The One Piece manga’s latest chapter unveils the incredible price tag that Buggy’s Cross Guild has put on Marine Captain Koby’s head.
One Piece’s Koby has come a long way from Navy chore boy, and his new bounty shows it.
The recently released Chapter 1080 has unveiled the price put on Captain Koby’s head by the Cross Guild, the Emperor crew of Buggy, Mihawk, and Crocodile, and it’s more than many readers expected. Navy Captains are lower-ranking officers, and as such, they’re typically given one-star bounties with small price tags, making Koby’s five-star, 500 million Berries bounty a major surprise. The inflated number is likely the result of how highly the Navy regards Koby, with many considering him a hero for antics that occurred during the manga’s time skip, like the “Rocky Port Incident” perpetrated by Trafalgar Law. While fans have seen very little of Koby in action as a marine thus far, the events of Chapter 1080 and the significant bounty placed on him may be a sign that Koby will finally be stepping into the limelight of Oda’s series.
Koby’s Adventures in One Piece
While much of One Piece’s ongoing “Egghead Island” arc has centered on the Straw Hats, recent chapters of the manga have broadened their focus to show other key events happening around the New World, like Captain Kid’s rematch with Shanks. Chapter 1080 follows suit by joining up with Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp as he launches his unsanctioned mission to rescue Koby from Blackbeard’s territory. Way back in Chapter 1059, readers witnessed Blackbeard take the young captain hostage during a raid on Boa Hancock’s Amazon Lily, with the new chapter revealing that the Emperor’s intent was to use Koby as a bargaining chip to make his lands a recognized country under the World Government. Garp has taken poorly to his protégé being used in this manner, as Chapter 1080 has finally shown the Marine hero unleashing his full power against Blackbeard’s forces, something fans have been waiting to see since his character’s introduction.
In addition to Garp’s show of strength, the new chapter has also revealed new information about the Marine organization known as SWORD, the clandestine faction to which characters like Koby and X Drake belong. According to Koby, SWORD members both are Marines and aren’t simultaneously, having handed into Marine codes and technically resigned, but still operating as Navy officers. This gives them the freedom to do whatever they please, but also means they can be cast aside by the Marines at any point if they’re deemed a liability. The autonomy Koby has as a member of SWORD also might be a contributing factor to his high Cross Guild bounty. At the same time, it also leaves the door open to him potentially collaborating with his friend and idol Luffy since Koby isn’t obligated to hunt pirates like a typical Marine.
One Piece Chapter 1080, titled “The Hero of Legend,” is available in English from VIZ Media.
Src: cbr.com
