The following contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1081, “Tenth Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan” by Eiichiro Oda, Stephen Paul and Vanessa Satone, available in English from Viz Media.
One Piece‘s world is in a constant state of turmoil, where almost everybody is doing whatever they want. Freedom to pursue one’s whim is an unspoken pirate motto. However, it’s also a world where one’s occupation doesn’t guarantee their moral tendency. Pirates can be good, just as Marines can be evil, but that also doesn’t mean all the Marines are corrupted or that every pirate is good. Former Admiral Aokiji, aka Kuzan, and the Blackbeard Pirates are the perfect example of this philosophy, especially after Kuzan joined Blackbeard.
Many One Piece fans had been speculating about his true intentions since Kuzan joined the Blackbeard Pirates. Chapter 1081 of the One Piece manga finally shed some light on the matter. It revealed the events that occurred after the fated battle between him and Akainu for the title of Fleet Admiral. It also demonstrated just how the devious Emperor managed to recruit the former Admiral into his ranks.
Why Did Aokiji Join Blackbeard?
A lot of fans were distrustful of Aokiji’s intentions after he joined Blackbeard. The Marines have shown their true colors time and again, provoking extreme caution and distrust among the pirates. In that same vein, the Marines crave power just as much as pirates do. When Aokiji and Akainu went head-to-head for the title of Fleet Admiral, Aokiji realized that in order to achieve the power he craved, he would need to throw the rule book in the sea.
One Piece Chapter 1081 featured a flashback to just after Aokiji was defeated by Akainu. He stumbled upon the Blackbeard Pirates on a certain island, and froze a good number of them attacked with the intention of taking his Devil Fruit. Blackbeard sought him out, wanting to ask the former Admiral to undo his Devil Fruit powers. Having spent years as a Marine pursuing pirates, Aokiji is reluctant at first, but he somehow hits it off with the pirates. After sharing a few drinks and unfreezing the pirates, he explained what happened during the fight with Akainu.
Then the Blackbeard Pirates shared some of their own intel. They tell Kuzan about the location of another Road Poneglyph, giving a few details about the man with a burn scar. However, one of Blackbeard’s men, Lafitte, had other ideas. He planned to steal Aokiji’s Devil Fruit power, almost resulting in a full-scale battle between the two forces. Blackbeard managed to calm the situation.
Extending the flag to Kuzan, he offered him a place on his ship, not just as a crew member, but as the 10th Titanic Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates. Blackbeard explains that pirates need to work together to further their own interests, do what they want and seek their own sense of justice. As the notion appealed to Kuzan, he accepted Blackbeard’s offer and became a pirate.
One Piece’s Kuzan Hasn’t Gone Bad – But He Still Could
As Chapter 1081 shows, former Admiral Kuzan is not following Blackbeard out of loyalty, but rather because the Emperor offered him freedom. By relying on Blackbeard’s backing, Kuzan will be able to enforce justice as he sees fit without much Marine interference. After all, One Piece has shown that even the Marines cannot attack an Emperor freely.
However, just because Kuzan hasn’t gone totally bad yet doesn’t mean he won’t in the future. The Blackbeard Pirates are ruthless. They lack the moral compass that guides some of One Piece‘s more fun-loving pirates, so it’s possible that Kuzan’s association with them will eventually lead him down a darker path. It’s also worth noting that Kuzan’s choice to join the Blackbeard Pirates still does not reveal his true intentions. It could be an undercover operation, or something even more twisted.
Kuzan has always had a powerful sense of justice, which makes his embracing of the pirate life difficult for fans to process. Having been beaten by his mentor, perhaps his view or even his perception on how to obtain justice, has changed. Skewed by a hunger for power and vengeance, he will get the answers he’s been searching for, no matter the method or the cost. If that’s the case, he is already more of a pirate than anyone could have imagined, and it won’t belong before he’s completely corrupt.
On the other hand, he could surprise fans entirely. Until Oda reveals more, Kuzan remains a mystery — potentially a great ally or a highly dangerous enemy during One Piece‘s final war.