Appearance
Yorki is a pirate with yellow hair who usually wears a cowboy hat. He has two tattoos on his face, one beneath his right eye and another under his lower lip, both resembling the Japanese Kanji (ヨ). Additionally, he sports a green captain's coat.
In the anime, before his full appearance was revealed, Yorki was depicted as a young, brown-haired pirate without tattoos, wearing a tricorn hat instead of a cowboy hat. His coat was red rather than green. This depiction was later changed to match the manga's description.
History
Fifty years before the current timeline, while sailing the West Blue, Yorki and his crew encountered a lost baby whale named Laboon. Seeing the whale cry, Brook, a member of Yorki's crew, suggested they cheer Laboon up with music. After successfully cheering Laboon, the whale began following Yorki and the Rumbar Pirates on their adventures. As they approached the Grand Line, Yorki and some crew members asked Brook to convince Laboon to stay in the West Blue, fearing the dangers of the Grand Line were too great for the young whale. When this attempt failed, Yorki ordered the crew to ignore Laboon and stop playing music, hoping Laboon would stop following them.
Grand Line
Believing they had convinced Laboon to stay behind, Yorki and his crew entered the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain. Upon arrival, they met Crocus and asked to stay to repair their ship. To their surprise, Laboon had followed them into the Grand Line. For three months, Yorki and his crew repaired their ship while singing with Laboon. Realizing the Grand Line was too dangerous for a young whale, Yorki asked Crocus to take care of Laboon while they ventured further. They promised to return in two to three years to take Laboon back.
While in the Grand Line, Yorki and his crew faced numerous hardships, including battling a Marine base, which increased Yorki's bounty. Despite these challenges, they continued their journey.
Disease
After landing in a forest, Yorki and some crew members contracted an incurable disease. To save the rest of the crew, Yorki decided to leave the Grand Line through the Calm Belt with the infected members. With regret, he told the healthy crew members to give his regards to Laboon. As he lay dying, he asked Brook to play his favorite song as a farewell. Yorki's escape attempt was recorded in a report, but it misinterpreted his actions as cowardice rather than revealing his true reasons.
Anime and Manga Differences
In the anime, before Yorki's full appearance was shown in the manga, he was depicted as a typical pirate without tattoos, wearing a tricorn hat. This depiction was due to an unclear image from Crocus' flashback in the manga, where Yorki's appearance was obscured. The anime later corrected this portrayal after Yorki was fully revealed in the manga.
Trivia
Yorki's nickname resembles that of the real-life pirate, Calico Jack.
