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 the Straw Hats have been the focus of much of One Piece's continuing "Egghead Island" arc, recent chapters of the manga have widened their attention to include other major events happening across the New World, such as Captain Kid's rematch with Shanks. Chapter 1080 follows suit, accompanying Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp on his unofficial quest to rescue Koby from Blackbeard's realm. Readers saw Blackbeard kidnap the young captain during a raid on Boa Hancock's Amazon Lily in Chapter 1059, with the new chapter revealing that the Emperor's intention was to use Koby as a bargaining chip to make his territories 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 display of strength, the new chapter has given fresh information about SWORD, the Marine organization to which characters such as Koby and X Drake belong. SWORD members, according to Koby, are both Marines and aren't at the same time, having turned in Marine codes and technically quit while continuing functioning as Navy officers. This gives them the freedom to do whatever they want, but it also means that the Marines can dismiss them at any time if they are 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 MangaMonster.

Source: Anime Dork