Buggy the Clown is one of the very first villains that Eiichiro Oda introduced in One Piece. Making his first appearance in Orange Town, the place where Luffy met Nami, he was revealed to hold great significance in the story. At the time, his threat was considered to be greater than anything that the fans had seen. After all, he was known to have the same legendary Devil Fruit powers that Luffy possessed, making him a worthy opponent for the Straw Hat pirate. However, there was more to Buggy's character than just that.
Buggy was revealed to have connections to red-haired Shanks, the man who put Luffy on the part of becoming a pirate. The two were known to have sailed on the same ship long ago and Buggy held quite a bit of grudge towards his former crewmate. It was pretty clear that Buggy was established as an important character and would come into play later as well, however, nobody could have predicted just how much significance he would carry moving on in the series. Surprisingly, Buggy has continued to fail upwards and now finds himself as one of the Yonko – the four most powerful pirates in the One Piece world.
Buggy's Growth Throughout The Series
Buggy's journey started long before Luffy's even began. He sailed as an apprentice along with Shanks on Gol D. Roger's ship long ago. Spending quite some time with Roger, he learned the ins and outs of the Grand Line and even the New World quite early. Although he never went to Laugh Tale with the crew, Buggy had still completely the circumnavigation of the entire sea with Roger.
When Roger was executed, he shed tears, just like Shanks, however, he refused the latter's request to join his crew, wanting to start his own. Buggy then set camp in the weakest of all the seas, the East Blue. There he ruled with quite a lot of authority until he was finally taken down by Luffy. However, he was already preparing to enter the Grand Line once again at this point, as evident from the fact that he held a map of the sea. In One Piece's 100th chapter, he set out for the Grand Line, just like the Straw Hat Pirates.
Buggy's time on the Grand Line had its ups and downs. He was soon arrested by the Navy and thrown in Impel Down. By a twist of fate, he found himself escaping at the same time Luffy broke into the prison. Teaming up with him, Buggy played a massive part in orchestrating the greatest jailbreak in the history of the stronghold and was given due credit for that.
During the Paramount War, his connections to the likes of Roger were finally revealed to the whole world. Buggy also played a great part in the war not due to his strength, but because of the number of men that he had rallying behind him. His men were deemed useful even by the great Whitebeard, which says a lot about him. After his pedigree was finally revealed to the world, it is no surprise that the World Government wanted him on their good side and offered him the position of Shichibukai.
For over two years, Buggy enjoyed this position and was conducting trade within the underworld through his organization known as Buggy's Delivery. However, when the Shichibukai system was abolished, his luck seemed to have run out. Towards the end of the Wano Country arc, it was shockingly revealed to the fans that Buggy has actually managed to climb even higher. Now, he holds the position of Yonko – the same rank as the likes of Shanks, Blackbeard, and Luffy.
Why Buggy Being A Yonko Is Fitting
The Yonko are generally considered to be the four most powerful pirates on the seas. Garp described them to be monsters who nest in the New World and rule it like Kings in a fashion that even the World Government can't oppose. As such, only the monstrously powerful pirates are generally considered for this position. The likes of Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, and even Blackbeard would be ideally the fitting characters for this position.
However, Buggy somehow finds his way into the mix, now that Kaido and Big Mom have fallen. While the decision may seem like a weird one, it is certainly one that makes a lot of sense. A Yonko must have quite a lot of pedigree and influence in the world of One Piece and Buggy's case is quite special. Being a former member of the Roger Pirates, Buggy is considered to be one of the people who know about the secrets of the One Piece. At the same time, he is considered to be the sworn brother of red-haired Shanks.
What's more, Buggy played a massive part in the breakout in Impel Down two years ago and got some of the most vicious criminals to join him. As such, his strength is actually quite impressive. Over the two years, Buggy's Delivery saw countless powerful people ally with it, of which even the Giant Pirates were a part. His influence goes far and wide and he could also likely have quite a few territories under his name. This is further backed up by the fact that Buggy is considered to be a living legend by the World Government themselves, as seen When he was introduced as one of the Shichibukai.
Therefore, Buggy rising to the position of Yonko isn't all that surprising. After all, he does possess might in the form of a very powerful organization that follows him and he has great influence that he exercises through the countless allies that he made over the two years.
All that is topped with his connections to the likes of the legends such as Gol D. Roger, and Shanks. While Buggy doesn't actually know where the One Piece is or what it is, the World Government most likely isn't aware of that. As such, for them, Buggy is quite possibly one of the biggest threats on the seas that they cannot erase. All things considered, it would be fair to say that Buggy has always failed upwards but also that this holds a lot of meaning. Interestingly enough, Shanks once promised Buggy that the two would sail together to Laugh Tale to find the One Piece. While that hasn't yet come to pass, it could end up happening in the immediate future.