Otsu

Otsu presents as an aged man with lightly tanned skin, his white hair combed straight back and a grey, sharply pointed goatee finishing his chin. His face narrows to a point, accented by squinting eyes and a nose that angles downward. For all his years, his frame stays as fit as a man far younger. His outfit consists of a black jacket worn over a red shirt, along with black trousers, black footwear, a grey headband, and grey-tinted sunglasses.

A blunt and serious nature marks Otsu, who pressed Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper for their identities the moment they turned up at his door. Beneath the gruff exterior runs a playful streak, shown when he mocked Meryl and her followers as they tried to intimidate him. In the manner of many characters across the series, he carries a distinctive laugh of his own, rendered as Hohhohhohho.

His elderly look conceals real power: Otsu hits hard enough to drop one of Meryl's underlings with a single strike, strength well beyond what his age would suggest. He entered the story once Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper climbed a snow-covered peak and reached the dwelling at its summit, where the old man came out to interrogate them. Before he could pry much loose, Meryl and her crew showed up and menaced him, prompting Otsu to drop one of them instantly. With the enemy pirates beaten by the Straw Hats, he welcomed the trio indoors and shared what he knew of Simon and the crew under his command.

The Straw Hats afterward climbed back up to question him further regarding the Simon Pirates, but when the group descended again into the village they discovered Otsu at the local tavern. Outside, the Simon Pirates had seized three hostages, and Otsu persuaded the Straw Hats to intervene. Once those pirates were defeated, he expressed his thanks and helped care for the wounded captives, one of whom, Saki, recognized him from some earlier acquaintance. Following the downfall of the Shushibaruba, Otsu and his fellow bandits bid the Straw Hats farewell.