Captain T. Ode

Captain T. Ode, or Khap'taan Teeowed as referred to by the Musée Champignon and Professor Toad, is a Toad and an ally of Mario who appears in Paper Mario: The Origami King. His name is both a pun on "Toad" and "ode," the latter referring to his poetic speech patterns. He is a ship captain from ancient times who owns a Sea Chart, and pilots a submarine called the Super Marino. His text is written entirely in italics.

Background
Captain T. Ode's story is told mainly through the Shangri-Spa Toads, who are not encountered until long after Ode's role in the story is finished. They say that in ancient times, he stole the submarine that was once used as a water taxi to Diamond Island. This vessel became known as the Super Marino. Ode would try to trade the submarine and/or the riches he discovered with it to King Shroomses in exchange for his kingship. Shroomses, being loyal to the Shangri-Spa and enjoying being king, denied the deal. As punishment for his crimes, Shroomses arranged for Ode's capture and froze him in a giant block of ice using "ancient technology" (revealed to be open freezers) beneath the Scorching Sandpaper Desert. The frigid cavern was sealed below the Sun Altar, which could only be opened with sunlight as well as a Sun Incense.

After an unspecified amount of time, Professor Toad began his research on that very altar, plus the legend of Captain T. Ode as a whole. He managed to locate the Sun Altar and tried to open it with some Sun Incense, but because the desert's sun had been locked away inside a disco ball by the Hole Punch, shrouding the whole desert in darkness, his attempt failed and he ended up hitting a dead end.

Paper Mario: The Origami King
In the present day, Captain T. Ode's resting place is eventually discovered by Mario, Olivia, and Professor Toad, who manage to return the sun to the sky. Using the Fire Vellumental's power, the trio melts the ice that is preserving his body and free him, prompting him to immediately run off to recover his Marino.

Shortly thereafter, while Mario, Olivia, and Sea Captain Toad are trying to explore the fogged-up Great Sea in search of the purple streamer, they realize that they cannot navigate it without a detailed Sea Chart, which Olivia remembers is in Ode's possession. Despite Sea Captain Toad's doubtfulness, the duo manage to find him in Toad Town's Musée Champignon, trying to retrieve his Marino, which is being held as an exhibit. Once the museum owner relents, Ode makes a deal with the heroes, giving them access to his submersible and Sea Charts, so long as he gets to tag along on their seafaring adventure. Following this, he permanently appears on the top deck of Sea Captain Toad's ship, but he does help man the Marino whenever Mario salvages a treasure chest or travels to Diamond Island.

Following the removal of all five streamers and the passing of King Olly, Captain T. Ode returns to land and partakes in the Origami Festival at the end of the game. In a screenshot during the end credits, he is sitting alongside Sea Captain Toad on The Princess Peach.

Profile

 * Collectible Treasure No. 79: "A legendary figure, frozen for all of eternity for stealing a submarine. Hey, submarines are expensive!"

Trivia

 * When he is first discovered, as well as when he is encountered again at Musée Champignon, the Fortune Island theme from Paper Mario: Color Splash plays, albeit with a slight reduction in instruments.
 * Captain T. Ode prefers his coffee with cream and three sugars, which was a common way to drink it back in his time. In the Japanese and Chinese versions, Professor Toad instead asks Captain T. Ode what he eats for breakfast, to which he answers cornflakes.