Highlights
- Sengoku chose Aokiji over Akainu because Aokiji shares his sense of justice and compassion for innocent people, making him the perfect candidate to become the new Fleet Admiral.
- Akainu became the Fleet Admiral because he had the full support of the World Government, especially the Five Elders, who valued his ability to uphold the law without compromise.
- Aokiji and Akainu engaged in a trial by combat to determine the new Fleet Admiral, and Akainu emerged as the victor, leading Aokiji to resign from his position as an Admiral.
Sengoku was arguably one of the best Fleet Admirals the Marines ever had. From executing the pirate king Gol D. Roger to defeating the strongest man on the planet, Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate, Sengoku has accumulated so many accomplishments that no other Marines may even be able to replicate.
One of the most interesting highlights of his career happened right after the end of the Marineford Incident. For various reasons, Sengoku decided to hang his coat as the Fleet Admiral and became an Inspector General instead. He highly recommended the then Admiral Aokiji to be his successor, even though Akainu was the one who ended up taking that title. So why did Sengoku choose Aokiji over Akainu?
Related: One Piece: The Unique Dynamic Between The Three Marine Admirals
Sengoku’s Brand of Justice
Before talking about Aokiji and Akainu, it’s important to understand who Sengoku actually is, especially when it comes to his unique brand of justice. Sengoku has different shades of justice. On one hand, he strives to always punish pirates to the full extent of the law. On the other hand, he doesn’t mind working together with pirates if there’s a need to do so. The best example of this side of him is his stand regarding the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Sengoku doesn’t like them, but he would be the first to admit how useful they are to the Marines.
Sengoku also has a cunning and manipulative side to him. In his effort to catch his prey, he wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary, even if it may seem immoral or unethical. For example, during the Marineford Incident, Sengoku ordered Akainu to deceive one of Whitebeard’s crewmates named Squard. He believed their lies so much that he ended up stabbing his own captain.
However, Sengoku has also shown an unwavering sense of justice when it comes to his desire to protect innocent people. This is precisely what happened right after the Marineford Incident when he was informed about the powerful convicts who escaped from the deepest level of Impel Down Prison. Sengoku immediately ordered his subordinates to create wanted posters for those dangerous criminals. To his surprise, the World Government overruled his decision because they thought it would be shameful to admit such a huge blunder. Sengoku was absolutely furious over this absurd decision to the point that he decided to resign from his position as the Fleet Admiral.
Why Sengoku Chose Aokiji Over Akainu
Based on the previous section, Sengoku is a man with a complicated sense of justice. However, there is one creed that he always followed throughout his career as a Fleet Admiral. Sengoku has always tried his best to catch criminals, but the safety of innocent citizens must come first. This means he will do whatever it takes to catch the bad guys, as long as it doesn’t compromise the safety of the common folks.
Out of the three Admirals at the time (Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru), Aokiji is the only one who has a similar sense of justice and principles as Sengoku. Aokiji won’t hesitate to unleash his full power to do his job as the Admiral, as we have seen multiple times throughout the series, particularly during the Marineford Incident.
However, he also has the wisdom and the compassion to let his targets go if their existence proves to be beneficial for the regular people. This is one of the reasons why Aokiji let the Straw Hats pirates, especially Nico Robin, go even though he had the chance to capture them on numerous occasions. Aokiji knew that the Straw Hats had saved, and will continue to save, a lot of innocent people. That’s why Sengoku feels that Aokiji was the perfect man to take on his mantle as the new Fleet Admiral.
On the contrary, Akainu is a strict and no-nonsense man who upholds the law over anything else. In his eyes, it doesn’t matter how kind you are or how many innocent people you have helped throughout the years. If you break the law, Akainu will do anything in his power to punish you. As for Kizaru, he has always been the perfect employee for the World Government. He rarely takes the initiative and will only do what the higher-ups tell him to do, which is a bad quality for a leader.
Related: One Piece: What Happened To The Whitebeard’s Fleet After The Marineford Incident?
Why Akainu Became the Fleet Admiral
If Aokiji was clearly the perfect candidate to continue Sengoku’s stellar reign as the Fleet Admiral, why did Akainu end up with the promotion instead? Well, the answer was that Akainu had the full support of the World Government, especially the Five Elders. You see, despite his numerous great qualities, the Five Elders quickly realized that Aokiji was a difficult man to control.
Not only that, he would certainly have different views than the World Government on numerous issues, just like Sengoku before him. So the ideal Fleet Admiral for them was somebody who has not only proven himself as a capable leader but also shares their hardline views. And the only one who suited that criteria was none other than Akainu. So they picked him as the new Fleet Admiral.
As everybody knew by now, both Aokiji and Akainu felt that they both deserved the position of the new Fleet Admiral. After all, Aokiji had the backing of Sengoku, while Akainu had the support of the World Government. So the only solution was a trial by combat. For days, both Admirals unleashed their full might on a deserted island to the point of altering the climate of said island forever.
Unfortunately for Aokiji, Akainu proved to be the stronger one. As a result, Akainu became the new Fleet Admiral of the Marines. Aokiji couldn’t bring himself to work under such a bloodthirsty man, so he decided to resign from his position as an Admiral.
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