers, like Bartolomeo did when facing Elizabello II, is roughly the equivalent of showing someone the middle finger. It is also a common taunt in Japanese schools.
 * Bartolomeo's behavior, along with the two things mentioned above, suggests that his whole character was created around the idea of mockery.
 * It can be considered ironic that Bartolomeo possesses the Bari Bari no Mi because behavior is provoking, but his Devil Fruit is by nature defensive.

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