Arudo

Biodata

Background

Arudo is a thirteen-foot (approximately four-meter) Elite Camp recruit who idolizes the Marine admirals that rose from the Recruit Camp. Kuzan once saved him, leading Arudo to desire becoming Kuzan’s disciple; Kuzan never accepted him because of his aversion to trouble. 22 42

He spent two years in the Elite Camp specializing almost exclusively in the Six Powers technique Iron Body. Initially its weakest member, he became one of its strongest fighters through his defensive training. 23

Despite having enough strength to graduate, Arudo repeatedly fails the Elite Camp’s graduation exams because his speed earns only a D by its standards. With the camp’s three-year limit approaching, Zephyr’s warning prompts him to promise that he will graduate. 51

Appearance

Arudo is an exceptionally large man, described as thirteen feet tall and later as four meters tall. 22 42

• Towering build compared to a brown bear standing upright. 41
• Has thick chest hair and no discernible neck; the latter is a sore point for him. 51 304
• Uses iron gauntlets connected to thick chains in combat. 46
• Wears casual clothing such as floral shorts and wooden clogs while off duty. 41 42

Personality

Arudo is straightforward, excitable, and deeply earnest about strength. His admiration for Kuzan makes him emotionally reactive to anyone he believes has gained Kuzan’s recognition, which is why he immediately challenged Loa over the supposed master-disciple relationship. 22

Despite his intimidating size, he is thin-skinned and easily embarrassed, particularly when Loa mocks him. He nevertheless remains patient enough to mediate Loa’s disputes and accompany him to find food. 42

Arudo is strongly attached to his comrades and protective of civilians. He refuses to abandon refugees in danger, surrenders weapons rather than risk hostages’ lives, and instinctively shields his friends during his surprise birthday party. In battle, however, insults can provoke him into impulsive and brutal retaliation. 78 99 303 304 305

Abilities & Skills

Iron Body

Arudo’s primary specialty is Iron Body, which he trained for two years until it became an exceptional defense.

• Can withstand powerful close-range attacks that would defeat ordinary Elite Camp members. 23
• His durability lets him resist much of the internal freezing inflicted by Ice Dragon’s Iron Fist. 23
• His defensive specialization made him one of the Elite Camp’s strongest members after beginning as its weakest. 23
• His reliance on stable footing leaves him vulnerable to Loa’s ice-based terrain control and immobilization. 23 24
• Later learns to keep moving while using Iron Body, although it makes his movements stiff. He can lead an assault through gunfire without being stopped by ordinary bullets. 298
• Can combine Iron Body with Armament Haki in Iron Hoof: Iron Wall, hardening the front of his body into a shield against sustained gunfire. 304

Armament Haki

Arudo can coat his limbs in Armament Haki during battle.

• Shattered Loa’s ice spear with a Haki-coated punch. 23
• Uses Haki-enhanced fists to increase the power of his direct attacks. 23 47
• His Haki does not remove already-created physical ice, allowing Loa to restrain him with reinforced ice. 24
• After continuing to develop his defenses, his Haki reaches a level comparable to that of experts renowned for years. He can harden much of one side of his body to meet an attack. 616 624

Physical Strength and Endurance

Arudo possesses greater raw strength than Loa during their first Elite Camp spar, though Loa defeats him through positioning and ice constructs. 23 24

• Charged with enough force to destabilize Loa through Ice Armor. 47
• Can rapidly recover after being kicked through a wall. 23
• Serves as a durable sparring partner, including for fighters whose attacks are too dangerous for ordinary recruits. 50
• Has torn a Fish-Man apart with his bare hands and can withstand a gunshot strongly enough to catch the flattened bullet between his teeth. 57 75
• His Arudo Charge, strengthened with Iron Body and Haki Hardening, can make even a small Sea King cough up blood. Once launched, however, he cannot change direction, making it dangerous to use near civilians or in crowded streets. 303

Cannon Fist and Movement

Arudo also practices his family-taught Cannon Fist style. Its Hundred Cannons technique is a powerful direct punch, although its purported force of one hundred cannonballs is exaggerated. 47 51 75

His speed remains poor relative to Elite Camp standards, but he begins making progress with Soru. He uses it in a desperate attempt to rescue Minnie, though he cannot initially perform it at will. 51 90 99

Power Progression

Equipment

• Iron gauntlets — Custom-made for close-quarters fighting. 46
• Iron chains — Attached behind the gauntlets and wrapped around his body. 46

Relationships

• Kuzan — Arudo’s idol and rescuer; Arudo wishes to become Kuzan’s disciple, while Kuzan exploits this admiration to provoke Arudo into challenging Loa. 22
• Loa — Rival, repeated sparring opponent, and later a food-seeking companion. Loa defeated him through battlefield control, but Arudo continues to seek fights with him. Their rivalry develops into comradeship, and Arudo later serves with Loa’s group. 23 24 41 42 46 99 296 628
• Garp — Another figure Arudo idolizes for capturing Gol D. Roger; he becomes overwhelmed when meeting him. 43
• Zephyr — Elite Camp instructor who recognizes Arudo’s potential, particularly if he improves his speed. His warning about the graduation deadline pushes Arudo to promise he will pass. 43 51
• Jerome Brothers — Fellow Elite Camp combatants who fight alongside Arudo during the Recruit Camp assessment. They previously helped him survive a dangerous field assignment and later take part in his surprise birthday party. 46 47 67 99
• Mingde — Fellow combatant and field-mission companion. Arudo is devastated when a birthday-party ruse makes him believe Mingde has been killed. They later fight together at Enies Lobby. 75 98 99 616
• Minnie — A companion Arudo repeatedly tries to protect. Believing she has been kidnapped during his birthday-party ruse drives him to use Soru in pursuit. 98 99
• Kureha — Works with Arudo against the West Town rebels, using his defense to identify hidden gunmen while she attacks them with throwing knives. 303 304

Story Role / Major Arcs

Elite Camp Challenge

Kuzan presents Loa as his supposed disciple in front of the Elite Camp, intentionally provoking Arudo’s jealousy. Arudo challenges Loa to prove whether he is worthy of Kuzan’s attention. 22

During their spar, Arudo’s Iron Body and Armament Haki initially withstand Loa’s close-range Dragon Slayer attacks. Loa ultimately defeats him by freezing the ground, exploiting Arudo’s poor balance on ice, trapping his feet in Dragon Slayer-reinforced ice, and binding his torso with an ice pillar. 23 24

Assessment and Rivalry with Loa

Arudo joins the Recruit Camp assessment alongside the Jerome Brothers, armed with his new gauntlets and chains. He views the event primarily as another chance to fight Loa. 46

He briefly knocks Loa off balance with an Armament Haki-enhanced charge, but Loa immobilizes him with remotely generated ice chains and sends him into a wall with Ice Dragon’s Hook Claw. 47

After the assessment, Loa considers Arudo too weak to provide meaningful pressure but suggests that Tony Mill spar with him because Arudo can endure dangerous attacks. 50

When Loa enters the Elite Camp, Arudo calls him a “shorty.” Loa knocks him into a crater and plucks out his chest hair with ice tweezers. Zephyr subsequently identifies Arudo’s low speed score as the reason his repeated graduation attempts have failed. 50 51

Food Crisis

When the Elite Camp chef falls ill, Arudo seeks food at the Recruit Camp cafeteria and discovers that Loa is facing the same problem. The two go together to the military cafeteria, united by their unusually large appetites. 41 42

Arudo had previously held the title of the largest eater before Loa joined the Marines, but willingly concedes it to Loa. 41

Field Assignment and Elite Camp Conflict

Selected alongside Loa, Mingde, and Tony for a three-month field assignment, Arudo accepts Loa’s leadership. During the fighting against the Scavenger Pirates, he uses Cannon Fist against pirates in Big Snail City and helps civilians escape danger. 64 75 78

When World Government agents confront the Elite Camp, Arudo’s strength catches an opponent off guard, but Rob Lucci kicks him through two walls. His companions are shocked by how easily Lucci injures one of the camp’s strongest fighters. 92

Birthday Party

After the clash with the agents, Arudo’s friends stage a hospital escape and an apparent attack to lead him to a surprise birthday party. Believing Mingde and the other trainees have been killed, Arudo rushes to save Minnie, uses Soru in his desperation, and tracks a supposed assailant by the sound of a damaged door. 98 99

When he discovers his companions are safe, he pulls them into a protective embrace instead of catching the giant cake thrown toward him. The cake splatters over the group, and Arudo laughs with relief. 99

Drum Kingdom and West Town

Serving with Loa’s forces in Drum Kingdom, Arudo carries out orders and delivers a report on the towns’ trade. During the assault on West Town, he leads Marines through the rebels’ defenses, using Iron Body to shrug off gunfire and break through a wall. 274 296 298

When Mayor Pickle takes civilians hostage, Arudo orders the Marines to surrender their weapons rather than endanger the family. Kureha then has him draw the hidden rebels’ fire so she can locate and strike them with throwing knives. Arudo withstands the barrage with Iron Hoof: Iron Wall, but an insult about his nonexistent neck provokes him into charging ahead and exposing Kureha. He kills Pickle and tries unsuccessfully to reassure the frightened hostages afterward. 303 304 305

Later Operations

At Enies Lobby, Arudo’s defensive training allows him to withstand Zuljin’s Finger Pistol with little injury. Mingde assists him by preventing Zuljin from escaping to find another opponent. Later, Arudo uses Iron Body and Armament Haki to meet a blade-wielding attacker leaping from an approaching warship. 616 624

When Loa announces plans to visit Marine Headquarters to rescue one person and kill another, Arudo is relieved that Loa does not intend an all-out war and eagerly volunteers to fight. 628

Alternate-World Fate

In another world Loa visits, Arudo, the Jerome Brothers, Tony, and other Elite Camp companions died in the Maw of the Abyss, an extraordinary storm that opened a chasm in the sea. Loa visits their memorial to pay his respects. This fate belongs to that world’s Arudo, not the companion who traveled with Loa. 757

Trivia

• Arudo’s feet still touched the ground when he attempted to ride Loa’s two-meter-long Ice Wolf due to his height; Loa reshaped it into a large Ice Horse for him. 42
• He is powerful enough to use Armament Haki, but Garp dismissively compares this achievement to Loa’s superior defenses. 47
• Chopper initially mistakes him for one of Drum Kingdom’s native Hiking Bears. 296
• The name Arudo Charge is Arudo’s own choice for his charging move; Loa is baffled by it. 303