Buggy/Personality and Relationships

Personality
Buggy will often feign intelligence, only to have his true incompetence revealed. Although he is not "stupid" in the traditional sense, he is prone to gross misjudgements that cost him; usually this is due to his overconfidence. In the original Japanese version of One Piece, he inserts "hade ni" (派手に), into almost every sentence he speaks ("Flashily die! You flashy bastard!").



His big red nose is something he is very touchy about, going so far as to destroy an entire town when a couple of kids made fun of his nose. Occasionally, he will mishear what others say as an insult about him or his nose, possibly due to paranoia.

He has a number of running gags in the series, including a delayed reaction towards things, he will at first act casually then when it sinks in he will act completely the opposite (for example, when Ace appeared on his ship, Buggy first greets him politely. Then, when he realizes he is on his ship, he blurts out "Who the hell are you?"). Sometimes, he will even do the opposite of this and overact the part then become calm having thought the situation through more deeply after the initial reaction. He also has what some might consider "dumb luck"; no matter what happens to him he is lucky enough to survive somehow (including being struck by lightning at Loguetown, being chased by Smoker, being frozen alive by Admiral Aokiji, or inadvertently slashed by Dracule Mihawk).

Furthermore, through his crazy streaks of good fortune, coupled with weaselly actions and lying, he has managed to gain power and favor with people by doing next to nothing. Oftentimes, happenstance makes him look more impressive and intimidating than he really is; Buggy won't even intend to look good and have impressed people unintentionally or by total accident, or pass himself off as a substantial figure by being dishonest or stealing the credit for a masterful feat from someone else. Though he once tried to keep it a secret so he wouldn't become a target for rival pirates and the Marines, he also started playing up the fact he was originally one of the legendary Roger Pirates (despite being just an apprentice) once the truth was out.



These kinds of misunderstandings caused a large number of Impel Down escapees to join his crew (though Buggy did not intend to impress them during his jailbreak and only continued out of fear the prisoners, who were much more vicious and infamous than he was, would turn on him if he appeared weak) and Buggy to be selected to become a Shichibukai by the World Government just because he looked reputable from their point of view, though Galdino is well aware of Buggy's true nature of cowardice and ineptitude. After the timeskip, he has even stooped to making himself look bigger and more intimidating as a Shichibukai by splitting up his body underneath a cloak and growing out his hair.

Due to a series of good fortune as well as gaining a large amount of powerful escaped prisoners and allies since escaping Impel Down, Buggy has become much more arrogant and confident with himself. This arrogance also makes him oblivious towards the dangers around him, easily believing Whitebeard about allying with each other under the promise he could take his head later (which was a lie). Since becoming a Shichibukai, Buggy became more reckless and carefree to the point he allows his men to plunder and do whatever they want knowing that due to his new position, he could get away with whatever he wanted.

However, Buggy is actually very cowardly, wasting no time abandoning anyone to save himself, even if it makes others lose respect for him. As his cowardly behavior usually gets the better of him, such as panicking when facing the Marines during the escape at Impel Down or when Whitebeard spoke to him, he tried to look brave in front of his men except he was clearly terrified. When he lost his Shichibukai title, Buggy tried to look tough in front of his men only to secretly use them as a scapegoat to save himself and escape while they all fought.

Buggy is one of the few villains to become reformed after facing Luffy, though only slightly. He also begins to accept people's kindness, though he can still be cruel to anyone who is not a member of his crew or is aiding him in his goals. He is also fun loving and displays a huge fondness for parties, admiring those who are equally fun loving (strangely, he shares this trait with Shanks).

He also has a strong love of treasure. Unfortunately for him, his obsession with treasure led to him leaving himself open in his first encounter with Luffy to attack Nami (who was attempting to take off with said treasure) and was just the small window the superior Luffy needed to defeat him. Buggy fails to understand how anything but gold, silver or jewels can be considered "treasure"; an opinion which apparently has not changed in over 22 years even though so far it has led to constant failure.

His primary goal is to get revenge against Luffy, for defeating him, and Shanks, for ruining his dreams during his youth. His dream is to become Pirate King and own all the treasures in the world. After the escape from Impel Down, with the encouragement of his followers, he put his sights on defeating Whitebeard and conquering the "top". Many of those he has known previously such as Luffy and Whitebeard see him as little threat.

Another strange trait of Buggy's is his complete lack of fear toward swordsmen, no matter how powerful they may be, in contrast to his cowardice against any other people stronger than him. This can be seen in such instances as his fight against Roronoa Zoro and Mihawk. This is most likely a trait that he habitually developed because of his Devil Fruit-based immunity to cutting and slicing attacks. This is somewhat justified as no swordsman no matter how strong can ever kill him.

Roger Pirates


Buggy was an apprentice of the crew since childhood and was loyal to them.

Of the Roger Pirates, most relationships between Buggy and the other crewmates remain unknown. Though he was often punished by Silvers Rayleigh, he still has much respect for the former first mate of the crew even wanting to see him again after Luffy mentioned him. Buggy, just like Shanks, must have had a good relationship with Roger or at the very least showed admiration for him, as Buggy was seen crying at his execution.

He initially held Kozuki Oden in a poor view, as the latter’s rise took attention from his crew. However, after Oden joined the crew did Buggy hold him in high regard. He wanted to help with Oden’s wish to open Wano Country to the world despite the annoyance of being referred as the second son.

Buggy Pirates and Alliance with Alvida
Before his loss to Luffy, he was willing to use his own crew as human shields. Afterwards, he shows a lot more concern about their well-being. Through a series of adventures, Buggy manages to recruit a transformed Alvida to his cause, regroups with his crew, and recombines with the rest of his body.

They follow the Straw Hats to Loguetown, where Buggy manages to trap Luffy onto the execution platform, but before he can cut off his head, a bolt of lightning strikes his swords, destroying the platform and letting Luffy escape. After this event, the Buggy Pirates follow the Straw Hats into the Grand Line, but they are taking a different path than them.



When Buggy, was sent flying by Luffy, the crew was depressed and his crewmates even built a tomb for him. However, when Buggy was captured and sent to Impel Down, they gave up searching for him, because they were afraid for their lives. But after the war, they lied to Buggy saying that they never ceased looking for him.

After Buggy's escapade from Impel Down, many fellow escapees from the prison have heard of his past as a member of Gol D. Roger's crew but miss out that he is a mere apprentice, and potentially the weakest member on board. Consequently, they come to admire him as a powerful pirate. During the course of the Battle of Marineford, Buggy repeatedly shows his cowardice, but the escapees keep mistaking it as courage and bravado, furthering their admiration.

Buggy and Mr. 3 teamed up in Impel Down in order to escape the Great Prison, and sharing a hatred for Luffy, quickly became friends. However, they usually found that their attempts to escape without the assistance of Luffy and his allies proved fruitless, and it was only through Luffy's help that they managed to break free. During their time side by side in Impel Down, Galdino acted as the more cautious of the two, frequently warning Buggy about the dangers that the two of them have triggered throughout the course of their escape from the prison; in the anime he has, on more than one occasion, had to do things himself to ensure Buggy's safety as well as his own, using his wax to supply themselves with convenient implements to fend for their lives with. After Buggy gains his blindly loyal followers, Mr. 3 remains the only one who can see through Buggy's facade.



By the end of the war, when Buggy reunites with his old crew, the escapees join his crew, admiring First Mate Mohji and Second Mate Cabaji as well. In truth, these new recruits are more powerful than Buggy himself and they all had high bounties in their past. Their combined strength is far more then Buggy's old crew; however, their utter loyalty to Buggy means they are no threat. According to Mr. 3, who also joins the crew and is the only one who sees through the facade, their ears are so full of hope that they are half-deaf.

Upon the end of the Shichibukai, Buggy made another act of bravery in front of his crew by challenging the Marines who came to arrest him, only to secretly plan to slip away while his subordinates hold back the pursuers.

Galdino


Buggy and Galdino teamed up in Impel Down in order to make their escape. Harboring a common hatred towards Luffy, they quickly made friends with each other and spent most of their time in Prison together, trying to find a way out. While Galdino was the more cautious of the two, Buggy was the more spontaneous one. Surprisingly, he was also the more crafty of the two, quickly taking advantage of the situations they were in to pull out his heroics, much to Galdino's dismay. Galdino was shocked to hear of Buggy's past as a member of the Roger Pirates and his friendship with Shanks. He seems be the only one whose advice Buggy takes seriously, as well as the only one who sees through Buggy's brave facade. The two of them seem to have some basic level of concern for each other, with Galdino actually showing fear that Buggy had lost it when he declared he could beat the marines. But that can be credited to Buggy being a vital aspect to Galdino's survival, since the Impel Down escapees only listened to Buggy. Galdino may on some level see that Buggy has a way of getting powerful people to aid him such as Luffy and Alvida and may see Buggy as a path to his former status. Buggy's ability to gather powerful allies is not something Galdino is blind to and he may think that Buggy is very useful in his own way.

Gaimon
He is good friends with Gaimon despite battling him when he first crashed onto the island. Ironically, neither of them knows the other's relationship with Luffy.

Portgas D. Ace


He was also good friends with Portgas D. Ace. During his pursuit of Blackbeard, Ace happened across the Big Top while Buggy and his crew were partying. Attracted by the "very strong and sweet scent" of food, Ace boarded the ship unnoticed and proceeded to help himself - Buggy did not notice his presence until, upon hearing Buggy and Alvida say that they were in pursuit of Luffy but had no clue where he was, Ace offered to give them some helpful information. Ace, however, fell asleep moments later. Though Buggy's crew wanted to capture him, Buggy forbade it, knowing that Whitebeard would not hesitate to take revenge. After Ace woke up, the entire crew apparently immensely enjoyed the rest of his momentary stay (though it seems Buggy continued the party mostly out of fear). At the time, Buggy was unaware that Ace was Luffy's brother or that Ace was his old captain's son.

When the Buggy and Alvida Alliance approached Impel Down with the intention of rescuing Buggy, Cabaji exclaimed that their captain could be sentenced to execution just like their buddy Ace. Buggy himself seems to like Ace. After meeting Luffy on Level One, he mentions that Ace, unlike Luffy, happened to be a very swell guy - they were apparently drinking buddies for a while. Buggy also told Luffy that he was very upset when he heard the news of Ace's scheduled execution, but he did not want to risk his own life to save him. Like so many at the time, Buggy was shocked to see Ace fall to Admiral Akainu.

World Government
After Buggy broke out of Impel Down and recruited many prisoners, the World Government believed that Buggy's low bounty was due to him keeping a low profile on purpose, despite being a former member of the Pirate King's crew.

Buggy was thereby invited to join the Shichibukai via a letter that he received. Upon doing so, his status as a wanted criminal was retracted, and he became an ally of the World Government. However, Buggy took advantage of his position as a Shichibukai to promote his new business, Buggy's Delivery, to profit off of wars and allow his crew to do whatever they want without fear of repercussions of their actions due to his position.

After the Shichibukai system was abolished, Buggy returned to being the Government's enemy as Vice Admiral Stainless wasted no time trying to arrest him. This angered and frightened Buggy as he openly accused them for using underhanded tactics. He then had no choice but to evade them by using some his subordinates as scapegoats.

Shanks


During their days as pirate apprentices in the Roger Pirates, Buggy and Shanks would argue over just about anything. The Marines themselves describe their relationship as a 'brotherly bond' and Whitebeard himself had noted the pair were always together. In their youth, Buggy accused Shanks of being too soft to make it out as a pirate, making it ironic that Shanks is currently a great well known pirate while Buggy's crew is weak in comparison. He is also not above exploiting his previous "friendship" with Shanks, whom he discredits now after they have gone their separate ways.

Despite what they claimed to each other, when the two met for the first time in years, Shanks was able to trick Buggy into giving Luffy the Straw Hat back. Buggy then had a go at Shanks for it afterwards while Shanks himself was calm despite Buggy's reaction, indicating that despite their differences, the pair's relationship is still on similar grounds as in the past.

Straw Hat Pirates
Back when Buggy and his crew were terrorizing Orange Town, Luffy, Zoro, and Nami decided to form a temporary alliance in order to best Buggy and his henchmen, and after a moderately difficult battle, they achieved it. After following Luffy to Loguetown, Buggy was determined to get revenge on the Straw Hat captain and was annoyed that the latter forgot about him until recalling his name. Buggy nearly executed Luffy on the site of the Pirate King's scaffold but was struck by lightning before he could do it. After leaving Loguetown, Buggy decided to pursue Luffy on the Grand Line to continue seeking his vengeance on the Straw Hats.



While he hated Luffy, he has proven that, though willing to exploit Luffy's naïve ways, he will work with him to his own goals if he is to benefit from it. Interestingly, Buggy's current relationship with Luffy is similar to his past relationship with Shanks: in a slightly friendly antagonistic way. He considers Luffy to be the worst troublemaker in the world, but was immensely shocked when discovering that Dragon, the Revolutionary, is Luffy's father.

Luffy came across Buggy attempting to break free from Impel Down in Level 1 of the Great Prison. The ever-opportunistic Buggy attempted to use Luffy as his means to escape, but was only dragged down into the deeper levels during Luffy's attempt to rescue Portgas D. Ace. After Luffy was defeated by Magellan, Buggy and his new ally Mr. 3 ascended Impel Down back to Level 1, and, only with the help of Luffy and his band of escapees, managed to escape the Great Prison. After arriving in Marineford, Buggy and his new crew, for the most part, neither assisted nor harmed Luffy nor his allies in the Battle of Marineford; however, he was unwillingly used as a shield by Luffy against Dracule Mihawk. Unwillingly, Buggy also played a major role in saving Luffy's life when Crocodile threw Luffy and Jinbe in the air to get them away from Akainu, Buggy accidentally caught them and carried them away before throwing them to Trafalgar D. Water Law for treatment. Upon the battle's end, Buggy returned Luffy's straw hat and fled the battle with his new crew and Mr. 3.

However during the Zou Arc, Buggy retains his dislike for Luffy and they are technically enemies as Buggy is currently a member of the Shichibukai. He is also shown to be displeased to learn that Hajrudin and the New Giant Warrior Pirates had left Buggy's Delivery to join the Straw Hat Grand Fleet. However despite this, Buggy benefited from the Straw Hat Crew's defeat of Doflamingo as it has increased business for his pirate dispatch company.