Spike/Personality and Relationships

Personality
At first glance, Spike doesn't seem to care about anything at all, and shows a rather surprising amount of indifference to nearly everything around him. Noted to be apathetic, uninterested and totally void of energy by those around him, Spike hardly bats an eye towards otherwise bizarre and unnatural events and phenomenon. This results in those who are unfamiliar with Spike to find him as always being serious, or perhaps devoid of emotions and empathy. And this can cause further, mixed results leading to others considering Spike to be "cool" or "manly," and inversely, "creepy" and "weird." However, upon further inspection, Spike has shown to liven up when he gets excited, which is a result of his addiction to danger and excitement. Being an adrenaline junkie, Spike gets a natural high off of dangerous situations, and will show sides of himself he'd otherwise never reveal. Thus, like his captain (to an extent,) Spike has two opposing traits that make up his persona; a bored, sluggish side when nothing's happening, and an active, enthusiastic state when feeling threatened or in danger.

When aroused, Spike seems to be more expressive and social than usual. And as such, his true colors can finally be seen, unlike when he's normally bored and lacking in energy. Thus, those close to Spike often understand full well that even when he isn't doing or saying much, that he's still capable of feeling compassion, fear, sadness, anger, happiness, and the like. As a precaution, most close friends of Spike prefer not to take advantage of him when he's like this, as there's no telling how he'll truly react when motivated. Typically, running gags involving Spike's daredevil attitude usually involve him getting excited in the middle of certain situations, thus signaling to his allies that they're probably in more danger than they originally thought (and thus, can cause quite a bit of panic.) As Spike practically feeds off of danger and adventure, he's usually been seen trying to start dangerous situations on his own, in order to feel "alive" again. Most commonly, this is seen in Spike's love of fighting powerful and deadly opponents, and the reckless decisions he makes when trouble arises. Also, this was Spike's explanation for why he dreamed of going out to sea in order to find One Piece and become the Pirate King. Like Luffy, Spike has used chasing the One Piece as his excuse to go on thrilling adventures as a pirate, and has also refused taking any shortcuts in getting there.

As fighting is the quickest and easiest way for him to get excited, Spike has naturally grown a liking to fighting others, to the point where he'll take any chance or opportunity to battle someone. Albeit, Spike has also developed ground rules in regards to combat for himself. Among these, Spike seems to refuse to use any weapons, barring his trademark Plated Fists. The reasoning being that it seems to detract from Spike's enjoyment of the situation, as weapons would make things easier for Spike in battle. Thus, he solely relies on hand-to-hand melee combat at all times, when at all possible. Additionally, Spike has a preference for strong opponents, as the more challenging a fight would be, the more dangerous it would become. This explains why he rarely exerts his might on those weaker than him, as not only does he find the act indignified, but also boring and easy. When not fighting or doing anything risky, Spike seems to prefer using his free time to train and further hone his skills and strength, in order to face greater challenges ahead. And when in battle, Spike tends to reserve his stronger techniques for foes he deems as worthy enough to use them on. As a result, Spike usually builds up to his stronger moves against somewhat weaker, but persistent enemies. This shows a great level of confidence in himself, and in his abilities, which can naturally get the better of him at times.

As mentioned, Spike shows a large amount of self-assuredness. Not only in himself, but in others as well. This seems to balance out Chris and his protective nature towards the crew, as Chris saw himself as needing to always look out for Spike and the others, or else he might lose them for good (before the Time Skip occured, and Chris gained more confidence in his crew.) Spike on the other hand, is usually the one to remind Chris that he and the other Jolly Pirates can handle themselves just fine, and is often more than willing to prove it. This self-confidence seems to stem from Spike's impressive physical might, due to training and his Dino Dino no Mi, Model: Kentrosaurus, as well as his own ego. Despite not being as big of a braggart as Timber, Spike still seems to show a level of pride in himself and his fellow crewmates, comparable to that of Chris. Due to this, Spike tends to be reckless in his fights, and causes more property damage and destruction than the rest of his crew. It's even been noted by some like Wyatt that Spike can end up doing more harm than necessary, and may lack some form of self-control at times. Spike usually ends up shrugging such things off as him just having fun, or simply getting carried away; showing that he has a habit of downplaying his recklessness in public, and may be too proud to admit his own mistakes. Despite his pride, Spike also knows when to accept modesty, and can often be the voice of reason to Chris and Timber, who each show a sense of pride in certain ways. A good example of this was when he and Aphro began their training together during the time skip; where he openly asked for assistance from Aphro, who is much weaker than Spike.

Aside from himself, Spike does show love and compassion for those he's become close to. Especially in regards to his own crewmates, despite their personal quirks and oddities that might get on his nerves. Like with the other Jolly Pirates, this was evident in the crew's assault on G-4, where they desperately fought back against the Marines in order to save Peabody Karen. Spike ended up in a heated battle against one of Tombstone Grim's officers, where after a long struggle, he managed to defeat the Marine and began to proceed in trying to assist his crewmates. Earlier on, this was also seen in his hard-fought match against Roxanne of The Valkyrie Pirates, where the Jollys were in serious need of a doctor who could heal Wyatt. Spike has also shown that he has a great deal of respect and trust for Chris, his captain (possibly due to being the first person to join his crew, shortly before obtaining The Jolly Holiday and recruiting Timber.) Despite Chris' odd behavior at times, Spike has never once shown genuine doubt in Chris' abilities and intentions. Spike seems to be a strong, firm believer that as Chris' first mate, he has to be unflinchingly loyal to his captain at all times, unless Chris has stepped out of line somehow. It was strongly hinted in the - arc that Spike takes his role very seriously; seeing as he threatened to kick anyone out of the crew as the second-in-command while Chris was holding off -, in case anyone dared to go against his (Chris') orders. Even despite the pain Spike was feeling for leaving Chris behind.

Spike also shows a strong sense of responsibility and duty, as is often seen in how he treats his position as The Jolly Pirates' first mate. Often, Spike seems to go around acting as if he's Chris' official right hand man (which he sort of was, until Lys and Drazil showed up as the crew's second mate and third mate respectively, and effectively became equal in status to Spike,) and tends to pull rank when he feels it's necessary. This became even more evident when Lys was made the crew's second mate, which greatly annoys Spike, as he dislikes having to share his status and rank with her (seeing as the two hardly ever get along.) This sense of importance towards one's duties seems to be an effect left over from when Spike was the leader of his street gang at Sabaody Archipelago, Spike's Soldiers. Thus, Spike sees Chris' role as captain as something that should be taken very seriously, and never questioned. Likewise, any job he is given, or anything he is held responsible for, he often makes sure to take care of, no matter the costs. And so whenever he may fail at something, Spike will tend to take it very hard, and use it as a motive to try harder and get stronger so that he won't fail again.

When dealing with Lys however, Spike tends to get annoyed rather easily, and will usually end up picking fights with her over petty reasons. While Lys rarely acknowledges Spike or his successes (usually deeming them as "alright" or "fair enough,") Spike tends to see her as something of a rival to overcome. Thus, he usually ends up trying to compete against Lys, in the hopes that by defeating her, he can prove his superiority over her. However, as Lys barely credits Spike, except for rare occasions, the rivalry between the two tends to come off as one-sided. This doesn't stop Lys from indulging in arguments and confrontations with Spike however, and so the two usually always end up causing trouble together somehow. Albeit, when times are rough, and when absolutely necessary, Spike will help Lys for the sake of the common good, and does at times, imply as seeing her as a friend (if albeit, an irritating friend.) On the opposite end of the spectrum, Spike does tend to show an occasional soft spot for a few of his crewmates every now and again. The most obvious being Timber and Glory, where the former tends to come off as a lovable sibling to Spike, while the latter's flirting and protectiveness seems endearing to him, causing the two to get along rather well.

Spike also seems to show little to no fear of dying, due to his bold and brazen attitude. When contemplating the fact that he might die, and if it seems inevitable to him, Spike will do his best to accept it as best as he can. However, more often than not, due to his sense of duty, Spike tends to get worked up when he begins to think he has let those relying on him down. He has sometimes mentioned that his only true regret would be dying on people who need him the most. Usually, this acts as further resolve to complete his tasks, even if it means defeating a nigh-undefeatable foe. When it comes to the possibility of his loved ones dying, Spike tends to show more worry for others than for himself; a trait shared between him and his captain, if not the entire crew at large. Although ready to come to terms with death, Spike has shown complete intention on setting out to complete what he started, which is finding the One Piece, before he dies. This being a similar trait found in Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Humorously enough, despite his tough-guy attitude, Spike seems to be literal-minded in his thinking, as he takes every word he hears to heart. When he first heard the name for the crew's first ship, The Jolly Holiday, and how it was explained to be a ship where "every day would be a holiday," Spike began wondering if the crew could keep enough food and supplies going for a daily party. One of the few times his straightforward thinking was actually correct was when he first heard of the bigfeet, and imagined that they must've had rather large feet (although he failed to imagine the size of the other extremities.) This literal view of the world is often used as justification for Lys calling Spike an idiot, among other derisive names. In her defense, the large amount of muscle and the rather foolish remarks Spike makes do indeed make him look dumb in comparison to some of the others, albeit he's actually pretty smart and perceptive from time to time. Comically, this makes things rather funny, when considering the stark contrast between his average perception of the world, and his lack of understanding regarding metaphors and other non-literal phrases.

Spike also appears to be oblivious to things such as romance and flirting, especially in regards to Glory, who constantly crushes on him. Although he seems to understand it when Aphro begins flirting with the girls, it could be implied that Spike seems to struggle in understanding sexual attraction, as he writes off Aphro's behavior towards women as odd and stupid. Likewise, he has a hard time understanding why Glory dotes on him so much, and thinks of her as being overly kind and friendly, not unlike Chris' cousin, Just D. Kris. This further cements the idea that Spike may be all muscle and no brain, though he tends to at least comprehend why Aphro chases after women whenever possible.

Other than his more foolish traits, Spike is also a firm believer in faith, and the strength it gives to those who rely on it. Being a pirate, Spike highly respects the symbol of the jolly roger, as it's the sign of a pirate's faith and resolve. Furthermore, his belief that One Piece exists only strengthens his willingness to stay true to his faith and ideals, and so Spike looks down on those who belittle his or others' dreams and hopes. This is stated to be why Spike has so much trust in his crew, and especially in his captain. Spike believes that in order to exist in the wide, dangerous world, one needs that kind of faith, or else there will be no guidance or strength to see someone through to the end. This makes Spike a firm believer that nothing can be easily explained, and that the world holds many great, deep, and fascinating mysteries that have yet to been discovered. And so, when he and his friends come across a new marvel or phenomenon in the One Piece world, Spike will usually always be the first to accept it as reality, no matter what the context may be. This can often put him at odds with Timber, the shipwright of the crew, who is more logically driven than Spike is.

After the time skip, Spike showed some improvement in his personality. Whereas before, Spike would only ever get excited when in danger, he has now been shown being somewhat more lively without the need of his desire for excitement. However, Spike still seems to be very much the same in attitude, and still needs plenty of thrills and adventures to make him active. It's been implied this shift in personality is due to his journey with The Jolly Pirates having an impact on him.

Pierce
Pierce is Spike's biological father, and the captain of the crew Spike traveled with for the first five years of his life; the Pierce Pirates. Despite the brief time they had together, Pierce and Spike managed to develop a rather natural father and son relationship that soured over time. While at first, Pierce appeared to be a caring, loving father to Spike, he later revealed that beneath it all, he had always held Spike in contempt for the boy's reckless, impulsive behavior. Pierce's true colors finally showed themselves once Spike had eaten the Dino Dino Fruit, Model: Kentrosaurus that Pierce intended to sell for a large sum of profit. At his wit's end, he resorted to physically and verbally abusing Spike in front of the entire crew before denouncing him as Pierce's son and even stating Spike was made the crew's cabin boy to keep him in check. Pierce would then later abandon Spike at Sabaody Archipelago as a form of self-proclaimed "generosity."

As a result, Spike in turn has developed a strong hatred towards his legitimate father. At first, it took a while for the emotional scars to set in; given Spike at first attempted to bargain and even apologize to Pierce for what he did, simply in order to stay with the crew he grew up alongside. This however turned to anger, which later festered into outright repulsion. This lead Spike to try and exact revenge against Pierce multiple times, but ultimately being halted by his lack of skills in carpentry and navigation, as well as his inability to swim due to eating his Devil Fruit.

Despite the time he spent with Urufu, which helped to heal some of his emotional wounds, it appears that even 15 years after being left to fend for himself by his father, Spike still holds a personal grudge against Pierce, seeing as when he compared Pierce to Urufu, he mentioned Urufu was the better father.