TV Special
Description
Captain Joke serves as the primary antagonist of the first One Piece television special, Adventure in the Ocean's Navel. He was once the captain of his own pirate crew who ventured to the legendary location known as the Ocean's Navel in search of a fabled treasure capable of granting any wish. However, his ambition led to his downfall. As he closed in on this prize, his own crew mutinied and killed him, stabbing him in the back multiple times. In the aftermath of his death, his soul was transformed into a brown bat, which lingered near his skeletal remains for a decade while the three monstrous guardians of the treasure, known as the Beasts of God, claimed his bones.
In life, Joke was a greedy, vicious, and violent pirate who showed no remorse for his destructive actions. He was willing to destroy an entire village of innocent people, including the murder of a young boy's mother, in his single-minded pursuit of treasure. This ruthless nature was paired with a deceptive intelligence. As a bat, he tricked the Straw Hat Pirates into defeating the Beasts of God by posing as a helpful guide, knowing that each defeated monster would return one of his missing bones to his body. Upon his revival, he emerged as a skeleton, a state somewhat similar to the later character Brook, retaining his distinctive black beard and colorful bandana while wearing a tattered red captain's coat with large shoulder pads.
Joke's role in the story is that of a revived villain who seeks to finally claim the wish-granting treasure he was denied a decade prior. His path is blocked by the Straw Hats and a local boy named Hamu, whose mother Joke had murdered. In his final confrontation, he wielded a powerful multi-barrel revolver attached to his arm that could fire explosive rounds. He also possessed the ability to project mental images into the minds of others, forcing Hamu to relive the traumatic memory of his mother's death.
Despite his villainy, a moment of introspection came with his final defeat. As Luffy, Nami, and Usopp physically restrained him, allowing Hamu to deliver the finishing blow, a different side of Joke was revealed. While he had spent his undeath expressing hatred for his mutinous crew, his last words were a poignant admission that what he had truly always wanted was not treasure, but a kind and trustworthy crew like the Straw Hat Pirates. This final comment highlights a key development in his character, transforming him from a purely greedy monster into a more tragic figure who, in his final moments, acknowledged that his ruthless pursuit of wealth had cost him the very thing he most desired: genuine friendship.
In life, Joke was a greedy, vicious, and violent pirate who showed no remorse for his destructive actions. He was willing to destroy an entire village of innocent people, including the murder of a young boy's mother, in his single-minded pursuit of treasure. This ruthless nature was paired with a deceptive intelligence. As a bat, he tricked the Straw Hat Pirates into defeating the Beasts of God by posing as a helpful guide, knowing that each defeated monster would return one of his missing bones to his body. Upon his revival, he emerged as a skeleton, a state somewhat similar to the later character Brook, retaining his distinctive black beard and colorful bandana while wearing a tattered red captain's coat with large shoulder pads.
Joke's role in the story is that of a revived villain who seeks to finally claim the wish-granting treasure he was denied a decade prior. His path is blocked by the Straw Hats and a local boy named Hamu, whose mother Joke had murdered. In his final confrontation, he wielded a powerful multi-barrel revolver attached to his arm that could fire explosive rounds. He also possessed the ability to project mental images into the minds of others, forcing Hamu to relive the traumatic memory of his mother's death.
Despite his villainy, a moment of introspection came with his final defeat. As Luffy, Nami, and Usopp physically restrained him, allowing Hamu to deliver the finishing blow, a different side of Joke was revealed. While he had spent his undeath expressing hatred for his mutinous crew, his last words were a poignant admission that what he had truly always wanted was not treasure, but a kind and trustworthy crew like the Straw Hat Pirates. This final comment highlights a key development in his character, transforming him from a purely greedy monster into a more tragic figure who, in his final moments, acknowledged that his ruthless pursuit of wealth had cost him the very thing he most desired: genuine friendship.