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Three-Headed Baskerville is the Chief Justice of Enies Lobby, in service of the World Government.[1] Ostensibly a three-headed man, "he" is actually three men—Bas, And, and Kerville—who are such close friends that they prefer acting as one body.[3][2]
Appearance[]
The three men comprising Baskerville wear identical uniforms—blue, single-breasted coats with gold trim and brown gloves—over their abnormally-built bodies:
- Bas is a stubbled, square-jawed man with extremely short, stubby legs and disproportionately large arms and hands; he typically wears a keffiyeh-esque headdress and an odd square visor.
- And is an aged man, with a prominent white beard, a lanky upper body, and disproportionately large legs and feet; he typically wears a bicorne-esque hat with a pronounced crown.
- Kerville is a relatively young man, with extremely short, stubby legs and disproportionately large arms and hands; he typically wears a sombrero-esque hat.
When masquerading as Baskerville, And (standing constantly bowlegged) carries Bas and Kerville on his thighs, and they collectively wear a massive blue tabard embroidered with the World Government's emblem. This hides everything apart from their heads, And's legs and feet, Bas' left arm, and Kerville's right arm, creating the illusion of a single body twice as tall as the average human.
Gallery[]
The Trio[]
Main[]
Personalities[]
Together, the trio number among Enies Lobby's biggest eccentrics, with Bas—who favors immediate conviction—and Kerville—who favors acquittal—routinely deadlocking on judgments. Wilder than both is And, who routinely voices bizarre "compromises" (such as executing the accused) that often annoy the others into headbutting or slapping him.
Nevertheless, all three are extremely close friends, and maintain the Baskerville guise out of pure fondness for each other.[3] They are also highly dedicated to Enies Lobby and its judicial system (despite acknowledging that the Just Eleven Jurymen have never acquitted anyone, leaving their trials mostly if not purely ceremonial); when acting to defend it, they coordinate much more smoothly, even speaking in perfect unison.[4]
During introductions, Bas usually identifies as "Left Baskerville", and Kerville as "Right Baskerville"; And "compromises" by inventing grandiose titles for himself, such as "Center Freeway", "Center Lone Mainline", or "Princess".
Abilities and Powers[]
Baskerville's judicial power is paired with considerable executive authority; collectively, the trio may in fact be Enies Lobby's highest officials after Spandam. In his absence, they serve as de facto commander of the entire island's personnel (possibly excepting CP9), comprising thousands of Marines and Cipher Pol agents, the Watchdog Unit of the Law, and even the technically-convicted Just Eleven Jurymen.[5][6]
During battle, the trio can coordinate their "public" arms and legs near-flawlessly, needing almost no verbal communication or signals with each other. Their guise can also serve as an unorthodox (if extremely limited) defense in itself, tricking opponents into attacking the empty space between their actual bodies.
Weapons[]
Both Bas and Kerville wield massive cutlasses, each as large as an ordinary human. Together, they can even coordinate a two-handed swing powerful enough to smash a solid stone staircase.[7]
History[]
Past[]
Longtime friends, the trio initially used "Basandkerville" as their collective name, but this eventually became shortened to Baskerville.[2] In any case, they assumed the position of Chief Justice on Enies Lobby, and presided over the trials of countless criminals (who were, regardless of their own views, always convicted by the Just Eleven Jurymen).[4]
Water 7 Saga[]
Enies Lobby Arc[]
As the Straw Hat Pirates invaded Enies Lobby during its "night" shift, the trio were—like Oimo and Kashii—pulled from bed to meet the threat. With Spandam unreachable (having accidentally left his office's Den Den Mushi unhooked), it fell to them to command the island's garrisons against the Straw Hats and their allies.[1]
Despite its abruptness, Baskerville quickly took stock of the situation, and sent the Watchdog Unit of the Law—ordinarily posted to guard the courthouse—to join the many Marines and Cipher Pol agents on the front lines.[5] Though these proved slightly more effective, the invaders continued to advance; with chaos escalating and casualties well into the thousands, Baskerville next deployed the Just Eleven Jurymen to the front lines, overruling all concerns of collateral damage.[6]
To Baskerville's horror, even the Jurymen could not stop the Straw Hats and their allies from storming Enies Lobby's courthouse. Almost simultaneously, Spandam reestablished contact, forcing the trio to report that the island's garrisons had, in fact, failed to the worst possible extent. Desperate to reestablish order, they tried to place the invaders on trial—only to be completely ignored, enraging them into attacking the Straw Hats directly. The attack was met by Roronoa Zoro, but soon interrupted by the Franky Family, who cornered Baskerville for themselves.[7]
Despite Baskerville's best efforts, the Franky Family held their own against the courthouse's remaining troops, allowing the Straw Hats to breach further still.[4] As Paulie, Peepley Lulu, and Tilestone joined the attack, Baskerville realized that they meant to invade the Tower of Justice via the courthouse drawbridge, and ordered it destroyed. In response, Paulie and Zambai each launched a killing strike, but only managed to cut Baskerville's clothing, leaving the actual trio split but unharmed; in the confusion, the standing artillerymen fired on the bridge, disabling it in mid-drop.[3]
The trio's victory was short-lived, however, as Kokoro proceeded to drive the just-functional Rocket Man through the courthouse, aiming to launch the Straw Hats straight over the half-dropped bridge. Stunned by the sea train's sudden appearance, the trio tried to order it down, and were promptly run over.[3]
Major Battles[]
- Baskerville vs. Roronoa Zoro, Nami, and Tony Tony Chopper
- Baskerville vs. Franky Family
- Baskerville vs. Zambai and Paulie
Inspirations and Influences[]
As repeatedly noted by the Franky Family, Baskerville's three-headed appearance evokes the Cerberus of Greek mythology.[7] Much like the monstrous hound, (part of) their duty is to guard a famously isolated land reputed to be impenetrable and unescapable.
Trivia[]
- Apart from Cerberus, Baskerville's overall character may stem from a number of other—mostly European—inspirations:
- Their collective name is likely derived from The Hound of the Baskervilles, the Sherlock Holmes novel that created one of the best-known hellhounds in fiction after Cerberus.
- More obscurely, the name may also reference the friar William of Baskerville from Umberto Eco's novel Il Nome della Rosa (The Name of the Rose). Brother William was an inquisitor who presided over trials throughout England and Italy, distinguishing himself by sheer perspicacity.
- The trio's "self"-bickering personality resembles that of the Three-Headed Knight from the 1975 British comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
- Finally, the "left/right" identifiers used by Bas and Kerville may be a parody of the left-right political spectrum, which—particularly in the United States—associates judicial mercy with the left-wing and "hardliner" penalties with the right-wing. While the "left" Bas advocates the latter and the "right" Kerville the former, it should be noted that from an observer's perspective, Bas appears as the rightmost head, Kerville the leftmost.
- Their collective name is likely derived from The Hound of the Baskervilles, the Sherlock Holmes novel that created one of the best-known hellhounds in fiction after Cerberus.
- Aside from Cerberus, Baskerville more closely resembles another figure from Greek mythology, Geryon, the three-headed giant from the myth of Heracles.
- Bas' favorite food is beef ribs from the left side, Kerville's favorite food is tuna cheek from the right side, and And's favorite food is chicken liver.[2]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 40 Chapter 379 (p. 18-19) and Episode 267, Baskerville is introduced as Enies Lobby's Chief Justice, and (with Spandam unreachable) called on to coordinate defenses against Monkey D. Luffy's invasion.
- ↑ 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 Vivre Card - One Piece Visual Dictionary (Card #0413), Information about Baskerville is revealed.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 41 Chapter 399 and Episode 284, The men composing Baskerville are "split" by Paulie and Zambai; unfazed, they order the drawbridge to the Tower of Justice destroyed. Shortly after, they are run down by the Rocket Man (helmed by Kokoro).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 41 Chapter 390 (p. 6) and Episode 274, Baskerville continue to battle the Franky Family, while proudly declaring that Enies Lobby's trials have never acquitted a single criminal.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 40 Chapter 380 (p. 2) and Episode 267, After demonstrating their bizarre personality "split", Baskerville send the Watchdog Unit of the Law against the Straw Hats and their allies.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 40 Chapter 384 and Episode 271, On Baskerville's orders, the Just Eleven Jurymen are freed to defend Enies Lobby. Notably, the authority for this seems exclusive to And, as the others headbutt him into voicing it.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 40 Chapter 387 and Episode 273, The Straw Hats and their allies flood Enies Lobby's courthouse, ignoring Baskerville's reading-of-charges against them. As Baskerville furiously attacks, the Franky Family drag "Cerberus" back by the legs.
External links[]
- The Hound of the Baskervilles – Wikipedia article about the novel Baskerville derive their name from.
- Cerberus – Wikipedia article about the three-headed Greek hellhound Baskerville is compared to.
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