Urouge is also known as the "Mad Monk," a major character of the anime and manga series One Piece. Being the captain of the Sinful Monk Pirates and one of the Eleven Supernovas, Urouge takes a very different role across this vast world that Eiichiro Oda has created.
Origin and Background
What sets Urouge apart from the Supernovas is his origin from a sky island. Sky islands are floating land masses way up in the air, far above the ocean, and very few surface People ever get to visit them. That makes him mysterious and really different from most characters in this series.
Abilities of the Devil Fruit
Urouge has the power of the Devil Fruit, which allows him to increase body mass and, presumably, strength. The ability is visibly manifested, since when increasing his size, he often rips his shirt. This form, in contrast to most Devil Fruit powers, does not manipulate the clothes like it does for the body. This points to yet another mysterious and combat-potential increasing aspect about Urouge's power.
Role as a Supernova
Urouge is one of the Eleven Supernovas, a group of notorious rookie pirates who have crossed the Sabaody Archipelago at the same time with bounties over 100 million berries. This places him among the most promising and dangerous up-and-coming pirates in the One Piece world, alongside Monkey D. Luffy, Trafalgar Law, and Eustass Kid.
Encounters and Battles
Probably one of his most prominent appearances in the series to date was during the Sabaody Archipelago arc, where he ended up confronting one of the World Government's human weapons, a Pacifista. Urouge was shown to be unable to hold a candle against the cyborg and was easily defeated, proclaiming the strength these adversaries possessed. It also depicts the gap between Supernovas and already powers in the One Piece world.
Within the same arc, Urouge tried to retreat from a fight against one of the most powerful officers in the Marine: Admiral Kizaru. This act epitomizes that Urouge is wary and cunning, proving not to be an all-out brawler but one who could read situations and make tactical decisions.
Significance in the Overall Plot
At this point in the series, Urouge is still one of the least developed Supernovas in major story arcs. Much speculation by fans is placed on what role he will possibly play in the series in the future, as the lack of screen time devoted to him has kept many in suspense. With a very unusual background as a sky islander and abilities that are yet to be unexplored, he becomes an interesting and potentially very promising character for future plot developments.
Some fans and analysts feel that Urouge could have a part to play in sky island storylines in the future or perhaps even feature in expositions detailing Nika, who is a major figure in recent One Piece lore. It's worth noting that these are merely speculations rather than concrete plot points.
The encounter with the Pacifista showed that, despite his impressive status, Urouge still had much to learn. In that sense, he develops the same features characteristic of one of the general themes among the Supernovas: very powerful, yet undeveloped, forces in the One Piece world.