Author Eiichiro Oda recently startled readers by causing a confrontation between Law and Marshall D. Teach. The Heart Pirates and certain Blackbeard Pirates are also involved in the conflict, which takes place on Winner Island. The current struggle in One Piece 1064 seems to be a highly tough scenario for Law and his crew.
According to the chapter, the anonymous invader who froze Chocolate Town and vanquished Cracker of the Big Mom Pirates’ Sweet Commanders is none other than retired Marine Admiral Aokiji.
Aokiji’s status remained unclear prior to One Piece 1064. Fans just knew he’d quit the Marines and begun an undefined association with the Blackbeard Pirates. Aokiji is now a full-fledged member of the team, it has been disclosed. This has sparked debate among the One Piece fanbase.
Oda recently revealed that Shiryu is the second strongest member of the Blackbeard Pirates, second only to Teach himself. Because Aokiji is such a formidable figure, people are arguing whether Shiryu or the former Admiral should be the Blackbeard Pirates’ number two.
Shiryu vs Aokiji has become a new trending argument among One Piece fans
Who is Shiryu?
Shiryu “Of the Rain” is the former Impel Down prison’s Head Jailer. He is a violent and deceptive person who relishes murdering, even slaying his former employees mercilessly. Shiryu, a strong swordsman, has the Famous Sword Raiu. He was seen utilizing it to launch lethal assaults at breakneck rates.
Shiryu was as strong before the time jump as Magellan, the other Head Jailer of Impel Down. The latter felt certain that the former was powerful enough to stop Marshall D. Teach, one of the Seven Warlords at the time, and his crew. Shiryu, on the other hand, grew intrigued in Teach after meeting him. As a result, he broke his promise to Impel Down and joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
Shiryu’s combat talents are expected to have increased after a two-year time jump. The Clear-Clear Fruit also bestowed upon him a new ability. This talent improved his stealth abilities by allowing him to become invisible. This strength, along with his swordsmanship, makes him one of the most devastating warriors in the One Piece universe.
Who is Aokiji?
Kuzan, often known as “Aokiji,” is a retired Marine Admiral. Despite being one of the World Government’s most powerful combatants, he is a forgiving and laid-back individual who prefers cycling and sleeping above anything else. Prior to the time jump, Fleet Admiral Sengoku nominated Aokiji as the Marine’s replacement.
Admiral Akainu, on the other hand, was hostile to Aokiji. The two battled for 10 days in a violent conflict. Aokiji was eventually defeated in the battle. Following that result, he quit the Marines and began an unclear relationship with the Blackbeard Pirates.
Aokiji consumed the Ice-Ice Fruit, a Logia-class Devil Fruit that gives him the ability to make and manipulate ice, allowing him to freeze anything or anybody. He possesses exceptional endurance, allowing him to fight for an extended period of time against a lethal opponent like Akainu. During the Paramount War, Aokiji squared up against Whitebeard. He subsequently beat Jozu, the Whitebeard Pirates’ third strongest member.
Why Shiryu vs Aokiji has become a topic of debate now
Aokiji’s relationship with the Blackbeard Pirates was unknown prior to One Piece 1064. Most admirers felt he operated as a type of external ally to them. However, the most recent episode of the series has shown that he is now a full-fledged member of the Blackbeard Pirates.
One Piece 1064 revealed that Aokiji visited Whole Cake Island alongside Van Augur, another member of the Blackbeard Pirates, some time ago. They were entrusted with apprehending Pudding, one of Big Mom’s offspring, due to her uncommon ability to interpret Poneglyphs.
Cracker, one of the Big Mom Pirates’ three Sweet Commanders, attempted to stop them, but he was no match for Aokiji, who used his abilities to freeze the whole Chocolate Town.
Aokiji is one of the most powerful characters in the One Piece universe. As a result, his arrival to the Blackbeard Pirates should significantly boost the crew’s capabilities.
However, the admission that he is, for all intents and purposes, a member of the Blackbeard Pirates has sparked a heated controversy among One Piece fans.
While most people believe that Teach is more powerful than Aokiji, there is some debate on who is the most powerful after the former.
Reasons why Shiryu may be stronger than Aokiji
Shiryu, the former Head Jailer of Impel Down, is the number two of the Blackbeard Pirates, according to One Piece author Eiichiro Oda. The color spread of One Piece chapter 1031 displayed the line-up of the “number two,” the second strongest men from the most notable teams, straight after the captains.
Oda included Zoro for Strawhats, Rayleigh for Roger’s crew, Benn Beckman for the Red Hair Pirates, Shiryu for the Blackbeard Pirates, and more characters in that issue.
In a later SBS – a special column in which One Piece author Eiichiro Oda personally responds to fan letters – the author noted that all of the individuals shown in the chapter 1031 color spread are the second strongest men in their crew, even though not all of them have the formal position of first mate.
The first mate, sometimes known as the vice-captain, is the ship’s commanding officer. He is subordinate to the captain and serves as his right-hand man. The first mate is someone on whom the whole crew may depend. If the captain is absent or disabled, the vice-captain is the next in line to take over.
In the universe of One Piece, the second strongest member of the crew is generally the first mate. Oda stressed, however, that although not all number twos automatically carry that official title, they do have the accompanying power. The number twos are more visible than their colleagues because they are stronger.
Many One Piece fans believe Shiryu is the strongest individual in the Blackbeard Pirates, second only to Teach, the captain. With the creator of One Piece formally confirming this notion, it must be taken as accurate unless proved otherwise.
With Aokiji established as a member of the Blackbeard Pirates and Shiryu shown as the strongest person in that gang, second only to Blackbeard himself, Shiryu must be stronger than Aokiji.
Reasons why Aokiji may be stronger than Shiryu
Aokiji is a former Marine Admiral who was able to stand up to the current Marine Fleet Admiral, Admiral Akainu. Before he could defeat Aokiji, the latter had to put up his all in a ten-day struggle.
As a result, some One Piece fans have begun to debate whether it is acceptable to classify Aokiji as intrinsically weaker than Shiryu, regardless of the circumstances.
Aokiji’s membership with the Blackbeard Pirates was revealed only in One Piece 1064. The previous Admiral was not considered a member of the crew when the cover of Chapter 1031 and the ensuing SBS were issued. As a result, the One Piece author represented the number twos based on the readers’ understanding of the different crews at the time.
As a result, Aokiji, who was shown to be a full-fledged member of Blackbeard’s crew just a short time later, should not be included in that judgment.
Aokiji is also unlikely to be a member of the Blackbeard Pirates. It looks strange for an honest guy and former Marine veteran like Aokiji to join a pirate group. Especially when it comes to a gang of violent thieves out to make Teach, a selfish and evil man, the Pirate King.
Many One Piece fans think Aokiji is attempting to infiltrate the Blackbeard Pirates on the Marine’s side. The former Admiral is often implicated in ideas regarding SWORD, the Marine Corps’ secret organization. Given that he was taught by Garp and Sengoku, it’s extremely possible that Aokiji shares their values. If they’re a part of SWORD, he’s probably a part of it as well.
Other followers believe Aokiji is acting in accordance with Akainu. The former viewed the latter to be unduly brutal, to the point of undermining the Marines’ goal of maintaining peace. However, Akainu considered Aokiji as being too soft and sluggish to really put a stop to evil. As a consequence, their epic combat took place.
Despite his customary brutal conduct, Akainu opted to spare his colleague’s life when he eventually won. After the hard struggle, Akainu may have discovered that Aokiji has a strong sense of duty and justice as well. When he saw Aokiji willing to die for his principles, he began to appreciate him.
As a result, rather than killing Aokiji, Akainu enlisted him into SWORD and assigned him the most perilous mission: infiltrating the Blackbeard Pirates. Their’s why Aokiji is claiming to be a part of that gang.
In any event, this implies that Aokiji is not a true member of the Blackbeard Pirates. As a result, the fact that Shiryu is only second in strength to Teach in that group does not imply that Aokiji is intrinsically weaker than Shiryu. If Oda does not believe the former Admiral to be a legitimate member of the Blackbeard Pirates, he most likely did not include him in his estimation of the crew’s number two.
Final Thoughts
Aokiji’s strength is undeniably impressive. However, as one of the series’ last antagonists, Blackbeard will very certainly prove to be much more powerful than the previous Admiral.
Every captain need a strong and dependable number two. Luffy has Zoro to rely on, Shanks has Benn Beckman, and Roger used to rely on Rayleigh. Needless to say, a powerful guy like Blackbeard is no exception.
As a result, with Blackbeard being even stronger than Admirals and Emperors, it is very feasible that Shiryu, his most powerful subordinate, is as strong as, if not stronger than, the Admirals. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to properly assist Blackbeard in his mission to discover One Piece and become the Pirate King.
The aforementioned ideas would explain how the two conceptions – Aokiji being a member of the Blackbeard Pirates and Shiryu being second only to Teach in power within the same crew – are not necessarily diametrically opposed.
Shiryu and Aokiji might both be combatants of similar strength at this time. It’s also possible that one of them is somewhat stronger than the other. With the series nearing its conclusion, the moment for all of these exciting questions to be addressed isn’t far away.