Tsuru

"Great Staff" Tsuru is a Marine vice admiral stationed at Mariejois.

Appearance
Tsuru is a thin and elderly woman with gray hair tied in a bun. Her attire appears to be less formal than the other high-ranking officers', consisting of a shirt left hanging out, with the sleeves rolled up and a tie around her neck, and calves-long pants, which makes her somewhat resemble the animal of her name, the crane. She sports earrings made of beads, and on her right wrist she has two bracelets.

Twenty-seven years ago, her skin was still wrinkled, suggesting that she was fairly old.

In her youth she was quite beautiful and had dark blue hair tied up in a loose pony tail with sidebangs that framed both sides of her face. She wore a standard Marine uniform with a rifle strapped to her back.

Personality
You're a million years too early to defeat me. She is a veteran marine who is not without wisdom for her age. She seems extremely knowledgeable; she knew who set the Marines to fight each other in the Marine and Shichibukai meeting when all others thought the two were simply messing around, and knew who Laffitte was on sight. She is not above telling off the younger marines that show concern for her well being when she steps up to fight the incoming pirates at Marine HQ. She then justifies her being on the front line with the other vice admirals by stating there is no longer a safe place left in the world for her to run to anyway. According to Garp, she is an empathetic woman although she does not show this disposition very often.

Abilities and Powers
Tsuru is a Marine who is well skilled in tactics, being able to formulate the next step right on the spot, earning her the nickname "Great Staff".

Haki
It was stated that all vice admirals possess Haki, so Tsuru can also use the ability. However, she has not yet been shown using it.

Weapon
In her youth she is seen with a flintlock rifle. How proficient she is in using it is unknown.

Devil Fruit


Tsuru ate the Woshu Woshu no Mi, a Paramecia-class Devil Fruit that allows her to literally "wash and hang out to dry" people and objects as if they were clothes, turning them into flat and malleable like clothes. This disables the opponents by rendering them unable to move. This can also "clean" a limited amount of evil off of the victims, which is considered a dangerous ability against pirates.

Past
27 years ago, Tsuru is seen walking with fellow vice admirals Monkey D. Garp, Jaguar D. Saul, Kuzan and Sakazuki. Garp asks her if he can borrow a ship, but she refuses because he always breaks them.

13 years ago, Tsuru was stationed at Swallow Island to capture Donquixote Doflamingo, but was annoyed to find him and his crew nowhere in sight.

Jaya Arc
Tsuru is seen present for the gathering of the Shichibukai to choose a replacement for Crocodile.

Marineford Arc


Tsuru is next seen at Marineford, saying comforting words to Garp concerning the upcoming execution of Portgas D. Ace. Upon Whitebeard's arrival, she comments on the illogicality of his position and joins the other vice admirals when his division commanders begin their attack. Although Vice Admiral Yamakaji expresses concern for her safety during the attack, Tsuru stays on the front lines, stating that she is as safe there as anywhere else.

She is next seen observing that Little Oars Jr. was bigger than any giant. She is then seen receiving Sengoku's order to prepare for the next part of the Marine's plan after having dealt with several pirates using her powers.

She later goes to the plaza when Sengoku starts to execute the final stage of his plan. After Shanks' arrival and call for a ceasefire, she is seen standing down along with the other marines.

One Piece Film: Z
After Borsalino acquainted Sakazuki of Zephyr's return, Tsuru reiterates the present about Zephyr's former rank and his hazard.

Anime and Manga Differences
In her first appearance in the anime, she does not say anything. In the manga, she talks to Donquixote Doflamingo, ordering him to be a good boy and calm down.

Major battles

 * Marines and Shichibukai vs. Whitebeard Pirates and Allies.

Trivia

 * Eiichiro Oda has stated that he tends to name female characters after birds. This tradition continues with Tsuru, whose name means "crane". Her name can also be translated as "to hang", depicting her ability.
 * Tsuru is introduced as Marineford's second-in-command despite being a vice admiral. Whether she holds more power than a normal vice admiral is unknown.
 * She is currently the highest ranked female Marine.
 * In the 4Kids dub, Tsuru's Vice Admiral (中将) title has been translated as her surname.

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