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One Piece episode 1080, titled A Celebration Banquet! The New Emperors of the Sea! unveiled the names of the two pirates who took Big Mom and Kaido's place among the four greatest captains. Following their defeat at the hands of a massive alliance, Kaido and Big Mom were stripped of their Yonko status.
As everyone was partying in the Flower Capital, Kid showed Luffy the newspaper, which announced the names of the new Four Emperors of the One Piece world. In addition to "Red Hair" Shanks and Marshall D. Teach "Blackbeard, the other two were Luffy, and, in an absolutely surprising twist, Buggy "The Clown".
While not totally depending on one's combat prowess, the status of Yonko certainly requires anyone who owns it to be an outstanding fighter, which Buggy is not. Keep reading to learn how Buggy surpassed even his own expectations, having evolved from a mere East Blue pirate to an individual with Shanks and Blackbeard's same title in the space of two years.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga for anime-only viewers.
Buggy leaves everyone in shock by becoming a new Emperor of the Sea in One Piece episode 1080
Buggy's rise is unbelievable, but there's a reason for it
Despite being not even remotely as strong as other One Piece villains, Buggy regularly achieves accomplishments to the limits of unreality. No matter how terrible a situation seems to become, he somehow manages to muddle through it, and, stunningly, even gain some unexpected advantage.
Becoming one of the Four Emperors is without any doubt the peak of Buggy's dumb luck, given that this theoretically amazing achievement is, in truth, the result of a story that is nothing short of grotesque.
After a vote of majority during the Levely deliberated the disbandment of the Seven Warlords, the members of this institution became criminals once again. Following this event, Crocodile immediately contacted the most powerful former Warlord, Dracule Mihawk, to propose to him an alliance.
The idea was to create a company with the intent of hunting down Marines for bounties. As such, the two co-founded the Cross Guild, a sort of new "Operation Utopia," but, this time, based on Crocodile's cunning intellect and Mihawk's exceptional combat prowess as the World's Strongest Swordsman.
To fund the Cross Guild, Crocodile went to Buggy, who owed him a massive debt. However, the latter could not repay him, as he was broke. Trying to appease Mihawk and Crocodile, who were absolutely furious at him, Buggy offered to provide his previous organization and facilities to help kickstart their new project.
However, Buggy's subordinates misunderstood the scene and thought that Mihawk and Crocodile were his underlings, which he summoned to deal with the Marines who were besieging the island. Thrilled by the alleged prestige of their boss, Buggy's men spread the word that he was the leader of the Cross Guild.
Initially frantic for the incident, Mihawk and Crocodile found a way to take advantage of the absurd situation. In fact, Mihawk revealed that he had no interest in becoming a Yonko, and that he would rather do without the unwanted fanfare that would come with such a status.
Hence, Mihawk suggested that they could allow Buggy to be the leader of the group, at least as a figurehead to mislead the World Government. Buggy thereby carried out the farce and publicly announced himself as the head of Cross Guild, and Mihawk and Crocodile as his main subordinates.
In a hilarious comedy of errors, Buggy's subordinates misunderstood the scene once again, taking their chief's fear over his future fate for the joy of having enlisted such powerful individuals in his ranks. As if this wasn’t enough, the best was yet to come.
As expected by Mihawk, in fact, the World Government didn't remain indifferent at the establishment of the Cross Guild, especially as the organization even started putting bounties on Navy officers, reversing the typical process by which outlaws get awarded prices on their heads.
Due to his battle power and political influence, the Cross Guild quickly rose to the status of a Yonko crew, and, believing in the facade staged by Mihawk and Crocodile, the World Government declared the organization's supposed leader, Buggy, one of the Four Emperors.
At this rate, Buggy might end becoming the Pirate King
Throughout the One Piece story, Buggy's words and actions are often misconstrued as indicators of might. His poor luck, as well as a certain degree of shrewdness and improvisational skills, allowed him to build up his public image as a dangerous and influential pirate.
Despite not being particularly strong, Buggy has an enormous ego, and loves to be glorified and feared by other people, even if that reputation is undeserved. When presented with an opportunity to make himself look good, Buggy will gladly take it, which makes him a particularly funny and unpredictable character.
Buggy's rise to fame begun during the mass breakout from Impel Down, when many of the infamous Sixth Level prisoners were fascinated by Buggy's "charisma" and wanted to become his subordinates, especially as it was revealed that he was a former member (in truth, just an apprentice) of the Roger Pirates.
Then, in the Paramount War, a comical series of misunderstandings made Buggy seem, in the eyes of the world, a man who had the guts to challenge the entire Navy and who was considered an equal by Edward Newgate "Whitebeard". When Shanks arrived in Marineford, Buggy got mad at him.
Unaware that the two were sort of friends, having been crewmates in the Roger Pirates a few decades before, Buggy's new subordinates misunderstood the episode as their leader being unafraid to openly disrespect "Red Hair" Shanks.
Funnily enough, the World Government misunderstood these events too and started considering Buggy a powerful pirate, to the point where they offered him to become one of the Seven Warlords. Needless to say, he accepted the offer, and exploited the Warlord status to act with impunity while promoting his business.
Upon creating the pirate dispatch organization "Buggy's Delivery", he increased his fame. Following the abolition of the Seven Warlords system, the World Government sent a fleet to capture Buggy. Freaked out by the circumstance, he decided to escape by using his subordinates as scapegoats to keep the Navy busy.
However, Mihawk and Crocodile's arrival changed everything, as they easily destroyed the fleet, inadvertently setting the stage for Buggy's eventual rise to the title of Yonko. It must be noted that, if looked at with the eyes of the World Government, Buggy being one of the Four Emperors actually makes sense.
According to them, Buggy is an extremely strong and dangerous pirate, who:
- Orchestrated the mass escape from Impel Down and recruited several major outlaws formerly jailed in the prison
- Was a former subordinate of the Pirate King, having been a member of the Roger Pirates, the crew that found the One Piece treasure
- Was treated as an equal by two Emperors, "Red Hair" Shanks and the World's Strongest Man Edward Newgate "Whitebeard"
- Was worthy of being one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea
- Was mighty enough for Crocodile, a former Warlord with Logia-class powers, and Dracule Mihawk, an individual known for being the World's Strongest Swordsman and surpassing even Shanks, to follow him as his subordinates
Fans are well aware that these supposed accomplishments are a mixture of overstatements and, in certain cases, outright falsehoods, but to the general public of the One Piece world, including the World Government, they are firmly established as truth.
While this might sound comical, Buggy's knack for being in the right place at the right time, getting out of trouble through ludicrous and yet opportunistic behavior, is a very fitting ability of a pirate. Thus, even though he is far from being the strongest fighter around, he somehow deserves to be among the rulers of the seas.
Still, this time Buggy has to be sure not to over-extend himself by biting off more than he can chew. Mihawk and Crocodile are fine with having him as the Cross Guild's figurehead leader, but if he ever makes a wrong move, they won't let him get away with it, as their public image is at stake.
Be sure to keep up with One Piece's manga, anime, and live-action as 2023 progresses.
