#kwazii once had a flashback of being stranded on an island during his pirate days

[octoagentmiles]

*sharp inhale* here's how i think all the octonauts met/joined the crew (in order):

Inkling,, is not a particularly brave man. Not a strong one either. But! (s5 spoiler!!) In the Chinese salamander special it's revealed that he was an explorer, and he met Min after she saved him from being trapped somewhere. (spoiler over) I think Inkling met Barnacles the same way, and he told him about his dream of a crew that sailed the sea to help creatures.

Barnacles liked the idea, and agreed to help make it a reality. With him already being a Captain of sorts (the MV Manitoba), and his general leadership qualities, he was immediately put in charge.

He called up his good old friend, Tweak, and asked her if she could build a ship. "you want me to build a 50ft tall metal octopus ship?" "yes?" "great. be right there." She stuck around afterwards so she'd be there to repair it if something happened.

For a while, it was just them. Until by happenstance they met Shellington, who was eagerly begging to join offering his services, with his special interest expertise on marine biology.

Shellington recommended his friend Dashi, as Inking mentioned something about "needing some extra help." Not only was she a photographer, and a great IT, but she was adaptable, and could help out with almost anything on board. The Octopod had crashed and been rebuilt around this time.

That was the crew. The whole crew — Until one day, Barnacles shipwrecked a Gup during a test drive, and was stranded on a remote island. On this island, he found a young pirate, who (strangely) was all alone and also stranded. He told Barnacles stories and legends of pirates and monsters, and Barnacles started to like him. When his crew finally found him, Barnacles turned back to Kwazii with his hand extended, and he told him to come with them.

[The Vegimals have a canon origin story — go watch "A Very Vegimal Christmas."]

While rescuing a very large family of penguins, they couldn't protect them all, and a few got hurt. Barnacles watched as one penguin, smaller than the rest, and younger than most, began to make his own bandages (out of what?? we'll never know) and tend to his family's injuries. He approached him after and mentioned their tragic lack of a personal medic. Peso, terrified, but determined, gave his "I'm a medic-" spiel for the first time, and agreed to come along.