Pirata (graphic novel)

Khalid, a repentant pirate, is rescued by the Pugad Baboy residents after he is nearly killed by his erstwhile brothers-in-arms in the Red Marlin Group under the command of Luna, who are under the impression that he is responsible to the death of their leader Hamid Mustafa. Polgas saves his life several times as a Red Marlin hit squad attempts to finish the job. As rogue elements of the Navy and the Red Marlin finally catch up with Khalid and take him, Doc Sebo, Tomas and Dagul captive, Polgas dons his Dobermaxx persona and rescues the group which had been taken on board a ship in North Harbor. Khalid in turn saves Dobermaxx's life as Luna was about to shoot him from behind. It is soon revealed that Luna himself murdered Hamid; the Red Marlin take him with them as Khalid allows them to escape. The rogue Navy elements are taken into custody by the authorities.

Khalid is later accepted as the Red Marlin's new leader. He plans to surrender the pirate group to authorities and will soon testify during the court martial of Major Velasquez, the rogue Navy group's commander.

A relevant subplot in Pirata relates the origin of Polgas' human-like behavior, especially his ability to speak. It is revealed that his mother was a pure-bred Golden Retriever named Cecilia owned by a rich customs inspector named Lupito C. Nakpil, otherwise known as "King Louie". This man was so well-off that Cecilia had a diamond-studded collar and three golden earrings. Cecilia had a mongrel for a mate and when she gave birth to six puppies(four males and two females) all of whom resembled their sire, Nakpil was furious. Polgas' father soon disappeared and that evening, Nakpil's men served asocena as pulutan. Polgas and his siblings were separated from their mother and Nakpil left home for his resthouse in Tagaytay, taking Cecilia with him. Her forced removal from the presence of her offspring caused one of her golden earrings to fall off, of which Polgas retrieved.

• Polgas' mother Cecilia's name is an homage to Pol Medina, Jr.'s own mother Cecilia, further evidence that the cartoonist treats Polgas as an alter ego.
• A speech balloon meant for Khalid on the tenth frame of page 39 in the first edition of Pirata has no words in it; it may be a typographical error.
• The Red Marlin Group and Khalid would appear again as Dobermaxx's allies in the story arc Paraiso, where they are described as a "special action group" of the Philippine Navy.
• Raphael of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles makes a cameo appearance in Pirata. He is hidden in a sewer pipe, with only a portion of his face visible. He is, however, identifiable due to his green skin and red bandana.
• Polgas and Dagul both refer to the Red Marlin Group's hit squad as the "Jackson 5", a reference to the pop quintet.
• Medina misspelled the word "yacht" in the graphic novel twice as "yatch" (sic).
• Hamid was stabbed from the back on the right side of his body. Khalid could not have committed the murder since he was left-handed.
• Khalid claims Major Velazquez is a commander in the Philippine Navy. However, Majors are Army ranks, and their Navy counterparts are Lieutenant Commanders.
• In the first edition of Pirata, a two-page readers' corner can be found between pages 15 and 16 wherein Medina answered readers' comments about Pugad Baboy. It was included because the graphic novel was supposed to be the first of a quarterly comic series. Later editions of Pirata omitted this.
• The graphic novel features the first and only appearance of Dobermaxx's other car, the white Bullfox. Dobermaxx uses the car, still with glitches which Joboy was trying to fix, to drive to the North Harbor to save Khalid, Dagul, et al. from Luna and the Red Marlin hit squad. In fact, its glitches get Dobermaxx riling as the car slowly becomes unreliable. By the time he leaves the Bullfox, it is already in a state of disarray. The Dobermaxx of 2078 uses a future version of the car, known as the Bullfox II. The Bullfox's side profile closely resembles the Audi Avus Quattro.