Along with the Yonko and the Shichibukai, the Marines made up the Great Powers, who held absolute dominion over everything that occurs inOne Piece. In their quest to quell the threat of the Yonko, the Marines utilized the services of the Shichibukai. The Marines outnumber the pirates, but not all of their fighters are strong enough to fight against the big-name pirates. The strongest weapons of the Marines arethe three Admirals, who are armed with ridiculously overpowered devil fruits.
Before the time-skip, the positions were held by Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu. All three Admirals played a crucial role in the Paramount War, as the Marines successfully achieved their goal of killing Portgas D. Ace. With the war over, the Fleet Admiral position opened up as Sengoku willingly stepped down. Two contenders emerged for this position—Aokiji and Akainu. The two of them fought at Punk Hazard for several days, and it resulted in the island’s temperature being divided into extremely warm and cold. Unfortunately, Aokiji lost the fight, and Akainu was proclaimed the new Fleet Admiral. Not long afterward, Aokiji left the Marines.
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A New Start
Aokiji’s decision to leave the Marines came as a huge shock to his peers. They couldn’t believe that someone of his stature would quit his job. Aokiji reappeared in the Punk Hazard arc where he saved his friend and former underling smoker from being killed at the hands of Doflamingo. Before leaving Doflamingo confirmed that Aokiji had some kind of motive that he wanted to fulfill. During Aokiji’s conversation with the Smoker, the former Admiral confirmed that he had left the Marines to join the Blackbeard Pirates.
Needless to say, it was very shocking news as no one expected Aokiji to join hands with the most malevolent pirate on the seas. Aokiji and Smoker seemed to have a long discussion but it is unclear what they were talking about. It was also confirmed that Aokiji has ties with the Underworld which seems odd considering the Marines have absolutely no business with the shady organization. Aokiji’s connection to the Underworld provides him with access to sensitive information and even to some powerful weapons. At the moment, it remains to be seen why he left the marines and joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
Serving Loyally
In the recent chapters, Aokiji was seen on the cover stories, which confirmed that he had successfully completed the first task given to him by Blackbeard. Aokiji was sent to Whole Cake Island to capture Charlotte Pudding. He was accompanied by Van Augur, and it is safe to assume that the latter’s devil fruit made it quite simple to invade the territory of the Big Mom Pirates, who are among the strongest pirate crews in the series. The reason behind Pudding’s kidnapping was rather simple. The Blackbeard Pirates want to use her special ability to analyze the Road Poneglyphs that they intend to steal from other pirates.
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Currently, Pudding is on the same ship as Jesus Burgess, Van Augur, Doc Q, Aokiji, and Blackbeard, and they are engaged in an enthralling battle with the Heart Pirates. The outcome of the fight is unclear, but it would be safe to assume that Blackbeard is going to defeat his fellow Worst Generation member. It is important to remember that Trafalgar Law has two Road Ponegylphs in his possession, and if he is beaten by Blackbeard, then the Yonko would have access to potentially 3 of the 4 road Poneglyphs (assuming that they stole the Road Poneglyph from Whole Cake Island), which puts him in a very serious position to acquire the One Piece. So, the question that arises is, why is Aokiji helping Blackbeard to accomplish his goal?
Member of SWORD
Aokiji is one of the kindest Marines, so it would be odd for him to suddenly have a change of heart and join the Blackbeard Pirates, unless, his plan was to infiltrate the group for the sake of the Marines. To be precise, Aokiji seems to be the leader of SWORD, a top-secret group within the Marines. One of the group’s tasks is to monitor the activities of the Yonko so that the Marines can be ready for any possible situation.
Fans have already seen X-Drake infiltrating the Beasts Pirates, so it isn’t entirely impossible for another member of the group to infiltrate the crew of another Yonko. Considering Blackbeard is only interested in recruiting the strongest of fighters, he would never have taken a weakling. So, it had to be someone with a great deal of strength, someone like Aokiji.
In order to dupe Blackbeard, Aokiji probably explained that he could work with Akainu, which caused him to leave the Marines. With such a solid story, it would be unlikely for Blackbeard to question the former Admiral’s decision to join his crew. Aokiji certainly has a role to play in the series, but he has to wait until the right moment to strike. If things go awry, there is no telling what Blackbeard would do to him or to the balance of the world. Also, the stakes have increased even further as Koby has been taken hostage by the Blackbeard Pirates. So, Aokiji cannot risk doing anything rash to blow his cover. He has to bide his time and look for an opportunity to undermine the Blackbeard Pirates.
