[One Piece] Is Koby’s Growth Actually Broken? Fans Debate His Insane Rise in the Marines
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Koby (2018/06/23) — Has His Growth Rate Gone Too Far?
Koby started as a nobody dragged onto a pirate ship. Now he’s a Marine Captain with Haki and Rokushiki-level skills. Is this growth earned—or did it spiral out of control?
757: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 I don’t think Oda originally planned to make Koby that strong. The initial goal was just becoming a Marine officer, like an ensign. Mastering Rokushiki in less than two years is way too much. Even Lucci couldn’t do that.
764: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 >>757 There was never a clear explanation that Koby mastered Rokushiki. If anything, his Observation Haki is what really stands out.
778: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 >>764
Koby Koby has shown remarkable growth, rising from Chief Petty Officer to Captain. His Observation Haki, which awakened during the Summit War (Marineford), allows him to sense wrongdoing within the Marines, as seen on Hand Island.
Official Profile ・Marine Captain Koby ・Wears the same jersey as before ・Has mastered Rokushiki ・Possesses abnormally advanced Observation Haki The glasses Koby has worn since his early days remain his trademark to this day.
771: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 Koby’s growth rate is probably number one in the entire story. He might even have some kind of special bloodline.
789: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 Even now as a Captain, Koby is still just “a good guy.” I want to see him thrown into unfair situations involving Celestial Dragons or the Seven Warlords.
777: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 I want to see Smoker being ordered around by Admiral Koby someday.
862: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/17 Smoker: “I prefer the Vice Admiral position where I can move freely.” Fleet Admiral Koby: “No, no, Admiral would be too much for your ability.” That could totally happen lol.
Hatred and Love Toward His Speed
262: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I hate Koby’s insane growth speed that even surpasses Luffy with protagonist buffs.
263: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I want Koby to hurry up and eat a Logia or some strong Devil Fruit. Since he’s Garp’s disciple, maybe after Aokiji goes down he’ll get the Ice fruit or something.
265: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I actually like Koby growing faster than the main character. There should be more characters with growth rates beyond Luffy’s.
Bloodline Theories and Devil Fruit Speculation
663: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>271 Wouldn’t be surprising if Koby secretly has some special lineage.
263: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I want Koby to hurry up and eat a Logia or some strong Devil Fruit. Since he’s Garp’s disciple, maybe after Aokiji goes down he’ll get the Ice fruit or something.
314: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Do you think Koby will become a high-ranking officer without ever eating a Devil Fruit?
321: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>314 He wouldn’t be able to do underwater patrols anymore. Garp’s school probably values Haki over Devil Fruits anyway.
Garp as an Overpowered Mentor
272: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Garp is way too good as a teacher. Koby has talent, sure, but Garp himself is ridiculous.
361: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Why aren’t there tons of Marine rookies trained by Garp over those two years? There should be people with more potential than Koby joining the Marines.
371: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>361 Even Luffy hated that training. You’d need insane guts to survive it. Plus Koby was doing Garp’s training AND studying, so effort matters too.
Comparing Koby and Luffy Directly
271: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Luffy: forms a pirate crew → becomes the Fifth Emperor Koby: joins the Marines → becomes a Captain Is Koby’s growth really faster than Luffy’s?
280: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>271 It’s not about rank. Starting from zero combat ability and becoming a Captain in just two years is insane.
295: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>280 Luffy trained for ten years just to reach his starting point.
Bloodline, Devil Fruits, and Endgame Theories
267: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I once imagined Koby eating the Flame-Flame Fruit someday. Luffy facing him and thinking of his late brother, saying “this feels nostalgic”… Also old Luffy looks way too much like Buta-san. Young Garp was basically Luffy, so why do those two look so different in between?
268: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 The final chapter will probably end with Koby chasing after Luffy anyway.
271: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Luffy: forms a pirate crew → becomes the Fifth Emperor Koby: joins the Marines → becomes a Captain Is Koby’s growth really faster than Luffy’s?
280: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>271 It’s not about rank. Going from zero combat ability to Captain in just two years is insane.
295: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>280 Luffy trained for ten years just to reach his starting point.
663: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>271 Wouldn’t be surprising if Koby secretly has some special lineage.
Garp’s Training and the Marine System
272: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Garp is way too good as a mentor. Koby has talent, sure, but Garp himself is ridiculous.
276: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 With Sentomaru and Koby around, Smoker is basically finished lol. In the end, Sentomaru will reach Luffy-level strength, while Koby probably won’t get that strong.
277: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 The real geniuses were Alvida and Luffy for finding Koby in the first place.
278: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Even Kobiyama, who looks like Koby, is well received. Koby’s future seems secure. Maybe he can even see the future or something.
Devil Fruit or Pure Haki?
281: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I want to know what justice means to Koby. Is he still searching like Tashigi? If so, I want to see that depicted more clearly.
285: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 How strong does Oda plan to make Koby? I don’t want to see him fighting Luffy on equal footing someday.
288: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Koby is already pretty strong now. He has Rokushiki and Observation Haki. His Observation seems especially unusual. He could probably hold his own against Gear Second. Though he might lack raw firepower.
Helmeppo “But seriously, what the hell is up with your Observation Haki? Koby, I didn’t sense a damn thing.”
294: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 I believe the Rocky Port Incident details will be revealed in a future SBS.
314: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Do you think Koby will become a high-ranking officer without eating a Devil Fruit?
321: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>314 He wouldn’t be able to do underwater patrols anymore. Garp’s school probably values Haki training over Devil Fruits.
“Why Only Koby?”
361: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 Why aren’t there tons of Marine rookies trained by Garp over those two years? Among all the new recruits, there should be people with more talent than Koby.
371: Anonymous Pirate. 2018/06/22 >>361 Even Luffy hated that training. You’d need insane determination to survive it. Plus Koby was doing Garp’s training and studying at the same time, so effort definitely matters.
👉 Why Koby’s Growth Feels Uncomfortable to Japanese Fans
For many readers, the issue isn’t Koby’s strength itself. It’s the lack of visible suffering compared to Luffy.
Luffy’s growth is defined by defeat, pain, and long-term failure. Koby’s rise feels compressed, making it harder to emotionally “pay for.”
That emotional imbalance is where the discomfort comes from.
👉 Why Koby Still Feels Inevitable as Luffy’s Counterpart
At the same time, Koby represents a future Luffy can never embody: justice from inside the system.
If the Pirate King changes the world from the outside, Koby exists to repair it from within.
From that perspective, his rapid growth isn’t a mistake—it’s setup.
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