Sakazuki

Sakazuki is perhaps the strictest follower of Absolute Justice in the entire series, to the point where his extremism prompted his fellow Admiral Aokiji to oppose his promotion to Fleet Admiral and resign from the Marines after this effort failed. Due of his actions and role, Sakazuki is the main antagonist of the Marineford Arc and a major antagonist in the Final Saga and the second half of the series.Sakazuki, formerly known by his Admiral alias Akainu, is the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, succeeding the previous Fleet Admiral, Sengoku. During the first half of the series, he was one of the three Admirals, and was the last one out of the three to debut. Upon becoming the Fleet Admiral, one of Sakazuki’s first decisions was to relocate Marine Headquarters into the New World in preparation for the New Pirate Age. In the manga, Akainu was first mentioned by Nico Robin during the initial encounter with Aokiji. In the anime, he was mentioned earlier by Vice Admiral Jonathan during the anime-only G-8 Arc, which aired after Akainu had been revealed in the manga. Sakazuki is perhaps the strictest follower of Absolute Justice in the entire series, to the point where his extremism prompted his fellow Admiral Aokiji to oppose his promotion to Fleet Admiral and resign from the Marines after this effort failed. Due of his actions and role, Sakazuki is the main antagonist of the Marineford Arc and a major antagonist in the Final Saga and the second half of the series.

He wears black gloves and black shoes. The tattoo on the left side of his chest is black (light blue in the anime), containing numerous images of flowers integrated into its design. Sakazuki’s tattoo has flame-shaped edges, and it extends from the Admiral’s left shoulder to his hip, covering part of his back and ribs. He has another, smaller tattoo in the shape of a black sword on his right deltoids and a small part of the biceps. In the anime, his eye color is seen to be brown, and this was also shown in a colored drawing by Eiichiro Oda.

In his youth, Sakazuki wore an open red shirt, as well as a set of khaki pants held up with a loosely tied yellow-orange ribbed belt with a silver bullseye shaped buckle, and a pair of red sneakers. He also carried a katana on his back. Twenty-two years ago, at the Ohara Incident, he wore a simple white Marine cap under a dark gray hood that seemed to be a part of a cloak he wore beneath his suit, or Marine coat. Until getting off his chair in order to destroy an incoming iceberg during the Summit War of Marineford, his face was always hidden by the bill of his cap. As a child, Sakazuki still had the grim disposition he retained as an adult.

He also wore tattered clothes and carried a dagger. He wore a cap similar to the Marines’ cap he would don in the future, except it has the kanji for “justice” instead. After the timeskip, as a result of his intense battle with Kuzan at Punk Hazard, the right side of Sakazuki’s neck and face are scarred, and a chunk of his right ear is missing. In addition to his injuries, he also grew a mustache and goatee. He has also replaced his trademark red suit for a white one, similar to what Sengoku wore when he was Fleet Admiral; however, Sakazuki still wears the same floral pattern shirt underneath and does not wear his black signature gloves. He continues to wear the standard Marine cap, though unlike his predecessor’s, it does not have the life-sized seagull on top. He is also frequently seen smoking a cigar. Later during the Wano Country Arc, he appears to be wearing a darker suit once more, possibly a red one like his pre-timeskip suit. During the Egghead Arc, he wears his white suit once again. In One Piece Film: Red, Sakazuki wears a black suit with a purple rose, and a Marine coat with both the cuffs and insides sporting the same shade of red.

During the Buster Call attack on Ohara, Sakazuki’s beliefs led him to go as far as destroying a refugee ship full of innocent people and Marines simply because of the slight possibility that a scholar could be hiding on board, an action that disgusted Vice Admiral Kuzan (who called him a “fool” and an “idiot” for overdoing things). Sakazuki’s logic was that if even one of the scholars of Ohara had escaped with it, the entire mission would have been a failure. He is incredibly rigid and absolute in his views and sense of justice, showing little compassion for anyone or anything that could be considered “evil” on his eyes, and is ruthless in willing to do whatever it takes to serve his own goals. He has near absolute faith in his beliefs and is willing to fight and kill who he sees as threats to them, including subordinates within his own ranks and innocents if need be. Power and extremism have given him a bone chilling reputation among pirates, however it has also infuriated and fostered antipathy among his compatriots.

Kuzan has refused to serve under his command outright, while Fujitora and Garp have been furious over some of his plans and actions. Moreover, Sakazuki’s pride and dogmatism has also made his sense of justice and honor fragile; he is infuriated almost beyond reason, when enemies or allies showcase inherent weaknesses of his beliefs. Fujitora has made clear that this idea ruins the credibility of the Marines, but Sakazuki saw this criticism as a personal slight, causing him to seethe and shake in fury, as Sakazuki sees the Marines and Justice as an extension of himself. Desertion or failing in the duty of a Marine is worthy of death to Sakazuki, to which the only consolation he does offer is that they should not dishonor their families by running away. To Sakazuki, any Marine who is not willing to fight for justice is not worthy of being called a Marine.

Despite all of this, even Sakazuki could not come to kill his former compatriot, Kuzan. The best example of Sakazuki’s absolutism against his own side is when he attempted to kill Koby for his plea to stop the war, only to be stopped by the timely arrival of Shanks. Still, Sakazuki’s general hatred is directed towards criminals first and foremost, treating them with cruel disregard that is appropriate to followers of Absolute Justice. For this reason, Caesar Clown believed that Sakazuki would desire his ideas of mass-murder weapons and inhumane experimentation on prisoners. While other Marines such as Sengoku and Garp share a decent amount of respect for their accomplished enemies, Sakazuki has none, voicing his antipathy and disparaging them at every chance he gets.

Sakazuki is willing to lie to and deceive his enemies in order to achieve Justice. So far, his manipulations have been successful, such as when he managed to deceive Squard through Sengoku’s master strategy, or insulting Whitebeard to get Ace angry enough to stop his attempt at escape. Prior to Sengoku making it public, Sakazuki was one of the few who knew that Luffy was Dragon’s son. It is unknown if he has some past relationship with Dragon, or if it was simply common knowledge among the higher-ranking Marines that Dragon is Garp’s son. As such, Sakazuki deems that Luffy’s mere existence, due to being Dragon’s son, is enough to be a threat to the world and therefore must be eliminated.

In fact, Sakazuki’s beliefs about heritage run deep enough that he declares that even if every other pirate escape, he would personally ensure that neither Ace nor Luffy were allowed to leave the war alive due to their bloodlines. This conviction fueled him to the point of actively hunting Luffy himself, even though Blackbeard was destroying Marineford at the time. As Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki holds immense pride in the name of the Marines. His pride is so great he would rather cover up the ordeal to ensure that the Marines remain adamant and credible to his doctrine of Absolute Justice. This conceited behavior even led to him yelling at the Five Elders for declaring Doflamingo’s resignation from the Warlords of the Sea as a false report, as he knew the world’s confusion would damage their trust in the Marines as well as the Marines’ reputation. This shows that he does know the value of Marines having the trust of people they serve, but it seems he is more concerned with the loss of pride in the Marine name, more than the morale of the both the general populace and subordinates in his charge. Sakazuki’s sense of pride also means he dislikes when other parties meddle with the Marines’ affairs, including his higher-ups, the World Nobles. Given his reputation, it is surprising to see Sakazuki demonstrate a large sense of caution in regard to battling notable pirates or causing disturbances in global matters after becoming Fleet Admiral. Also, despite Borsalino’s request to travel to Wano Country to deal with the possible alliance of the Beasts Pirates and Big Mom Pirates, Sakazuki declined it due to lack of jurisdiction and information regarding Wano’s military. It is hinted that all those protocols and bureaucracies frustrate Sakazuki somewhat, as he is generally forced to wait for conflicts between pirates to end and is unable to act as much he would like to, in direct contradiction to the greater authority he now holds.

Sakazuki and Borsalino enlisted in the Marines at the same time and have been comrades for many years. Upon Sakazuki’s rise to Fleet Admiral, Kizaru became a confidant to share his counsel, often offering helpful advice and being someone for him to share his personal frustrations over the growing threat of piracy, especially the Straw Hats. Kizaru has shown to be the closest thing Sakazuki has to a friend among the Marines. When Kizaru asked Sakazuki to let him handle duties on Wano, Sakazuki tells him to wait since they do not know how powerful the samurai are. When hearing Kizaru was heading to Egghead, Sakazuki allowed him to go to the island in order to help Rob Lucci deal with Luffy. Following the Egghead incident, when Sakazuki questioned and berated Kizaru on his presumed sloppy performance, the Admiral yelled at his superior over his lack of sympathy on the situation; Sakazuki was shocked by Kizaru’s reaction and apologised, calling him “brother”. The apology, something extremely unusual from the stern and authoritarian Sakazuki, and the use of the term “brother” indicate that the two must share a deep bond of friendship.

Aokiji

While it is unknown what their relationship was like before, Aokiji has had nothing but hatred for Akainu ever since his horrendous action during the Ohara Incident, calling him a fool for overdoing things. When it was announced that Akainu would succeed Sengoku as Fleet Admiral, Aokiji strongly opposed this and dueled him for the position. Their fierce battle ended after ten days with Sakazuki achieving victory. Refusing to serve under his former comrade, Kuzan decided to leave the Marines and resign from the position of Admiral. Though Sakazuki mocked Kuzan’s decision when it was brought up by the Five Elders, he also claimed to show no concern for his activities. Additionally, though their battle was supposed to be a battle to the death, Sakazuki – in a rare act of mercy – chose to spare Kuzan upon his victory over him, rather than put him to his end.

Monkey D Garp

Akainu did not show much respect to Monkey D. Garp, despite the old Vice Admiral being a “hero” who was eligible for the position of Admiral, due to him being from the previous generation, but mostly for sharing his lineage with criminals like Dragon and Luffy . Garp, in turn, tried to murder Akainu for executing Ace, and had to be restrained by Sengoku. It is unclear whether this has caused a further rift to develop between the two men or caused any problems within the Marines that prefer Garp or Akainu’s version of Justice.

Sengoku

Akainu did not seem to have any problems with Sengoku when he was his subordinate before the timeskip. This was seen when he grudgingly complied with Sengoku’s order to end all hostilities of the Marineford War and permitting the Whitebeard Pirates to leave. However, after succeeding Sengoku in his position as Fleet Admiral, he was annoyed by Sengoku’s amusement at Issho using a loophole to enter Mary Geoise and did not hesitate to insult him. That being said, he still respectfully addressed him when the Marines were discussing the bounties of the most notorious pirates. Sakazuki and Sengoku then talked about Kouzuki Oden.

Fujitora

Sakazuki’s relationship with Admiral Fujitora is also strained. Although they seemed to be on amicable terms previously, as he initially put an immense amount of trust in him since he believed that Issho can stop Law and Luffy, and Issho could address Sakazuki with the nickname Saka-san without it bothering him. This friendly status changed when Issho took matters into his own hands during the incident in Dressrosa, by putting his faith in pirates to defeat Doflamingo as well as bowing apologetically to King Riku for the World Government allowing Doflamingo to torment their kingdom for so long. Furious over Issho humiliating the Marines, and by extension Sakazuki himself, Sakazuki ordered Issho to kill Law and Luffy and reiterated that he would not allow any Marine bases to take him in until he accomplished that goal, with which Issho was content, as his opinion of the Marines and their sense of justice was disparaging. According to Sengoku, Sakazuki would forgive Issho if the latter apologised. It is unknown if Luffy becoming an Emperor has changed this situation. Despite their quarrel, Sakazuki kept Issho in the loop of recent events such as the dissolution of the Seven Warlords system and the alliance between Kaidou and Big Mom. Issho even gave assurance that the new SSG will balance things out.

Ryokugyu

Admiral Ryokugyu greatly respects Sakazuki to the point where the Admiral voluntarily went to Wano Country to kill or capture Monkey D. Luffy to gain Sakazuki’s respect and accolade, despite Sakazuki telling him not do so. Ryokugyu is also known for believing in an even more stringent and totalitarian interpretation of Absolute Justice than Sakazuki does. Despite this, Sakazuki seems to be highly annoyed by his subordinate’s erratic behaviour on the Wano Country, ordering him not to engage in unnecessary actions; this leads Ryokugyu to hide his actual deeds on Wano from Sakazuki.

World Government

Sakazuki is shown to have absolute loyalty to the World Government and is an extreme follower of their doctrine of Absolute Justice. When Sengoku stepped down as Fleet Admiral, many in the upper echelons nominated him to be Sengoku’s replacement.

Five Elders

Even though he is loyal to the World Government, he was outraged when he was informed that the report given to Marine Headquarters about Doflamingo’s resignation from the Seven Warlords of the Sea was fraudulent. He even personally argued with the Five Elders concerning the matter. During that heated argument, Sakazuki criticized how much work they issued because of Doflamingo. Sakazuki even insulted, provoked, and mocked them, stating that they had been “walked over by the Celestial Dragons’ puppets”, testing his limits and showing that he does not agree with everything the Five Elders do. After Sakazuki complained to the elders about how Doflamingo’s actions would make him look as Fleet Admiral, they retorted that Sakazuki’s reputation does not matter to them. They also provoked him by bringing up his old colleague’s recent acts. However, Sakazuki did not fall for their taunts as he told them that Kuzan left the Marines when he became Fleet Admiral, and it has nothing to do with them.

World Nobles

Despite his loyalty to the World Government, Sakazuki believes that World Nobles are not to interfere with the Marines’ activities and vice-versa. Because of this, he was outraged when he learned that the report given to Marine Headquarters about Doflamingo’s resignation from the Warlords of the Sea had been falsified by CP0. This caused a heated argument between him and the Five Elders, during which he accused them of having been overstepped by CP0, referring to the organization as the “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”. During the invasion of Mary Geoise, the World Nobles criticized Sakazuki for letting Bartholomew Kuma escape, calling him incompetent and a Fleet Admiral for nothing, but Sakazuki ignored their remarks. Later, he did not reprimand Fujitora for freeing the Celestial Dragons’ slaves, further showing his indifference towards the World Nobles.

Cp0

Sakazuki seems to despise CP0 and, during an argument with the Five Elders, he even refers to them as the “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”. In One Piece Film: Gold, he has an argument with Rob Lucci about his requests for the Marines to support Gild Tesoro, provocatively asking him for how long CP0 will be “Tesoro’s lapdogs”, to which Lucci replies that supporting Tesoro is necessary for CP0’s mission and that, therefore, Akainu must “shut up” and comply with the order. This audacious answer angers Sakazuki, who tells Lucci to mind his words. When hearing that Luffy is at Egghead, Sakazuki ordered his soldiers to stop Rob Lucci from fighting Luffy until Kizaru arrives. Unfortunately for Sakazuki, Rob Lucci disobeyed the Fleet Admiral’s direct order and fought Luffy, but he lost to him for a second time.

Enemies

Seven Warlords Of The Sea

Even though the Warlords of the Sea were on the World Government’s side, Sakazuki saw them as nothing more than pirates and believed they could not be trusted. Despite this, Sakazuki saw them as a necessary evil and was unhappy that the Warlord system was abolished, but Admiral Fujitora believes the reason why Sakazuki thinks this way is because the latter has never personally suffered from the Warlords the same way others have.

Whitebeard Pirates

Akainu feigned sympathy towards Squard to get him to betray Whitebeard, then brutally injured Whitebeard and killed Ace, which resulted in the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates directing their anger toward him, and the remaining commanders attempting to fight against him, even though they might have been killed. Whitebeard himself brutally injured Akainu (an example of this would be when Akainu was placed at the epicenter of a shockwave, courtesy of the Gura Gura no Mi) out of revenge for Ace’s demise. Akainu, however, views all pirates as criminals that are not allowed to exist, and the Whitebeard Pirates are no exception.

Edward Newgate

Naturally, as a Marine Admiral, Akainu held animosity towards the emperor Whitebeard during the war at Marineford. Sometime prior to the war, Akainu tricked Squard into believing that Whitebeard was planning on betraying his allied crews for Ace’s safety , causing the pirate to stab Whitebeard through the chest. When Whitebeard was unleashing his Gura Gura no Mi powers at the plaza, Akainu engaged him in combat, trying to prevent him from causing any more significant damage to Marineford, insulting him for his age throughout their battle. After he provoked and killed the second division commander Ace, Whitebeard brutally injured Akainu. During the ensuing conflict, Akainu burned off a portion of Whitebeard’s head, afterwards Whitebeard retaliated with a Gura punch, causing Akainu to curse his name as he fell from the impact.

Portgas D Ace

Akainu was among the many marines present in overseeing Portgas D. Ace’s execution and stopping the Whitebeard pirates from reaching him. After Akainu boldly insulted Whitebeard, he earned the wrath of Portgas D. Ace, who viewed the captain as a father figure. This made Ace lose his chance to retreat in an attempt to strike down Akainu in revenge, only to fail and ultimately lose his life at the hands of the then Admiral. Akainu, in turn, viewed Ace as one of the two most dangerous individuals (the other one being Luffy) in the world, due to his father being Gol D. Roger.

Monkey D Dragon

Akainu holds great animosity for Dragon as he is a Revolutionary and the “World’s Worst Criminal” in the eyes of the World Government. It is unknown if he had some past relationship with Dragon since he was a former marine and both of them being the same age, but it is clear that he views him and those related to him as major threats to an almost obsessive degree, repeatedly making reference to Dragon while attempting to kill his son, for the sole reason of being related to him declaring he would not let Luffy escape as “Great sin” was present in his blood.

Monkey D Luffy

Due to Luffy being the son of the Revolutionary Dragon, Akainu views him as the most dangerous threat to the world, along with Ace, and possesses an immensely dangerous obsession with ending Luffy’s life. After killing Ace and sending Luffy into a mental breakdown, Akainu hounded Luffy throughout the remainder of the war, insistent that he would not escape Marineford alive. To this end, the Admiral ignored all surrounding threats and focused solely on taking Luffy’s life. Akainu showed frustration when Shanks’ intervention allowed Luffy to escape. Even though he failed to take Luffy’s life during the war, he managed to give Luffy an X-shaped scar that covers most of his chest.

Furthermore, by murdering Ace, Akainu did what no other antagonist had ever accomplished before or after: completely break Luffy’s spirit. Akainu almost always refers to Luffy as “Dragon’s son”, instead of the former’s epithet, “Straw Hat”, viewing him as a global-scale threat solely based on heritage, and that Luffy must be eliminated at all costs. Two years after the war at Marineford, he wasted little time in sending an Admiral to capture or kill him. On the other hand, Luffy holds great hatred towards Akainu for killing his brother, although after learning of Akainu’s promotion, he was quick to return to his old carefree attitude after a brief moment of anger. After Luffy defeated Doflamingo, Sakazuki was shocked and angry over the incident and during a heated argument with Fujitora, Sakazuki demanded him to arrest Luffy. Akainu became even more enraged by Luffy’s fame after the Totto Land incident. After Kaidou and Big Mom’s downfall as well Luffy becoming an Emperor, Akainu’s anger towards Luffy’s fame continues to get even worse. When hearing Luffy is at Egghead, Akainu shows his anger when Luffy wants to declare war, he could have consulted with the Fleet Admiral first. Sakazuki sent Kizaru to deal with Luffy and help Lucci. Luffy, in turn, has shown his greatest hatred towards Fleet Admiral Sakazuki for murdering his brother Ace and placing a massive scar on his chest as well, thus becoming one of the future Emperor’s archnemeses (besides Blackbeard).

Jinbe

Akainu considers Jinbe a traitor after his resignation from the Warlords of the Sea and for cooperating with Luffy. Although he was more interested in taking Luffy’s life, he showed absolutely no mercy to Jinbe on the battlefield and attempted to kill him numerous times while Jinbe was protecting Luffy. Jinbe is aware of how dangerous Akainu is and wasted no time in warning the Straw Hats about how ruthless the Marines have become under his command.

Crocodile

During the war at Marineford, the former Warlord of the Sea Crocodile became enemies with Akainu. When Akainu attempted to kill both Luffy and Jinbe, Crocodile intercepted Akainu by using Desert Grande Espada, and prepared to fight him standing along with the Whitebeard pirates in defiance of the Admiral.

Bartholomew Kuma

Akainu appears to know about the details surrounding Kuma’s modification into a Pacifista and of his personal life, as he was aware of the fact Kuma had a daughter that was also a pirate. When he learned that Kuma was causing havoc in Mary Geoise and putting the World Noble’s in danger, Sakazuki arrived at the scene questioning Kuma’s intentions. On the orders of the World Nobles, he proceeded to attack and chase after Kuma until the latter escaped. While he ignored the insults from the World Nobles, Sakazuki briefly recalled a conversation he had with Bonney and continued to ponder where Kuma was going.

Jewelry Bonney

Akainu appears to be aware of Jewelry Bonney’s role as a hostage for the government as he knew that she was the daughter of Bartholomew Kuma and the details behind her father’s modifications into a government weapon. After learning of Jewelry Bonney’s whereabouts, Akainu said that the World Government had been worried due to her disappearance. He told Bonney that her demands to reverse Kuma’s modifications were useless as Kuma’s mind was already gone, causing Bonney to yell at him in defiance.

Trafalgar D Water Law

After learning that Law formed an alliance with Luffy, Sakazuki was deeply concerned with Law’s actions and sent Fujitora to Dressrosa to capture both him and Luffy. After his heated argument with Fujitora, Sakazuki ordered him to arrest Luffy and Law. When hearing Law is clashing with Blackbeard at Winner Island, Sakazuki was angered as he was forced to wait for the outcome.

Shanks

Shanks intervened on Sakazuki’s attempt to kill Koby, while Sakazuki was shocked to see him at Marineford. Aware of Shanks’ threat, Sakazuki made no attempt to attack him though the latter earned Akainu’s fury because his arrival had allowed Luffy to escape his grasp.

Marshall D Teach

Two years ago, when Blackbeard arrived at Marineford and stole Whitebeard’s Devil Fruit power, Akainu heard his speech but ignored him to pursue and attempt to kill Luffy which ended in failure. Perhaps ironically enough, Blackbeard indirectly got rid of Ace through Akainu during the Summit War. After the war at Marineford, Akainu was sent to deal with Blackbeard, but Blackbeard and his crew got away, due to knowing his threat. Hearing that Blackbeard is fighting against Law, Sakazuki was enraged when he was forced to wait for the outcome between Blackbeard and Law.

As Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki has total operational command of the Marines, with at present only six direct superiors to answer to: the World Government’s Five Elders and Commander-in-Chief. On top of any prior-held authorities as Admiral (e.g., issuing special orders like the enactment of a Buster Call on any island he deems a threat, at any time, and granting others such privilege), Sakazuki can now fully lay down the organization’s strategy, decide tactics and set policy, discretionally assign and reassign forces to deploy globally in missions (including the Admirals), promote or demote the lower ranks, and delegate any such powers as he sees fit; during the two-year timeskip, he exercised his authority to have the Marine Headquarters relocated to the New World as well as institute a global-scale draft. In terms of combat, Sakazuki as the current Fleet Admiral is among the world’s strongest figures, having been held with his fellow Admirals as the World Government’s “Greatest Military Force” (i.e., the strongest individual combatants that it can offer, feared by criminals the world over). Sakazuki’s background, specifically as a black-hearted extremist, affords him a particularly fearsome repute even by Admiral standards, as seen chiefly following the Summit War when Blackbeard, upon learning of Sakazuki’s presence aboard a Marine ship meant for negotiations, immediately fled off the island he dwelt on with his crew, noting their unreadiness to face the Admiral despite Blackbeard, at that point, having come to wield two of the strongest Devil Fruit powers in existence and bolstered his crew with five of Impel Down’s most dangerous and powerful ex-prisoners. During the Summit War, Sakazuki’s fighting prowess was well-established against Whitebeard, an Emperor and the World’s Strongest Man, whom the Admiral matched up to in a head-to-head confrontation.

While Whitebeard managed to gain the upper hand against and delivered a serious blow to Sakazuki in their second clash, the Admiral did the same and melted off half of Whitebeard’s face in exchange. After being left to fall into a chasm caused by the enraged Emperor’s quakes, Sakazuki would soon recover and reenter the battle. Further during the war, Sakazuki proved himself firmly superior to Ace, one of Whitebeard’s strongest division commanders despite his young age, effortlessly overpowering Ace in a clash; beforehand, Ace had more or less soundly fended off Aokiji (though in fairness, Sakazuki enjoyed the inherent superiority of his own ability over Ace’s, unlike the other Admiral). Soon following Whitebeard’s rage-fueled onslaught on him, Sakazuki reemerged in what still seemed perfect fighting condition, managing to take down in little time, with utmost ease, a Revolutionary Army commander and deputy commander simultaneously, then another of Whitebeard’s commanders. Ultimately, Sakazuki proved to be so unstoppable that not even the likes of Jinbe (a former Warlord of the Sea), both Marco and Vista at once (two of Whitebeard’s strongest men), and later (despite Sakazuki’s injuries) the collective of most of Whitebeard’s commanders (minus Ace and Jozu), alongside some of Whitebeard’s subordinate captains and Crocodile (yet another ex-Warlord), could do anything more than slow down the Admiral, merely stalling for time in Luffy’s escape from him. It took another Emperor, Shanks, to appear and personally stop Sakazuki for him to desist from his pursuit. Ultimately, Sakazuki left the war with no wounds other than those dealt by Whitebeard. Sakazuki would later find his equal in then-fellow Admiral Kuzan, their one-on-one duel on Punk Hazard seeing them evenly matched and meeting another blow for blow through most of a ten-day duration; while both men sustained grievous injuries, Sakazuki was the one to prevail and emerge as the victor, with his longtime comrade supposedly left at his mercy.

Leadership And Intelligence

Attesting to Sakazuki’s perceived leadership competencies and military acumen, he had many dignitaries of the government strongly push for him to succeed Sengoku as Fleet Admiral, over the latter’s personal nomination of Kuzan. While known, feared, and disdained by some for his hardline, over-the-top methods, Sakazuki’s prowess as a leader is undeniable. Indeed, as noted by Jinbe, the Marine HQ under him has grown far stronger and more determined than ever before, despite the resignations of Kuzan, Sengoku, and Garp, thus bearing out Sakazuki’s capabilities. Beside combat, Sakazuki is a shrewd manipulator, using whatever knowledge he holds of enemies to try to deceive them into doing what conforms with his goals. He feigned sympathy to Squard, exploiting his hatred of the late Pirate King to influence him into betraying his loyalty to Whitebeard, and later purposefully insulted Whitebeard’s honor to goad Ace into attacking him, successfully doing so as to prevent Ace from escaping, and killing him shortly after by aiming for his younger brother and letting Ace take the blow in the former’s stead.

Physical Abilities

As with all Admirals, Sakazuki’s physical prowess is immense. His raw physical strength was enough for him to go up against and clash evenly with Whitebeard in close quarters—the “Strongest Man in the World” who, in his old age, could still overpower a giant’s strength easily. Using a single leg, Sakazuki held back a two-handed swing of the elder’s large naginata, which came clad in a quake bubble to massively enhance its power. Perhaps most impressive, however, are Sakazuki’s vast durability and endurance, best illustrated by how not even two successive, point-blank quake punches from Whitebeard (one to his neck and another to his midsection, and both coming imbued with Haki, further increasing damage) could keep him down, the second blow strong enough to split the island of Marineford in two as a side-effect (in retrospect, a relatively weaker version of the same quake attack had sufficed to incapacitate a Vice Admiral Giant). Sakazuki retained not only consciousness thereafter, but had enough strength left to keep on fighting without at any point evincing exhaustion or impediment by injury, with only some bleeding visible on his face. Another testament to his stamina, endurance, and willpower is Sakazuki’s face-off against Kuzan, in which he equaled the other Admiral for ten days total, in the process of which both men suffered heavy injuries; despite the sheer amount of time their duel took to settle, Sakazuki emerged the decisive winner over Kuzan. Otherwise, Sakazuki has shown himself quite fast, using his powers to propel himself forward at great speeds. He can easily gain ground on others that are noticeably fast and in flight from him, as seen with Jinbe, whom the Admiral caught up with swiftly despite the former’s head start that resulted from the powerful people trying to keep Sakazuki at bay. Additionally, the Admiral has shown acute hearing, able to perceive underwater movements from afar.

Devil Fruit

Sakazuki ate the Magu Magu no Mi, a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to create, control, and transform his body into magma. His magma is extremely hot and highly explosive, thus making it well-suited for combat, allowing Sakazuki to burn, melt, and destroy anything in his path—in fact, among all Devil Fruits, Sakazuki’s is said to offer the greatest attack power. Sakazuki’s primary method of combat is transforming his arms into magma to launch burning punches (or clawed thrusts) that can easily penetrate human bodies, drastically enlarge his arms to throw forward giant magma fists meant to reach enemies farther away, and even launch multiple magma fists as a barrage of meteor-like projectiles, devastating the battlefield. Otherwise, he has been seen shaping his magma fist into a fanged dog head, as a nod to his animal motif. While Sakazuki’s magma body is invulnerable against all but Haki-powered attacks, he has demonstrated some degree of resistance toward them as both Marco and Vista failed to bypass his body’s elementality with their Haki. Along with that, his Magma’s heat has enemies heavily discouraged from coming near and striking him physically, lest they be burned. Also, his powers bestow him high maneuverability: he can melt himself through anything in his path, even tunneling through the very ground, and can briefly fly using jet bursts of magma to propel himself. Even for a Logia, this ability has great potential and power; when used excessively by Sakazuki for ten days, it warped the very climate of half an island, permanently rendering it a blazing inferno that embroils even the surrounding sea.

Haki

As the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Sakazuki is a highly skilled Haki user.

Armament Haki

During the Summit War, Sakazuki was seen using advanced-grade Armament Haki to block and disperse a long-distance quake shockwave sent out by Whitebeard, by generating, with his fellow Admirals, an emitted shield combination of their three Haki to disperse said shockwave.

Observation Haki

Sakazuki possesses the ability to use Observation Haki.

Weapons

Sakazuki was seen wielding a dagger as a child and a red-hilted katana during his youth as a Marine.

Sakazuki was one of the five Vice Admirals leading the Buster Call bombardment on Ohara. He ordered the destruction of an evacuation ship of civilians and soldiers, claiming it needed to be destroyed in case even a single scholar managed to sneak on board. At some point after the Ohara Incident, Sakazuki was promoted to Admiral and given the code name, “Akainu”.

Summit War Saga

Amazon Lily Arc

Vice Admiral Momonga mentioned to Boa Hancock that the three Marine Admirals, including Akainu, would lead the Marines against the Whitebeard Pirates following the announcement of Portgas D. Ace’s execution.

Marineford Arc

Following the gathering at Marineford, Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru sat beneath the execution platform for Ace. After the Whitebeard Pirates’ allies appeared near Marineford, the Admirals sensed Whitebeard and four of his ships underwater, before they surfaced in Marineford’s bay. As Whitebeard and his subordinates declared war on the Marines, Akainu and the other Admirals grumbled about the trouble. When Whitebeard’s quakes formed tsunamis that threatened Marineford, Akainu remained seated while Aokiji froze the giant waves and the bay and Kizaru attacked Whitebeard directly. Akainu finally stood up when Jozu hurled a massive iceberg at the Marine base.

After vaporizing the iceberg with a magma punch, Akainu showered the battlefield with molten rock, destroying one of Whitebeard’s ships. Akainu later confronted a Marine officer who was fleeing from the battle not wanting to die out of concern for his family. Akainu brutally executed the officer for this “cowardice”, much to the horror of Koby and Helmeppo who were watching (having nearly run into the Admiral themselves while doing the same thing). Akainu then received a report on the Den Den Mushi that the preparations for Sengoku’s plan were set. Upon Monkey D.

Luffy’s sudden arrival at Marineford, Akainu acknowledged that Luffy, as the son of Monkey D. Dragon, also needed to be eliminated. Following Sengoku’s orders, Akainu talked to Captain Squard, one of Whitebeard’s allies, and convinced him that Whitebeard had betrayed his allies in exchange for Ace’s life. He warned Squard that the Marines’ counterattack would target the allies instead of Whitebeard and his direct subordinates. Akainu claimed to not agree with this operation and offered to spare Squard and his crew if he betrayed Whitebeard.

After an hour and a half of battle, the Marines preparations were complete, so Sengoku prepared to execute Ace early and called for the broadcast to be ended as the Pacifistas closed off the pirates’ retreat from the bay. Seeing the Marines’ attack play out as Akainu had said, Squard stabbed Whitebeard in the chest. Whitebeard survived Squard’s attack, however, and forgave his ally. Whitebeard then shattered the frozen waves so his allies could escape if they wanted. Meanwhile, he charged at the Marines.

After shaking the whole island and the waters around it, Whitebeard sent a quake at the execution platform, but the three Admirals together managed to deflect the attack. Akainu complained that Aokiji’s ice was blocking the walls from rising, and Kizaru pointed out that Akainu could melt the ice. Once the walls eventually rose up, Akainu sent another shower of molten rock, melting the remaining ice beneath the pirates and destroying the Moby Dick. While the pirates aimed for the gap in the wall where Little Oars Jr. blocked a section from rising, Jinbe sent Luffy in a stream of water over the wall.

Luffy landed in front of the Admirals and immediately attacked them. They were unfazed by his attacks due to their Logia intangibility, and when he tried to run past them, Kizaru kicked him aside. After Whitebeard and his crew successfully entered the plaza, Akainu confronted Whitebeard and stopped the swing of his naginata, since the attacks threatened to destroy the island. Whitebeard then told him he should try and protect it, and their Devil Fruit powers clashed with each other. When Monkey D.

Garp joined the battle, Whitebeard told his men that Garp was just an old man and that they should not be fooled. Akainu retaliated and said that Whitebeard himself was also of the same generation. The two clashed again, causing another rampage in Marineford. Akainu was angry at Whitebeard and shouted at him for destroying the city, and Whitebeard repeated what he said before and told him he should protect it. Suddenly, Whitebeard grabbed his chest and coughed up a massive amount of blood, and Akainu commented on how Whitebeard could not escape the effects of old age.

Taking full advantage of the Emperor’s weakness, Akainu landed a devastating blow, burning a hole into Whitebeard’s chest. With Whitebeard further weakened, Sengoku ordered more Marines to attack the Emperor, and Akainu stood by and watched the Marines attack. After their attacks landed, Whitebeard summoned strength to cut them down, and his allies gathered to guard his back. When Luffy unleashed a wave of Supreme King Haki to save Ace from the second execution attempt, Akainu noticed that Luffy used the power unconsciously. As Luffy raced up to the execution platform, Akainu watched as Garp confronted his own grandson.

Garp hesitated in his attack, allowing Luffy to knock him down. Once Luffy freed Ace, Akainu assured his men that there was nothing to worry about, since the two pirate brothers were going to be captured again and executed. When Whitebeard ordered his pirates to retreat while he stayed behind, Akainu pursued Luffy and Ace, and provoked Ace into attacking him by repeatedly disparaging Whitebeard. After Ace’s attack backfired, Akainu said that his magma can smother Ace’s fire and was thus able to injure Ace despite his Logia intangibility, making him his natural enemy. He went on to state that both Luffy and Ace deserved to be executed due to their parentage and attacked Luffy, but Ace threw himself in the way.

Ace took Akainu’s devastating attack through his torso, fatally injuring him. Akainu tried to finish off Ace, but Jinbe blocked the punch, burning his arm in the process. Marco and Vista then attacked Akainu, who found their Armament Haki attacks to be nuisances. Shortly after, Ace succumbed to his injury. While the others were distraught over Ace’s death, Akainu charged at the comatose Luffy, but Marco blocked the attack.

As Jinbe grabbed Luffy and ran, Akainu reiterated his intention to kill both pirate brothers. Enraged at the death of Ace, Whitebeard attacked Akainu, striking him from the back with a crippling blow. Akainu got back up and attacked back, burning off a portion of Whitebeard’s head. Whitebeard then gave the Admiral another devastating blow, sending him falling into a crater. After the Blackbeard Pirates killed Whitebeard, Akainu tunneled underground, emerging in front of Jinbe, and demanded that the fish-man hand over Luffy, but Jinbe refused, stating that he would protect Luffy with his life.

Akainu then prepared to attack, but Emporio Ivankov and other Whitebeard allies interrupted. Akainu later heard Blackbeard as he declared to the entire world that the age of Blackbeard had begun. Despite Blackbeard’s grave announcement and his newly acquired power, Akainu continued pursuing Luffy and burned through the pirates in his way. As Jinbe leaped into the bay, Aokiji froze the water, preventing the fish-man from using it, and Akainu’s magma punch then pierced through Jinbe and struck Luffy, critically injuring both of them. Akainu offered to end Luffy’s suffering, but Crocodile cut the Admiral in half and launched Luffy and Jinbe up into the air, where Buggy happened to catch them. Akainu tried to attack Buggy, but as the pirate flew away, the Whitebeard Pirates and Crocodile stood in the Admiral’s way. In a blind rage, Akainu took down Curiel and called for the Marines to slaughter the pirates. When Koby stood in Akainu’s path and yelled for the fighting to stop, the Admiral was outraged by the insubordination and attacked Koby. His punch was blocked by Shanks, who had come to end the war. Akainu was further aggravated that Shanks’ interference had allowed Luffy to escape. After Aokiji’s and Kizaru’s failed attempts to stop the Polar Tang, Sengoku complied with Shanks’ demands and called for an end to the war, which displeased Akainu.

Postwar Arc

When the crew’s raft was damaged because of the size of Sanjuan Wolf, Teach took Jewelry Bonney and her crew as a means of exchange with the World Government for a new ship. The Marines did not seem to accept the exchange, since Akainu was sent to the island. Blackbeard and his crew escaped, and left Bonney behind. Akainu faced Bonney and said that the World Government had been worried due to her disappearance, and Bonney replied that she hated the World Government and the Marines. Akainu revealed to Bonney that no matter how much she complained it wouldn’t change the fact that her father willingly agreed to be experimented on and become a human weapon for the World Government and to have his mind erased, causing her to yell at him in defiance claiming that couldn’t possibly be the case and that her father would never leave her behind.

During The Timeskip

A Rise In Rank

Akainu was nominated for the position of Fleet Admiral after Sengoku had retired. Aokiji, however, was against the idea of having him become the new Fleet Admiral and the two Admirals battled each other for the position on Punk Hazard. The battle lasted for ten days, and their respective powers caused Punk Hazard to permanently be frozen on one half and burning on the other. In the end, Sakazuki ended up as the victor of that battle, although both men were seriously wounded. Sakazuki, however, decided to let Kuzan live because they were comrades. His new leadership had given the Marines a stronger sense of Absolute Justice. Not wanting to serve under Sakazuki, Kuzan decided to resign from the Marines. After becoming Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki decided to relocate the Marine Headquarters to the New World in exchange for the Marine branch. As Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki instituted a mandatory draft to bolster the forces of the Marines; Admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu were recruited in this draft. The following events are non-canon, and therefore not considered part of the canon story.

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When Byrnndi World and the World Pirates made their return and threatened the Government, Sakazuki and the Marines, summoned by Buggy, ambushed World’s ship and began to attack it, during which Sakazuki did heavy damage with his magma powers. Concludes non-canon section.

Dressrosa Saga

The following events are non-canon, and therefore not considered part of the canon story.

One Piece Film Z

After Kizaru informed him of Z’s return, Sakazuki ordered a summit meeting at the new Marine Headquarters. He was enraged of hearing the news of the Dyna Stones being stolen and the destruction of the Marine base at Firs Island. Reluctantly, he dispatched Kizaru and six Vice Admirals to eliminate him and the Neo Marines, while quietly wishing that he did not have to resort to killing their former instructor. Concludes non-canon section.

Dressrosa Arc

After Donquixote Doflamingo supposedly renounced his title of Warlord of the Sea and Luffy and Trafalgar Law formed an alliance, Sakazuki and the other high-ranking marines discussed the next course of action. After he declared that he would not let Law and Luffy do whatever they wanted, Sakazuki asserted that the situation would be cleared in a day and noted that he had sent Admiral Fujitora to take care of it. Later, Sakazuki communicated with Fujitora via Den Den Mushi to inform him that the report given to Marine Headquarters regarding Doflamingo’s resignation was fraudulent, and noted the situation was infuriating, and that he was heading to Mary Geoise to confront the Five Elders about it. Sakazuki later had a meeting with the Five Elders and a heated argument broke out between them. After learning that the false news about Doflamingo leaving the Warlords of the Sea was by the order of the World Nobles, he angrily asked the Five Elders why the whole world had to be misled for Doflamingo’s sake, noting that if an incident like this were to occur again, he as Fleet Admiral would be disgraced. The Five Elders ignored him, saying that they were not concerned with his reputation as the Marines were only the public face of the World Government. When he was told that the case had been left to the Cipher Pol, Sakazuki retorted that even the Five Elders had been walked over by the “Celestial Dragons’ puppets”. The Five Elders responded in anger, blaming Sakazuki for Kuzan joining Blackbeard. Sakazuki replied that Kuzan’s actions after he left the Marines were not his concern. Suddenly, a Marine interrupted the meeting and reported about what had transpired on Dressrosa. Sakazuki then contacted Fujitora and scolded him for allowing the true news of what transpired at Dressrosa to spread throughout the world without approval. The two angrily argued about the World Government’s cover-ups and justice, and ultimately, Sakazuki demanded Fujitora to bring back the heads of Luffy and Law as recompense for his actions at Dressrosa, and forbade Fujitora from entering any Marine base until he carried out this order.

Whole Cake Island Saga

The following events are non-canon, and therefore not considered part of the canon story.

One Piece Film Gold

In Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki received a report from Rob Lucci about the Marines sending forces to aid Gild Tesoro. Sakazuki was not happy about serving a pirate, but Lucci replied that the World Government had motives of its own. Concludes non-canon section.

Levely Arc

While reading the newspaper detailing Luffy’s exploits at Totto Land, Sakazuki received a report that Komane, the princess of the Lulusia Kingdom, was kidnapped by pirates, making him furious and questioning why the escort allowed that to happen. He was later enraged to hear that Fujitora arrived at Mary Geoise when he had not yet claimed the heads of Luffy and Law and refused to consider the Admiral’s reasoning. When Sengoku popped his head through the doorway and asked him if being Fleet Admiral was difficult, Sakazuki told him to shut up. After the Marines intercepted a communication between Big Mom and Kaidou, Kizaru asked if he should go to handle the situation. Sakazuki told him to wait because they did not know the strength of Wano Country’s forces.

Wano Country Saga

The following events are non-canon, and therefore not considered part of the canon story.

One Piece Stampede

Sakazuki sent Kizaru with a fleet to Delta Island in order to surround and trap the pirates on the island. With the growing threat of Douglas Bullet’s rampage, Sakazuki ordered a Buster Call on the island. Afterward, Sakazuki was enraged that the Supernovas managed to escape. Concludes non-canon section.

Wano Country Arc

After the Warlord system was abolished, Sakazuki spoke to Fujitora via Den Den Mushi and explained that the timing was bad due to the pirate alliance of the Big Mom and Beasts Pirates. Sakazuki later interrupted a meeting Sengoku was holding and said that the Marines were leaving Wano Country alone due to not having enough manpower to deal with both Big Mom and Kaidou. Sakazuki and Sengoku then talked about Kouzuki Oden. When Ryokugyu made his way towards Wano, Sakazuki warned him to not worsen the situation at Wano. One week after Kaidou and Big Mom were taken down by Luffy, Kid and Law, Sakazuki discussed the recent events, which happened at the Levely, with Kizaru and Tensei. He acknowledged the threat the Revolutionary Army posed but stated they had no troops to deal with them, though he concluded Cobra’s assassination must have been meaningful for the Revolutionary Army while dismissing Tensei’s thoughts about the defeat of the Admirals. He then asked if they had any information about Vivi’s disappearance and, when asked by Kizaru if Saint Mjosgard’s assault on Saint Charlos has been resolved, Sakazuki stated that the happenings around this were too messy, and they should leave it in the jurisdiction of the God’s Knights. He then grumbled about the difficulties of being the Fleet Admiral before stating that he would extinguish any threat to the Marines. The following events are non-canon, and therefore not considered part of the canon story.

One Piece Film Red

After Uta organized a concert on Elegia in order to enact her plan of bringing everyone in the world into her dream world and live a life free of suffering, Sakazuki sent Kizaru and Fujitora with a fleet to Elegia in order to kill Uta. After the brainwashed audience began to attack Marine soldiers, Sakazuki ordered the fleet to not hesitate to eliminate any civilians who got in the way and that such “puny sacrifice” was nothing to be intimidated over in their mission to protect the world. Concludes non-canon section.

Final Saga

Egghead Arc

During Blackbeard and Law’s clash, Sakazuki was informed of the battle but forced to wait to see the conclusion, causing him to call the job of being Fleet Admiral frustrating. He was later informed about the recent events happening at Egghead, pondering the question if Vegapunk could have found out about his assassination at the hands of CP0 and that the Marines would lose an important source of combat power should he join forces with the Straw Hats. He was additionally informed about Kizaru making his way towards Egghead and had his subordinates order CP0 to stand down and not engage the Straw Hats until Kizaru and the Marines arrived. A day before the Egghead Incident, Sakazuki was present at Mary Geoise when Bartholomew Kuma appeared there after climbing the Red Line. When the Royal Guards failed to restrain him, Sakazuki appeared and confronted Kuma himself questioning why he was there so soon after the Revolutionary Army’s attack.

The World Nobles yelled at Sakazuki, ordering him to kill Kuma for the damage he had done in his short time there. Sakazuki obliged, although he inquired about where a “walking corpse” like Kuma was trying to go. Sakazuki used Meigo to burn off a portion of Kuma’s face and another attack that burned off his foot, although Kuma escaped using his own Devil Fruit ability before Sakazuki could cause more damage. Sakazuki ignored the continued yells from the World Nobles and instead wondered what Kuma could be doing. Back at Headquarters, Sakazuki listened to Vegapunk’s broadcast in stern silence, contrasting the shock of his colleagues. However, Sakazuki grew angrier as Vegapunk started revealing more sensitive info about the Void Century and the Roger Pirates. When the broadcast was nearing its end, Sakazuki angrily continued to listen in anger as Vegapunk stated that the fate of the world would be decided by whoever was able to claim the One Piece. Following the end of the broadcast, Sakazuki attempted to contact the Marines on Egghead, but was shocked when only Kizaru picked up the Den Den Mushi. Sakazuki demanded details on the situation, but was outraged when Kizaru refused to give any, which Sakazuki assumed to be because of laziness. Kizaru himself was outraged in turn at Sakazuki’s insinuation, at first asking him if he ever had to kill anyone close to him, and then berating his superior for his lack of sensitivity over the situation. In a rare moment of understanding, Sakazuki apologized for what he had said, although he was rebuffed.