As a high-ranking Navy officer, Borsalino “Kizaru” is an immensely capable individual who serves as a formidable adversary to the lead characters in One Piece. Among the numerous personalities introduced in the current Egghead Arc, Kizaru is emerging as one of the most contentious figures.
Despite his typically laid-back and seemingly absentminded demeanor, the Admiral appears to be grappling with an unexpected internal conflict.
While Kizaru has always been an unconventional character, his commitment to the Navy has never been called into question. He has been depicted as a lazy but ruthless and cold-blooded Marine officer.
In the Egghead Arc, One Piece is revealing Kizaru’s emotional side for the first time, as the Admiral finds himself torn between preserving his bonds and permanently severing them.
Tasked with assassinating Vegapunk on behalf of the World Government, Kizaru seems to have made his choice by carrying out his mission. However, appearances may be deceiving, and there could be more to the situation than meets the eye.
Exploring Kizaru’s Internal Struggle in the Egghead Arc of One Piece
In the Egghead Arc, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda dedicated a significant portion of the storytelling to the touching backstories of Bartholomew Kuma and Jewelry Bonney.
Through this flashback, the mangaka also revealed the profound nature of Kizaru’s bond with Kuma, Bonney, Sentomaru, and Vegapunk.
Upon receiving the order to kill Vegapunk, Kizaru found himself forced to make a decision he never anticipated.
The Admiral has always been loyal to the Navy, but this time, his soul fell prey to doubt and uncertainty.
Caught between fulfilling his duty as a Marine and listening to his heart, Kizaru appears to have chosen the former, but without completely disregarding the latter.
Based on his behavior so far, it could be argued that he is attempting to navigate both paths, uncertain of which he will ultimately choose.
For example, while Kizaru overpowered and defeated Sentomaru, many fans speculated that he might have done so with the intent to avoid an even worse fate for the latter.
Kizaru could have easily killed Sentomaru, but he merely left him unconscious. If Saint Saturn had been in Kizaru’s position, he would not have shown such mercy.
In his ostensible effort to carry out his mission and kill Vegapunk, Kizaru attacked several characters, namely Sanji, Bonney, Franky, and Vegapunk Atlas. It is noteworthy that all of them were struck more than once.
Considering Kizaru’s overwhelming power as an Admiral and the owner of the fearsome Logia-class Glint-Glint Fruit, they should have been dead.
Analyzing Kizaru’s Intentions In The Latest One Piece Chapter
In One Piece, it is not unprecedented for weaker characters to survive strikes from much more powerful foes. However, they should at least be rendered unconscious. To cite an example from the ongoing arc, Stussy was beaten within an inch of her life by Lucci’s Finger Pistol.
The same CP0 agent also brutally defeated Vegapunk Atlas with a single strike of his Six King Pistol.
In comparison, it seems odd to witness the likes of Franky and even Vegapunk Atlas enduring Kizaru’s attacks without being particularly hindered. Franky was hit by a laser barrage and a kick, similar to Sanji’s experience, while Atlas was struck by lasers, and Bonney was attacked with a kick.
Granted, those were very basic moves, far from being Kizaru’s strongest techniques, but they should still be enough to immediately take out someone like Atlas. Considering this, the impression is that Kizaru is only doing the minimum necessary to follow Saturn’s orders.
At one point, Kizaru claimed that he would kill Bonney and Kuma, and, to be fair, he was about to hit them with his lightsaber.
Still, considering how little damage his other attacks inflicted, it’s not too far-fetched to interpret those words as a facade.
In One Piece chapter 1108, Kizaru kicked away Sanji, who was trying to escape with Vegapunk and stabbed the scientist.
Notably, Kizaru’s attack was aimed at the same area where Saturn had previously pierced Vegapunk, inflicting a grievous wound.
Many fans hypothesize that Kizaru’s laser was not aimed at killing Vegapunk but rather that the former’s real intent was to cauterize the wound. This is a fascinating theory, as such an action would prevent Vegapunk from bleeding to death.
Complexity Of Kizaru’s Attack
On the other hand, some readers have argued that Kizaru targeting Vegapunk’s wound was an act of sadism from the Admiral, who, for example, displayed a similar attitude towards Luffy during the Paramount War.
This option certainly remains possible, and the manga may very well prove it to be correct. However, it also appears somewhat unlikely.
As Kizaru couldn’t even look Kuma and Bonney in their eyes before attacking them, it wouldn’t make much sense for him to suddenly become wicked enough to hurt Vegapunk just for fun, especially considering Kizaru seemed all but resolved to kill him.
In One Piece chapter 1107, before targeting Bonney and Vegapunk with a laser, Kizaru closed his eyes, as if he wanted to look away and not bear the burden of what he was about to do.
This emblematic gesture only emphasized that Kizaru’s feelings are, at the very least, mixed.
The Admiral’s behavior is ambiguous, possibly as a result of his beliefs based on the concept of “Unclear Justice,” which he appears to epitomize perfectly.
Interestingly, One Piece author Eiichiro Oda created Kizaru by drawing inspiration from Kunie Tanaka, a renowned Japanese actor who often played the role of gray area characters.
Some fans pointed out that Vegapunk had previously complained about the fatal wound but, right after being pierced through the same spot by Kizaru, he started to smile.
This was particularly emphasized in a small panel placed at the end of One Piece chapter 1108, where Sanji, who was worried about Vegapunk’s conditions, noticed a smile on the scientist’s face.
Using a laser to cauterize someone who already has a huge hole through his abdomen is a highly risky gamble, but the idea that Kizaru did that to stop Vegapunk’s bleeding cannot be completely dismissed.
However, the final panel of One Piece chapter 1108 seemingly confirms that Vegapunk is dead.
As the scientist lost consciousness in Sanji’s arms, the laboratory started playing a pre-recorded message with his voice. In the same panel, a computer with an EKG display showed a flat line.
The clear implication is that the heart of someone connected to the computer has stopped beating, triggering the message broadcast.
It is easy to assume that the person whose EKG flatlined is Vegapunk and that the scientist had planned for his recording to activate upon his death, as some kind of posthumous safeguard.
Based on that, the disappearance of the heart rate on the monitor implies that Vegapunk is unequivocally deceased.
Looking ahead to understand what Kizaru’s previous actions were truly aimed at, it goes without saying that the Admiral cannot be unmoved by Vegapunk’s death.
Assuming that Kizaru tried to avoid such a tragic outcome, this might be the final straw for him to decide which side he is truly on.
More About One Piece
The world of One Piece is a vast and diverse realm, populated not just by humans but also by a multitude of other races. These include dwarves, giants, merfolk, fish-men, long-limbed tribes, and the long-necked Snakeneck Tribe, as well as animal-human hybrids known as “Minks.”
Governing this expansive world is the World Government, an intercontinental organization comprising dozens of member countries.
The Navy serves as the sea-faring military branch of the World Government, tasked with protecting the known seas from pirates and other criminals.
Additionally, there is Cipher Pol, a group of agencies within the World Government that functions as their secret police force.
While pirates pose a significant threat to the Government, the true challengers to their rule are the Revolutionary Army, who seek to overthrow the current regime.
The central tension of the series pits the World Government and its forces against pirate crews.
The narrative regularly emphasizes moral ambiguity over the label “pirate,” portraying not only cruel villains but also individuals who refuse to submit to the World Government’s authoritarian and often morally ambiguous rule.
