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In anticipation of the official release of One Piece chapter 1108, which is scheduled for February 26, 2024, the issue's raw scans already outline some compelling developments, as Admiral Kizaru continues to target Vegapunk within the context of the Egghead Incident. As seen in the chapter, Sanji attempted to protect Vegapunk, but to no avail, as Kizaru quickly intercepted his movements.
After kicking Sanji away, Kizaru used a lightsaber to pierce Vegapunk's body, inflicting another grievous injury to the old scientist. Luckily, Luffy used his Gear 5 transformation to stop Kizaru and Saint Saturn, allowing Sanji to flee away with Vegapunk. While all this was going on, the Marines continued their attack on Egghead.
With Saturn and Kizaru engaged in the battlefield, the Vice Admirals have taken command of the Navy fleet. After their many underwhelming performances, this might be the right opportunity for the Vice Admirals to show they are no pushovers. In this regard, One Piece chapter 1108 revealed the names of all the nine Vice Admirals involved in the Egghead Incident and showed some of them in action.
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1108.
One Piece chapter 1108: Egghead might be the last opportunity for the Vice Admirals to shine
The exact standard for a Navy officer to be promoted to a higher rank is yet to be revealed, but although there are some exceptions, higher-ranked Marines are usually much stronger than lower-ranked ones. The official ranks of the Navy officers in One Piece are as follows, from highest to lowest:
- Fleet Admiral
- Admiral
- Vice Admiral
- Rear Admiral
- Commodore
- Captain
- Commander
- Lieutenant Commander
- Lieutenant
- Lieutenant Junior
- Ensign
- Warrant Officer
- Master Chief Petty Officer
- Chief Petty Officer
- Petty Officer
- Seaman First Class
- Seaman Apprentice
- Seaman Recruit
Given this, Vice Admirals hold the third highest formal rank, only below Admirals and Fleet Admiral. It was also revealed that all Vice Admirals know and can use at least the basic forms of Observation and Armament Haki, making them expert and quite effective soldiers.
Understandably, this has made One Piece fans have very high expectations of these officers. The problem is that these hopes have often been subverted, as the Vice Admirals have rarely shone in combat performances.
They are usually portrayed as second-rate fighters, and it's made pretty clear that there's a huge gap in power between them and the Admirals. Doflamingo's Devil Fruit powers easily manipulated Mozambia, while Maynard suffered a crushing defeat at Bartolomeo's hands.
Lacroix, John Giant, and Lonz were utterly defeated during the Paramount War, although, to be fair, the latter two can't be blamed for losing to the all-powerful Whitebeard. Bastille was no match for Sabo, who effortlessly beat him in Dressrosa, and Yamakaji didn't fare any better against Boa Hancock during the siege of Amazon Lily.
Stainless, leading the fleet charged with apprehending Buggy, most likely lost to Crocodile and Mr. 1. Even Saul portrayed as one of the mightiest Vice Admirals, didn't stand a chance against Kuzan, the soon-to-be Admiral Aokiji.
Vergo, who became a Vice Admiral to infiltrate the Navy on Doflamingo's behalf, lost quite overwhelmingly to Trafalgar Law. In the very next arc, Law would be brutally beaten by Doflamingo.
Despite his initial portrayal as one of the Navy's most promising officers and his promotion to Vice Admiral during the timeskip, Smoker failed to keep up with his previous standards. Depicted as a seasoned officer who follows his personal code of justice, Smoker is a skilled Logia user who also shows proficiency with a Seastone-tipped weapon.
Smoker seemed a formidable fighter, as he easily beat Luffy every time they clashed. The two developed a bond of mutual respect, which led many One Piece fans to assume that Smoker would be what Monkey D. Garp was to the Pirate King Gol D. Roger back in the day.
Still, after his reappearance in Punk Hazard, Smoker lost any major battles in which he was involved. As if that wasn't enough, he suffered all these defeats within a short period, which destroyed his reputation for strength.
While there are some extenuating circumstances for Smoker's setbacks, particularly his loss to Vergo, his prestige was irreversibly damaged. The same was true for Vice Admirals. Admittedly, the category's name would be a disgrace if it wasn't for Garp and a few others.
So far, Garp is an outlier among Vice Admirals
The father of Monkey D. Dragon and the grandfather of Monkey D. Luffy, Garp is one of the most powerful characters in the entire One Piece series. Garp possesses exceptional physical prowess, which he can combine with advanced versions of Armament and even Conqueror's Haki. He was almost as strong as Gol D. Roger in his prime days.
Even as an old man, nearly aged 80, Garp remained powerful enough to single-handedly fend off many major members of the Blackbeard Pirates, including former Admiral Kuzan "Aokiji," the dangerous Shiryu, as well as Avalo Pizarro, and more. Before Shiryu wounded him, Garp had the upper hand against Kuzan.
Garp is definitely as strong as the Admirals. Considering his prime incarnation, he was even stronger than them. However, his formal rank within the Navy is that of Vice Admiral. Garp has been offered to become an Admiral several times but has always refused the promotion, not wanting to work directly under the Celestial Dragons, whom he despises.
Another remarkable Vice Admiral is Tsuru. Several years before the current One Piece narration, Tsuru was considered among the major figures of the time, alongside Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Shiki, Sengoku, Garp, and Roger himself. This alone implies that she was a force to be reckoned with.
Knowing Tsuru was pursuing him, Doflamingo preferred to flee rather than face her in direct combat. The fact that a pirate as strong and arrogant as Doflamingo didn't dare take on Tsuru is only further proof of her might.
Tsuru's real abilities are yet to be revealed, but she can allegedly wash and fold people as if they were laundry using the Wash-Wash Fruit. Tsuru behaves like an elder sister to Gion, which implies that she has been some sort of mentor or teacher for the latter.
Gion "Momousagi" and Tokikake "Chaton" are two particularly powerful Vice Admirals who were seriously considered for becoming the new Admirals. Ultimately, they didn't cut, but the fact that they were deemed strong enough to obtain the position of Admiral tells us of their prowess.
Garp and, to a much lesser extent, some of his colleagues are pretty strong individuals. Paradoxically, however, that doesn't improve the reputation of the Vice Admirals, as Garp and the others seem to be absolute outliers in the category.
The nine Vice Admirals deployed in Egghead
The Navy's invading forces on Egghead also include nine Vice Admirals. These characters were largely overlooked in the previous installments of the manga, but One Piece chapter 1108 finally emphasized them, starting with revealing their names, as some of them were not known yet.
- Vice Admiral Doberman
- Vice Admiral Doll
- Vice Admiral Red King
- Vice Admiral Guillotine
- Vice Admiral Tosa
- Vice Admiral Hound
- Vice Admiral Pomsky
- Vice Admiral Urban
- Vice Admiral Bluegrass
In the chapter, the Vice Admirals noted that the Mark III Pacifista cyborgs were using their peculiar Bubble Shields to block all the cannonballs fired by Navy warships. Annoyed, Vice Admiral Doberman ordered the others to eliminate Jewelry Bonney as soon as possible, as she held the highest authority over the Pacifista.
With Bonney eliminated, the highest authority over the Pacifista would be Saint Saturn, allowing the Navy to regain control over the cyborgs. The fact that Doberman issued orders to the other Vice Admirals implies that his status is above theirs, even though they have the same formal rank.
Unlike the other Vice Admirals, Doberman reported directly to Kizaru and Saturn, further emphasizing his status as an elite Vice Admiral. A firm believer in Absolute Justice, Doberman appears to be a powerful swordsman. He left the Marineford battlefield without injury despite having fought throughout the Paramount War.
Although not on Doberman's level, another prominent Vice Admiral might be Doll. This female officer, who is a former subordinate of Jaguar D. Saul, was shown injuring a Mark III Pacifista with a simple kick. All Vice Admirals can use Haki, but she didn't need to employ it to perform such a feat, meaning that her combat prowess is substantial.
Vice Admiral Red King can use a mechanized arm to enhance his strikes with high-pressure steam and violently punch his opponents. Bluegrass can use the Ride-Ride Fruit to control anything she rides on. In One Piece chapter 1108, she used her Devil Fruit ability to take control of a Sea Beast Weapon and ride it alongside Doll.
Vice Admiral Pomsky can use a Zoan Devil Fruit to transform into a sea otter and perform sea otter-based attacks. Bartholomew Kuma immediately overpowered Pomsky upon the latter's arrival on Egghead, but he seems to have recovered now.
One Piece chapter 1108 displayed the capabilities of Vice Admiral Tosa, who could use a technique called Tosa Crunch (Tosagami, in the original Japanese). This move consists of ten Finger Pistols performed simultaneously, further empowered by Armament Haki Hardening. Following Doberman's orders, Tosa pursued Bonney and Franky.
Factoring in his superior speed, the Vice Admiral was rapidly approaching them. However, just as he was about to strike Franky and Bonney, Tosa was attacked and seemingly defeated by Dorry and Brogy, who had just reached Egghead to assist the Straw Hat Pirates.
Hopefully, the following One Piece chapters will uncover the capabilities of the remaining Vice Admirals, i.e., Urban, Guillotine, and Hound. The Egghead Incident has entered its climax, meaning that, from now on, all the forces at play, including the Marines, will have to give their best effort.
Keep up with all anime, manga, and live-action news as 2024 progresses. Check out our other One Piece articles here:
Chapter 1108 suggests new Devil Fruit awakening || Chapter 1108 release date and time || Chapter 1108 major spoilers || Who is Vice Admiral Doll?
