Kuzan, better known as Aokiji was one of the Three Admirals of the Navy. He was previously a Vice Admiral who participated in the Ohara Buster Call in which he saved Nico Robin.
He was also a candidate for the position of Chief Admiral, but after his defeat against Admiral Akainu in Punk Hazard, who also wanted the position, he left the Navy. After the ellipse, he made his comeback at the end of the Punk Hazard arc by preventing Doflamingo from killing Smoker. Later, we finally learn that he decided to join Blackbeard's crew himself, accepting the position of commander of the 10th ship of the crew.
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Appearance
Ohara
During the Ohara Incident 20 years ago, when he was Vice Admiral, he wore a blue, partially unbuttoned Navy shirt, with a blue Navy cap and black sunglasses.
Before the ellipse
Aokiji is first introduced as the most powerful member of the Navy, according to Nico Robin. He, like the other Admirals, is a tall person who outshines all the members of the Straw Hat Crew (at the time of this meeting, Brook was not yet a member). His clothing is a white sleeveless vest with blue buttons worn over an indigo blue shirt, white pants and white shoes. He also has a geometrically divided yellow tie and a sleep mask on his forehead. All in all an appearance that does not suggest his status or power, but as he pointed out to Usopp, one should not "judge people by their appearance".
After the ellipse
After the ellipse, Kuzan wears round orange glasses, a light blue cap, a padded blue coat and he has kept the after-effects of his fight with Sakazuki on his right side, as he has large scars on his right arm. He also lost his left leg, which he replaced with a prosthesis made of ice using the power of his Demon Fruit. He also carries a brown bag.
Personality
Despite his important position in the Navy, which is that of an Admiral supposed to represent implacable Justice, we can see that Aokiji is a very relaxed person who spends his time sleeping. He also likes to flirt with the pretty girls he sees, especially Nami during his first meeting with Luffy's crew, which brought him the wrath of Sanji. His motto is "Cool justice" or "Lazy justice", a very personal conception of justice. We understand quite quickly that he is lazy and even borderline lazy! But he is still considered as a nice person, much more than his colleague, Akainu, whom he qualifies as a "moron". He seems to be attached to his friends since he will respect the will of his friend Haguar D. Sauro, who died while letting Nico Robin leave and survive the destruction of his island, Ohara during the Buster Call. This very brilliant officer of the Navy who moves on the ocean in bicycle (by freezing the sea under his wheels thanks to his power) remains an ambiguous character. What strikes you when you meet him for the first time is his size: he is almost 3 meters high! He is all in length: a real cotton swab! We can easily summarize his way of thinking with his motto: "A lazy justice", very different from the "Absolute justice" defended by the Navy and fanaticized by Akainu or from the "Moderate justice" defended by Kizaru; it gives an idea of the character! We can't really say that he likes to work a lot, besides, he embodies the quiet strength of the Navy. He is naturally pleasant and easy to talk to, never doing more than the orders he is given; however, he may not obey them when they question his moral principles. Moreover, the simple fact of standing tires him (perhaps because of his size): he always has to sit down, even lie down on the ground (it must also be said that he has a great passion for improvised naps). He therefore advocates a "cushy justice without headaches".
2 years later, he hasn't changed and is now a traveler who works outside the official framework, but always with the same goal: Justice.
He has a recurring expression, "Arara", meaning "Oh, my", which is often used when something surprises him.
Relations
Friends and allies
The Navy
Aokiji was part of the trio of Navy Admirals, the most powerful officers in the Navy directly after the Chief Admiral. So he would be one of the strongest men in the world! Aokiji has a good relationship with many officers. He is still respected because of his position and is known by almost everyone (except maybe the new recruits like Fujitora).
Akainu
Although Akainu was his colleague and in the same camp as him, Aokiji had a very tense relationship with his colleague Akainu: he was particularly disgusted when the latter destroyed a civilian evacuation ship during the Ohara Incident, under the simple pretext that it might have a fugitive scientist on board. The tense relationship between Aokiji and Akainu stems mainly from their differing views on their philosophy of justice and how to apply it. Aokiji considers him as a dangerous extremist jerk and does not support his zeal during his missions because, as during the Ohara Incident, it often ends up with the death of many innocent people. We can note their confrontation for the position of chief admiral, which heavily injured both, despite a victory of Akainu.
After the ellipse, Akainu seems disgusted by Kuzan after this one joined the fleet of Blackbeard.
Smoker
He saved Smoker from the clutches of Doflamingo who was about to kill him. Smoker owes him his life.
Garp
Aokiji feels indebted to Garp, whom he considers an example to follow in the Navy, which would explain his relaxed and cheerful nature.
Sengoku
Sengoku seems to like him and trust him to become Chief Admiral. He even recommended him to be his successor in Kong.
The soldiers of G-5
Aokiji saved them. After Smoker, they were all next on Doflamingo's list. He trusts them enough to keep his presence a secret (probably because his friend Smoker is in charge of them).
Spandam
He trusted him enough. The proof is that he entrusted him with his golden Snailophone (it will be used during the Buster Call of Enies Lobby).
Zephyr
He had respect for his former master instructor. He respected his choices to exterminate the Pirates although he did not agree with his strategy. He will give advice to Ain and Binz when their master dies. We can also say that he admired him because he confessed to him that he started to drink Jerez to be like him.
Teach
Kuzan joined Marshall D. Teach's crew which was confirmed by the Gorosei. Kuzan may not be sincere and may have a hidden agenda, but it seems that he and Teach have come to an understanding. Burgess mentions not trusting Kuzan, but Teach seems to trust the former Admiral more and compares his situation to Shilliew's after his lieutenant's doubts.
Enemies
Nico Robin
Just before leaving for Water Seven, Luffy and his crew met Aokiji on Long Ring Long Land, where he was sleeping standing up. Upon seeing him, Robin was terrified: he is the only person who impresses Robin, despite her phlegmatic nature. He tried to kill her, but the rest of the crew intervened. After a duel with Luffy that he won easily, he decided to leave the rest of the crew alone because he had agreed to a face-to-face duel. He also spared Luffy, because he owed him for defeating Crocodile. He had already met Robin in Ohara, on the day of the Buster Call, and it was he who saved her from the attack of the Navy by tracing a path in the sea with his power. He will see Robin again after the events of Enies Lobby by reminding him that Ohara still lived and that Robin had finally succeeded in finding her place in this world. He feels it is his duty to watch over her, for it was he who spared her.
Jinbe
He doesn't seem to have any particular grudge against Jinbe and will even apologize for having frozen the sea when the Fish-man tries to escape from Akainu, which lets us think that there is a certain form of respect between the two men.
Monkey D. Luffy
Aokiji has a certain respect for Luffy, even though he is a pirate. He befriended him before his duty as an Admiral made him destroy this relationship. Luffy will learn from this confrontation, becoming less naive and planning to train to increase his power and better handle future conflicts. Kuzan was impressed with Luffy's rapid rise to "fame" as he managed to escape from Impel Down Prison and also Marineford. Kuzan was also visibly shocked when Luffy used the Haki of Kings.
Whitebeard and Joz
He stood up to Whitebeard during the Battle of Marineford. He managed to freeze Joz who had a moment of inattention.
Doflamingo
He is suspicious of Doflamingo. He advises Smoker to watch him closely because his actions are more than doubtful. He still tried to kill one of his friends (Smoker).
Crocodile
Aokiji doesn't seem to appreciate the former Grand Corsair for his coup, fortunately prevented by Luffy, in the Kingdom of Alabasta, or even before. Indeed, Aokiji, as well as Smoker, knows that Crocodile is a cunning man and that he would not have joined the order of the 7 Great Corsairs if he had not seen his interest. That's why he will spare the Straw Hat because it is Aokiji who should have taken care of Crocodile.
Skills and Competencies
Aokiji was an Admiral of the Navy, so he is one of the most powerful people in the world. He was part of one of the Three Groups representing the Three Great Powers and ensuring the stability of the world.
He had the ability to command a Buster Call. In fact, his overall abilities were so vast that Sengoku suggested he become a Chief Admiral. However, after leaving the Marines, he lost these privileges. He was able to easily overpower Luffy and the other Straw Hats on his own.
A notable example of Kuzan's reputation is Nico Robin of the Straw Hat Pirates, related to her childhood trauma, she constantly loses her grip and starts to panic whenever Kuzan is around, which is important because she rarely panics even in the most dangerous situations.
He is also a skilled navigator, being able to travel the Grand Line with a bicycle and after 2 years later with a penguin.
At the same time he is very powerful, considering his former rank and is able to fight against powerful personalities such as Joz, the Commander of Whitebeard's Third Division and could even beat Whitebeard himself. He also seems to have great speed and stealth attributes, being able to appear behind the Corsair Captain, Doflamingo without the latter noticing until he makes his presence known.
In addition, he was able to fight against his colleague Sakazuki on equal status, and they were sustaining serious injuries in their 10-day duel before Aokiji was finally defeated, demonstrating better endurance. Kuzan was considered a huge asset to the Marines, and her departure left a negative impact on their military strength.
Physical abilities
Apart from that and his powers of his Demon Fruit, his physical attributes are also extremely high, as he is able to fend off simultaneous attacks from Zoro, Luffy, Sanji and without taking any damage, and having taken a kick imbued with Marco's Haki and was seen unharmed moments later.
He also jumped to a very extreme height in a matter of seconds to freeze a pair of tsunamis caused by Whitebeard. He is also able to travel at tremendous speed, as seen in the attack on Baggy. He also has a very acute hearing, being able to hear the underwater activity, before the beginning of the Whitebeard war.
It was also recognized by Haguar D. Sauro, who had destroyed several huge warships and had raised one by himself, that Kuzan's strength was abnormal, even before he was an admiral. Another testimony of his power as an admiral, is that most of the time he came out unscathed after the Whitebeard War..
Haki
All Vice Admirals and above are supposed to have mastered Haki. Aokiji has demonstrated the ability to use the Haki of Arms. For example against Marco or Joz during the battle of Marineford. He also masters the Haki of Observation.
Fruit of the Demon
He ate the Hie Hie no Mi or Givro-Fruit, a Logia type Demon Fruit which gives him the power to turn his body into ice. He can
cool everything he touches: his "Ice Age" technique allows him to freeze the sea for miles and this layer of ice can last a whole week (that's how he rides his bike on the ocean: he creates a small ice road). Moreover, it is insensitive to physical attacks: if you "break" it, since it is made of ice, it can be reconstituted without any problem. Its cold is really very intense, enough to cool metal to the point of altering its physical structure and strength, which reveals the power of its cold, which is at least similar to that of liquid nitrogen, i.e. -195.79°C.
He can create enough ice to cover a Giant or a Sea King. He has even managed to freeze the tsunamis created by Whitebeard, despite their size exceeding that of Marineford.
Weapons
Aokiji has no specific weapon, except for an ice sword that he creates thanks to the power of his Demon Fruit, by blowing on grass. He creates a similar sword spontaneously and pierces Luffy's shoulder during the war in Marineford, and he can also create spears or tridents that he can throw at his opponents.
History
A Storm in Edd War
When the Marines learned that the Pirates of Gol D. Roger and the Shiki Pirates were about to fight in the Edd War, three years before the death of the pirate king, Kuzan was seen in Marineford, walking with Garp, Sauro, Sakazuki and Tsuru to congratulate Garp for turning down his promotion.
Ohara Incident
He is a former friend of Vice Admiral Haguar D. Sauro, and it is thanks to him that he knows Nico Robin. After having to kill Sauro, he spared Robin and helped her to flee clandestinely to respect the memory of his friend who died to protect her. However, today, he seems to be biting his fingers, Robin has indeed become too dangerous for him not to intervene, this time of his own accord.
The following events are considered Non-Canon and therefore not part of the Canon story.
Some time after being promoted to admiral, Aokiji came across an island that was rocked by a massive disturbance. He looked around the island, seeing the ruins of a large city and a small boy named Grount huddled nearby. Aokiji watched Grount's monstrous left arm that he could not control, wondering if he was responsible for the destruction. Grount reluctantly attacked Aokiji with his left arm, but the admiral dodged it before finally relieving the boy of his pain by freezing his arm and dropping him.
Aokiji took Grount into the Navy, where he was given a mechanical arm to control his strength. Aokiji trained Grount alongside Bonam and Zappa, but kept him off the front lines until he could master his power.
End of the Non-Canon.
Long Ring Long Land
The Straw Hat crew meet Admiral Aokiji nicknamed "The Blue Pheasant" and the Admiral tells Nico Robin that she has become a beautiful girl and then he lies down and says that he did not come to capture them. It is then that the crew and the officer meet survivors of a shipwreck. Luffy and aokiji become half friends. He freezes a sea monster and the sea to help the survivors to leave the island then Luffy and him talk about Garp. Then he easily neutralized Zoro, Sanji and Luffy (all 3 at the same time) froze Nico Robin and knocked down Nami to finally freeze Monkey D. Luffy could have killed him if he wanted but respected the bet he had with Garp.
Although Aokiji is a rather quiet guy, when it comes to "work" there is no sympathy left and he is quite capable of killing a pirate he just had a good drink with! But he will spare Luffy because he took care of Crocodile for him. Moreover we will also learn that Aokiji would have known Luffy's grandfather and that he owes a favor to him.
In any case, according to Aokiji, these "youngsters" have a lot of potential and in the future they might become a real problem for the Navy.
Dark Conspiracy
Aokiji will warn the head of the CP9 unit, Spandam, that the Straw Hat crew was at Water Seven while allowing Spandam to use the Buster Call as leverage to get Nico Robin to surrender to the World Government..
Aokiji at Water Seven
He spared Robin and decided to let her live after the fall of the island of justice, because he thinks that she has found her place in the world and that Ohara has not yet fallen.![One Piece 1080, il vero ruolo di Kuzan e il suo schieramento sembrano chiari a tutti ormai [SPOILER]](https://www.drcommodore.it/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/images-10-1024x576.jpg)
Arc Marineford
He is of course present for the execution of Ace in Marineford with all the forces of the Navy, he will appear as the Admiral guarding the execution platform. He will be the first Marine to go into action, and for good reason, he will be the one to stop the first attack of this battle. And not just any attack, but the one from Whitebeard, who unleashed two huge tsunamis ready to fall on Marineford, which the best element of the Navy will freeze in an instant. He will then freeze Marineford Bay, allowing both parties to begin the battle. The Admiral will note Luffy's arrival in the battle with some apprehension about the serious customers accompanying the Straw Hat. He will be the one to freeze Baggy and the other prisoners of Impel Down as well as the video snappers. He will then try to stop Luffy but on the orders of Whitebeard, Marco will protect him. Together with Sakazuki and Borsalino, he stopped Whitebeard's shockwave with his "Haki" aiming at the scaffold where Monkey D. Garp, Ace and Sengoku were standing. He locked Whitebeard in an ice coffin but the Emperor's vibrations could not be frozen.
He then faced Joz (who interfered with his fight against Whitebeard) and beat him quite quickly by freezing him completely, amputating Joz's right arm. Later on, Ace is delivered by his brother Monkey D. Luffy. He tries to stop them but doesn't succeed, his power and Ace's power being in opposition. We will see him later assisting from afar to the mortal blow brought by Akainu on Ace, he will freeze the Marineford bay to prevent the escape of the pirates by boats.
Just before the end of the hostilities, he will try one last time to attack Luffy and the submarine and try to freeze it, without success.
Post-war
We will find him in Marineford in reconstruction with Smoker, indeed he wishes to be assigned to the G-5 base located in the "New World" what Aokiji considers as madness. After the resignation of Sengoku, this one will recommend him for the post of Chief Admiral to the General Kong, what proves us that in the eyes of Sengoku, Aokiji is neither too irresponsible and immature like Kizaru nor too fierce and cruel like Akainu but rather calm, thoughtful and responsible.
Saga of the New World
Sengoku decided to resign and recommended Aokiji for the position of Chief Admiral, but the higher-ups (the 5-Star Council) strongly supported Akainu. Aokiji could not stand to see Akainu as his superior, so he refused this decision. So, for the first time, a bloody duel between two admirals took place to decide who would command the Navy.
The strength of Aokiji and Akainu was almost equal, but the fight ended in the failure of Aokiji and Akainu was the winner, advantaged by his power of lava over the power of ice and thus he became Chief Admiral. Refusing to submit to his orders, Aokiji decided to leave the Navy. We don't know what happened to him since. Note that they fought on the island of Punk Hazard in the New World; according to Smoker, the fight was so bloody that the climate changed (one half of the island is a glacier and the other a volcano). Aokiji will appear again in the movie Z. We can see that he has kept some after-effects from the battle against Akainu (a scar on his chest and a missing leg, which he replaced by an ice leg).
One Piece Film : Z
The following events are considered Non-Canon and therefore not part of the Canon story.
Kuzan is first seen near First Island on his bicycle, watching the explosion caused by the fight between Zephyr and Borsalino. He left wondering what the marines were doing. On Secon Island, he met Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Brook at a public bath. He showed for the first time his ice leg and many scars that he probably received during the fatal duel between former Navy Admiral Akainu and Kuzan. He said that he was not there to capture them and informed them that Zephyr, former Navy Admiral and Neo Marine Commander had the goal of destroying the new world to end the pirates. Brook did not know who Kuzan was, but when his friends told him who he was, he panicked. Kuzan said he had resigned his position as admiral.
Brook asked what he did then. Kuzan found that all these questions were getting annoying. He said he was unable to answer the question properly, which confused the pirates. He reminded them that he was no longer their enemy and that if he was, he could not be in a terminal bath where he could not use his powers. Kuzan and the pirates were seen walking towards the port, as he spoke about the great era of piracy. He asked if the pirates existed because of the One Piece or if the One Piece existed because of the pirates' dreams. He said that chasing dreams can lead to pain and sadness. He said that Z planned to destroy the pirates by destroying the One Piece. He chose to follow Z's journey, but was unsure of what action to take himself. He then left, telling Luffy that he would find Z on the island.
Following Luffy's second battle with Zephyr, Kuzan met his former mentor. Kuzan gave him a bottle of wine and prepared to fight, but ultimately chose not to start the fight that was not his. He told Z that he had started drinking the wine because of him. He told Kuzan not to lecture him and that he would go through with his plans and nothing would stop him. Kuzan told him that he could die, to which Zephyr replied that it was only a minor problem if he could rid the world of evil in return. Z told Kuzan that the next time they met, they would drink wine together. Kuzan and Z were face to face, but, unable to bring themselves to confront each other, Kuzan decided to leave and leave Z to his machinations.
Later, he met with the Straw Hat Crew again and explained the Zephyr's plan to use the Dyna Stones to destroy the 3 volcanoes and then take out the Great Imbuto, which would destroy the New World and all pirates and civilians residing in the New World in the same way.
Now that two of the Endpoints had been destroyed, Z was about to go to the last one, Piriodo. And unless the Straw Hats stopped him, the Pirate Era would end. The government has concealed the truth about the End Point, to discourage pirates from using it. Thus, only the top brass knew about the End Points.
Luffy was still sure of himself after 2 defeats. He had the will of iron and above all, he wanted his hat back above all else. If Z ever kept that hat, he would never be able to see Shanks again or be worthy of becoming the King of the Pirates. Kuzan gave an Eternal Pose leading to Piriodo. Nami asked Kuzan why he was helping them, ignoring the question, he warned them that their quest would be extremely dangerous. If they lost to Z, they would be destroyed, and so would the New World. But if they won, they would be attacked by the navy led by an admiral. As the crew prepared to leave, Kuzan and Robin shared a moment.
Kuzan was then seen watching the battle between Luffy and Zephyr. Following Luffy's victory, Kuzan helped his former instructor protect Ain, Binz and the Straw Hat pirates from the Borsalino Fleet Attack by creating a huge wall of ice so that Z could fight with all his heart. He was finally seen at Zephyr's tomb, telling Ain and Binz not to cry. He said that Zephyr had died honorably and as he had wanted.
End of the Non-Canon.
Arc Punk Hazard
During the events of the Punk Hazard arc, Kuzan decides to go to Punk Hazard; he arrives shortly after the conflict between Caesar Clown and The Straw Hat Crew, Smoker, the G-5 and Trafalgar Law. He appears just as Doflamingo was about to finish off Smoker, declaring that the Vice Admiral is his friend. Further on, we see his pet, Camel, snoozing. Later, despite the appearance of the ex-Admiral, Doflamingo tries to kill Smoker; Aokiji will freeze him immediately without his opponent having had time to react. However, Doflamingo will escape unscathed, as Kuzan did not freeze his heart as Buffalo points out.
After this brief exchange, Doflamingo declares that he has no intention of confronting him; he simply asks him what's going on with him, stating that the rumors are not good. After Doflamingo's departure, Smoker and Kuzan have a conversation in which the ex-Admiral asks his friend to ask Sakazuki to deploy the Admirals in order to track down Doflamingo; he considers that the latter will be the most important obstacle since Sakazuki became the new Admiral-in-Chief It is revealed that he came to Punk Hazard with a penguin as transportation. Kuzan then leaves without a fight.
This is how Kuzan's new role is introduced: that of a traveler who now works outside the official framework, but always with the same goal: Justice.
Dressrosa Arc
After the end of the C Block battle royale, Burgess contacts his captain Blackbeard. During their conversation, Aokiji's name is mentioned and the 1st Fleet Commander states that he does not trust him. Teach states that this opinion was the same regarding Shiliew. This suggests that Kuzan has recently come into contact with Blackbeard's crew.
This is confirmed later after Doflamingo's defeat, as one of the members of the 5 Star Council reminds Sakazuki that Kuzan has joined Blackbeard's Crew.
The Quays of the World: The Arc of the 500 Million Man
Kuzan is seen reading newspapers on a snowy island with his penguin Camel while having a barbecue.
The cold maritime odyssey of Germa 66
Kuzan is present with Van Augur to kidnap Charlotte Pudding in Chocolate Town. He freezes the whole town as well as Cracker and Brûlée who were trying to rescue their half-sister.
Egg Head Island Arc
Kuzan was later present in Hachinosu after Koby was kidnapped by Blackbeard's pirates and heard Teach's plans with Koby. After hearing that Koby was part of SWORD, he explained the nature of SWORD to Teach and the captains present. He intervenes during Koby's escape attempt, confronting Garp when he arrives to help him.
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