Chapter 1081 of One Piece reveals the true reason why Aokiji decided to join the Blackbeard Pirates – but he may not have broken bad just yet.
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. It’s also a world where one’s occupation doesn’t guarantee their moral tendency, meaning pirates can be good and Marines can be evil. However, that 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.
Many One Piece fans have been speculating about Kuzan’s true intentions ever since he joined the Blackbeard Pirates, and Chapter 1081 finally sheds some light on the matter. It reveals the events that occurred after the fated battle between him and Akainu for the title of Fleet Admiral, but also how the devious Emperor managed to recruit the former Admiral into his ranks.
Kuzan Joined the Blackbeard Pirates for His Own Agenda
One Piece Chapter 1081 features a flashback to just after Aokiji is defeated by Akainu. He stumbles upon the Blackbeard Pirates on a certain island, and freezes a good number of them after being provoked. Blackbeard seeks him out, wanting to ask the former Admiral to undo his Devil Fruit powers. While Aokiji is reluctant at first, he somehow hits it off with the pirates. He then spends the next few moments drinking with them, sharing what happened during the fight.
Then, it is the Blackbeard Pirates’ turn to share 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, has other ideas. He thinks of stealing Aokiji’s Devil Fruit power, almost resulting in a full-scale battle between the two forces, but Blackbeard manages to calm the situation. He extends an invitation to the former Admiral, emphasizing that pirates only need to work together to further their own interests. Thus, Kuzan decides to join them and do what he desires.
One Piece’s Kuzan Hasn’t Gone Bad Just Yet – 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 known for their ruthlessness and lack of morals, 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. He remains a mystery — potentially a great ally or a highly dangerous enemy during One Piece‘s final war.
