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With the Weekly Shonen Jump being on its typical mid-August break, One Piece chapter 1090's official release is scheduled for Monday, August 21, 2023. Until then, fans will have to settle for the unofficial translation of the raw scans, which at least allows them to get a sense of the issue's content.
As seen in the chapter, the World Government's fleet has finally arrived at Egghead. On board the ships are Five Elders member Saint Saturn, Marine Admiral Kizaru, many Vice Admirals, and countless Navy soldiers, ready to challenge the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies.
Fans had been waiting to see Admiral Kizaru in action again since they had last witnessed him. In One Piece 1090, Kizaru started his assault on Egghead, but, according to some readers, his first move was rather underwhelming. Still, the scene should be placed in its right context, or else the potential for misinterpretation exists.
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Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1090.
Kizaru's long-awaited arrival on Egghead caused uproar in the One Piece fandom
An unexpected clash took place in One Piece chapter 1090
As revealed in the recent One Piece chapters, Vegapunk York, one of the scientist's six satellite bodies, offered the Five Elders to provide them with additional supplies of the Mother Flame. In exchange for the dreadful technology, she asked the Five Elders to grant her a place among Mary Geoise's Celestial Dragons.
With York having been taken hostage by the Straw Hat Pirates, one of the Navy fleet's main goals is to retrieve her. As Egghead's Frontier Dome's protection system relies on lasers, Saturn asked Kizaru to use his Glint-Glint powers to bypass the defense. Thus, the Admiral used his Sacred Yata Mirror technique, which allowed him to turn his body into light.
Reflecting the light off Egghead's surface, Kizaru performed a high-speed movement, landing on the Dome nearly instantly. Right there waiting for him, however, was Sentomaru, the bodyguard of Dr Vegapunk. Kizaru attacked Sentomaru with a kick, but the latter used Armament Haki, which he is a specialist in, and blocked the strike pretty well.
This scene in particular has given rise to heated debates among One Piece fans, as Sentomaru's defense was unable to fend off Rob Lucci. As seen in chapter 1069, Lucci, who was enhanced by his Awakened Zoan Fruit, attacked Sentomaru with a burst of speed and broke through his defense.
Sentomaru attempted to protect himself at the last moment by using his Armament Haki, but Lucci's Hand Gun, an improved version of the typical Finger Pistol move, severely wounded him nonetheless. In a few instants, Lucci overwhelmed Sentomaru, leaving him with a notable injury, which he took a lot of time to recover from.
While Sentomaru couldn't do a thing against Lucci, he was able to successfully defend himself from Kizaru. The logical implication would be that Lucci is faster and stronger than Kizaru, but such a thing doesn't really seem to be possible. Although the CP0 elite agent may be powerful, he shouldn't be even comparable to an Admiral, much less exceed him.
The fight between Kizaru and Sentomaru has to be contextualized
In truth, the explanation is pretty simple. It lies in the fact that the attacks performed by Lucci (in chapter 1069) and Kizaru (in chapter 1090) had the same target but were conducted with completely different intents and mindsets. Not taking that into account would be a big mistake.
Lucci, who is known to be a bloodthirsty killer, went all out against Sentomaru with murderous intent. He used a major named move, performed while being boosted by his strongest Zoan transformation. This makes sense, as Lucci attacked Sentomaru, aiming to annihilate him so that he could stop him from controlling the Seraphim cyborgs.
Kizaru, instead, was not even remotely going all out against Sentomaru. He didn't perform any serious attack, much less one of his best moves, but just used a warning strike to make Vegapunk's bodyguard understand that he means business. Most likely, Kizaru just employed a mere fraction of his overall powers.
Sentomaru and Kizaru are now on opposing sides, but it must be noted that they are friends with a high degree of mutual respect and acquaintance. Several years ago, Kizaru provided his Devil Fruit abilities as the basis for Vegapunk's research, much to Sentomaru's curiosity.
Sentomaru called Kizaru"ojiki", which is a word commonly used to refer to the boss of a yakuza family. On the other hand, during his conversation with Saint Saturn, Kizaru textually referred to Sentomaru as "his friend", implying that he would rather not have to harm him.
In One Piece, it's not uncommon for top-tier fighters to be temporarily countered by much inferior warriors. It happened to Big Mom with Chopper as well as to Kaido with Kinemon and Raizo, all of whom were individuals notably weaker than Sentomaru. Thus, it's not like Kizaru being momentarily stopped by Sentomaru would be something odd or unprecedented.
Unlike Lucci, who attacked Sentomaru with killing intent and a substantial effort, Kizaru just wanted the latter to get out of the way. The Admiral had absolutely no intent to fight his former friend. He just wanted to proceed with his mission.
For the avoidance of doubt, Kizaru textually expressed his unwillingness to engage Sentomaru in a battle, openly declaring to Saturn that he would enter Egghead but without harming his friend. This explains why Sentomaru was instantly beaten by Lucci and yet was able to stop Kizaru.
Borsalino "Kizaru", a relaxed but deadly man
Kizaru must not be underestimated, as he is definitely one of the mightiest characters featured in One Piece. His exceptional speed and formidable power make him a fearsome opponent, worthy of being a member of the so-called "Color Trio", i.e., the iconic three Admirals with Logia Devil Fruits of ice, magma, and light.
As Kuzan "Aokiji" left the Navy and Sakazuki "Akainu" became the Fleet Admiral, Borsalino "Kizaru" is now the only remaining member of the original trio. A humorous man who seemingly takes everything lightly, Kizaru is so laid-back that he could be called careless.
Despite such a playful attitude, Kizaru faced the strongest pirates in the world, including the likes of Whitebeard, Silvers Rayleigh, Benn Beckman, and Marco. He even volunteered to stop the encounter between Kaido and Big Mom, implying that he views himself as strong enough to get rid of one of them. It must be noted that no one pointed out that he wouldn't be able to.
Kizaru left the battlefield of Marineford without a single injury, despite fighting against Whitebeard and Marco. Before the time skip, the Admiral easily slaughtered many of the Worst Generation's Eleven Supernovas. Only the arrival of Silvers Rayleigh saved the young rookies, as Kizaru couldn't get past the right-hand man of the Pirate King.
Kizaru can use at least one advanced form of Haki, as he emitted his Color of Armament together with his colleagues Akainu and Aokiji, creating a barrier that totally negated a quake generated by Whitebeard. His physical strength is exceptional too, given that he was able to hold down Whitebeard's bisento, with the latter, despite his insane might, being briefly unable to lift it.
The Admiral's most fearsome asset is probably the Glint-Glint Fruit, a Logia-class Devil Fruit that allows him to create and control light as well as transform his body into it. As such, he can move and attack at the speed of light, adding weight and momentum to his blows, which become ravaging.
Owing to his Devil Fruit powers, Kizaru can shoot laser beams with great accuracy and immense destructive power. Moreover, he can use light to create a large sword, akin to a lightsaber, which he can wield with enough proficiency to clash on par with a swordsman of Rayleigh's caliber.
This is just a glimpse of Kizaru's capabilities, as the Admiral has yet to show the real extent of his abilities. Most likely, he will do that during the ongoing Egghead Arc, which is now entering its pivotal phase. To see the "Light Human" in action, however, fans will have to wait a little longer, as One Piece will be on hiatus until the end of August.
Stay tuned for more One Piece manga, anime, and live-action updates as 2023 progresses.
