Gasparde

Gasparde is an anime-only villain in the anime/manga One Piece. He is the main antagonist of the fourth One Piece animated movie Dead End Adventure. Gasparde is a former marine turned pirate which made him an enemy to the World Government. He is portrayed by Tarō Ishida.

Background
During sometime in his life, Gasparde enlisted himself into the Marines and later became and officer. However, he eventually became bored of his duty and roaming the sea, and abandoned the Marines to become a pirate. Gasparde was able to steal a Marine ship and altered it so that it would be a pirate ship. He then was able to acquire crew to serve him. This gave Gasparde an infamous reputation known as "the Marines' Greatest Stain". His goal from then on afterwards was to rule the seas, despite the fact that he always despised it ironically. During his early pirate days, Gasparde brutally raided and pillaged several villages. One of the villages that Gasparde raided, Elena, he murdered the parents of Shuraiya and Adelle Bascùd (supporting characters in the movie). He also forced people such as Biera work for him. Gasparde would later participate in the Dead End Race and won it each time (albeit through cheating). Gasparde did this simply as way to cure his boredom. He would then enter the next competition in the Dead End Race where he would confront Luffy.

Dead End Adventure
Gasparde makes his first appearance after Luffy saves one of his underlings and encounters him in a pirate lounge along with Shuraiya (where everyone else there has been killed). He his second in command, Needless, dispose the subordinate after telling the henchman that he doesn't recognize people who are worthless to him. Needless then tosses the poor man over the side (although he survived the fall due to a body of water below). Gasparde then notes that both Luffy and Shuraiya are both powerful individuals and asks if they want to work for him. Shuraiya is interested (but only because he wants to kill him) and asks Luffy about the offer but Luffy declines. Luffy immediately degrades Gasparde and calls him trash. Gasparde is slightly enraged by this and Needless immediately assaults Luffy. Needless restrains Luffy with one of his hooked claw weapons on Luffy's neck and prepared to kill him. Gasparde then laughs and tells Luffy that he has courage but he should watch his mouth or it might get him killed. Gasparde then tells Luffy to whatever he wants but only because he allowed it. Gasparde tells Shuraiya if he's still interested to come to his ship. He then tells Needless to let Luffy go as an advanced celebration of the race.

Needless backs off but almost accidentally steps on Luffy's hat. Luffy then tells him to move away and gets his hat back. Luffy mentions that his hat is his treasure and that Shanks gave it to him. Shuraiya asks Luffy if Shanks is the same great pirate which Luffy confirms. Shuraiya then says that Luffy is no ordinary pirate although Luffy thinks otherwise. Luffy then tells him that he's looking for the One Piece but believes when he becomes the Pirate King then he won't be an ordinary pirate anymore. Gasparde immediately laughs at this and says that is some big talk. He then questions Luffy if he knows what those words mean on the Grand Line. Luffy says not really but he has already decided anyway and if he dies then he is content. Gasparde then notes that he is a big-mouthed rookie before walking away and leaving the lounge with Needlees swiftly following him.

Gasparde then arrives at his ship, known as the Salamander, and notices two of his crewmates arguing with each other (one of them is Adelle Bascùd). He tells them to shut up and asks what's going on. Adelle then tells Gaparde that her grandpa, Biera, is sick and needs medicine or he'll die. Gasparde doesn't pay any attention to her until the other underling refers to Adelle as Anaguma (which means badger in Japanese) and tries to get her to stop talking. Gasparde then asks who is Anaguma and the underling informs about Biera's condition and that Adelle (Anaguma) is Bieras assistant. Adelle then tells Gasparde that she'll whatever it takes to get him medicine with the underling punching her into the ground (with Gasparde just standing there with a wicked glare). Adelle the grabs a gun from the henchman and point it at Gasparde and says she is done asking. Needless prepares to kill her but Gasparde tells him to wait and tells Adelle that the gun is not a toy. Adelle then responds saying she'll use the gun to kill a pirate with a bounty and use the reward money to buy the medicine for Biera. Gasparde, while grinning, tells the underling to let him try (not knowing that Adele is a girl) and that there are a ton of rookies ripe for the killing tonight. He tells Adele if she succeeds, she can become a crew member on his ship. Adele asks if he really means it and Gasparde says back in his own words that "the head of any idiot would make me happy as a fish in beer".

Gasparde appears later during the beginning of the race. Luffy's crewmates note that his ship is steam-powered and it is called the Salamander. Nami then elaborates further that Gasparde is a former marine where he became a pirate after seizing control the ship he was assigned to. She mentions that his bounty is ninety-five million berries (currency in One Piece) and that he has eaten one of the Devil Fruits giving him super abilities. Nami also states that Gasparde is known as General (Shogun) and that there aren't any pleasant rumors about him.

Gasparde is shown later straying off course from the rest of the ships. Shuraiya (who joined Gasparde's crew) asks why isn't he saying anything about this situation. Gasparde smiles and simply says "there's nothing to say". He mentions to Shuraiya that the whole thing is just a game (revealing that it is rigged) and it is a little fun to cure his boredom. One of his henchmen, the same one who argued with Adelle, then informs Gasparde that one of the ships is following them. Gasparde asks which one and that it is Merman Willy. Gasparde chuckles and says that a real villain has appeared. He notes that Willy is fired up and informs his minion to get the men ready for battle to which the henchman gleefully complies and runs off. Gasparde then mentions that he doesn't think he'll get a chance to participate. The battle between Gasparde and Willy isn't shown although it's implied that Gasparde won.

Gasparde reappears near the end of the film calling out Shuraiya and saying if he lets him have some fun, he'll play with him any time he likes. Gasparde then tells him that it shouldn't be very long. By now he finds out that Shuraiya isn't after his bounty and that he is one of the survivors from the island Elena that Gasparde massacred. He informs Shuraiya that he's done well for the past eight years and that he doesn't remember any of the kids during that attack. Gasparde then says that he seems like a good way to cure his boredom. He then says he would commit to it but his first mate, Needless, insisted that he would kill Shuraiya himself. Gasparde, content with that, says he'll simply sit and watch them fight it out. Shuraiya then says he doesn't care who comes first and Needless immediately attack Shuraiya. After an intense fight, Needless is about to finish Shuraiya off but he dodges Needless' attack where his hooked claw gets stuck in the rotor. Needless gets his hand free but leaves himself open allowing Shuraiya to strike him the head in the shovel and mockingly saying to him "later". He falls off the ship unconscious and into the sea below (it is unknown if Needlees survived or not).

Shuraiya then turns his attention to Gasparde where he has maniacal grin on is face and is very aggravated after Needlee's defeat. Shuraiya then attacks Gasparde slicing his head with the shovel. However, Gasparde survives thanks to his Devil Fruit, the Ame Ame no Mi (which means Candy-Candy Fruit in Japanese). Gasparde then easily defeats Shuraiya (due to that he sustained heavy injuries from his battle with Needless). At his point, Luffy and his crew arrive at Gaspardes location. Before Gasparde can kill Shuraiya, Luffy yells out his name, which barely stops Gasparde from smashing Shuraiya's head with his foot, and gets his attention. Luffy then gets on Gasparde's ship thanks his Devil Fruit abilities (Gomu Gom no Mi or Gum Gum Fruit) and sends all of Gasparde's men off ship with his whip attack.

Gasparde then tells Luffy that he is surprised he made it here and realizes that his thirty million berry bounty isn't for show. He asks what Luffy wants and if he wants to end up like Shuraiya (who still beaten and unconscious). Luffy then asks why is Shuraiya there and Gasparde says this is what happens when anyone dares to go after him but admits that Shuraiya had "put on a good show". He then says that Luffy looks like he has something on his mind. Luffy then asks Gasparde why he did this whole race competition. At first Gasparde doesn't know what he's talking about that but then figures out what Luffy meant. Gasparde says anything in this race goes and that there is no room for complaints. Luffy acknowledges that Gasparde is strong and that he didn't need to do all this but Gasparde explains it doesn't matter and it is just a game. He elaborates further saying if he didn't do this he would bored and then tells Luffy that he and every other pirate believes in pointless dreams. Gasparde says that all you need is power and with power, you can get anything. He mentions that if anyone pitiful enough not understand that deserves to be crushed by him. Gasparde then tells Luffy by tripling the prize money for the Dead End Race it would attract "interesting" participants and if anyone survived he would reward them by letting them join with him in his crew. To Gasparde, he believes that is that kind of game and the perfect way to cure his boredom. Sanji overhears the conversation and then states that he is the bookie's accomplice and that the bookie has escaped with the prize money. Gasparde then tells Sanji that he doesn't if he's alive or not because he gave him a fake Eternal Pose just like the rest of the contestants. He then lets out a sinister laughter after a scene where the Bookie's ship capsizes.

Luffy then prepares to fight Gasparde after knocking out Shuraiya out of the way so he won't be killed. Gasparde then brags to himself but Luffy tells him to shut up and fight. Gasparde then tells him he's going to beat impudent mouth of his inside out and then begins the fight. Luffy lands a punch on him but his hand gets stuck in his chest. Luffy then says what is this and that feels disgusting. Gasparde replies that he ate the Ame me no Mi and that it allows him to change his body into candy syrup. Gasparde then lands a barrage of punches on Luffy. However, Luffy is able to get out by sticking his other hand into Gasparde and using a head attack to force Gasparde to let go of him. After landing another attack on Gasparde, Luffy tries to eat him but doesn't work with Gasparde angrily yelling at him to stop messing around. Luffy then says he isn't and that he got out of Gasparde's trap. Gasparde then notices Luffy's hat and says that he thought he remembered him saying that Red Hair Shanks gave it to him. He then impales it with his hand turned into a spike.

Gasparde laughs and mockingly says that now he'll take him more seriously. Unfortunately for him, he lets his guard down and Luffy lands an attack that grazes him. Luffy tells Gasparde to give him his hat back. Gasparde complies and tells him to catch while throwing his hat, which tears a big hole into it. During the fight, Sanji gets a moment of opportunity and gives Luffy bags of flour which later turns out to be Gasparde's weakness. After the ship blows up, due to the boiler being unstable, Luffy gets attacked by Gasparde, which causes the some of the flour to get on his body. Gasparde notices that Luffy's crew left him and asks Luffy aren't they his underlings. Luffy then replies that they aren't his underlings but are his friends. Gasparde then rebukes him saying that there are those that rule and those that are ruled. He goes on further saying that power is everything and that was the reason he left the Marines and became a pirate. Gasparde then proclaims that he despises the sea but with power he can rule it and then lets out an evil laughter. Luffy then tells Gasparde that's why he calls him trash and that he isn't a real pirate. Luffy then tells Gasparde when he meets people like him, he kicks their ass. Gasparde is angered by this and says that he is the first one to give him so much trouble. He then says he will repay Luffy's tenacity by fighting him until the very end. He then mentions that there are lifeboats below the ship and there is a cyclone approaching them. Gasparde then makes his point saying whoever wins the fight gets to live.

Gasparde then proceeds to attack and injure Luffy but is also injured in the process due to Luffy's hand being covered in flour. Gasparde then asks himself why didn't his hand stick before Luffy throws the bags of flour onto him. Gasparde then says what is this on him and if it is flour before being hit by Luffy's whip attack. Luffy then unloads a Gatling Gun attack and punches Gasparde multiple times, which deals a lot of damage. Luffy then grabs Gasparde while he is stunned and tells him that he is the one playing pirate and that it's over. Gasparde gives Luffy an evil glare before getting launched into the air from Luffy's Bow Gun attack. However, Gasparde is still hanging on to the edge of the ship and tries one more time to kill him. Gasparde then launches himself after using his Devil Fruit to cover himself with spikes. Luffy is able to counter his attack though and sends him flying after he gets hit with Luffy's Bazooka attack. Gasparde then gets sucked into the cyclone and gets dragged away by it. It is unknown if he survived or not.

Appearance
Gasparde is a rather tall man and is very muscular. He has dark-blonde hair that is neatly combed to the sides, but with the back flowing outwardly, similar to that of another One Piece villain, Crocodile. Gasparde has strong cheekbones, a heavy chin, and squinted eyes. He wears a traditional Marines jacket with a brown shirt underneath it (he wears it on for the entire movie), leaving his chest exposed, and the Marine logo is crossed out with a red x. Gasparde wears black pants with a belt that has two buckles on each of its sides. He wears brown gloves, a purple scarf, and steel boots.

Personality
Gasparde is a ruthless, sadistic, opportunistic, manipulative, genocidal, and power-hungry individual who will stop at nothing to achieve his own goals. Just like the other villains in One Piece, he does not value his crew and considers them to be just plain underlings and are expendable. He does not acknowledge when any of his subordinates fail him and disposes of them when they are no longer useful. Gasparde even forces any survivors from his raids to join his crew as laborers or he will kill them. Gasparde despises the sea but believes if he has power he can control and rule over it all. He also despised Luffy's dream of finding the One Piece and becoming the Pirate King, believing that those dreams are pointless. His beliefs on that are similar to the Bellamy Pirates. Gasparde does not believe in fair sportsmanship as he always rigged the Dead End Race every time in order to cure his boredom. Due to this, he has no ambitions, adventure, and really no purpose. Luffy even pointed that out during the end of the movie that Gasparde is simply pretending to be a pirate. He also has some knowledge on one of the Yonko, Red Hair Shanks, as he recognized Luffy's hat while fighting him.

Abilities and Powers
Physical Strength: Gasparde was able to deal a lot of damage to Luffy even though melee attacks usually don't work due to his Gum Gum Fruit and was able to toss him a far distance.

Tactical Intelligence: Due to that he won every Dead End Race, despite cheating due to it being rigged, Gasparde shows strategic intelligence and proficiency duping anyone from pirate crews to Marines alike.

Devil Fruit Powers: Gasparde consumed the Ame Ame no Mi, a Logia-class Devil Fruit that allows him to convert any part of his body into candy syrup. He can forge weapons from the parts turned into candy syrup on his body. Gasparde can use the adhesiveness to entrap enemies into his own body and turn into a semi-liquid or solid form. However, the Devil Fruit is vulnerable to flour which nullifies its abilities and has the same weakness as other Devil Fruits (the user sinks like a hammer when in an ocean or weakened when exposed to sea water or sea stone). Gasparde also didn't master his Devil Fruit which prevented him from accessing its full potential. An example of his incompetency was when Luffy threw a mast of the Salamander through his back and didn't use his powers to avoid the attack. He also claimed it hurt him as he didn't turn into his liquid form before the mast struck him.

Trivia
His name might be a reference to the Spanish pirate José Gaspar and/or the Chinese pirate Zheng Zhilong (a.k.a. Nicholas Iquan Gaspard).

While referred to as a "General" of the marines, the rank does not exist within the Marines of the series. It is simply Gasparde's personal epithet, rather than his actual rank in the Marines.