When Buggy the Star Clown sauntered into One Piece, he was a delusional buffoon with grandiose ideas that were seemingly shut down by Monkey D. Luffy. He reappeared in Loguetown, still as deranged as ever, and was once again defeated. After breaking out from Impel Down, however, Buggy’s reputation has been constantly skyrocketing across the Grand Line.
There are very few characters in anime in general who embody the concept of accidental success as much as Buggy. He has been stumbling into greatness, fueled as much by his incompetence as his desire to exploit his rapidly improving reputation, with a series of fortunate disasters seemingly paving the way toward the One Piece itself. And the escalation of his character arc becomes all the more mystifying from a chronological perspective.
Buggy Escaped Loguetown Thanks to Dragon’s Intervention
Buggy made an absolute fool of himself in Loguetown, where he genuinely believed that he could exact revenge on Luffy and the Straw Hats. Partnering up with Alvida gave him an unexpected edge, bringing Buggy closer to killing the hero than anyone else ever has in One Piece. Although it’s unlikely that the Gum-Gum Fruit would have activated to save Luffy at this point, he was saved when a bolt of lightning struck the execution platform and neutralized Buggy.
Luffy was apprehended by Smoker, who was forced to release his captive after Monkey D. Dragon intervened to save his son. Fans believe that Dragon possesses some weather-controlling Devil Fruit, explaining the earlier lightning. That said, it makes no sense why the Most Wanted Man in the World would also save Buggy, because it was a mysterious gust of wind that once again prevented Smoker from making any arrests. In any case, the clown was free to clown around again.
Buggy Gained a Collection of Devotees in Impel Down
Buggy soon went through a series of hilariously exhausting adventures, ultimately ending up a prisoner of the Marines. He wasn’t even important enough to merit serious incarceration. Worst of all, he still couldn’t have escaped from Impel Down’s Level 1 without Luffy’s invasion giving him the opportunity. Buggy briefly partnered with the Straw Hat, an alliance that soon included Mr. 3 Galdino, but both villains abandoned Luffy for their own goals.
Galdino produced wax keys to unlock the jail cells, intending to free as many people as possible and incite a riot within Impel Down. To Buggy’s surprise, the prisoners became deeply attached to him, so much so that they later followed him to Marineford. Learning that he had previously sailed with the Roger Pirates made Buggy even more endearing to his new worshipers, partly because he refused to correct any assumptions about his role in their freedom.
The World Government Made Buggy a Warlord of the Sea
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Buggy always liked biting off more than he could chew, with his participation in the Marineford War being a prime example of his foolish recklessness. That said, he performed several impressive feats by (barely) surviving attacks from Dracule Mihawk and Admiral Aokiji, not to mention accidentally rescuing Luffy and Jinbe from Akainu’s wrath. These events, in combination with his adoring followers, forced the World Government to take notice of Buggy.
Buggy finally left Marineford, having witnessed a world-changing event that broke One Piece itself in half, resulting in a two-year timeskip. It was somewhere during this period that the World Government selected Buggy as a candidate for Warlord of the Sea, escalating his reputation. On the other hand, there was little chance of Buggy obtaining that position if the authorities hadn’t seen his interactions with Shanks.
Buggy’s Relationship with Shanks Boosted His Reputation
Gol D. Roger saw something in Buggy the Clown, even before he acquired his Devil Fruit. Why else would the future King of the Pirates allow a snot-nosed child on his crew? Buggy failed to see the One Piece, however, since he fell sick and wasn’t around when the Oro Jackson reached Laugh Tale. But Shanks, his childhood friend and apparent rival, was around to take care of him.
Fans see the same loving relationship when Buggy meets Shanks at Marineford. Shanks promises him a treasure map for completing a small job, a lie that enrages Buggy. Everyone watches in awe as Buggy grabs Shanks’ coat and screams at him, while his new followers mistakenly interpret his tantrum as a testament to his power. An association with Shanks is likely to bring Buggy more benefits down the road, especially in the Final Saga.
Buggy’s Deliveries Employed Several One Piece Powerhouses
Bolstered by seemingly endless support, Buggy started the Pirate Dispatch Organization, a mercenary group more commonly known as Buggy’s Delivery. The organization was designed to profit from ongoing warfare, with Buggy deploying various overpowered pirates to conflict zones around the world. Buggy’s Delivery was run by Buggy, with administrative support from his crew as well as later allies like Galdino and Alvida.
Meanwhile, the S-Class mercenaries are composed entirely of the New Giant Warrior Pirates—Gerd, Road, Hajrudin, Goldberg, and Stansen—who have each continued to display their overwhelming might during One Piece‘s Elbaph arc. It’s impossible to imagine Buggy giving these relentless warriors a single order, but that’s exactly how it went until they abandoned him for Luffy.
The Cross Guild Was Formed from Buggy’s Debt to Crocodile
Having borrowed from Crocodile a sizeable sum for the creation of Buggy’s Delivery, Buggy was at a loss when his creditor came calling. Buggy didn’t even bother to flee, and was soon captured by Crocodile, who was initially planning to sell him off into slavery. Eventually, they put aside their differences because Buggy promised Crocodile his entire organization for free.
Buggy’s Delivery had little value aside from being absorbed into the Cross Guild, one of the most powerful pirate alliances in the Grand Line. Controlled exclusively by Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk, who have permitted Buggy to be the public face of the organization, the Cross Guild’s reputation coasts on all three former warlords’ involvement. That said, what the stronger two want from the Cross Guild’s rekindling of Crocodile’s Utopia Plan remains ambiguous.
Buggy’s Overvalued Estimation Made Him a Yonko
Mihawk and Crocodile took a backseat in the marketing campaign for the Cross Guild, which was overly influenced by Buggy’s ardent followers postering the world with his image prominently outshining the other two. And yet, the reality of his situation, and the unbearable terror Buggy has been feeling since joining his ex-colleagues, hasn’t stopped him from achieving greater notoriety.
Even the nefarious World Government isn’t immune to bureaucratic incompetence, explaining why they wrongly deduced that Buggy, of all the pirates in the Grand Line, was the supreme leader of the Cross Guild. And considering that Mihawk and Crocodile have a combined bounty exceeding 5 billion berries, it seemed the natural next step to crown Buggy an Emperor of the Sea.
Buggy Has No Choice Left But to Go After the One Piece
Buggy never believed in himself until he inspired half of Impel Down to follow him. He began dreaming of following in Roger’s footsteps and becoming the Pirate King, fully aware of the trials along the way. During one of his violent discussions with Crocodile and Mihawk, Buggy claimed that he wanted to find the One Piece and earn his legendary captain’s title.
Fighting off his fears, he reminds his co-founders that the One Piece could be acquired without doing battle. As Buggy puts it, “It’s a scramble for the treasure! We only need to beat them to it!”, reframing the entire quest into a race for the titular treasure and firing up the Cross Guild to take action. Unfortunately for Buggy, he dreads the prospect of actually walking the walk despite talking some pretty big talk. Still, Buggy might just become a legitimate contender for the One Piece if he continues failing upwards.
One Piece
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)