Highlights
- Admiral Kizaru’s past interactions with Bartholomew Kuma and Bonney reveal that he may have doubts about his loyalty to the World Government and could potentially switch sides.
- Kizaru’s laid-back and carefree attitude, coupled with his powerful Devil Fruit abilities, makes him often act without taking responsibility for his actions and delegate blame to his superiors.
- Kizaru’s close relationships with Vegapunk, Kuma, and Bonney, despite their differing allegiances, indicate that he may have a soft spot for them and could potentially seek redemption by going against his orders from Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
New revelations about the tragedy of Bartholomew Kuma’s past in One Piece, have illuminated the potential for one member of the Marines’ elite to switch allegiances and overcome his burden of servitude to the World Government. Admiral Kizaru, the ever laid back and unbothered user of the Pika Pika no Mi, appeared to have played an integral part in brokering a deal between Kuma, Vegapunk, and Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, to cure Bonney from her terminal illness in the past.
In exchange, Kuma consented to having his entire personality erased, as part of a procedure to turn him into a cyborg subservient to the World Government. Kizaru oversaw the procedure and appeared to develop strong bonds with Vegapunk, Kuma, and Bonney in the time they spent together. Currently, in the Egghead Arc of One Piece, Kizaru’s memories from this period seem to have inculcated some doubt in his mind about whether he can really fulfill his orders from Saturn to kill Vegapunk. Subsequently, there may be a slim chance of Kizaru finally breaking the shackles of his allegiance to the Marines.
A Corporate Slave
Despite his high rank, Kizaru seldom takes any real initiative in most of his duties as an Admiral, and often acts only when orders are issued to him. His powerful Devil Fruit also leads him to take things very lightly, to the point where he is absent-minded and downright careless even in circumstances where it might not be appropriate. By virtue of his Devil Fruit being a Logia type, Kizaru’s ability to turn his body into light itself permits him to disregard most incoming attacks, barring those laced with Haki.
Over the course of the series, he has never really engaged an opponent with any real malice, hinting that his devotion to his duty is far below that of extremists such as Akainu, or even pragmatists such as Smoker. That being said, he is also fairly bold and fearless if circumstances demand it, as seen when he volunteered to intervene in the Raid on Onigashima during the climax of the Wano Country Arc.
This refusal to take responsibility also allows him to process the moral ramifications of his own actions as an Admiral, delegating all the blame to his superiors instead of accepting his own culpability in the World Government’s many misdeeds. However, Kizaru’s detachment appears to have been a front to cover the true guilt he feels, which became very obvious during his infiltration of Egghead Island to assassinate Vegapunk under the orders of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.
Memories Of Better Times
As a representative for the Marines who helped arrange the deal to cure Bonney of her Sapphire Scale affliction, Kizaru was present when Saturn negotiated terms with Kuma and Vegapunk. While his morals may not have aligned with Saturn’s values, as seen in how he took a back seat in the negotiations and stayed calm despite Vegapunk’s protests, Kizaru did his duty and stood guard against any escape attempt on Kuma’s part. He was visibly moved by Kuma’s sacrifice, and came to hold him in high regard.
Further down the line, he spent a considerable amount of time overseeing Kuma’s cybernetic augmentation, and grew to become close with Bonney and her father. Despite the tragedy of what was actually happening to Kuma, Kizaru, Vegapunk, and Sentomaru became a sort of surrogate family for him and Bonney, as they were shown partaking in meals and dancing to the rhythm of the drums of liberation — which also highlighted Kuma’s Buccaneer heritage and ties to Nika.
Over time, they appear to have grown fond of one another, despite how their allegiances greatly differed, to the point where Kizaru repeatedly voiced his wavering conviction at being ordered to kill Vegapunk. Even when Sentomaru made his last stand against the Marines to buy time, Kizaru acknowledged his bravery by fighting him head on, instead of simply flying past him as he could have. Hence, Kizaru clearly has a soft spot for Vegapunk, Sentomaru, and Bonney, even if his duty prevents him from showing it.
The Case For Kizaru’s Redemption
From all this information, it can be assumed that Kizaru is not entirely on board with Saturn’s extreme stance on Vegapunk’s assassination, as well as the manner in which he dealt with innocent lab workers escaping the Marines’ assault on Egghead. At the moment, the Marine Admiral is still firmly bound by his responsibilities, but the ongoing flashback into Bartholomew Kuma’s past is offering more and more hints about why this could soon change.
Throughout their trip to Egghead, Kizaru has always been wary of Saturn’s power, and has behaved like a loyal servant to the World Government, efficiently acting on orders whenever they are issued. So far, Saturn has also treated Kizaru with a reasonable amount of respect, but this may change if the situation escalates. Bonney, Vegapunk, Sentomaru, and the Straw Hat Pirates are now effectively all at Saturn’s mercy, with no one able to stand up to the Gorosei’s mysterious powers.
If Saturn chooses to display a more ruthless side of his own persona by attempting to kill Bonney, Vegapunk, or Sentomaru in a gruesome manner, there is a minor hope of Kizaru’s true beliefs overpowering his subservience. A shock of this caliber may be the only thing that could rouse the Admiral from his confusing ideal of “Uncertain Justice,” which has allowed him to behave like a government dog but still keep his morality intact. In short, Kizaru may switch sides at some point, but whether this will occur in Egghead or later on in One Piece, is unclear at the moment.
One Piece is available to stream on Prime Video.
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