Not even a former Admiral like Kuzan can avoid one of the most unfortunate curses of being an important member of the Blackbeard Pirates.
The Blackbeard Pirates are a somewhat unfortunate lot in the One Piece narrative. Despite being built up as one of the series’ biggest threats, they’re constantly shown biting off more than they can chew — and getting badly beaten for it. This is despite their supposed power (that they continue to amass). It’s almost as if they’re cursed to lose their way to the top.
Perhaps the most telling sign of this run of bad luck is the fate that befell Kuzan, who was recently confirmed to be one of Blackbeard’s Ten Titanic Captains. Despite being a former Admiral, he can’t seem to avoid the curse of his new crew being humiliated on-screen. Even if he comes out fine in his latest fight, his reputation may never be the same.
Kuzan’s Fight Against Garp
The latest One Piece chapters have seen Monkey D. Garp and the agents of SWORD invade Blackbeard’s base on Hachinosu to save Koby. Unfortunately for the Emperor’s crew, not many of them seem strong enough to put up a fight against the Hero of the Marines. This is where the former Admiral’s appearance in Chapter 1081, “Tenth Ship Captain of the Blackbeard Pirates, Kuzan,” becomes important.
Theoretically, a battle between Kuzan and Garp should be a close match. After all, Garp is a Vice Admiral, outranked by Kuzan, who should be strong enough to give him a challenge. Yet, somehow this fight isn’t as even as one might expect — even now, the Vice Admiral can shrug off the Titanic Captain’s ice attacks, a feat hardly heard of in One Piece. After that, Garp used Blue Hole on Kuzan, the name of which suggests he’s been thrown hard enough and far down enough to strike seawater; as a Devil Fruit user, this could spell trouble even for the former Admiral. Even if Kuzan survives, this beatdown is still pretty degrading.
Considering Chapter 1081 not only confirmed Kuzan’s status as one of Blackbeard’s top men but also advertised it, this was a pretty poor showing. Technically, however, this fight says more about Garp’s power than Kuzan’s weakness. It’s also kind of fitting as, again, the Blackbeard Pirates have an odd tendency to lose upwards. Even if the former Admiral lost this fight, he should still be considered a legitimate threat once the Straw Hat Pirates inevitably face off against him and the rest of Blackbeard’s crew.
Src: cbr.com
