Although the Admirals used to be fearsome enemies, they’ve become somewhat irrelevant in the New World.
The first time a Marine Admiral appeared in the story was right after the Sky Island arc. At the time, Aokiji suddenly confronted Robin and the rest of the Straw Hats. He instantly froze Luffy and then proceeded to engulf the ocean with thick ice in mere seconds. The next major appearance was during the scuffle at the Sabaody Archipelago. At the time, Kizaru appeared and utterly defeated Luffy along with the rest of the Supernovas on the island. That was how powerful and fearsome the Admirals were.
Unfortunately, the same thing can’t be said about the present-day Admirals. It seems that ever since One Piece’s New World Saga began a couple of years back, the once fearsome Admirals are not so intimidating anymore. Kizaru’s defeat during the recent Egghead incident is the exact proof of this statement. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that the Admirals are no longer relevant these days.
A Glaring Lack of Strength
One of the main reasons why the Admirals are no longer as fearsome as they used to be before the time skip is simply due to their glaring lack of strength. It’s not that they suddenly get nerfed or purposely weakened, but it’s clear that while other characters like Luffy, Kidd, and Law gained a tremendous boost in power, the Admirals remain the same.
Luffy can now access the mythical power of the Sun God with his Gear 5, while Kizaru is the same as ever. Even Rob Lucci of CP0 managed to awaken the hidden power of his devil fruit. Sure, there are two new Admirals and they are indeed quite powerful. But as we’ve seen at the end of the Wano Country Arc, Shanks can easily intimidate Admiral Ryokugyu with his tremendous Haki alone. And as mentioned earlier, Luffy can now defeat Kizaru with some energy left to spare.
Make no mistake, the Admirals are still way stronger than 90% of the pirates out there. However, it is the 10% like Luffy and the rest of the Emperors of the Sea that caused the most trouble. So if they can no longer keep up with these monsters, most of which reside in the New World, then they are practically irrelevant. How the mighty have fallen!
A Shift to Stronger, More Important Opponents
To be fair though, as the story progresses, it’s clear that the Admirals are no longer the main threat to our heroes. The closer the Straw Hats are to the mythical One Piece, the more the figures that spent most of their time in the shadows are forced to enter the limelight. These hidden figures are stronger and more important than mere Marine Admirals. In a way, Luffy and his comrades have become a problem that can only be solved by people above the Admirals’ pay grade.
The Straw Hats have grown large enough that these important people have decided to take matters into their own hands. That’s why several big shots within the World Government and the World Noble began to move out of the shadows and into the limelight. The Five Elders have decided to join the front line by sending one of their own, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, to lead the destruction of Egghead. The Great Imu had to destroy the Lulusia Kingdom in order to quench the fire of rebellion that had been brewing in this small kingdom as of late. Even the revered God’s Knights are rumored to be ready to move out whenever needed.
All of those big names are way more powerful and hold way more influence than a Marine Admiral. They are so far up the food chain that the overwhelming majority of people in this world don’t even know about their existence. Compared to such larger-than-life entities, it’s no wonder that the Admirals have been slowly but surely pushed out of the picture.
The Admirals’ Uncertain Role in the Future
So with the Admirals becoming more and more irrelevant as the story goes on, is there anything left for them to do? What are their roles in the future of this beloved and ever-evolving series? It’s nearly impossible to predict what Eiichiro Oda, the original author of One Piece, will do with his characters in the future. However, based on what we’ve seen and known about the Admirals thus far, we can make some basic predictions about their roles in the future of this series.
It’s highly likely that going forward, the Admirals will act independently, rather than as a team. It’s already obvious that the current generation of Admirals are not on the same page with each other. Kizaru will do anything that the World Government wants him to. Ryokugyu is basically Akainu’s fanboy and will do anything to please his idol. Meanwhile, Fujitora is off pursuing his own brand of justice that focuses more on the regular people rather than the elite few.
This differing motivation will force their paths to diverge at some point in the near future. This means the Admirals’ independent actions will likely affect the story, rather than the order that they received from the higher-ups. Fujitora may choose to uncover the World Government’s hidden oppression. Ryokugyu may do something that he thinks will be beneficial to Akainu only to make things more chaotic than before. And Kizaru may finally choose to follow his heart rather than blindly follow what others tell him to do. They may not be as relevant as they used to be but don’t discount them just yet.
