Summary
Ever since his partial debut during Robin’s Ohara Incident flashback in theEnies Lobby arc, everyone just knew that Akainu was going to be one of the most terrifying villains thatOne Piecehas to offer. This was proven with his full appearance in the Marineford War, where he proved to be one of the strongest characters in the entire story, capable enough to stand in front of and fatally wound even the legendary Whitebeard.
Since the war and his merciless killing of Ace,One Piecefans have always painted Akainu in the light of a ruthless villain. However, while his views on justice are absolute, many believe that he isthe secret leader of the Sword; a special services group within the Navy that isn’t officially aligned with the World Government. Since this group operates separately from the Navy, let’s look at why many fans think that Akainu is its leader.
Story Arc
Enies Lobby
After the Marineford War, Sengoku stepped down as the Fleet Admiral, prompting a power vacuum that was to be filled by any one of his successors.Both Akainu and Aokijiopted to fill this role, so it led to their battle on Punk Hazard, the winner of which was to become the new Fleet Admiral. After 10 grueling days of battle between the strongest Marines, Akainu finally won and took the highest position in the entire Navy.
From then on, the glimpses that fans have gotten of the character have been brief, in typicalOne Piecefashion. However, Chapter 592 of the manga started a long-standing debate among fans regarding Akainu’s loyalties and secret plans, since the cover story showed him shirtless, cutting and decorating a Bonsai tree. While this is likely to be just another cover story not worth looking at too deeply, fans spotted a peculiar tattoo of a sword on his right shoulder.
If whom you fear for is truly your family, then do not disgrace them.
This is where the rampant theory-crafting began, since many fans believed that the tattoo was a means of Oda subtly hinting that Akainu is the secret leader of the non-World Government-aligned special operations unit called Sword. Contextually speaking, there are a few reasons to believe this. Firstly, once someone becomes an Admiral (and subsequently higher ranks), they are put underthe direct control of the World Nobles, which is why Garp never took up the position.
Because of this, Akainu is subject to the whims and desires of the Celestial Dragons way more as a Fleet Admiral despite having far more power over the Navy. In Chapter 793, following Doflamingo’s false departure from the ranks of the 7 Warlords, Akainu is shown in the room of authority talking back to the 5 Elders, who are the highest authority in the world.
This already shows that he is incredibly headstrong and, despite being in a very high position within the World Government, doesn’t agree with their methods 100%. This gives him ample reason to be the leader of Sword, since he wants things to happen in acertain way that the World Governmentdoesn’t approve of. By having a covert operations unit, he could send them off to secret missions.
Another thing that goes into this is Aokiji’s entire journey. On the surface, fans believe that after losing his fight against Akainu on Punk Hazard, Aokiji left the Navy because he didn’t want to work under Akainu, eventually joining the Blackbeard Pirates instead. However, the theory posits that Aokiji, too, has been on an undercover mission given to him by the new Fleet Admiral to infiltrate the ranks of the Blackbeard Pirates as a Titanic Captain when he is, in truth, a high-ranking member of Sword.
I really like how straightforward you are… so I’m living the way I want to now!
Many are pretty skeptical of Aokiji’s current loyalties, thinking that he is merely playing the side of Blackbeard. Otherwise, he would have straight-up killed Garp with the rest of the Titanic Captains but kept him alive. Such a monumental reveal would be incredible to witness, especially since many of the fans already believe it will happen.
How Likely Is This To Happen?
Is Akainu The Leader of Sword?
As for how much sense this theory makes, admittedly most of it has to do with speculation and wishful thinking. While the reasons listed are quite possible,Akainu is a believer in Absolute Justice, which is a methodology that preaches the forceful and absolute nature of justice, so to have him secretly allied with a group that’s unaligned with the World Government and is filled with characters who serve as ‘opposites’ to himself is highly unlikely.
The truth of the matter is that Akainu’s sword tattoo is likely just a coincidence that many fans were just reading way too much into. However, it remains an interesting thing to speculate onand, judging by how masterfully Eiichiro Oda writes characters and their motivations, it’s entirely possible that Akainu being Sword’s true leader could be the real deal.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
