History Awesome / OnePieceNewWorldEra

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[[caption-width-right:350: You're looking quite far... into the future!]]

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[[folder:Wano Country Saga]]
[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act I]]
* Chapter 909:
** Zoro has been back to the story for only a few pages. What's the first real thing he does? Cut down a magistrate and the building behind him, from across the hall, ''with a tanto'' (dagger used for seppuku).
** Before that, Zoro sniffed blood on the magistrate and deduced the true culprit of the street murders, the magistrate himself, who tried to frame Zoro to get his hands on Shuusui.
** Zoro achieving said feat owes itself to some FridgeBrilliance: it brings to mind what Mihawk said about any blade serving as a black blade as very viable and goes back to the showdown where all he used was a dinner knife to attack Zoro. Zoro has just proven he is able to match Mihawk on that level.
** Whitebeard turning out to spend his seventy-year life making his homeland prosperous by funneling in ''all his treasure'' as dirty money going to a good cause a la Robin Hood, and ''never'' once being exposed by outside parties for doing that.
* Chapter 910: The way to Wano is gorgeous. The scene with the wave is straight out of the famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa Great Wave off Kanagawa]]. It seemed that Wano was designed so that Oda can show off his skill at traditional Japanese art.
** Wano is apparently a lot like the places Luffy ''and'' Zoro trained on during the timeskip mixed into one. Rusukaina (a place full of giant beasts) + Gloom Kingdom (populated by Humandrills who copy what they see, including armed combat) = Wano (giant animals who can wield weapons like people), as the first thing Luffy notices after making landfall are two beasts fighting, one of which is wielding a giant katana.
* Chapter 911:
** Luffy's skill with the Color of Observation have really improved after having fought Charlotte Katakuri. No sooner than the two members of the Beast Pirates find him, they try to capture him. Luffy has none of that and knocks the first guy out without even looking behind him from far away. Then the second guy is knocked down by Luffy kicking the lizard steed the two were using right into the rifle which misfires.
** Tama is building up to be a tough little girl despite the fact that she was captured and is adorable. Right after Luffy knocks the guy down and tames the baboon that was fighting the Komainu (both of which soon come to be tamed by her later using her Devil Fruit power), she gets out of the bag they were holding her in and using a stick, knocks the Beast Pirate member out. If that wasn't enough, right after thanking Luffy and everything, she decides to give her hard-earned rice to Luffy as a way to thank him for saving her life and is fighting the hunger she has to express her gratitude. Then there's a fact that she's dealing with all of this as she waits for a pirate named Ace who promised to see her again, when she could've moved to another place that has no toxic rivers (courtesy of Kaido's factories) and not have to survive in the most meager way possible.
** To top it all off, the "Headliner" that the Beast Pirates were talking about? The guy that obviously is a higher member of the crew? It is the "Magician" Basil Hawkins, who like Apoo, has joined the Beast Pirates!
* Chapter 912:
** The long awaited team up finally happened: Zoro and Luffy vs Basil Hawkins! To add to the awesomeness, Luffy is wielding the ''Nidai Kitetsu'' (Kitetsu the Second), the middle member of the infamous cursed swords trio (Zoro already possesses ''Sandai'' -- the Third). You just know that this will lead to some awesome revelation.
** Yet another awesome points for "Oda never forgets". The story of the Kitetsus was first mentioned all the way back in Loguetown, more than 800 chapters ago. Now we are meeting their bladesmiths who may have an answer to the curse.
** Also, the name of the village that Ace was in is Amigasa, which mean a type of Straw hat, this is likely where Ace learn how to knit the straw hat for Oars Jr.
* Chapters 915 & 916: Urashima, the arrogant Yokozuna-rank sumo wrestler in Wano, summarily got his honor torn into pieces when Kiku cut down his topknot and subsequently got trounced by Luffy in a straight-up sumo wrestling, sending him off flying through the tower where Tama was kidnapped.
* Chapter 917:
** Luffy and Zoro moving so fast that Luffy is able to snatch Tama from Kamijiro's jaws without Holdem even seeing it happen (let along Kamijiro being able to crush Tama first), and Zoro slices through the mooks menacing Kiku.
** Luffy not only isn't hurt at all from Kamijiro's huge fire attack, but then defeats Holdem in one hit with Gum Gum Red Hawk.
* Chapter 918:
** Luffy and Zoro successfully deliver the food to Okobore, and Luffy declares he will not leave Wano until the people are able to always have a good meal.
* Chapter 921:
** Shutenmaru, the leader of the bandits mentioned in several prior chapters, appears and though he is robbing the citizens of Leftover Town, he is shown to be no slouch. He takes on Jack, who rides on what appears to be a giant land shark creature, and instantly wounds Jack with no trouble. Indeed, the bandits and citizens stay away due to the intense fight.
** After years and years of theories and speculations after the mention of Kaido and how he is the strongest "creature" in the world, Oda delivers a bomb almost as big as when Kaido 1st physically appeared...Kaido has been revealed to have eaten a Mythical Zoan type Devil Fruit that can turn him into a Dragon!
*** This is also retroactively a big moment for Shanks as well. All the way back in the Paramount War Arc, '''THIS''' is the monster that he stalled ''without a scratch'' to allow Whitebeard to enter Marineford.
* Chapter 922:
** Kaido shows exactly why he's feared [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/onepiece/images/1/1b/Kaidou_Uses_Bolo_Breath.png/revision/latest?cb=20200211053522 when he proceeds to wipe out Oden Castle with a single breath attack]].
** Of course, that doesn't scare Luffy as he finishes the chapter by delivering an Elephant Gun straight to Kaido's head in furious retaliation for attacking his crewmembers.
* Chapter 923:
** Kaido gives us the very greatest demonstration of the Four Emperors' personal might ever seen, by effortlessly [[NoSell no-selling]] everything Luffy throws at him, then [[CurbStompBattle beating him within the inch of his life with a single effortless hit]] from a lightning-powered kanbo! As in: [[ScissorsCutsRock two things that Luffy is almost immune to!]] Nightmarish, unpleasant, but still awesome.
*** It's understated, but Kaido's reaction to getting hit with ''three Haki-infused finishers?'' He just sits up, sighs in disappointment, and ''one shots Luffy.'' Given his disappointment, it's entirely possible that Luffy's initial barrage made him think ''for once'' he might be up against someone who could challenge him.
** Adding to that when Luffy dodges another flame breath and prepares to strike Kaido again, the warlord just ''stares'' before getting hit.
** The battle is also one for Luffy, though to a lesser extent. Kaido is not reacting in pain, but Luffy's attacks are clearly uncomfortable for him to go through. Even though Kaido is known for tanking everything that comes his way, Luffy's assault is at least more than he expected.
** It should be noted that Kaido is the first enemy to OneHitKill [[TheHero Luffy]]. Crocodile, Smoker, Admiral Kizaru... none of them managed to take out Luffy in one hit... all of them beat him at least once in the past... but none so soundly and abruptly as Kaido. Talk about a HeroKiller.
** "I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" is Luffy's catchphrase, and he tells Kaido the same thing. After Kaido's done with him, ''this'' is his response.
--->'''Kaido:''' '''You, Pirate King?''' '''''You, boy!?'''''
* Chapter 924:
** Kaido when sober quickly proves that he's not DumbMuscle by stating that Luffy is still conscious and ''glaring at him'', even though he is no longer moving. A couple of mooks fail to listen to this perception and get a blast of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki for their insolence.
** Beaten within an inch of their lives and captured by Kaido's men, Kid and Luffy both display their unbreakable will and determination. Luffy still has the strength to glare at his captors, and both of them declare that Kaido will pay for this.
** An unknown prisoner demonstrates just why [[ImprovisedWeaponUser you don't want to feed him fish with any bone in it]], impaling a guard who was menacing Luffy in the neck with the fishbone he spits out. Oh, did we forget to mention that ''the fishes he ate daily are normally fatally poisonous?''
** Despite being [=KOed=] last chapter, Luffy is already on his feet and walking.
** Kaido is vocally disturbed by Luffy. A stark contrast to when he was insulted into a rage when he was advised to take Luffy seriously.
** A slight one for Kid. While he was still unconditionally crushed, we at least learn he put up enough of a fight to leave a firm impression, just like Luffy did.
*** Oh, by the way. Kid is confirmed to possess ''Conqueror's Haki!''

[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act II]]
* Chapter 925:
** Teach makes his debut after the TimeSkip and is revealed to have a bounty of 2.247 ''billion''.
** The Blackbeard pirates display another two of the Devil Fruits they've acquired during the TimeSkip. Devon has the Mythical Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox, and Shiryu has the Clear-Clear Fruit.
* Chapter 926:
** Both Luffy and Kid move over 500 stone blocks several times their size despite being weakened by Seastone, having turned what was supposed to be a hellish imprisonment into a FriendlyRivalry to keep themselves from giving in to their jailers.
** After eating hundreds of kibidango, they're confronted by the deputy warden Dobon, who uses the giant hippo attached to him to eat Luffy and Kid. They then proceed to punch their way out of him despite the Seastone restraints, and then pull a "you didn't see anything" due to the rules of fighting back.
* Chapter 927:
** Sanji reminds us why you never waste food around him. When one of Kyoshiro's goons knocks over his soba cart, he kicks his head in and force feeds him the soba off the ground.
** Franky gets in on the fun as he suplexes another goon from the top of a building. Seems he learned some tricks from his fight with Senor Pink.
* Chapter 930:
** The Big Mom Pirates are heading to Wano and are breaking through with ease. That is until King shows off his Devil Fruit ability (Dragon Dragon Fruit: Model: ''Pteranodon'') and knocks Big Mom's ship and crew into the ocean.
** When Page One goes on a rampage looking for Sanji, he shows himself with a kick to the face, and then in order to make sure his identity is hidden, he takes out the Germa Raid Suit, forgoing his vow to never use it.
* Chapter 931:
** We finally see Sanji in his Raidsuit, and it is glorious. Known as Stealth Black, it grants Sanji one of his greatest dreams: invisibility! Bathhouses and foes better watch out.
** The fight between Sanji and Pageone looks good for both of them. Pageone is forced to go hybrid form and sends Sanji though multiple buildings with one attack, thinking that has done his foe in only for Sanji to show up far above him still ready to fight. Brings back memories of him being punched through a wall way back at Arlong Park, only for him to get up and complain about how ''weak'' the blow was.
* Chapter 932:
** Despite being caught by the Oniwabanshu, Robin still shows some quick thinking while trying her best to get away from them:
*** Even after being warned that she'll be tortured to death if she lies, Robin lies anyway when asked who she is and what she's doing there, claiming to be the Witching Hour Boy investigating the flow of money in the capital. When the ninja try to capture her, it's revealed that "she" is actually just her flower clone, and she's able to get away temporarily.
*** Robin also realizes that, since she won't be able to get away from the palace, she might as well blend in by going back to the party and trying to continue her mission anyway. She does successfully conceal herself from the searching ninja for several minutes, and goes right up to Orochi when he invites her to him and starts asking him questions for the mission.
** Komurasaki shows she won't take crap from anyone, not even the Shogun. When he tries to kill Toko for apparently laughing at him and refuses to listen to the courtesan's pleas for Toko's life, she gives him an epic bitch-slap across the face and tells him that she won't kneel for anyone, and doesn't even blink when he threatens to kill her for it.
* Chapter 933: As Robin, Nami, and Shinobu are escaping the palace, Nami summons Zeus to send a powerful thunderbolt onto the palace.
* Chapter 934: Off-screen, Kid has escaped the inescapable Udon Prison with his Seastone handcuffs still attached to him.
* Chapter 935: Luffy, on the other hand, has been practicing with his Seastone cuffs to FightOffTheKryptonite so that he'll come out of the prison even stronger than before. Queen, one of the All-Stars who serves under '''Kaido''', outright labels Luffy a freak of nature.
* Chapter 936:
** We learn the identity of the dangerous prisoner: Kawamatsu, one of Oden's samurai. He's been stuck in this prison and eating poisoned fish for ''13 years'', and he's already fired up and ready to fight upon seeing one of his old friends.
** Queen finally decides to execute Luffy, but it's more of an Amazon Lily-style execution where he is made to fight and die for their amusement. This requires him to remove Luffy's Seastone cuffs, and Luffy's immediate response upon being thrown into the ring is to knock out the first wave of enemies with Conqueror's Haki.
* Chapter 937: Zoro shows that he doesn't need a sword to use Three-Sword Style. Grabbing one of Kamazo's scythes with his shoulder, taking it out and using it to perform Purgatory Onigiri on the man-slayer. The anime adds Yutapon Cubes.
* Chapter 939:
** Luffy's battle against Katakuri has truly improved his Observation Haki as he is able to completely foretell what his enemies are doing, and is even directing Grandpa Hyou during battle so that the old man can put up a fight.
** Of course, what really sells how amazing Grandpa Hyou, or rather Hyougoro of the Flower, is the fact that he can wield the same type of Haki that Rayleigh did when he stopped the giant elephant way back. That's right, Grandpa Hyou is on par (Haki-wise, at least) as the Pirate King's right-hand man!
** In another episode of "Oda NEVER Forgets", Hyogoro describes a technique that allows one to cut steel, but can also allow one not to cut paper. Sound familiar? The Breath of All Things has made a comeback!
* Chapter 942: Sad as the whole moment is, there is solace to be found in the fact that Yasu went down giving a good amount of momentum to the rebellion, and most importantly, making his archnemesis Orochi look like an absolute ''bitch'' in the process.
** To elaborate, Yasu claims the markers Orochi's been using to arrest members of the rebellion, a tattoo and a pamphlet, were a random fad from twenty years ago and a prank by himself to make Orochi look like a coward. The actual rebels realize that Orochi can't say anything about the rebellion now without looking like he's jumping at shadows.
* Chapter 943: After nearly six real life years, Sanji and Zoro finally reunite to defend O-Toko from Orochi.
* Chapter 944:
** Despite knowing well that it will cause them problems, the Straw Hats decide to not only steal the body of Yasu back while they're saving Toko but Zoro even aims an attack at Orochi for good measure.
** Kyoshiro's strength is now being shown as he easily deflects Zoro's 720 Pound Cannon with one sword swing.
** Of course, the Beast Pirates aren't slacking off on awesome, either. Queen demonstrates that while he's a fun guy, he's not someone you want in a bad mood as he easily blocks one of Luffy's punches.
* Chapter 945:
** Battles all over the flower capital are showing that both the forces of Wano and the Beast Pirates (or rather, Drake and Hawkins) are not going to let the Straw Hats have it easy. Kyoshiro is still holding off Zoro easily (while Zoro is showing fatigue), the Orochi Oniwabanshu arrive and show they're pretty smart (rather than hoping to capture them all, they decide to go after one to make them talk), Sanji is stalled by Drake in full dinosaur form, and (perhaps the most dark awesome we've seen) Hawkins is using his powers to hold Law's friends as hostages and shields.
** Of course, we can't sell the Straw Hats short as Brook displays his soul power to some of the Orochi Oniwabanshu and scares them off while Zoro and Sanji aren't giving their foes an inch.
** The chapter ends in a confrontation that will have massive consequences in the future: Big Mom vs Queen.
** It's probably also worth noting that even suffering from amnesia, Charlotte Linlin still makes it clear that if she wants some food, ''you do not deny her''. Queen tries to do just that and the amnesiac Emperor grabs his head (when he's a ''[[ScaledUp Brachiosaurus]]'') and violently slams it into the ground.
* Chapter 946:
** Even with amnesia, Big Mom is no joke as she takes out Queen in two hits.
** Amazingly even after that beating, Queen was still conscious.
** In another CallBack, Luffy manages to figure out how to remove the neck restraints in the nick of time.
** With an angry Big Mom down their neck, Hyogoro stands his ground and orders Luffy to stop her in an impromptu training session. Ending on:
---> '''Luffy:''' Come then, Emperor!
* Chapter 947:
** Though Luffy fails to activate Ryuo (the true name for "the Breath of All Things"), Hyogoro assures him that he has the potential and goes on to explain how it works -- and it sounds strikingly similar to the Haki techniques that make Big Mom and Kaido so freakishly tough. Luffy figuring out how to activate this power at will would allow him to finally challenge the Emperors directly, all he needs is a chance to train with it.
** Queen deserves props: despite having been thrashed by Big Mom in the previous chapter, he still manages to stand back on his feet and devises a plan to stop her, luring her into a place where he could drop onto her head with the full weight of his ''Brachiosaurus'' form.
*** Not to be outdone, Big Mom tanks the attack, which only manages to restore her memories... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and then she unceremoniously falls asleep for unrelated reasons]].
*** And when Big Mom is out cold, [[ProperlyParanoid Queen immediately orders the use of 100% seastone chains and 100 doses of beast tranquilizer on her,]] to ensure that she is ''completely'' immobilized for the entire time she's being shipped off to Kaido. Considering who he works for, ''he knows what kind of monster Big Mom is'', and he's willing to take precautions that would be considered NoKillLikeOverkill for ''anyone else''.
** At the end of the chapter, with Queen, Big Mom, and majority of the guards gone, Luffy is finally able to go wild against Babanuki and the remaining guards due to no longer being bound by any restraints; the last panel of the chapter showing him declaring he's going to take over Udon.
* Chapter 948: Raizo manages to successfully free Kawamatsu, and he shows off not only his sword skills, but his sumo skills.
* Chapter 949:
** Daifugo infects several prisoners with Plague Bullets, meaning if anyone touches them, they get the plague too. Luffy takes it, grabbing several prisoners and ''purposely'' taking on the virus. Luffy then calls out the prisoners for being weak and to stand up to Kaido, telling them of his promise to Tama to make sure nobody in Wano starves.
--->'''Luffy:''' (''While infected'') [[BadassBoast You call this devastation?!! You call this overwhelming power...? This stuff has no effect on me!!!]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech The samurai I know are all strong and hardy. But you guys are broken all the way on the inside! What do you mean,]] ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech normal life]]''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech ?! Obeying every order they give you, living off of dumplings... is that normal?! Open your eyes!!! You're nothing but slaves!!!]] So what if I came from another place?! Why can't an outsider help protect your country?!! I made a promise with a friend named Tama... who fed me back in Kuri!! I promised to make this a place where you can eat your fill again!!! If we can't make that happen, this will ''always'' be Hell!!! I already heard about Oden!! He was a great man!! But the day Kaido killed him 20 years ago was the day this country stopped working, right?!! [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable WE CAME HERE TO FIGHT KAIDO AND WIN!!!]] There's no reason for the people on our own side to stop us!!! So make up your minds! Right now!! Are you with us... or are you with Kaido?!
** When Babanuki tries to attack with a bomb with the power of 200 bullets, Luffy "sees" it and ties up his elephant's trunk. [[UnflinchingWalk Then turns away when he explodes.]]
-->'''Luffy:''' I saw a pretty bad future just now...
** When Daifugo tries to intimidate the prisoners, Luffy's speech already got through to them. What happens afterwards is a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown for Daifugo. The takeover of Udon is a success!
---> '''Luffy:''' You get the rest.\\
'''Daifugo:''' Hey! Stop, you!! Remember, anyone who defies a jailer in their first offense gets...\\
'''Prisoner 1:''' [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore We know, and we don't care.]]\\
'''Prisoner 2:''' We've decided to ''rebel''!!!
* Chapter 950:
** Zoro being epic and protecting Hiyori from several of the ninjas.
** The end with Law unflinchingly grinning at Hawkins and Drake in defiance, and in the next chapter urging that he doesn't need rescuing.
* Chapter 951:
** Even after Big Mom gets her memories back, Queen has the stones to call her an old hag to her face.
** King proves himself to have balls of ''steel'', upon telling Big Mom, to her face, his response to her asking him to join her crew: '''[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu "I refuse."]]'''
** After having her Seastone handcuffs removed, Big Mom draws Napoleon and clashes with Kaido, causing the heavens to split a/la Shanks and Whitebeard.
** Another one for how much Brook [[WowingCthulhu impressed Big Mom]], when Kaido threatens her, she paraphrases the line Brook used on her about "What kind of fool would have come planning to die?"
* Chapter 953:
** Onimaru the Fox was not only the loyal companion of one of Wano's renowned sword masters, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, but joined Kawamatsu in stopping actual grave robbers as the two worked hard in obtaining as many weapons as they could to stop Kaido when the time came. Even more awesome is the fact that Onimaru decided to continue as "Gyukimaru the Bridge Bandit" and collected even more weapons while Kawamatsu was captured.
** Yet another awesome moment for Kozuki Oden was revealed: with the aid of his legendary sword Enma, he was the only one to ''leave a scar on Kaido''.
* Chapter 954:
** Law proves he didn't need rescuing after all. When we finally see him again in this chapter, he has had an OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, having freed himself and ''defeated Hawkins''.
** Luffy, recovered from the Mummy virus and free to train without enemies breathing down on him, has made considerable progress towards mastering Ryuo in just three days, demonstrated by him pummeling a giant cube of ''solid steel''. Compare this to his battle with Katakuri who could make his limbs as strong as steel, where Luffy expressly needed Gear Four to break through it; now Luffy is in base form and treating the steel cube like ''jelly''.
** This chapter also put a high bar on the JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient. Big Mom and Kaido did what everyone from the Marines feared in the last arc, '''and have officially teamed up to destroy the Straw Hats and take over the world.'''
* Chapter 955: Act 2 comes to an end.
** Zoro tries out Enma, and its power is so great that his experimental swing at a tree results in him cutting a ''cliff''. The secret to the blade is revealed: it forcibly draws Haki out of the wielder for massive strikes, and in inexperienced hands it's enough to drain their life force dry. Zoro has to will his stolen Haki back into his arm, which ''shriveled'' from the Haki extraction after just the one swing. Even with the danger it poses, Zoro gladly accepts Enma as his own. The Cursed Swords subplot has finally reached its payoff!
** Luffy has mastered Advanced Armament Haki enough that he's now able to punch a big hole into a tree without touching it, just like how Grandpa Hyou punched out some of the executioners.

[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act III]]
* Chapter 956:
** "Big News" Morgans shows that he's not all talk. He gets offered a "hefty" sum from the World Government to perform a cover-up, only to flatly refuse. The messenger then reveals himself as a Cipher Pol agent, threatening him ''at gunpoint'' to reconsider. Unintimidated and ''thoroughly'' unamused, Morgans ''kicked his ass'' not even a page later and went on to publish the full story.
** The Seven Warlord system is gone. The representatives of Alabasta and Dressrosa explained at the Reverie how their nations suffered ''horribly'' under the Warlords, and the decision to revoke their Government protection was met with the majority agreeing.
** X Drake is revealed to not only still being a Marine, but he is a member of a Special Unit known only as "SWORD." It's revealed that Koby is also part of that group.
** Best of all, however, are the reactions of the other Warlords. Buggy, while maintaining his image of being a great pirate, rallies his crew to fight (though he admits to himself he'll run away in the middle of the commotion). Weevil is, at first, dumbfounded by the fact that the Marines have turned against them so his mom elects to just kill them all. As for Boa Hancock and Mihawk? Hancock, upon hearing that some Marines (with Koby being a part of this group, mind you) are heading her way makes tells her Kuja subjects to calm down. Mihawk, on the other hand, just smirks at the prospect of being on the opposite end of the Marine's sights. The two warlords then make the most badass statements in the face of this impending threat:
---> '''Boa Hancock:''' Don't panic! You seem to have forgotten something. The reason they chose us to be the Seven Warlords was for our strength!
---> '''Dracule Mihawk''': I'm feeling a tremor of excitement. It has been a while... since I was the one being chased.
* Chapter 957 drops a lore nuke after lore nuke courtesy of former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to the point where ''everything in the chapter'' is awesome:
** We're finally given information on the pirate crew that Big Mom, Kaido, ''and Whitebeard'' were once a part of before their heyday: the Rocks Pirates, led by Rocks '''D.''' Xebec. Essentially the EvilCounterpart to Gol D. Roger, this captain and crew were so mighty and relentless, they were regarded as ''terrorists'' rather than pirates, with Rocks' main goal being to usurp the Empty Throne from Imu. Unsurprisingly, this crew is also noteworthy for birthing a number of legendary pirates, some of which the Straw Hats contended with in the films.
** The "God Valley Incident" where the Rocks Pirates were disbanded, courtesy of '''[[EnemyMine Vice Admiral Garp and Gold Roger]]''' in what could've only been a battle too epic to put to page to take down Rocks, defending the Celestial Dragons and their slaves from what would've been certain doom. This incident was one of the things that the World Government tried to erase from the history books.
*** Additionally, this confirms that Garp was on par with the Pirate King, and has been ''turning down'' promotions to a more fitting rank than Vice Admiral so he could uphold his ideals of justice without being the Celestial Dragons' lapdog. Sengoku thinks the only reason they haven't got rid of Garp for this attitude is because he's ''just that good''.
** After years of ambiguity, we've finally been given the bounties on the Four Emperors and Gold Roger (Rocks was exempt due to the GovernmentConspiracy), putting their threat level as the ''One Piece'' world sees it into stark relief:
*** Blackbeard: 2,247,600,000 Berries, which might've been the highest revealed in the series had he not been new to the Emperor business.
*** Shanks: 4,048,900,000 Berries.
*** Big Mom: 4,388,000,000 Berries.
*** Kaido: 4,611,100,000 Berries.
*** Whitebeard: 5,046,000,000 Berries -- that's over ''five billion''.
*** Gold Roger: 5,564,800,000 Berries, the highest bounty for a pirate in the world's history.
** What prompted Sengoku to start dropping all these lore bombs? He learned about the alliance between Big Mom and Kaido, and grouses that this happened at the exact same time that they decided to go to war against the Seven Warlords. The world-spanning war Doflamingo predicted has indeed begun.
** And Sengoku still wasn't done after all of this, having one last bomb to drop: Kozuki Oden ''was a pirate'', and a pirate of '''Whitebeard's''' crew at that, a mere subordinate to an Emperor able to do lasting harm to another Emperor. It's clear that something ''big'' is brewing underneath the coming war at Wano...
** And just like Chapter 956, this chapter similarly started trending on Twitter. But the difference here is that it trended within '''30 minutes after it released.''' And this was worldwide, meaning that the Western half of the globe stayed up into the night to read it.
** Outside of the aforementioned [[ExpositionDump lore nuke,]] there is another CMOA that is a bit more subtle. At the beginning of the chapter, Issho is talking to Sakazuki. If you look at Issho, though, it is clear from how heavily bandaged he is that he sustained massive injuries in his off-screen battle against Sabo and the Revolutionary Commanders, despite being backed up by Green Bull. Bear in mind too that throughout the entire Dressrosa arc where Issho clashed against the likes of Law, Doffy, Sabo (after just eating the Mera Mera), and Luffy, he only suffered a few bruises at worst. While Sabo and the Revolutionary Commanders lost the battle, the fact that they were able to not only face off against two Admirals and seriously wound one of them is a testament to how strong they are.
* Chapter 959:
** Props to Orochi. Despite being labeled as a fool and everyone in his forces not believing him, he still manages to ruin things for everyone when he orders the destruction of all the bridges to Tokage Port and any ships on any of the other ports. What's more, he even sends some men to go and destroy the ''Sunny''!
* Chapter 960:
** Kozuki Oden's childhood was nothing but one crazy feat after another, complete with a ListOfTransgressions as early as ''one year old''.
** Tsuru pinning down Kin'emon while he was trying to steal her money to settle his friend's gambling debts. Keep in mind that Kin'emon was a yakuza thug back then.
*** And she tops it off by threatening to rip off and sell his organs to reclaim his debt.
* Chapter 961:
** Oden has definitely earned his reputation. Taking out the Mountain God (a gigantic boar that can eat buildings and humans) in one strike and saving every person she ate. This is what made Kin'emon and Denjiro loyal to him.
* Chapter 963:
** This chapter highlights how much work, dedication, and loyalty the Akazaya Nine have for Oden when they take Yasuie's words to heart. They all pour themselves into not only training physically, but mentally by learning manners and polishing themselves up from their rough habits. In fact, they become so polished, that the people of the capital are shocked to see them as exemplary samurai.
** Oden himself is still an amazing man from not only using the Mountain God and its child as steeds, but for having accepted Cat Viper, Dog Storm, and Kawamatsu as part of his retainers. The best part, however, comes at the end, where Oden races to the shore to face off against Whitebeard himself, brazenly asking to join his crew.
** Episode 963 of the anime shows us the fight in full, with Oden being delighted in finding a WorthyOpponent in Whitebeard. The fight ends with Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit-enhanced fist overpowering Oden's Oden Nitoryu and knocking the samurai flat on his back.
* Chapter 964:
** To get Oden to prove himself, Whitebeard has him hold on to chain attached to the ship for three days. He almost does it too, only letting go when he hears a woman in distress. That woman being his future wife, Toki.
** But it turns out that was also a test, as Whitebeard sees Oden as a man willing to abandon his ambitions for someone else, he happily rewards him with an invite. On top of that, he refers to Oden as "brother" rather than "son", seeing him as an equal.
* Chapter 966:
** We finally get to see the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates clash, and the only word for it is epic. Oden starts off by taking down a number of the Roger pirates before clashing with Roger, who expertly and easily sends Oden flying ''through'' six trees and into a seventh with one strike. Oden runs back in time to see Roger and Whitebeard clash, a clash that not only showcases their respective Conqueror's Haki but shakes the island so much that the ''Moby Dick'' nearly capsizes from how powerful the clash is. In the end, it took three days for each crew to finally call a draw.
** Just before this epic battle, it is shown that the Roger pirates had an encounter with a Marine ship. We don't get to see how the fight went down, just the result: everyone on that unfortunate ship is dead, the ship itself damaged beyond repair, and Roger has some parting words for the captain before leaving him for dead.
---> '''Roger''': If you're going to go after me, you'd better bring Sengoku or Garp with you.
** That's not even the best of it. When Whitebeard and Roger raise their weapons, they're coated in such an intensely dense layer of Haki that they leave thick trails of Haki arching through the air just by moving them.
** Also, about that clash, their weapons didn't even touch each other. Their Haki was so unbelievably thick that they were unable to get their weapons to touch each other. This means that that shockwave that almost capsized the ''Moby Dick'' came entirely from the pressure of just them swinging their Haki-infused weapons.
** The simple fact that the viewers get to witness both Roger and Whitebeard fighting ''in their prime''.
** On a minor note, Buggy notes that Teach (who was fighting with the crew) also didn't sleep for the days of the truce after the fight. Heck, Buggy even mentions that there is a rumor that Teach had never slept once in his life. Considering what the future holds...
* Chapter 967:
** We bear witness to Roger conquering the Grand Line, and finding Laugh Tale.
* Chapter 968:
** When Oden learns what Orochi has done in his absence, he goes full OneManArmy and charges through Orochi's ''entire'' legion of bodyguards with no issue.
* Chapter 969:
** Oden made an unknown deal with Orochi that involved him spending five years acting like a fool, smearing his own name. When Orochi unsurprisingly reneged on the deal (something involving boats and Kaido), Oden had enough and with the Akazaya Nine they storm the castle. Ending on a badass two-page spread.
* Chapter 970: We finally see the decisive battle between Oden and Kaido. The Emperor's forces number a thousand, though they are not the army of Devil Fruit users he has been building up in the present day; Oden, the Akazaya Nine and a late-joining Shinbou are ''crushing'' them, culminating in Oden leaving his legendary scar on Kaido. The battle seems even, or perhaps even steeped in Oden's favor... until [[VoluntaryShapeshifter Higurashi interferes by impersonating Momosuke]], providing the critical distraction Kaido needed to knock Oden out.
* Chapter 971: Oden prompts a bet out of Kaido that if those sentenced to boil survive one full hour in the pot, they go free. Kaido agrees to it and gives his word. So Oden proceeds ''to jump in and have his retainer stand on the lid while he holds it up by himself''. Oden spends at least the first five minutes of this execution standing there, holding up all nine of his retainers while his body is steadily boiled. And keep in-mind, this is a man who [[BadassNormal has no Devil Fruit powers]] and besides that, no Devil Fruit user would be able to do anything in this sort of situation. If wounding Kaido didn't certify Oden as utterly badass, this solidifies it.
* Chapter 972: Oden did it. He stood in the boiling pot for one whole hour while keeping his allies alive! But then Orochi reveals he changed his mind at the last minute and orders Oden, his allies and his family to be shot dead.
** He did not go quietly either. He stood defiant to Kaido, telling him that he was born to boil before Kaido shoots him. Even then, Oden [[GoOutWithASmile went out with a smile]] as his body sank into the oil. It should also be noted that Kaido personally ended Oden's misery as a sign of respect for the only man to ever wound him, having gone so far as killing Higurashi offscreen for interrupting the only bout with a WorthyOpponent he's had in decades.
* Chapter 973: We finally know what happened to Denjiro. While Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, Kiku, Momonosuke went forward in time, Dogstorm and Catviper went back to Zou each blaming each other for Oden's death, Kawamatsu taking Hiyori, and Ashura-doji biding his time; he was consumed with such a rage that his hair changed color. He then went to the Flower Capital where he assumed the name Kyoshiro. He quickly rose in the ranks of the underworld there to the point he caught Orochi's attention who made him his vassal. The reason for his epithet "Napping"? He spends all night awake as Witching-Hour Boy! After Hiyori left Kawamatsu, she ended up finding him and instantly recognizing him as Denjiro, who had her sworn to secrecy as to his identity until the final battle and gave her the name Komurasaki.
* Chapter 974:
** On the cover side story, Gotti manages to save Chiffon despite looking like he had quite the tussle with the Marines.
** We finally come back to the present, and things are looking bleak for the Akazaya Nine. Not only are they trying still to get to Onigashima in a bad storm but it is revealed to them that Kanjuro was in fact the mole the entire time! With the arrival of the Beast Pirates and Kanjuro kidnapping Momonosuke, hope finally arrives in the form of Luffy, Law, and even Kid taking on the Beast Pirates!
--> '''Luffy''': Don't pick on Samurai in a rowboat! When you're at sea, you fight against Pirates!
* Chapter 975:
** The ''Sunny'' survived the sabotage attempt made by the Beasts Pirates because it was made of Adam Wood; the only damage done was the sails being torn. When Franky claimed that the Adam Tree could handle cannonballs being fired at it, he wasn't kidding.
** Luffy, Law, and Kid immediately ''obliterate'' one of the enemy ships. The end result is the three of them arguing on a small piece of driftwood.
** When Denjiro/Kyoshiro shows up in his own ship, he reveals his true colors by slicing another of the Beast Pirates' ships in half!
** It turns out that Orochi's precautions were utterly pointless; Blowing up the bridges between the regions? The rebels had already crossed them, so it didn't matter. Destroying the ships? Those were just the leftovers the samurai didn't need. With the inclusion of the 200 man Kyoshiro Yakuza and the 1,000 supporters imprisoned in the Flower Capital, the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance now has over '''five thousand men''' ready to take on Onigashima!
** Yasuie gets a posthumous one, as it turns out his adding two lines didn't mean Tokage port but to remove the middle of the message so it read wharf as in the wharf of Habu.
* Chapter 976:
** An OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: While Kanjuro is getting away with Momonosuke, the three arguing pirate captains obliterated ''another'' of the Beast Pirates' ships.
** Towards the end of the chapter, the remaining Beast ship gets smart and sails to a safe distance, bringing out long-range artillery to ravage the Samurai's fleet. It looks like they're going to get away with it until something from ''under the sea'' gouges a large hole in the ship: [[TheBusCameBack Jimbei is back]] with impeccable timing! He then finishes off the final ship and loudly proclaims he has officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates, assuaging any fears from the audience that he'd be on a LongBusTrip for this arc.
** As if to underscore just how big of a deal Jimbei officially joining the Straw Hats is, both Law and Kid immediately respond with a mixture of OhCrap and YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe. Jimbei was already a legendary pirate in his own right, a former Warlord of the Sea and a prominent member of Big Mom's crew... and now he's a proud member of the Straw Hat Pirates, making an already monstrously strong crew that much more powerful.
* Chapter 977: The fact that the Straw Hats (including their newest member, Jimbei) destroy the fortress that is the front gate in seconds. Hilariously? This was so that they could get some booze to celebrate Jimbei joining the crew.
* Chapter 978: Kin'emon, with two sentences, summarizes how much he and those under him are willing to risk to see Wano free and Kozuki Oden avenged. They are fully aware that the risk they will fail and be killed to the last is there - and they aren't letting it stop them.
--> ''[The allied forces disembark from their ships, which start sinking almost immediately.]''\\
'''Luffy:''' Huh?! The ships are sinking! What happened to your ships, guys?!\\
'''Kin'emon:''' [[BurningTheShips We sink them before we go]]! On this mission... ''[[NotAfraidToDie we need no return ships]]!!''
* Chapter 980:
** Luffy knocking the Beast Pirate mook for wasting the oshiruko? Cool. Zoro slashing a tower apart to reprimand Luffy? Cool. When Luffy explains why he knocked the mook out? The two decide they need to knock a few heads for what happened to Tama.
** We get to see some of Apoo's Devil Fruit powers at their best against Luffy and Zoro, and it is still as bizarre and awesome as when he began to display them against Kizaru.
*** More props to Apoo for visibly hurting Zoro, which was an extreme rarity to see in the New World.
** At the end, it's not Luffy or Zoro that go to smash Apoo, but Kid, with a giant metallic hand for Apoo's treachery from before.
* Chapter 981:
** The Big Mom Pirates make it back up the waterfall, only to be knocked down again by a different flying pirate. Marco the Phoenix has arrived to Wano! And he brought Cat Viper and Izou.
*** What's particularly notable about Marco's DynamicEntry and makes it stand out is how [[CombatPragmatist ruthlessly pragmatic it is for one of the Straw Hat's allies]]. By knocking them all the way back down again, Marco has effectively removed the Big Mom Pirates (with the exception of Big Mom herself) from the playing field, meaning that Luffy and the others will not need to worry about them interfering in the battle against the Beast Pirates.
---->'''Marco:''' The next time you show up the times may have moved on a bit more than before.
* Chapter 983:
** Yamato's big introduction. When Ulti begins to overpower Luffy and he was about to use Gear Four, he runs in with a Thunder Bagua and knocks her out. LikeFatherLikeSon indeed.
** Rather than try to go up the waterfall again, Perospero heads into Onigashima alone. With no Smoothie, Daifuku, or anyone strong to protect him.
** Usopp and Chopper survive their encounter with Big Mom with only a couple bumps on their heads.
* Chapter 984: Yamato's big secret: "he" is actually a "she," having decided to take on masculine mannerisms to emulate Kozuki Oden. And as a daughter of one of the Five Emperors, he sets the bar for what it means to be an ActionGirl in this series!
* Chapter 985:
** NightmareFuel though this action of his may also be, for what it exactly is he intends to do... '''no one''' can deny that Kaido has served as the MVP of this chapter, for one simple reason: killing fucking '''[[HateSink Orochi.]]''' In the midst of his speech, on turning the Flower Capital into another factory grounds. And, in that same speech... his goals are made clear: he and Big Mom both intend to find the '''[[MythArc One Piece]]''', the very goal our heroes have been journeying long and hard for, this entire time. A Crowning Moment Of ''Evil'', if ever there WAS one.
** What's particularly impressive about the way Kaido kills Orochi is just how [[SurprisinglySuddenDeath immediate it is]]. Unlike a lot of ''One Piece'' villains, he doesn't monologue or go into some long-winded MotiveRant or EvilGloating about how Orochi was nothing more than his UnwittingPawn and how Orochi [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness no longer has any usefulness.]] Instead, the second Orochi starts to catch wind of what Kaido is planning, [[NoNonsenseNemesis Kaido immediately beheads him]] and resumes discussing his plan with his men.
* Chapter 986:
** Luffy shows some impeccable use of Advanced Armament Haki when he easily removes Yamato's handcuffs.
** When Yamato learns that they really were explosive handcuffs, he immediately disowns his father.
*** One for Luffy shortly afterwards -- instead of leaping straight into the fight, he holds Yamato back and tells him that the two of them aren't meant to throw the first punch. The HotBlooded IdiotHero is ''following the plan.''
** Momonosuke shows some real development. When faced with death if he confirms that he's the son of Oden, he proudly shouts that he's Kozuki Momonosuke and he will be the Shogun of Wano.
** The Raid begins! The Akazaya Nine charge in, rushing ''Kaido''. Izo shows his impeccable marksmanship by shooting a sword out of King's hand. The Nine's presence is so overbearing that Kaido actually flashes back to Oden. The group jumps him with a cry of "Sunacchi!". King and Queen be ''damned'', nothing will stop the retainers of Oden from killing Kaido.
** A special mention the animated episode of this chapter being released with the Nine racing through the hallways, cutting and shooting down anything that gets in their way, along with the stellar animation of Kinemon's performance and technique, taking down Kaido's many goons. And a slight reminder that this dangerous guy was introduced as a joke as a detached head and legs, courtesy of Law, in Punk Hazard.
* Chapter 987:
** The Akazaya Nine do what nobody but Oden managed to do in 20 years: ''wound Kaido''. Their blades don't go far (especially when one considers that Raizou went for his throat), but their blades still pierce the Emperor's nigh-impenetrable skin, and Kiku [[ImpaledPalm stabs through his hand]]. Even if they didn't do much damage at the outset, Kaido is shocked by the fact that he's even ''feeling'' pain.
** Luffy confronts both Big Mom and Kaido, announcing that he's not there just for fun -- he's there to declare all-out ''war'' on them! And Kaido's response is to laugh -- not in a mocking fashion, but with ''excitement'' as he [[BloodKnight gleefully accepts the challenge.]] Clearly, things are about to get ''real'' in the next several chapters.
*** This also implies that Luffy managed to earn Kaido's ''[[VillainRespect respect]].'' Of all the vanquished foes that Kaido sentenced to a living hell, Luffy was one of the ''very'' few whose spirit was never broken. And now the captain of the Straw Hat crew has returned, having TookALevelInBadass, and is ready for ''round two.'' And ''that'' is how one earns the respect of Kaido, who's infamously known throughout the world as its "[[RedBaron Strongest Creature]]."
** Kaido doesn't waste time [[JustToyingWithThem playing around]] in human form. Instead, he smashes right through the roof of his castle in his [[ScaledUp dragon form]], declaring that he's all sobered up. Clearly, he has no intention of holding back; the Akazaya Nine have impressed him enough to take this fight seriously.
** Closing out the chapter is Boss Cat Viper noting that the Strawhat-Samurai-Mink Alliance were ''counting'' on Kaido smashing up through the roof. That's why he and Duke Dogstorm brought all the warriors of Zou to fight; they're all up there already waiting for Kaido. And his closing remarks about the full moon being out that night can mean only one thing...'''Boss Cat Viper and Duke Dogstorm are about to go [[SuperMode Sulong]]!!!'''
* Chapter 988:
** It turns out not to be just be Viper and Dogstorm going Sulong, but ''all of the Minks involved in the raid'', forming an angry mob that prepares to keep Jack and his cronies away from the battle with Kaido.
** Shinobu and a suited-up Sanji work together to rescue Momonosuke, and despite King brutally retaliating, they succeed.
** In case you've forgotten how strong Big Mom really is, she uses her [[SwordBeam Ikoku]] technique to blast a hole clean through Onigashima and into the sea.
** When it looks like Nami is done for after Big Mom reclaims Zeus, Franky and Brook suddenly arrive on the scene, cutting Zeus in half again and ''running Big Mom over''. Not just running her over, driving over her face!
** In the Anime adaption of this chapter, Brook and Franky start singing as they ride towards Big Mom, and the whole time they never lose their cheerful expressions. Quite possibly the most dangerous opponent they have ever faced, and they treat the whole thing like a celebration.
* Chapter 989:
** Franky, Robin, and Jimbei team up to directly fight Big Mom, aiming to take her off the board temporarily. And '''they succeed.''' Jimbei grabs her by the arm from behind as she goes to swing at Franky (who was distracted by one of Kaido's wild beasts and was forced to attack it rather than Big Mom), and Robin then restrains her with her powers before rolling her straight out of the building like a soccer ball. Suddenly, she seems like someone the Straw Hats can actually beat.
** Franky's response to Nami warning about Big Mom being one of the Four Emperors was pretty much a "so what", boasting that Luffy is going to be the King of the Pirates. Noteworthy, as Franky was freaking out over Luffy challenging her back at Fish-Man Island.
** A subtle one for Franky. As he aimed his Radical Beam at Big Mom, she had a worried look on her face. Franky managed to intimidate one of the Four Emperors.
** After their confrontations with King and Queen, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy regroup with the rest of the crew. The final frame of the chapter is the ten of them standing ready to fight (reminiscent of the iconic scene from Fish-Man Island), and Luffy declaring that he knows he can rely on his crew to defeat Kaido's lackeys while he goes for the big guy himself. Awesome.
* Chapter 990:
** Even when facing the Minks in their Sulong form, Jack still puts up a fight, easily taking several of them out despite cuts all over his trunk and swords in his body.
** Facing down the Numbers (revealed in the last chapter to be failed experiments at recreating ancient giants), Luffy is reminded of fighting Oars on Thriller Bark, remembering how his crew had to work together to take him down, and barely even did it then. But now, Luffy can easily take each of the Numbers on by himself, and does just that by going Gear Four and attacking one with a Kong Gun.
** Zoro and Jimbei show their stuff when taking on a Number. Zoro cuts its mace in half, and Jimbei punches it to stop it.
** Drake ends up getting outed as TheMole by Queen, Who's Who, and Hawkins. In response, he sets off an explosion, escapes, attacks a Number, and, remembering what Koby said, joins Luffy's side.
* Chapter 991:
** Apoo sobering the Numbers back up. In addition, when Luffy and Sanji cover their ears from his attack, he points out the LogicalWeakness in that strategy:
---> '''Apoo:''' [[SignatureLaugh Aaaa pa pa pa pa!!]] So you learned, huh?! But it's a lot harder to fight in silence than you think!
** Kin'emon gets to show just how powerful his Fox-Fire Style is when he literally cuts '''Kaido's [[BreathWeapon Blast Breath]]''' in half, protecting the rest of the Akazaya Nine and injuring Kaido in the process.
** The Akazaya Nine showing just how [[{{Determinator}} determined]] they are when they state that it doesn't matter if they die, so long as Kaido [[TakingYouWithMe goes down with them]].
---> '''Denjiro:''' (''about escaping'') Run? Don't make me laugh!\\
'''Raizo:''' We're tired of running!! Tired of hiding!!!\\
'''Ashura Doji:''' Just [[TitleDrop let us die]]!!! As Oden's samurai!!!\\
'''Kawamatsu:''' Once we've taken your head, that is!!!
* Chapter 992:
** The whole thing is practically one long moment of awesome as the Akazaya Nine (with Izo effectively replacing Kanjuro) go to town on Kaido's dragon form and actually ''hurt'' him. ''Repeatedly.''
*** Cat Viper and Kawamatsu draw first blood, causing all of Kaido's subordinates to have a collective OhCrap moment when they realize ''their boss can be hurt''.
*** Dogstorm puts his new pegleg to good use by stabbing it into Kaido's skin.
*** Izo and Kikunojo pepper Kaido with enough ranged attacks that he resorts to using his [[BreathWeapon Blast Breath]] on them, except...
*** Raizo summons a scroll from out of nowhere, absorbs the Blast Breath with it, and ''[[AttackReflector sends it directly back at Kaido]]!''
*** The whole thing culminates with Dogstorm, Ashura, Denjiro, and Kin'emon all ''simultaneously'' replicating the very same technique Oden himself used against Kaido over 20 years ago and reopening the scar Oden gave Kaido at the same moment. All four strikes land on the ''exact same spot''.
* Chapter 993: Kaido once again shows why he's the "King of the Beasts" when he shrugs off the attacks of the Akazaya samurai, claims they're still nothing compared to Oden, and launches a RazorWind attack that [[AnArmAndALeg cleaves off Kiku's arm]] [[ArmorPiercingAttack through her armor]].
* Chapter 994: After Kiku loses an arm, her brother ties up the stump to lessen the bleeding before Kin'emon cauterizes it with his FlamingSword. She then states that she's still good to fight. Kaido himself was [[VillainRespect impressed by this]].
* Chapter 995:
** Marco briefly clashes with Big Mom and Prometheus, even injuring the latter with his phoenix powers. Goes to show that this guy was second-in-command to '''[[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard]]''' not just out of fatherly love.
** As Perospero is about to shoot Marco with an arrow, Sulong Carrot and Wanda rush in and slash him across the eyes!
** Ulti brutally beats Nami, and in a fit of anger demand she say Luffy will never be King of the Pirates. Nami, bleeding and afraid, defies her and says he'll "never STOP until he's King of the Pirates". Her loyalty to the crew will never waver.
** Just as Ulti is about to smash Nami's skull, Tama appears with Komachiyo and bites down on her.
* Chapter 996:
** Kaido is shown wiping the floor with the Akazaya Nine showing he was just toying with them all along.
** How did Tama get to Onigashima? She snuck aboard an enemy ship. On her own that wouldn't be impressive, but the fact she brought a large lion-dog and sword-wielding baboon with her is worth mentioning.
** Where has Law been the last several chapters? Turns out he was hunting for the Road Poneglyph, as he's now dedicated to finding out the truth of the D. name along with Robin (and the audience).
* Chapter 997:
** In the anime at least, Sanji almost says he doesn't like Black Maria. Considering it's Sanji post-timeskip, the fact that it takes actual ''effort'' from Maria's part to seduce him is an awesome moment for him.
** Zoro shows us why he's largely considered to be the Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He first takes Apoo down in a single strike and proceeds to give Chopper the vial and instruct him to synthesize an antidote to the Ice Oni virus. He then destroys Queen's Excite Bullet gatling gun before Queen can even react and caps it off by dropping a BadassBoast on him:
---> '''Zoro:''' I DIDN'T COME ALL THE WAY TO THIS ISLAND TO WASTE TIME ON A BUNCH OF NONSENSE!!! THEY SAY KAIDO'S THE TOUGHEST GUY IN THE WORLD!! SO I'M HERE TO SLICE HIM INTO PIECES!!
*** Keep in mind Queen has a bounty almost 4X that of Zoro's current bounty and is one of the top three in an EMPEROR'S crew and Zoro basically told him he isn't worth his attention. Bad. Ass.
** Terrifying as it is, Kaido's power lifting the ENTIRE ISLAND of Onigashima!!
* Chapter 998:
** Marco's flames allow the infected to be temporarily subdued while Chopper and a few Minks create and distribute the antibody.
** We finally get to see all of the Devil Fruits of the Tobiroppo. Turns out, they're all Ancient Zoans:
*** As previously seen, X Drake, Page One and Ulti can transform into an ''Allosaurus'', ''Spinosaurus'', and ''Pachycephalosaurus'' respectively.
*** Now, Sasaki knocks General Franky down as a ''Triceratops'', Black Maria entangles Sanji with the webs of a ''Rosamygale Grauvogeli'', and Who's Who confronts Jimbei in the form of a large ''Saber-toothed Tiger''.
** The last page reveals that Yamato met Ace when the latter visited Onigashima, and that Ace came to Onigashima with the intention of killing ''Kaido'' of all people, seemingly on his own!
* Chapter 999:
** The flashback starts with Ace clashing with Yamato. Due to the fact that Kaido and his higher ranked were on an expedition, Ace is able to take down everyone except for Yamato.
*** It is also shown that Ace and his crew were apparently there to save kids who were kidnapped, which they succeeded in doing with no problem.
*** When Ace notices the shackles on Yamato's arms, he tells Yanati that he shouldn't let his heart be shackled too, which moves Yamato, leading to the two becoming friends.
** Marco is taking on both King and Queen to bring Zoro to the roof.
* Chapter 1000:
** To start things off this chapter, we have Marco (in full phoenix form) putting Queen AND King in neck holds with his wings. This is especially impressive given not only their own strength but also the size difference between Marco and them.
** Yamato reveals that within Oden's logbook, he left a message describing what will happen in the future.
---> Over 20 years in the future, powerful pirates leading the next generation will come swarming into the New World!! If I am dead by then, they will be the ones to strike down Kaido!!!
*** As this is being said, Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer all make it to the roof to confront Kaido ''and'' Big Mom.
** When Luffy arrives at the summit of Onigashima, he is joined by all of his fellow Supernovas participating in the raid, resulting in a two-page panel of them fearlessly facing down the two Emperors. The final confrontation for Wano has begun.
** When Luffy sees the Akazaya Nine, he immediately goes to Kin'emon. Kin'emon asks that Luffy save Wano, to which Luffy responds that he'll do it because it's his friend's country.
*** Also, to get to Kin'emon, Luffy strides right between two of the most powerful pirates in the world like they aren't even worth his time.
** When Luffy encounters the two Emperors, Kaido ''demands'' that Luffy ''dare'' to say what he said to him in their first bout all those chapters ago to his face again. Incensed by Luffy ignoring him to tend to Kin'emon, he attempts to crush the Straw Hats' captain on the spot -- only for Luffy to dodge into the air. Thinking back to all the friends he's made in Wano [[BerserkButton who Kaido has hurt]], he summons up an [[MegatonPunch Elephant Gun]], only to instead unleash a ''[[ElementalPunch Red Hawk]]'' variant of it called '''Red Roc'''. This attack ''[[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll draws blood from Kaido]]'' and ''smashes him facefirst into the ground.'' As Big Mom reprimands Kaido in disbelief, Luffy stands before them and, at last, answers Kaido's question for the both of them:
---> "[[MyNameIsInigoMontoya I am Monkey D. Luffy]]. [[BadassBoast And I'm the man who will surpass you...]] ''[[CharacterCatchphrase to be King of the Pirates!!!]]''"
*** Both Kaido and Big Mom are shocked that Luffy could do damage to Kaido, which shows how much stronger Luffy has gotten since his last bout with him. For bonus points, Kaido doesn't have the "I was drunk out of my mind" excuse this time around, nor was Luffy taking advantage of his scar -- he ''legitimately'' drew blood from Kaido on the word "Go". Luffy's brief Ryuo training has already levelled the playing field.
* Chapter 1001:
** Zoro shows that his time training for the war was well spent as he performs Kin'emon's firecutting technique to cut Prometheus in half.
** We finally get to see what Kid was planning to do with all the scrap metal he'd gathered a few chapters ago: Form a giant mech that's larger than Kaido.
** Luffy is capable of partly dodging Kaido's attack. Kaido even [[WorthyOpponent compliments him for that.]]
** In a callback to their first meeting at Sabaody, Luffy, Kid, and Law engage Kaido together with Luffy punching him in the stomach with a Gear Four Kong Gun, Kid crushing him between the hands of his mech, and Law using his powers to bury Kaido in rubble.
** Of course, Kaido's no slouch either. His Thunder Bagua is so fast that even with advanced Observation Haki, it's almost impossible to dodge. And when the Worst Generation gang up on him, he's able to take their hits and come back swinging.
* Chapter 1002:
** Kid, Law, and Killer attacking Kaido and actually ''making it hurt''. Kid uses his Punk Rotten to throw Kaido's ''much'' larger body and slam it, and Law uses his Gamma Knife to strike the dragon's heart directly. Killer follows this up with something called "Sonic Scythe" where his Punishers apparently bypass scales to reach the internals, represented visually by his blades growing larger and cutting through Kaido's body! Even Kaido admits that he can't rely on his natural durability to win this one alone.
** Just when it looks like Luffy is about to take a point blank Breath Blast from Kaido, Zoro with Law's help dives in the middle and cuts his attack clean in half to disperse it. This is followed by Big Mom ''[[OhCrap freaking out and screaming]]'' for Kaido to dodge the counterattack when she sees his sword, and even Kaido seems intimidated when he senses the same aura as Oden coming from Zoro. Kaido barely dodges and the whiffed strike ends up cleaving off one of the castle's horns. Let's repeat that: Kaido, who has tanked every attack without any concern, [[TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort decided to dodge the attack instead of risking it head-on]]. The fact Kaido even felt the need to heed Big Mom's advice about dodging speaks volumes of the threat Zoro poses now that he has trained with Enma.
** In an ''amazing'' CallBack that's both this and hilarious, Big Mom strikes Luffy directly with Zeus and is convinced he's toast, but when he turns up unscathed she demands to know why, and Luffy casually reiterates that he's made of rubber. Big Mom is left making ''an identical'' OhCrap face as Eneru as she realizes that not even Zeus being magically animated and empowered by Haki keeps Luffy from being the LogicalWeakness of a third of her powerset.
** Immediately after is an even better moment: Luffy gets hit by a point-blank Blast Breath... and ''powers through it with sheer '''guts'''''. Repeat: '''Luffy managed to tank an attack that OBLITERATED AN ENTIRE CASTLE AND THE MOUNTAIN IT WAS STANDING ON.''' Which is then followed up by Luffy revealing '''Kong Gatling.''' He's pummeling Kaido right in his face, just like he did during their first fight... but this time, [[CurbStompBattle he's not going to come out unscathed]].
** This chapter really shows how far all of the Supernovas have come. While Kaido is built up throughout the arc as a justifiably immense threat, his opponents have managed to reach that threat level. From a narrative standpoint, this is why Big Mom was reintroduced for this arc: not to help Kaido deliver a CurbStompBattle, but to prevent him from being on the ''[[AntiClimaxBoss receiving end]]''.
* Chapter 1003:
** Despite getting hit by Big Mom's lighting in the last chapter, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer are all revealed to be relatively unscathed and watching as Luffy delivers his Kong Gatling on Kaido.
** Law managed to hurt Big Mom with his Counter Shock. It goes to show that even if he isn't the heavy-hitter that Luffy and Kid are, Law's analytical fighting style and precise close-range attacks can now pierce straight through and hit even the strongest of Devil Fruit or Haki-users.
** Luffy finishes his Kong Gatling by hitting Kaido with a punch that knocks him into the ground with enough force to create a massive dust cloud.
** Another point to Kaido, he gets right back up and uses his powers to create tornados across the battlefield.
** Then when Kaido tries to eat Luffy, Zoro counters with his own tornado and actually manages to cut him with the power of Enma.
** And a major one at the end, Kaido has finally assumed his hybrid form.
* Chapter 1004:
** We find out why Tama snuck into the battle: she used her Devil Fruit ability to create as much kibi-dango as possible on the boat ride to Onigashima to ''[[HeelFaceBrainwashing tame a bunch of SMILE-users mid-raid]]'' - every dango fed equals a new ally for the rebellion. That prediction that [=CP0=] made last chapter about the Beast Pirates defeating the alliance with sheer numbers? Already called into question because of one little girl.
** Tied with the top, Nami and Usopp are able to fool Sasaki and his crew long enough for Usopp to snipe the kibi-dango right into the mouths of many of the Armored Corps.
** Nami is able to nail Ulti with a Thunder Lance Tempo. While she admits she needs to use more power to take Ulti down, it is nice to see the same move that took down Kalifa from [=CP9=] way back when.
** Not to be outdone, Franky is able to fight Sasaki to the point where he lands a deadly sword attack on the currently transformed member of the Flying Six.
* Chapter 1005:
** Sanji asking for help. Considering his pride and how he fears putting women in danger, him admitting he needs help takes ''serious guts''. He also uses his cry to help to show how the Beast Pirates network works, which Usopp takes advantage of and starts making a plan to exploit it.
** Robin and Brook show up to save Sanji from Black Maria. Robin slaps the Tobiroppo with a giant hand, while Brook uses his GhostlyChill to free Sanji.
* Chapter 1006:
** Proving that he was [[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard's]] NumberTwo for a ''reason'', Marco continues to absolutely [[CurbStompBattle trivialize]] both [[CoDragons King and Queen]] with utmost ease and at the ''same time'', to the point that he's openly more invested and entertained at what's happening around him than the fight itself.
** Hyogoro shows why he was such a feared warrior when he unleashes a move that defeats all of the Mimawarigumi and the Orochi Oniwabanshu single-handedly. This is because catching the Ice Oni virus drew out his dormant strength.
* Chapter 1007:
** Chopper successfully creates a cure for the Ice Oni virus and heals everyone who's been infected -- not a second too soon either, as Hyogoro would've had to be given a MercyKill otherwise.
** How does Chopper do it? He and his assistants fire an ''airborne cure'' through a ''cannon''. This is enough to purify the entire floor, saving thousands of lives.
** Just before this, Queen was ranting at how the Pleasures and Waiters are useless CannonFodder whose only purpose now is [[WeHaveReserves to spread the Ice Oni virus]]. Now that Chopper saved them? ''[[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal They all turn on Queen.]]'' [=CP0=] might want to run the numbers again, because the Beast Pirates' advantage just evaporated.
---> "We're not gonna sit still and get murdered by an insane boss! We'd rather die on the side of the guy who saved our lives!! Ain't that right, boys?!"
** Chopper caps off his moment of heroism by immediately using Monster Point and ''decking'' Queen as a means of venting for all the Tanuki comments.
* Chapter 1008: This quote as the 5 Supernovas face down against the 2 Emperors.
--> '''Kid:''' ''[Grinning]'' With the two of them [Big Mom and Kaido] standing side by side it looks like we're in Hell!\\
'''Luffy:''' ''[Smiling]'' That suits me fine. [[BadassBoast I've been to Hell and back a few times already!! It's Home Territory!!!]]
* Chapter 1009:
** Kin'emon and the others [[OffWithHisHead decapitate all of Orochi's heads]] like it's an afterthought.
---> '''Kin'emon:''' We have no time to waste on you. [[BadassBoast Your judgement will be served in Hell!!!]]
** Big Mom and Kaido's CombinationAttack, Conquest of the Sea, is probably the strongest attack seen in the series to date.
*** Zoro then manages to BLOCK IT. Yes, it's only for a moment, and he is still heavily injured, but read that again. Zoro managed to block a CombinationAttack from two Emperors!
** Luffy and Kaido are still fighting. While Kaido is still hammering Luffy, the younger pirate gloats that Kaido is now actually bothering to ''dodge'' his attack, thus fixing Kaido's full attention on him long enough for the others to pull off their plan to separate the Emperors.
** Zoro, Killer, Kid and Law display excellent teamwork against Big Mom and her Homies. Kid creates a metal box that Law uses to trap Zeus in. Then Zoro uses Kin'emon's Fox Fire Style to cut Prometheus into pieces while Killer separates Napoleon from Big Mom. With her Homies gone, Kid attacks Big Mom; although she {{No Sell}}s his attacks and smashes him into the ground, he wraps her arm in metal and uses Repel to launch her into the air. Law then uses Tact to chuck a rock at her, which doesn't harm her, but manages to push her off the edge of the island and towards the sea below. With Zeus trapped, Prometheus in pieces and Kaido busy with Luffy, Big Mom is very likely out of the fight, at least for a time.
* Chapter 1010:
** Zoro, for the first time since the TimeSkip, brings back his Nine-Sword Style Asura mode to unleash a devastating move that leaves Kaido with ''another'' scar. And Kaido realizes that Zoro has Conqueror's Haki as well!
** But the real MVP is Luffy, who has discovered that he can use his Ryuo moves with his own Conqueror's Haki, allowing him to block Kaido's club ''without touching it'', just like when ''Gol D. Roger'' and ''Whitebeard'' fought! And Luffy then follows up with a punch to the gut and an uppercut that sends Kaido reeling. And Luffy did it '''without his Gears'''.
** Just the fact that Luffy GETS RIGHT BACK UP after being knocked unconscious for a brief period by one of Kaido's strongest attacks in the last chapter.
** Kaido proves deserving of his reputation as unkillable by tanking all of the above without much trouble, while still making the island float with his power.
* Chapter 1011:
** In their only scene of the chapter, Luffy and Kaido have an epic clash of Haki reminiscent of whenever the Four Emperors clashed. It's official: Luffy is now in the league of the Emperors.
** Tama continues to be an epic SpannerInTheWorks. She, Nami, and Usopp are still fleeing Page One -- and run into the recovered Big Mom! It almost looks like they'll have a new pursuer, until Big Mom recognizes Tama. She stops everything and genuinely ''thanks'' the little girl for giving her food when she was an amnesiac... and then Tama sullenly reveals that Okobore, where she got that food from, was burned down by the Beast Pirates not long after. Big Mom is '''incensed''', doing a complete 180 and citing EvenEvilHasStandards as she ''smashes Page One into the floor''. Whatever pretext the Beast-Big Mom Alliance had just collapsed.
--->'''Big Mom:''' ''Don't you know... that even in the cruel world of pirates, '''[[EvenEvilHasStandards there's still a code of honor?!! You clowns!!!]]'''''
* Chapter 1012:
** Villainous though it may be, Ulti gets some points in awesomeness in that she is willing to fight Big Mom. Let's repeat this: Ulti was willing to fight Big Mom after seeing Big Mom deck Page One and only stopped to continue pursuing Nami, Usopp, and Tama. Then what does she do to show she is willing to cross lines? She beats up Komachiyo and then, IN FRONT OF BIG MOM, slashes Tama.
** When Ulti [[KickTheDog slashes Tama's cheek,]] Nami goes from trying to escape to smacking Ulti with a lightning bolt. While Usopp freaks out over her actions, Nami swears she'd never tolerate someone who'd raise their hand to a child.
--->'''Nami:''' I'm going to stay here and crush her!!!
* Chapter 1013:
** Livid about what Ulti did to Tama, Big Mom proves her status as an Emperor by [[CombinationAttack combining her three Homies]] into a SwordBeam she calls Maser Cannon, blowing [[TorsoWithAView a hole straight through Ulti's gut]] and taking her out instantly.
** When Big Mom turns her attention to the Straw Hats, Captain Kid comes down on her with Punk Gibson, before deciding to take her on while the Straw Hats get away.
** A villainous one for Kaido. [[HopeSpot Despite the set up that Luffy has a fighting chance now that he knows how Kaido's power works]], the ending has the chilling scene of an unconscious Luffy falling from Onigashima, once again proving that Kaido is "the strongest creature alive". In a one-on-one fight -- on land, on sea, or in the air -- ''always bet on Kaido.''
*** That also makes Kaido the very first antagonist since ''Crocodile'' to beat Luffy twice in a row (or even ''three times'' if you count the moment Luffy was knocked out by Kaido's Ragnaraku during the fight on the roof).
* Chapter 1014: Everybody refusing Kaido's offer to join him even after they hear about the Akazaya Nine and Luffy's defeats.
** Kin'emon not only took down Kanjuro, he also took on Kaido by himself while alone and injured.
* Chapter 1015: Things are looking bad for Chopper. Queen just won't go down and Perospero has unleashed a massive rain of arrows onto the samurai. Then Sanji shows up, kicks Queen (In his brachiosaurus form) so hard the Lead Performer goes into a spin that not only deflects the arrows but ''also'' smacks Perospero away!
--> '''Sanji:''' '''Rotisserie...STRIKE!!!'''
** Kin'emon staying conscious despite being hit with a two handed kanabo Conqueror's Haki attack from Kaido. For perspective: Page One, who has [[SuperToughness an ancient Zoan type devil fruit]], was knocked out with a single handed Conqueror's Haki blow from Big Mom. Even when severely injured, Kin'emon still managed to injure and survive Kaido.
** Momonosuke announces that Luffy is still alive and restores everyone's morale, showing he is doing his part to contribute.
** Luffy managing to still speak while underwater and unconscious. Despite how serious his situation is, Luffy still doesn't give up and continues to fight Kaido.
* Chapter 1016:
** Ulti just '''won't quit'''. She nearly got her side blown off by Big Mom and is running on fumes, and she ''still'' manages to catch up to Nami, Usopp and Tama at the stage.
** Fortunately, Nami and a miraculously-surviving Zeus manage to trump Ulti's awesome moment with their own. Zeus managed to cling to life by accidentally letting some of his soul slip into Nami's Clima-Tact, ''turning it into a homie'' that doubles as a MorphWeapon -- and this time he's completely loyal to his new master. Nami and Zeus team up, and together they finally take Ulti down for good.
** Props to Usopp; Nami initially can't attack Ulti because the Headliner is holding Tama, so Usopp, despite being beaten down, fires a Green Star Sargasso to help Tama escape. Then, once Ulti is beaten, he captures Bao-Huang with a Green Star Devil so Tama can use Bao-Huang's connection to the Marys so she can talk to all of the Dango-eating Gifters on Onigashima!
** With Luffy temporarily out of the action, Yamato steps up to bat against his father, and while he's fully aware there's no way he can defeat Kaido without Luffy's help, he's ready to HoldTheLine for Luffy to get back into it with him. This is followed by the firm declaration that once Kaido is deposed, Yamato is going to take to the seas... ''as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates''. Yamato also got Kaido to take him seriously as the latter went straight into his hybrid form to fight.
* Chapter 1017:
** Tama did it. Using the kidnapped Bao-Huang, she sent her orders to the entire island. The result is every SMILE user on Onigashima who ate Tama's millet dumplings (which at this point is '''most of them''') pulling a ManchurianAgent and allying with the Straw Hats. Thanks to Tama, the Animal Kingdom Pirates' numbers advantage has diminished to the point that the Straw Hats can now turn their full attention to the Lead Performers and the Tobi Roppo.
** Though that's not to say the Animal Kingdom Pirates are making it easy. Queen, having been sufficiently incensed by Sanji, reveals his past. He was a part of the same research group as Judge, known as MADS, and decides to show how more of his cybernetics combined with his hybrid form, which results in a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot gigantic man with dinosaur skin and several unfriendly-looking robot limbs]]. Despite this intimidation tactic, Sanji is unfazed in the slightest and is regarding the Calamity with pure annoyance more than anything.
** Meanwhile in response to the chaos, Who's-Who of the Tobi Roppo has also realized he needs to get serious, fighting against Jimbei, and starts busting out ''Six Powers'' techniques in tandem with his Sabertooth powers -- turns out Who's-Who's a former [=CP9=] agent. His combination attacks rip the room apart like a knife through butter.
*** Why is a [=CP9=] Agent now working as a pirate? Twelve years prior, a Devil Fruit he was in charge of transporting was stolen off his ship by pirates, which he was promptly fired and imprisoned for. ''Which'' Devil Fruit did the pirates steal? ''The Gum-Gum Fruit.''
*** Not only that, the fact that a ''[=CP9=] agent'' was tasked with guarding the Fruit means that the World Government considered the ''Gum-Gum Fruit'' valuable enough to protect- and the Red Hair Pirates ''still'' managed to steal it.
** Not that Jimbei lets any of that scare him. In fact, before Tama's announcement, the First Son of the Sea makes it clear he fully expected a 5K vs 30K war, and that he's not going to complain about the very uneven odds. When Who's Who whips out the Six Powers moves, Jimbei counters easily, even blocking a Tempest Kick with his bare Armament Haki-covered arm.
---> '''Jimbei:''' And this is what you call '''Iron Body,''' correct?
* Chapter 1018:
** Jimbei vs Who's-Who, a battle between a former Warlord and [=CP9=] agent! Who's-Who unleashes a blitz of his Six Powers techniques on the First Son of the Sea, never letting up while making derogatory comments about fishmen. But Jimbei takes it all without flinching -- when Who's-Who unleashes a rapid-fire Finger Pistol, the Tobi Roppo ends up ''breaking his fingers''.
---> '''Who's-Who:''' ''[Performing a rapid-fire Finger Pistol]'' Stop pretending like you don't know anything about slaves! You're a Fishman, arent you?! ''So, out with it already,'' '''JIMBEI!'''
--->''[Jimbei blocks Who's-Who onslaught of attacks for a moment, before his words finally ticked him off and covers himself in Armament Haki, breaking Who's-Who's fingers and twisting them with a Shark Grip.]''\\
'''Jimbei:''' ''I have nothing to tell you! Do you understand me?!''
*** Jimbei steps on Who's-Who's tail to keep him from running away from one heckuva punch; the Demon Brick Fist to the face.
---> '''Jimbei:''' You run you mouth about this like it's some sort of game! ''This'' is the weight of history! Do you understand now?!
** Tama ends up making even more Animal Kingdom members turn to the Straw Hat's side than expected, as the brainwashed Headliners take their ''non''-brainwashed subordinates with them. With this, we get the new numbers for the armies: 16,000 on the Animal Kingdom side, 9,000 on the Straw Hats side, with the strength of the rogue SMILE users making up the difference. It suddenly seems like the Straw Hats can win this war, and [=CP0=] has realized it; formerly confident that the Straw Hats had no chance, they're now preparing to pull a VillainExitStageLeft (after confirming that Who's-Who has been silenced).
* Chapter 1019: With the Gifters changing sides, Sasaki enters his hybrid form. And with this form's flying ability (see the Funny page), the Tobi Roppo now has an edge in speed and maneuverability! In earlier showings, the General Franky decimated its foes, but Sasaki ends up overwhelming it, even breaking the Franken with his Screw Sword. Knowing that a protracted battle won't end well, Franky pulls out the stops and blasts Sasaki into the air with the General Cannon! When Sasaki recovers from that and goes into a divebomb, Franky ejects from the cockpit as the triceratops-man crashes into the robot and fires his Radical Beam into Sasaki's earlier wound!
* Chapter 1020:
** Yamato shows he's on near equal ground to Kaido, thanks to the Mythical Devil Fruit he ate that allows him to transform into a divine wolf.
** Black Maria creates illusions of Robin's loved ones (Olvia, Clover, and Saul), but she quickly sees through them and slaps them.
** In the anime adaptation, Brook also sees an illusion of his beloved former captain, but he isn't fooled either. In fact, he and Robin are mad at what Black Maria did.
** Brook goes into soul mode and easily dispatches Black Maria's Wanyudo weapon.
** As Brook takes care of the rabble, Robin takes on Black Maria by herself, and shows she is not to be messed with. By summoning "Gigante Fleur", sprouting a giant Robin.
* Chapter 1021:
** After more than a decade of not getting a simple one-on-one fight like many of her contemporaries, Robin finally gets a chance to show her stuff against a peer opponent. Despite Black Maria's webs and brute force, Robin unveils '''Demonio Fleur''', creating a giant demonic-looking version of herself. It even manges to frighten the Tobi Roppo member for a bit due to how sudden Robin's new form appeared.
*** She even declares her resolve to help the Straw Hats and the people who count on her no matter what. She's not a liability Black Maria thinks she is.
--->'''Robin''': You were wrong. There are people in this world who need me, who love me and rely on me, and I'd do anything for them. ''Anything.'' '''Even turn into a demon!'''
*** '''Demonio Fleur: Gran Jacuzzi Clutch'''; Robin's finishing move against Black Maria. She first surrounds and grabs the Rosamygale spider Tobi Roppo with her now crimson red arms uses a leg to further her hold on Black Maria, tightly locks her hold and with all her might, ''crushes'' the Tobi Roppo member with a single joint lock.
*** Even better, Black Maria before was just pummeling Robin within a inch of her life and taunting her "uselessness" when she had the upper hand. Now, she's at the mercy of the demonic archaeologist, screaming for her life while Robin preforms her clutch.
** When Black Maria sets her webs on fire to create a massive blaze, Robin creates a giant hand and palm strikes ''the ceiling'', burying the fire with the rubble!
** Brook then follows up by taking down Maria's lackies, including one of the Numbers, with a slash in the shape of a treble clef.
** Momonosuke asking Shinobu to age him into an adult so that he can help save Wano.
* Chapter 1022:
** Perospero is about to snipe Sanji with a candy arrow, only for Cat Viper to ambush and send the villain flying.
** In the anime adaptation, Sanji holds off both King and Queen, with the former Lead Performer visibly saving the latter from serious harm, until Zoro recovers and gets King off Sanji's hair.
** Zoro and Sanji counterattack against King and Queen and this was after Marco referred to them (Zoro and Sanji) as the star players.
*** Marco's comment alongside the chapter title ("The Stars Take the Stage") plus the ending chapter comment ("The Two Wings in Action!") really puts into perspective the crucial role Sanji and Zoro serve among the Straw Hats ''AND'' serves as a CallBack to Robin's claim regarding Sanji during her fight against Black Maria.
---> '''Robin''': He's one of the wings that'll allow the Pirate King to soar!!
** This short exchange between Zoro and Sanji just straight up sends ''shivers'' down your spine.
---> '''Zoro''': Hey Curly Brows, if we win this--
---> '''Sanji''': I know, it'll finally be in sight... '''Luffy becoming King of the Pirates!!'''
* Chapter 1023:
** King and Queen get back up, barely fazed by Zoro and Sanji's opening strikes. The duo take it in stride, dodging Queen's blaster fire and blocking King's sword strikes like pros.
** Sanji makes an interesting remark in passing about how he's body's felt a little different -- but not in a ''bad'' way -- since he started wearing the Raid Suit. Is it possible he's about to receive a power-up?
** When Queen demands to know if Sanji's fiery legs are the result of some kind of cybernetic modification from Germa 66, Sanji shoots down that theory by pointing out he's ''all human.''
--->'''Sanji:''' [[BadassBoast The heat of my passion surpasses the temperature of flame!]]
** King's sword turns out to have sawteeth that can trap an opponent's swords. He does this on Zoro's two main blades, then forces them aside to hurl a punch at Zoro. Zoro's counter? Blocking that punch with the sword in his jaws, then catching his two main swords to keep fighting.
*** Kawamatsu and Hyogoro, watching this, remark that Zoro reminds them of the Daimiyo of Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, right down to the three-sword style. And they happen to drop another bombshell... Lord Ushimaru was the descendant of ''Ryuma!''
** Jack, meanwhile, is about to crush Dogstorm...only for the latter to go Sulong thanks to a hole in the roof, judo-throwing Jack out of the palace and into the courtyard. And while ''that's'' happening, Cat Viper joins Wanda and Carrot in confronting Perospero... and ''he's'' going Sulong too, intent on avenging Pedro!
** Raizou matches the Oniwaban leader ninjitsu for ninjitsu, shutting down the latter's mockery by proclaiming that Momonosuke will grow up to be a fine young man.
** And the big kicker, for the end of the chapter: Momonosuke's gambit ''worked.'' Thanks to Shinobu's powers, he now has the body of a 28-year-old man... and, in his transformed state, the body of a magnificent adult dragon. And he's prepared to carry Luffy back to Kaidou for the final round!
* Chapter 1024:
** Usopp shows what a powerful liar he is when he convinces a bunch of Beast Pirates that he has Conqueror's Haki (when it was really Big Mom's own Haki that was leaking all over).
** Yamato had Conqueror's Haki since he was eight. Showing how strong he was even as a kid.
** The unnamed Samurai (more than likely Shimotsuki Ushimaru) willingly giving his food to Yamato, saying again that Samurai do not get hungry. He also manages to cut down the stone barrier despite the lack of nourishment.
* Chapter 1025:
** Yamato matches Kaidou blow for blow throughout the chapter, instead of suffering from the WorfEffect like Rebecca did in Dressrosa. They're evenly matched up till the end of the chapter, but more on that in a bit...
*** This includes [[ShutUpHannibal refuting Kaidou's claim]] that he was always alone, citing Ace and the samurai who helped him in the past.
*** Not to be outdone, Kaido [[ShutUpKirk retorts]] that Yamato's friends ended up dying, and how Yamato must rely on his own strength alone.
** While Momonosuke's still afraid of heights, his grown-up dragon form is apparently durable enough that ramming through Onigashima's castle -- he's flying with his eyes shut, you see -- barely fazes him.
** Finally, at the climax of the chapter, Luffy guides Momo back to the top of Onigashima just as Yamato rallies and charges Kaidou. The end result is Luffy going Gear Four (Snake Man) just in time to land a Jet Culverin on Kaidou at the same time as Yamato delivering a White Serpent strike. Kaidou gets flung backwards, once again taking visible damage.
** Undeterred, Kaidou re-emerges in full dragon form, demanding to know who this other dragon is. Despite being visibly frightened, Momonosuke rallies his nerve and announces himself alongside Luffy, who's giving his own BadassBoast.
--->'''Luffy''': Nothing you do is going to kill me! I'm the man who will be king of the pirates!
--->'''Momonosuke''': And... and my... my name is...[[MyNameIsInigoMontoya Kozuki Momonosuke! The man who will be shogun of Wano!]]
* Chapter 1026:
** Momo might not have fire breath like Kaido, but he's able to dodge the latter's Blast Breath technique all the same. Keep in mind that aged-up or not, he's mentally ''still a kid;'' and he's still able to dodge shots from the man who traumatized him.
** Luffy convinces Momo to try and ''[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu bite Kaido]]''. While it doesn't do any lasting damage, it ''still'' makes Kaido roar out in pain.
*** More importantly, it shows how far Momo's grown -- despite insisting that it's impossible for him to do that, he starts flashing back to when Kaido killed his mother, and how terrified he was...and then Momo gets ''furious,'' and lunges for Kaido. Even when the latter seems unharmed and demands to know what Momo's thinking, Momo keeps biting, seething about how he's lost his parents to this monster.
*** Even better, when Luffy declares that after biting one of the Four Emperors, nothing should seem scary for Momo anymore, the latter agrees...which means that he's not scared of flying now, and will be able to hold up Onigashima.
** Luffy's pep talk to Momo is carried down to the rest of Onigashima, and when he announces that he's going to beat Kaido, every member of the resistance starts cheering wildly, their morale boosted like nothing else.
** Luffy and Kaido resume their battle, with Luffy declaring that even if he's lost to Kaido twice, so long as he's standing, ''anything'' is possible.
*** Take note of what happens during their initial clash -- the Haki infused into their blows splits the sky, a CallBack to when Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard did the same thing. This is solid proof that Luffy's new title in the papers isn't just hype -- he really ''has'' reached the same level as the Emperors.
*** Further adding to the moment of awesome? During the clash, Kaido swings his kanabo attack with ''two'' hands. Meanwhile, Luffy's using a ''single'' fist...''without'' stretching it at all. And all the same, Luffy's blow is still EQUAL to Kaido's.
** Oh, and that clash of Haki that the splits off the sky? It [[SpannerInTheWorks reveals the full moon again]], allowing Cat Viper and Dogstorm to assume their Sulong forms just as Perospero and Jack were about to finish them off. This development turns the fight ''completely'' around, with Cat Viper and Dogstorm finishing off Perospero and Jack respectively with a single blow apiece, avenging both Pedro and the agony unleashed on Zou.
* Chapter 1027:
** Yamato's still processing the aforementioned sky-splitting. Just like when Roger and Whitebeard would fight in Oden's journal.
** It's subtle, but after getting bitten by him in the last chapter, Kaido calls Momonosuke out by his name, whereas the most acknowledgement he could muster before was calling him boy or brat. It's clear that even though it failed to do any real damage, Momonosuke's stunt impressed Kaido.
** While Luffy's duking it out singlehandedly with Kaido, Yamato and Momonosuke notice that chunks of Onigashima are starting to chip off the main part. What's more, the Flame Clouds holding the island up are weakening. Proof that Kaido ''is'' getting tired.
** Of course, that means that if Onigashima falls out of the sky, the whole capital will be destroyed, including the citizens. Momonosuke panics because even if his dragon powers can generate Flame Clouds like Kaido's, he's not sure he'd be able to prop up the whole island in time. Plus if Luffy takes down Kaido prematurely, that'll instantly negate the Clouds present. Momo considers going back to tell Luffy to hold off... and Yamato [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan gives him a good conk on the head]], reminding him that Luffy's already got enough on his plate. Their job right now is to handle Onigashima, so that's what they'll do.
** The Zoro vs. King fight continues, and it shows no signs of easing up. King's mask got damaged, which has pissed him off, and now he's putting some serious effort into killing our favorite three-swordsman. This is ''very'' impressive of both parts:
*** On [[TheDragon King's]] part, considering that every opponent Zoro has had ever since the TimeSkip before [[WhamEpisode Wano]], have been absolutely {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s, this shows just how powerful the top brass of the Animal Kingdom Pirates are. King is not even predominantly a swordsman, and he's pushing Zoro almost as much as [[TheJuggernaut Kaido]] himself did, showing that his status as a [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Lead Performer]] was very well earned.
*** On Zoro's part, the fact that King is [[LetsGetDangerous openly trying to kill Zoro]], compared to his almost casual bout with Marco alongside Queen, shows that he's taken Zoro to be a [[WorthyOpponent considerably more dangerous enemy than almost anyone in Onigashima]] right now and knows that holding back against Zoro is not viable in any way, so he's [[NoNonsenseNemesis not even bothering in the first place]].
** At one point, King ''does'' succeed in knocking Zoro off of Onigashima. The Pirate Hunter uses a RazorWind technique to propel himself back up!
* Chapter 1028:
** Sanji's battle with Queen continues, with neither letting up. Queen launches Sanji into a wall with his mechanical fist, but Sanji is barely fazed and counters with Bien Cuit: Grill Shot, the same moved he used against the Kraken!
*** Even though Queen took next to no damage from it, he compliments the attack, saying it packs a good punch. He then reveals the utterly nonsensical ability to separate himself from his legs, turning himself into a snake that can crush even masters of Armament Haki under its coils.
*** Even though he was in pain from the attack with Queen confident that he is dead, Sanji gets up just as quickly as he went down, his bones not having broken, but ''bent.'' As he snaps his body parts back into place, Queen goes for a sucker punch with his sword. The blade '''snaps like a twig on Sanji's neck''', with Sanji looking thoroughly unimpressed by the attempt on his life. Sanji's Raid Suit has awakened his dormant genetic modifications, and it's made him much, MUCH stronger.
*** It's also worthy of noting that back on Whole Cake Island, Sanji kicked Yonji's face so hard, he bent the latter's exoskeleton to the point that they had to use an hydraulic press to force his head back into its normal shape. When Sanji got his own exoskeleton bent by Queen, he bends it back to normal simply by flexing.
* Chapter 1029:
** Sanji's new Germa power-up shows that he's now immune to bullets.
** Killer continues to be the MVP of the raid. Understanding how Hawkins' powers work, he slices off his left arm, knowing the damage will not transfer as Kid doesn't have a left arm. Then Hawkins summons his Strawman with the Death card, but Killer effortlessly decapitates it. With his trump card taken out, Hawkins scrambles for something new, only for Killer to slice him down the middle. Victorious, Killer wishes his partner good luck.
* Chapter 1030:
** Even though he's near death, Kanjiro uses up the last of his strength to paint a living flame with the intent to light the entire castle ablaze.
** It's revealed that both Law and Kid have Awakened their Devil Fruit abilities, though they can use said Awakened abilities for a short time. They use their Awakenings to deal a huge blow to Big Mom at the end of the chapter.
* Chapter 1031:
** Despite been struck by both Law and Kid's Awakened abilities and being buried under a pile of metal, Big Mom gets up enraged that their attacks managed to hurt her. She then proceeds to rip out the the souls of the nearby Beast pirates to bring an army of objects to life then consumes a year of her own lifespan to power herself up and grow even larger, finally being forced to take Law and Kid seriously. Kid and Law, for their part simply state that she's the kind of person they need to beat in order to achieve their dreams and get ready to continue fighting her.
** Sanji discovers that the effects of his newly awakened Germa modifications have apparently caused him to unconsciously strike a woman and is horrified. After Queen finally catches up to him, Sanji decides to crush his Raid Suit declaring that he'll never belong to Germa and deciding to finish their fight regardless of what happens next. Then he calls Zoro and tells him that if he's no longer himself by the time the fighting is over, he wants Zoro to kill him. Sanji promptly moves fast enough to vanish from sight and hits Queen with Hell Memories.
*** Really, Sanji deciding that '''he doesn't need the Germa modifications to beat Queen''' is awesome by itself. The rest just adds to it.
** Drake's intelligence in countering Apoo's attacks as he noticed they were based on his line of sight and hearing the sounds. He'd also rather take down Apoo than team up with him to take down the winner(s) of the war.
** While brief, the unnamed Minks HoldTheLine to allow Brook to help Robin escape from the [=CP0=] pursuers.
* Chapter 1032:
** Thanks to the fire monster Kanjuro brought into existence, [=CP0=] end up separated from Robin and Brook, and stumble onto Drake and Apoo. Because Apoo plans on giving their involvement to the newspapers, and Drake is a Navy infiltrator, the agents decide to kill both pirates...who immediately stop quarreling to fight back.
** Goofy moment aside with his beak, King continues to keep Zoro on the defensive in their duel. Zoro notes how despite every attack he's thrown his way, the Lead Performer hasn't lost a single drop of blood yet. He's not even sure he can beat King without knowing what race he belongs to.
* Chapter 1033:
** Back to Zoro vs. King. Zoro has to keep telling Enma to stop drawing so much Haki out of him, causing him to get knocked to the floor. For a moment, he thinks back to his childhood in Shimotsuki Village, when the old geezer of the village gave him a couple swords to practice with and some choice words: that swords have souls and personalities. He recalls the old tales of the village having been founded by a former pirate, and it suddenly dawns on him. That "old geezer" was none other than '''Shimotsuki Kozaburo''', the founder and namesake of the village who fled Wano half a century ago...''and the man who forged the very Enma in his hand right now, a sword he claimed to be his masterpiece''. Zoro then gets it. Enma isn't trying to be greedy; it's ''[[DareToBeBadass daring him to rise up to Oden's level]]''! Zoro is hesitant as it means putting his life on the line...and then realizes if that's what he has to do, then so be it! He gets back up again, and his three swords course with Haki, earning a compliment from King that Zoro actually shows kingly ambition. Zoro replies of course he has ambitions...and a couple promises he has to keep.
** Take a look at Zoro's swords when he gets back up: they're all emanating with black lightning. The same type of emanation that's associated with ''advanced Conqueror's Haki.'' If there were any doubts at all at Zoro having Conqueror's Haki before, those doubts have been quelled by this chapter.
** A couple of Animal Kingdom Pirates try gang up on Zoro but fall unconscious instantly. And Zoro wasn't even really targeting them, he's prepping his Haki for Enma.
** Props to King as well: he first blows himself up when Zoro stabs him, then weathers an Ittoryu attack that usually finishes off Zoro's fights.
* Chapter 1034:
** Now back to Sanji vs. Queen. We now see why Queen has been so anxious to see Sanji in the Germa Raid suit. It turns out he's also adapted his body to incorporate versions of the same tech the Vinsmoke brothers have, only more brutal. He wanted to beat Sanji in his Stealth Black to prove himself superior to Judge. But in doing so, he pressed one of Sanji's {{Berserk Button}}s: ''bringing up the Vinsmoke family.'' Sanji, bruises and all, starts wailing on Queen for that, and this time he scores some real hits! So now Queen reveals that his copying of Germa tech ''includes a version of Sanji's Stealth Black!'' But Sanji replies by tapping into his SuperSpeed to hide. Just then, Osome (the girl who's scared of Sanji and who he thought he hit in a fit of "Germa Rage") stumbles in looking for her mouse. Queen drops a hint that he abuses her, pressing ''another'' of Sanji's Berserk Buttons: ''he hit a lady''... and [[FrameUp pinned the blame on him]]. Sanji decides to combine his enhanced endurance, speed, and Armament Haki to introduce Queen to a whole new level of hell: '''Ifrit Jambe!'''
** The anime version of the fight sequence captured the introduction of Ifrit Jambe perfectly. As Sanji realizes that his enhanced biology as a Vinsmoke are merely tools in his "arsenal" that he can combine to create stronger attacks, he becomes completely engulfed in fire... before revealing that his normal orange flames became ''blue'', the hottest flames in existence. He proceeds to rocket toward Queen foot-first, powered by rage over the latter framing him for the striking of an innocent woman. The CurbStompBattle that follows is fluidly animated, with Sanji [[LightningBruiser delivering powerful kicks while swiftly evading even Queen's strongest attacks]], showing just how outclassed Queen is compared to Sanji's newest technique before he is [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying across the prison corridor]] as a coup de grace.
--->'''Sanji:''' ''FLY AWAY, YOU ASSHOLE!''
* Chapter 1035:
** It's confirmed that Sanji's new Ifrit Jambe has kicked Queen off the island and out of action...shortly before Sanji returns Osome's mouse to her as he passes out, too.
** Meanwhile, Zoro has figured out King's trade-off: he may be NighInvulnerable when his flames are on, but to outmaneuver Zoro he has to turn them off...and Zoro can cut him then. He starts to exploit this to score some serious hits on King, first by cutting off his mask and revealing his dark skin, confirming him to be a Lunarian. Before anyone can react to this, King lashes out with his fire, but both realize they're at their limits, so each goes for their ultimate techniques. King unleashes his Imperial Guardian Flaming Dragon. Zoro counters with the full power of his Conqueror's Haki coursing through his three swords -- '''King of Hell Three-Sword Serpent: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation''' -- and cuts King's Dragon to pieces down its whole length... and the attack continues on down and strikes down King.
--->'''Zoro:''' [[BadassBoast I shall become...]] ''[[BadassBoast the King of Hell!]]''
** The Zoro vs King finale in the anime was unbelievably beautiful, with many comparing the quality of the animation and compositing to a ''movie'' - and it was all done by '''one animator''', on his first ever major animation project. Even cooler, as an added flourish after Zoro strikes down King, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where the lightning spells out "Z-O-R-O."
* Chapter 1036:
** With the defeat of King (the last of the All-Stars) [=CP0=] finally realize that the Straw Hats and their allies [[OhCrap actually have a chance at beating Kaido and Big Mom]], pulling a 180 of their assessment at the start of the battle. Meanwhile, news of the defeat of the All-Stars spreads all throughout the battle. Things are coming to a head, and everyone realizes that whatever happens in the next few minutes, it's gonna be ''big''.
** Usopp proving, once again, why he's a trusted member of the Straw Hats, refusing to leave Kikunojo and Kin'emon to their deaths despite being surrounded by Kaido's pirates. Despite their pleas for him to save himself, Usopp downright refuses to leave them behind, also spitting their honorable culture back at their faces, [[DareToBeBadass daring them to continue to live, like him and Luffy]]. Izo hears this, compliments Usopp's bravery, and takes his place to buy them time to get to safety.
** Raizo refusing to let go of the paralyzing jutsu on his opponent despite the fire surrounding him. He even declares the fire isn't hot, a callback to when he was suffering from the heat of the oil Oden was standing in.
** On word of that, we ''finally'' take it back to the top of the island, where Luffy and Kaido are trading blows, and we're talking ''serious'' blows here; tough as they are, each one's blows are having definite effects on the other. The chapter ends with the two of them staring down each other and declaring, "[[WorthyOpponent This is getting good!]]"
* Chapter 1037:
** The fight between Luffy and Kaido keeps heating up as Kaido downs an entire barrel of alcohol, and gets horribly drunk. However, this doesn't lower his fighting capabilities but rather boosts them that he has Luffy in the defensive for a good portion of the fight as he goes from being a happy drunk to a sad one to an angry drunk all in the span of a few pages.
** Of course, Luffy manages to weather the storm, and lands a few solid hits. Their scene ends with Luffy delivering a Gear 3 kick right to Kaido's gut.
** Remember that fleet of World Government ships that are waiting for the results of the battle? They might not be able to do battle. Why, you ask? Because Zunisha, the giant elephant of Zou that decimated Jack's fleet has arrived at the Land of Wano.
* Chapter 1038:
** Kanjuro's final fire monster proves strong enough to melt Yamato's ice breath and a formidable opponent for the Oni Princess.
** Big Mom has utterly stomped Kid and Law. When their crews try to save them, she just swats them away like they're bugs. As she heads to the roof to assist Kaido again, Law gets back up and once again activates his DF Awakening and shocks her from the inside. Then Kid gets back up and smashes her with a metallic bull that's even bigger than Big Mom. [[YouShallNotPass The two rookie pirates declare that they would rather die before allowing her to get to the roof.]]
*** After defeating both of them, Big Mom is taunting the two, confident of her victory over them. But as soon as Law pierces her again and is about to hit her with another shockwave, she starts ''begging'' Law to not do it again. It's as if to say that yes, Kid and Law ARE doing real damage to her, and she's afraid of them now that they've shown the potential to surpass her.
*** Perhaps the most impressive of this is *how* they are doing it: ''without using a single ounce of Haki.'' Luffy trained to learn Ryuou in order to actually fight the Emperors with their unbelievable durability, backed by empowering themselves with Conqueror's Haki. But after so long of having it touted that Haki use makes Devil Fruit powers all but null and void, Kid and Law show through clever application that they don't ''need'' it to overcome her, Law bypassing her defenses with internal shockwaves, and Kid utilizing crushing force to violently compress her body and make such defenses moot ''anyway.''
* Chapter 1039: Law and Kid just might have done the impossible: '''''defeating Big Mom'''''!
** First, it's revealed that Kid's attack from the previous chapter managed to break Big Mom's bones, forcing her to once again use portions of her own soul to heal herself.
** Then, Kid uses his Awakening again to once more make her magnetic, attaching her to a wall. Just before he's about to slam her with the same attack from last chapter, she just barely manages to block by swinging around so the wall attached to her back takes the hit instead.
** Then Big Mom tries to hit Kid with one of her own attacks, an absolutely monstrous combination of Napoleon, Prometheus, and Hera called "Mother's Visit Cannon: Three Thousand Leagues of Misery". Kid barely dodges in time.
** Next, Law attacks her again, once more piercing her with his sword and extending -- except this time, he extends it all the way through Onigashima, through the air, until it reaches the ground of Wano below. And ''then'' he uses his Awakening to shock her from the inside, the impact of which reaches throughout his sword and creates an absolutely ''massive'' crater right in the heart of Wano.
** And finally, ''finally'', that gives Kid the opening for ''his'' trump card: '''[[{{BFG}} a giant electromagnetic railgun]]'''! And then... this exchange:
--->'''Big Mom''': YOU RATS! [[BringIt GIVE ME ALL YOU'VE GOT THEN!]] YOU THINK YOU CAN BEST ME?! I'M BIG MOM!\\
'''Kid''': [[ShutUpHannibal And that's why we're getting rid of you]]! (''fires railgun'')\\
'''Big Mom''': (''spits blood'') ''AAAAH!!!''\\
'''Law''': Your era... is over!
** The anime expands the fight by having Law deliver a Shock Wille to Big Mom's face and {{Teleport Spam}}ming her as he and Kid attack her in tandem, leaving Big Mom with very little room to defend herself. When she finally loses her patience and summons Misery, the homie lays an absolutely ''feral'' NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Kid, who only survives due to Misery being distracted by Law dropping a tower on Big Mom. That Kid survived ''at all'' says a lot about [[MadeOfIron how sturdy]] he is. In fact, the very episode opens with Kid resting from the beatdown Misery gave him, slowly preparing Damned Punk with ragged breathing while covered head to toes in his own blood [[MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes as his life flashes before his eyes]], before jumping to his feet when Law signals him to finish off Big Mom.
* Chapter 1040: Law and Kid HAVE done the impossible: '''''[[DefeatingTheUndefeatable they defeated Big Mom]]'''''!
** Big Mom gets a great moment as well, shrugging off Kid's railgun and moving to steal the lifeforce of everyone around her. It only doesn't work because...
** Like Jimbei before them, Law and Kid aren't afraid of the Emperor in the least. Kid continues blasting Big Mom while Law uses a new move to silence her, cutting off her soul-draining.
--->'''Kid''': [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Why should we be afraid of the weak words of some old hag who's outlived her welcome?]]
*** To really shut her up, Law demonstrates another form of Awakening technique - the R-Room, with which he ''copies'' Rocinante's "Silence" technique, preventing Big Mom's words from reaching ANYONE and stopping the soul drain on everyone else.
** Kid keeps blasting Big Mom, finally knocking her through the floor and eventually all the way through the bottom of the floating island. Unable to call for her Homies thanks to Law's R-Room, she lands in the crater Law created earlier along with several MASSIVE bombs, which explode. And boy, do they explode: the blast alone dwarfs the Flower Capital, going unheard thanks to, again, Law's R-Room. The battle for the future of Wano Country is reaching its end, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop and the people in the Flower Capital have yet to notice as they celebrate the Fire Festival]].
*** For added fun, those bombs? They came from ''the armory Yamato was protecting'' -- Law's and Kid's attack went through there. Not only that, Big Mom's collateral damage took out the fire youkai threatening to detonate the island.
** The ending of the battle is awesome for both sides. It's heavily implied Big Mom ''survived'' the explosion, while the narrator confirms Law and Kid are the victors. For the first time in the series, ''a healthy Emperor has been defeated''. The New Generation has arrived.
*** On that note, the cover page shows how Niji and Yonji were [[CurbStompBattle utterly trounced]] by Big Mom. The latter is labelled "a creature beyond the power of science," highlighting her supposed invincibility. And yet, Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law defeat this same creature through [[{{Determinator}} sheer persistence]].
** Also worth mentioning; For some time now, Raizou and Fukurokuju have been locked in a stalemate, holding each other still with paralysis techniques, in a burning room...and Raizou was the first to catch fire. The first man to succumb to the heat? ''Fukurokuju'', because to Raizou, being fully enveloped in flames is '''nothing''' compared to [[CallBack the boiling oil that Oden stood for an hour in]].
** Yamato manages to freeze most of the bombs and creates an ice wall to shield the remaining explosives, preventing the utter destruction of Onigashima.
** Momo then ends the chapter with a cliffhanger. Zunisha has come to Wano for a reason: an OldShame from back when he was with Joy Boy...''800 years ago''.
* Chapter 1041:
** When the ceiling above Orochi collapses on top of him, the phony shogun finds that he cannot transform into his Zoan form and is trapped underneath the rubble. "Komurasaki" then reveals that while Orochi was cozying up to her, she planted a few sea prism stone nails to negate his Devil Fruit power. It is then she reveals her true identity as Hiyori, and basically tells him YouKilledMyFather.
** The Five Elders telling [=CP0=] to kill Luffy. Yes, that's right, Luffy is considered so dangerous by the Government that they wanted to eliminate him even if this means that the [=CP0=] had to interrupt Luffy's fight with ''Kaido''. The [=CP0=] agent who received the order was so shocked by this, that he started to wonder what's so important with the Straw Hat crew that the Government had to use such extreme methods to eradicate the captain.
** When Kaido finds that Big Mom was defeated, he tries to go AlasPoorVillain, but Luffy ain't having it. Luffy goes Gear 4 Snake Man and begins to pummel Kaido. And he's not going to stop until Kaido is out of Wano.
--->'''Luffy:''' Your ambitions mean nothing to me!!! Especially if it leaves the people here with no food to eat!!
* Chapter 1042:
** Kaido, still drunk at the moment, shows that he is also capable of using the advance form of Observation Haki to take on a Snake-Man Luffy. Not only dodging, but then counterattacking Luffy before using his powerful breath attack to send Luffy to the bottom of Onigashima. Luffy still won't give up, however. Even when he's caught off guard by Kaido's counterattack, he decides to go into his Bounce Man form to fight back, unleashing a new Kong Gun on Kaido. Kaido, then fights back by unleashing an even more powerful version of his Thunder Bagua to knock Luffy back off before the two prepare to unleash their (possible) final attacks...
** Only for Luffy to be distracted by the [=CP0=] agent, who is able to catch Luffy's attention and use his power to slow him down just as Kaido's Roaring Thunder Bagua lands! Kaido then has a flashback to when his fight with Oden was interrupted and we all know how angry he was then.
** Kaido is by far Luffy's toughest, most badass foe. It took him the Akazaya Nine, Zoro, Law, Kidd, Yamato and a round with Luffy before the hero could fight him fairly. '''One''' distraction in his favor and he still wins, so his victory actually was more earned than he thought. Also, he has now beaten Luffy three times, a record that's hard to be surpassed.
* Chapter 1043 is a doozy:
** First, we have to give credit to Kaido for putting the [=CP0=] jackass in his place for daring to interrupt his fight with Luffy. With an [[TranquilFury ice-cold look on his face]], Kaido just curtly notes [[PrepareToDie he's prepared for what happens next]] before slamming his kanabo onto the agent's head hard enough to shake the foundation of the floors below. Kaido might be a villain, but damn if he doesn't have a level of valor that the government lacks.
*** The [=CP0=] agent does deserve some props, despite his actions. When Kaido calls him out over his interference, he doesn't respond or attempt to justify himself and merely lowers his hat to hide his eyes, as if ashamed of pulling such a low move, even if it was under direct orders from the Five Elders. He simply stands still and [[FaceDeathWithDignity allows Kaido to bring the full force of his might down on his head]], accepting his end with grace despite the circumstances. He could have used either Shave or Iron Body to attempt to evade or defend himself more, even if it would have been futile against Kaido, but he instead allows himself to be struck down, almost in [[EvenEvilHasStandards apology]] towards both fighters for his underhanded move.
** Kaido then goes on a rampage, demanding that either Momonosuke surrender or he'll start fighting anyone and everyone, because Luffy is dead and nobody is left who can challenge his authority. This begins a sequence of excellent events in rapid succession, [[HoldTheLine culminating in what's shaping up to be an eight on one battle against Kaido.]]
*** First, [[CowardlyLion Nami]] of all people challenges Kaido, telling him to his face that he's a liar.
*** When Kaido attempts to attack her, Marco proceeds to show us again how inhumanly tough he is by completely nullifying Kaido's Blast Breath, thus preventing Nami from getting harmed at all.
*** Nekomamushi and Carrot as well heed the call and decide to join the fight against Kaido.
*** Law and Kid are attacked by the rank and file Animal Kingdom Pirates, but are defended by their crews. They decide that surrendering isn't an option for them either.
*** Momo wants to surrender, but Yamato refuses to agree to this -- they decide that dying with dignity is better than surrender.
** Finally, as Yamato and Momo go to join the fight, Zunesha speaks to Momo. He hears Joy Boy's voice. [[HesBack And coincidentally, Luffy is smiling...]]
--->'''Zunesha''': Momonosuke!! I can hear it!! How long it's been.
--->'''Momonosuke''': What is it, Zunesha?!
--->'''Zunesha''': I hear the '''drums of liberation.''' For the first time in 800 years... he is '''here!!!'''
--->'''Momonosuke''': Who is?!
--->'''Zunesha''': Joy Boy... has returned!!
*** Also at the same time, a mysterious substance begins coming from Luffy's body, giving the impression that his Devil Fruit may have '''AWAKENED'''.[[note]][[MoodWhiplash But then]], just like when Luffy first revealed the existence of Gear Four, [[TrollingCreator Oda]] decides to go on a break.[[/note]]
*** The anime adds up to the awesomeness with the ''amazing'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnz09cjnehU Drums of Liberation]], that really gives the feeling of being Luffy's heartbeat as he becomes Joy Boy.
* Chapter 1044: with a title like ''[[HeroicSecondWind Warrior of Liberation]]'', you know that what's about to happen will be '''supreme'''.
** To begin with, kicking right off the last chapter, Luffy's ''wide'' awake, and laughing like a madman. Even though he just ''lost'', he's somehow up again and feels ''better than ever''. All the while, the "drums of liberation" that Zunesha had mentioned, what he believes marks Joy Boy's return, are now pronounced more than ever, and their source becomes clear: ''it's the heartbeat of one who has [[LimitBreak Awakened]] the Gum Gum Fruit,'' what Luffy has dubbed "Gear Five"... Or, as it is now revealed by its true name: ''the Mythical Zoan'', Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.[[note]][[MeaningfulName Model]]: ''[[ToonPhysics Grin]]''.[[/note]]
** The return of Luffy's "voice" after being snuffed out is so loud and so prominent that ''every member of the crew and alliance who can sense Haki realize what's happening''. Even Sanji, who'd been unconscious after his fight with Queen, ''snaps awake''.
** This infodump comes courtesy of the Five Elders, who had previously ordered the [=CP0=] agent on a SuicideMission: ''Nika'' is a power that the Elders define as "the most ridiculous" amidst a WorldOfBadass, so much so that they attempted to hide it away once they found it twelve years prior, and would rather risk ''Kaido's world-spanning war'' than have another ''Nika'' holder around. The reason they dread it so much? Because ''Nika'', once it's fully awakened, gives its user the power of ToonPhysics. Luffy's become the embodiment of freedom itself -- which is anathema to the World Government, which wants order and control at all cost. Even worse for them, Zoans are revealed to have some degree of sentience, and ''Nika'' in particular seems to have been actively avoiding the World Government for ''800 years''.
** Having now released his ability's true nature, Luffy shows off what it can do: he no longer needs to apply any focus towards stretching, warping, or enlarging his body, he just ''does.'' With an almost comical gait, he reaches a colossal hand down into Onigashima, ''yanks'' Kaido ''right back out'' to continue their fight, and immediately starts MetronomicManMashing Kaido all over the roof. When Kaido attempts to counter with a Blast Breath, Luffy ''grabs hold of the Skull Dome like a fabric'' and ''pulls up a slab like a rubber sheet'', which ''bounces the blast back at Kaido''. And it should be noted: while Luffy had his hands on Kaido, Kaido's eyes were comically bugging out, and after getting his head smashed in, a swollen head lump and the cartoonish "dizzy star" effect was swirling over his head -- but as soon as Luffy lets go, he's back to normal. All the while, Luffy's laughing up a storm and having a ''ball.'' With how much visual emphasis is being put on these details (right down to Luffy doing an actual WildTake when Kaido tried his Blast Breath), there can be no denying what this conceptually is. Long ago, Oda said that he wanted Luffy to be akin to a cartoon character... and now he's ''become'' one, wielding ToonPhysics like the [[InkblotCartoonStyle bygone days of rubberhose animation.]]
** Kaido, for his part, isn't cowed. Once he's stopped being on the wrong end of Luffy's MetronomicManMashing, he ''[[BloodKnight thanks Luffy for surviving]]'', and after an obligatory Blast Breath, the first thing he does is ''apologize for [=CP0=]'s interference''. He doesn't understand the changes Luffy has undergone, nor does he care. He doesn't have a VillainousBreakdown like so many of Luffy's conquests before him. In fact, he's '''visibly thrilled''' that his WorthyOpponent is back up for one last round.
** Finally, take a close look at Luffy. Not only are his eyes different, but his hair's changed. No longer black, it's a bit longer and glowing like a flame.
** One more thing? Nika's a ''god'', meaning Luffy now has the power of a ''deity''.
** This is underrated and unnoticed, but the fact that Luffy has been able to take the most basic form of his DF powers and continually honed Haki skills and, with his imagination, develop them to the point he can fight on par with ''The Strongest Creature in the World'' at age 19 speaks volumes about his potential, without factoring in his awakening. One can only imagine how ''much farther'' he'll go with full access to his Devil Fruit's true power.
*** Honestly, Oda deserves mention for his skillful storytelling, for being able to retroactively reveal that the main character's power, established and developed over ''1000+ chapters''', was something completely different than advertised the whole time and have that ''not'' come off as an AssPull of the highest order, but rather a logical conclusion of Luffy's abilities and personality demonstrated over all that time.
** All this aside, another moment happens in the bowels of Onigashima, when Hiyori finally confronts Orochi and lays out all of the Shogun's transgressions: most notably, ''going back on his word and allowing her father to die''. With a final declaration of hatred, Hiyori drops the mask of "Komurasaki" and reveals that she is still alive and here to avenge her father. At this point, Kazenbo, carrying the final embers of Kanjuro, emerges in the room. Orochi orders him to burn Hiyori...but Kazenbo, following [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Orochi's own words]] to '[[ExactWords go to where he is]]' heads towards the immobile dictator ''and burns Orochi instead''.
** The anime adaptation deserves credit for nailing Gear Five's cartoonish powers. Not only are the effects animated well, but cartoonish sound effects were added and even the ''animation style and quality'' are changed to fit. It all adds to the feeling Luffy's powers are even affecting the ''show itself''.
* Chapter 1045. We get an idea of just how absurdly powerful the ''Nika'' fruit is.
** Kaido spends much of the chapter completely at Luffy's mercy, as Luffy's literal cartoonish antics operate similarly to [[ComicBook/TheMask The Mask]]. [[note]]Kaido's body is warped in cartoonish fashion, but he FEELS that warping as damage.[[/note]] Such gems include giving Kaido a literal case of BalloonBelly and using his dragon form as a ''jump rope''.
** On Kaido's end, we're once again reminded that he's a freak of nature as even with ToonPhysics in play, the blows Kaido lands are visibly powerful and painful even to this newly-minted PhysicalGod, and he correctly points out that Luffy is burning the candle of his life at both ends by channeling this power so hard. Luffy's SuperMode put him ''on par'' with the Emperor, not above him.
** However, Luffy's not the only one running out of steam. In the brief lull when Luffy's Joy Boy form [[HourOfPower runs out]], Kaido actually ''collapses to his knees'' from exhaustion, something that seems to severely surprise him, showing that for all his immense power and endurance, even ''he's'' been pushed to his limit by this conflict. The biggest example of this is when Luffy endures Kaido's attacks, then begins a TornadoMove attack culminating in a massive Gear Five punch that runs '''''through''''' Kaido's face. Both fighters cannot continue the fight for much longer, and the climax is drawing nearer, but Luffy has just pulled off a major feat: In spite of his dragon form, Kaido is down.
* Chapter 1046:
** First, a brief lull. Luffy and Kaido are both down and exhausted and have a brief exchange. It serves to fire them back up, and they get back up to trade blows yet again! And with Luffy still in Gear Five, both of them are comically stretching from the ferocity of each other's blows. The reader is left to marvel and wonder: ''What's it going to take?!''
*** The final shot of the chapter has Luffy using his [[RealityWarper new powers]] to grab the ''[[DramaticThunder background lighting]]'' to their duel and make a spear out of it to strike Kaido with, again demonstrating the sheer versatility and expanded range of combat options his new state grants him.
** Meanwhile, underneath, Onigashama is burning, trapping everyone inside and threatening to overwhelm them. But then Raizo and Jimbei deliver a BigDamnHeroes team-up. Raizo had long ago used his Devil Fruit to seal some of the massive torrent unleashed by Zunesha bathing in a scroll. Remembering his failure to protect anyone in the Kozuki clan from the flames of Oden castle on the night Oden died, Raizo vows to not let the people he swore to protect down again, unleashing this deluge now, which Jimbei then redirects downward with his Fishman Karate into the rest of Onigashima, drowning out the flames.
** While all this is going on, Yamato tells Momonosuke to get ready. Kaido is on his last legs, and if Momonosuke can't suspend Onigashima with his own flame clouds, when Kaido goes down, ''so will Onigashima!!''
*** 20 years ago, Kozuki Oden held up 9 men aloft over a pot of boiling oil for over an hour to protect them. Now, his son will have to repeat this feat, with a '''lot''' more lives on the line.
* Chapter 1047:
** Luffy's evolved abilities enable him to not only throw the lighting at Kaido, but use it as a temporary pole/handhold to swing around and launch a counter-attack after Kaido dodges and smacks him out of the air. For his part, Kaido gives no quarter even whilst facing off with an opponent who's altering the very rules of reality around him, deriding Luffy for thinking his new powers will be enough to overcome him on their own, and furthermore, allow Luffy to take the mantle of the Pirate King. As he goes on to demonstrate, the driving power that determines who stands at the top of their WorldOfBadass is not who has the strongest Devil Fruit ability, but who has the strongest ''Haki'', smashing Luffy around with just his physical hand-to-hand skills and Haki-infused mace, even with Joy Boy [[AmusingInjuries blunting the effect of his blows]], at one point even [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning Luffy's own powers against him]] by thwacking him down into the rubberised roof of Onigashima, resulting in Luffy getting uncontrollably bounced back into Kaido's followup full-power blow to the face, even breaking through Luffy's Haki-guarded block with his arms and nearly rendering him unconscious for the ''fifth'' time.
---> '''Kaido:''' Play all the games you want, but abilities alone cannot conquer the world!!! The world is convenient that way!! Roger didn't have any fruit powers!!! Because only Haki... can transcend all!!!
** Furthermore, Kaido's rant ''confirms'' the long-standing theory that Gol D. Roger was a BadassNormal human being. In a world with insane weather, fantastical creatures, superhuman opponents, and a World Government actively suppressing the truth about the Void Century with ''extreme'' prejudices, Roger spurred the temptation of gaining a Devil fruit of his own as 'not being worth it' and went on to conquer the seas with just his sword skills and [[AwesomenessIsAForce immense Haki]], discovering the truth of the lost century, finding Joy Boy's treasure, and overcoming untold odds all whilst remaining an un-empowered human being, and ''dying from an incurable disease'' towards the end. And he went on to go out in style and kick-start a new era of piracy to boot. Truly, the man was the stuff of legends.
** Inside Onigashima, almost everyone has realized that the island is getting ready to fall. Hyogoro promptly states that it's a good thing, because it means Kaido's reaching the end of his rope and reminds everyone that if Kaido wins then they'd only stay alive for a few minutes longer than falling with the island. After that all the samurai decide to FaceDeathWithDignity and happily yell for Luffy to keep going.
** After being launched into the air by Kaido, Luffy stretches his hand down and grabs onto the Emperor, refusing to let no no matter how many time he's slashed, smashed or blasted by his fiery breath. The chapter's end reveals the reason why -- the clouds part to reveal Luffy's other fist, covered in Haki and larger than Onigashima itself, ready to come down on Kaido like the proverbial fist of a god. However, the island and his allies are in the way of his FinishingMove smashing Kaido down to earth. Does Luffy hesitate? Nope! He just yells out to Momonosuke to ''move the entire island right now'', cause he's finishing this fight one way or the other! If there was ever a DieOrFly time....
* Chapter 1048:
** Kaido retaliates to Luffy's finishing blow with his own final move: Flame Dragon Torch, [[IncendiaryExponent a flaming shell of his own likeness formed from his dragon breath]], hundreds of times larger than Kaido's already-massive dragon form, [[AMoltenDateWithDeath hot enough to melt Onigashima's remaining horn formation just by Kaido's tail brushing past it]], turning it into molten rock in seconds. Luffy is forced to release his death grip on Kaido from the heat, but despite that, Kaido promises him [[VillainousValour he won't run away from his final attack]]. Instead, he'll take it full-force head on and melt Luffy's arm into nothingness. Far from being intimidated by Kaido's seemingly impenetrable defence and offence in one, Luffy just quips back that he already knows how to hit him without touching him directly thanks to Hyogoro's training him in [[ChekhovsGun the Ryuo technique]], combining both the new powers and new application of his Haki that he's learned in Wano into one massive attack that collides with Kaido in a ''epic'' PunchParry.
---> '''Luffy:''' The old man taught me how to do that without touching!! [[BadassBoast I'll smash you all the way down to the bottom of hell!!!]]
** During a flashback to Oden's death 20 years ago, Kaido declares that he will go kill Momonosuke and the rest of the Kozuki. The crowd, having been won back to Oden's side, quickly stands in his way and begs him to leave them alone. It doesn't work, but having the balls to stand up to Kaido is pretty amazing for the non-powered civilians.
** Kaido and Orochi then turn to the daimyo and give them an ultimatum: Join or Die? Shimotsuki Ushimaru then offers this badass response before charging Kaido with his fellow daimyo and their subordinates.
---> '''Ushimaru:''' A stupid question, with an obvious answer! We refuse to accept a Shogun who is not a Kozuki!
** After a montage of the pain inflicted upon the civilians on Wano in the 20 years since Oden's death in the name of Orochi's {{Revenge}} upon them for his clan's misfortunes, in the present the petty tyrant, aflame and on on his last legs, attempts one final attack in his burning Zoan form on Hiyori, [[TakingYouWithMe swearing to meet her again for a drink in the afterlife]], looking every inch the monster he is underneath in his last moments. Rather than understandably flee from him, Hiyori [[FacedeathWithDignity merely closes her eyes]], content with finally taking the hated despot down with her and refusing to shame herself in her last moments. However, before Orochi can strike, he's [[BigDamnHeroes interrupted by Denjiro]], who fulfils his promise to Orochi that he'll 'gladly show him his swordsmanship' on the promised day by cutting off the burning shogun's head --hinted to be his last and final one-- and standing betwixt him and Hiyori, leaving the mad ruler to burn in the very 'flames of vengeance' he had Kanjuro create to strike back at all his assembled enemies in in Onigashima.
*** Of note however -- despite Denjiro's interference, the narrative doesn't portray the act as him stepping in to 'dirty his hands' for Hiyori's sake, nor to do what she herself couldn't by striking down Orochi. Orochi himself admitted that he was dying from the fires that Hiyori immobilised him long enough to be engulfed by and all his efforts were merely him trying to [[RageQuit enact one last act of petty suffering against the Kozuki clan]], taking Hiyori down with him to [[SoreLoser deny her the reward of her long 20 years waiting for that very moment]]. Denjro's interference was merely him denying the tyrant even that small victory, leaving him to die an utter disgrace at the hands of a woman [[WeakButSkilled who wasn't even a fighter, yet rendered him utterly helpless to avert his demise regardless]].
* Chapter 1049:
** With one last, mighty effort on Luffy's behalf, the Bajrang Gun prevails over the Flaming Bagua, blowing Kaido out of the sky and knocking him clear to "the bottom of Hell" as promised, Kaido ''shooting'' thousands upon ''thousands'' of feet straight into the earth at rocketing speeds, and ''still falling'' even as we last see him leaving behind a hole in the shape of his dragon form.
** Not to be undone is Luffy's crowning moment amidst the final clash. Way back in the beginning of the New World half of the series, at Fish-Man Island, Luffy stated without any doubt whatsoever that he has ''no interest'' in being a hero. All he wanted was to be free and live life however he wanted. However, here, Kaido challenges Luffy's determination, claiming someone like him can't change the world, and demanding what kind of world he possibly thinks he can make. Luffy's response is that he will -- to make the kind of world where his friends will be free "to eat as much as they want". The Warrior of Liberation has fully emerged in him.
--->'''Kaido:''' ''STRAW HAT!! '''WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO YOU WISH TO MAKE?!'''''\\
'''Luffy:''' ''A world where... my friends... '''can eat... as much as they like!! THAT'S MY KIND OF WORLD!!!''' ''
** Props to Kaido as well. Even though he ends up getting overpowered, he actually manages to ''match'' Luffy's final attack with his own for a while before being ultimately overcome, in spite of the amount of fighting he had done throughout the entire night against everyone who'd come his way.
* Chapter 1050: It's official. Luffy defeated Kaido, and the long war for Wano is finally over.
** After [[ComicBookTime ten long real-time years]] since Luffy and Law formed their alliance to bring down the Emperor Kaido, it's finally over with the narration itself noting that the winner of the fight has been revised. Luffy made good on his promise to punch Kaido to "the bottom of Hell", with Kaido having been hit so hard that he ended up ''shooting'' thousands of feet straight into the earth at rocketing speeds, right into ''the magma deep under the ground''. After a battle nearly fifty chapters, and spanning the longest arc in One Piece history, Monkey D. Luffy has triumphed over the Emperor of the Sea.
*** How awesome is that? In the anime adaptation, Luffy's beatdown on Kaido was initially set to a DarkReprise of "We Go", the show's first opening theme song after the time skip, until Luffy eventually makes a comeback and the song changes of a TriumphantReprise of "We Are", the show's first ever opening theme song!
** Big Mom also ended up in Wano's mantle due to Kid and Law. The final shot we see of her and Kaido is their unconscious bodies beside each other on the mantle... which then proceed to ''explode'' like a newborn volcano that rocks the whole nation. It's as if Wano itself has given the boasts of the Supernovas a seal of approval: [[EndOfAnAge the era of the Four Emperors is finally over.]]
* Chapter 1051: Not so much the chapter itself which lends more to SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments than Awesome, but rather the announcement that followed it: ''One Piece'' is going on hiatus for a month following the June 27th issue... so that the author can prepare for the final saga. [[LongRunners After 24-and-a-half years]][[note]]The first issue of ''One Piece'' hit shelves on December 24th, 1997[[/note]], following the defeat of Kaido, ''One Piece'' has officially entered [[GrandFinale the endgame]].
* Chapter 1052: A mysterious figure is using a spinning flower growing out his back to fly up and effortlessly bypass the treacherous hazards leading into Wano seven days after the Fire Festival. Who is it? Admiral Ryokugyu. The chaos that took place was leaked to the World Government by Scratchmen Apoo, and Sakazuki had to reluctantly send a very powerful but troublesome Admiral to assess the situation, warning him not to make the situation any worse (like Fujitora). Ryokugyu doesn't even show ''any'' sign of intimidation towards his superior officer, treating his order like an afterthought.
* Chapter 1053:
** Big News Morgan released the information that Big Mom and Kaido have both been defeated at the hands of Law, Kid, and Luffy, against the wishes of the Five Elders.
** We learn what Ryokugyu can do when he takes down all the remaining Beast Pirates, including both King and Queen (though the two are [[WorfHadTheFlu injured and tired from all the fighting they did]]).
** Luffy is now officially a member of the New Emperors, alongside Shanks, Blackbeard, and (surprisingly) Buggy.
** Tenguyama reveals himself to be Kozuki Sukiyaki under his mask and confirms what Robin learned from the Poneglyph in Alabasta: that [[WeaponOfMassDestruction Pluton]] is somewhere in Wano.
* Chapter 1054:
** We finally learn the full story of Sabo's actions in Mary Geoise: Not only did he and his fellow commanders successfully make their declaration of war against the World Nobles, but they managed to escape their clash with Fujitora and Ryokugyu ''while taking Kuma with them'', along with inspiring eight countries to rebel against their monarchs while they were at the Levery, resulting in Sabo being declared the "Flame Emperor" throughout the world. The only thing that offsets it is the alleged story that he murdered Nefertari Cobra.
** Aramaki takes on all the powerful natives of Wano all alone.
** Shanks making a bold claim after over a thousand chapters of not showing any particular interest... until now.
---> '''Shanks:''' Say, Beck. I think it's time we make our move. ... '''Let's claim the One Piece.'''
* Chapter 1055:
** Aramaki shows that he isn't just strong after he takes on a fire attack from Raizou, lampshading that he would be prepared to defend against an obvious weakness.
** Momonosuke refuses to ask Luffy for help because they are outsiders; the people who are supposed to guard Wano should only rely on themselves to defend the country.
** After Aramaki calls Momonosuke pathetic, the latter finally succeeds in firing his own Blast Breath, seemingly burning Aramaki into nothing and completely overwhelming his countermeasure against fire. This noticeably causes Aramaki to [[OhCrap visibly panic]].
--->'''Momonosuke:''' [[GetOut GET OUT! GET OUT OF THE LAND OF WANO!]]
*** More importantly, Momo uncorks not just ''one'' Blast Breath, but ''several.'' In ''rapid succession.''
** Aramaki [[FromASingleCell reforms from a single sapling]], and is ready to continue the fight (to Momonosuke's credit, the admiral still clearly felt the onslaught), but is suddenly halted by someone's Conqueror's Haki. The admiral then realizes that this Haki belongs to Shanks. This is all the Emperor needs to do to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere get the admiral]] [[KnowWhenToFoldEm to retreat]].
*** Somehow, Shanks is able to use his Haki to converse with Aramaki from all the way outside of Wano, taking a moment to point out how [[EveryoneHasStandards it's poor form]] to go after the Worst Generation right after they've worn themselves out making history. Aramaki is visibly sweating while Shanks has him pinned down.
---->'''Shanks:''' ''Does the New Age frighten you that much?!''
*** On that note, Shanks is the last remaining Emperor of the original line-up back when they were introduced. This surge of Conqueror's Haki, which is even knocking out a couple of the Red-Hair Pirates' new recruits as noted by a crewmate of his, shows people just how the happy-go-lucky, one-handed party lover who inspired Luffy to become a pirate stood ''on equal grounds'' with legendary monsters like Big Mom, Kaido and Whitebeard.
** Turns out, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Jimbei are completely aware of Aramaki's presence. And they're willing to let Momonosuke and the Red Scabbards deal with him, showing they no longer see the Admirals as a threat for them to fight.
* Chapter 1056:
** Some light gets shed on how [[ButtMonkey Buggy]] of all people became one of the new emperors. While nothing is yet confirmed on the exact reasoning, it seems that Buggy has had the ''sheer audacity'' to start issuing ''bounties'' on ''marines''. Keep in mind that bounties are one of the ways the World Government keeps pirates in check by enticing powerful bounty hunters to take pirates down for the government, and this is so ingrained in the world's culture that a pirate's bounty is a large part of their identity, both in and out of universe. Buggy took that entire script and decided to flip it, turning one of the World Government's biggest anti-pirate tools against them.
*** Buggy even managed, at least according to the newspaper, to somehow make two former Warlords, Crocodile and Mihawk, work for him. Even Law acknowledges that Buggy deserves the title of Emperor if he was able to get those two to work for him.
*** Even when it turns out his status isn't genuine, he still succeeded at tricking the government into thinking ''he'' is the Emperor, and stayed in command due to Mihawk's pragmatism.
* Chapter 1057:
** As recounted in the play retelling of their daring raid on Onigashima, it turns out that despite being decapitated and aflame, Orochi was NotQuiteDead, and spitefully [[DyingCurse swore]] to Hiyori that the Kurozumi clan's wrath would forever curse Wano until it's last generation, in a [[IronicEcho similar manner]] to Toki and Oden's own prophecy and deaths 20 years ago. Rather than accept Orochi's words as the final say in their feud, with 20 years of suffering fresh in her mind, Hiyori instead steps forward and taunts Orochi with an echo of her father's catchphrase. "Kurozumi was born to burn!"[[note]]The Kanji used for the phrase referencing 'smoulder' , akin to the Kanji for the Kurozumi clan's name meaning 'charcoal' and thus how their revenge and Orochi was always destined to go up in flames.[[/note]] Orochi can do nothing but scream in frustrated anguish as the flames he ordered to burn his enemies in the name of his clan's revenge and his own spite consume him instead, leaving him an utter pathetic failure everybody is glad to move on from.
*** The anime somehow makes this moment more awesome as the play's narrator asks the audience to join him in saying Hiyori's last words to Orochi [[note]]The translation the anime subs went with was "black charcaol could not be called kurozumi if it wasn't burned," complete with an image of Oden appearing as Hiyori speaks. [[/note]]. Given that there are children wearing wigs that imitate Denjiro and Hiyori's hairstyles from when they were undercover plus people cheering that they were waiting for the narrator to get to that part, it's clear that people have gone to see the play multiple times.
** Momonosuke catches up to Luffy and the Straw Hats at the harbor, crying and asking Luffy to not leave. In response, Luffy says that he's like a little brother to him and hands Momonosuke a copy of the Straw Hat Pirates' flag, telling him to hang it somewhere in Wano and that he'll come to help if the country is threatened. In other words, ''Luffy has marked Wano Country as his territory, much like he did with Fishman Island.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Final Saga]]
[[AC:Egghead Arc]]
* Chapter 1058:
** The bounties for the rest of the Straw Hats are revealed: besides Chopper, who is saddled with an insultingly pitiful bounty of 1000, all of the Straw Hats have at the ''very least'' 300 million. Namely, Zoro, Jimbei, and Sanji all have over 1 billion, with Robin coming close at 930 million. The detail of the crewmembers being officially recognized as "commanders" makes it extra awesome.
*** As noted on the [[Characters/OnePieceStrawHatPirates characters page]], the crew's combined bounty is 8,816,001,000 Berries.
** The unfrozen bounties for the former Warlords are also revealed: Crocodile has 1.965 billion, Buggy, for his "accomplishments," has 3.189 billion, and Mihawk, for having the skill comparable to the Four Emperors, has a whopping '''3.59 billion'''. With Kaido and Big Mom out of the running, he has the second-highest active bounty out of any pirate, second only to Shanks. Mihawk even insinuated that the Emperor position is well within his grasp if he ever wanted it, he just chooses not to.
*** On the subject of Mihawk, it is implied by Crocodile that ''Mihawk used to hunt marines'' and was even called the "Marine hunter".
* Chapter 1059:
** Rayleigh saving the Kuja from Blackbeard, even calling the latter ''Whitebeard's apprentice brat''.
** Hancock shows exactly why her bounty is so high (1.659 billion) by instantly petrifying every (non-Pacifista) hostile on Amazon Lily at once, barring Koby and Blackbeard himself. Even two of Blackbeard's lieutenants, Catarina Devon and Vasco Shot, are petrified by her devil fruit.
** The Seraphim, the new Pacifista models, are no slouches. One of them even manages to slice a piece of Amazon Lily's ''mountain off''! It's implied that they are somehow child-clones of the former Warlords combined with Lunarian genes. They are able to survive the battle without so much as a scratch, and one of them was able to force Blackbeard to defend himself. When Fujitora claimed they could replace the Warlords, he wasn't kidding.
** Blackbeard himself proves his own high bounty (3.996 billion) by being unaffected by Hancock's beauty and even Rayleigh was unsure if he could defeat him, forcing him to bet on his reputation being enough to scare Blackbeard off.
** Koby has two minor ones displayed, the first which he [[ArrowCatch catches an arrow aimed at him without being aware of it]] and the second is being the only Marine in the invasion who hasn't been petrified by Hancock's ability which affected Helmeppo and even a Vice Admiral. Despite being on his own, he was still able to remain calm and collected while in the presence of an Ex-Warlord ''and'' an Emperor of the Sea.
*** Furthermore while the chapter shows that he still got a long way to go, we learned a bit more about the scope of Koby's actions at the Rocky Port incident, apparently managed to ''earn the gratitude of Blackbeard of all people'' mentioning that because of him, he was able to seize Pirate Island from a member of the Rocks Pirates. Adding that Blackbeard had gone out of his way to capture him for unknown reasons and being relevant enough to have his abduction on a newspaper segment, Koby is starting to be famous in his own right.
* Chapter 1060:
** Sabo reveals he is not the killer of King Cobra and he also ''exposes Imu'', the darkest secret of the Government.
** Imu shows why they are the mastermind behind the Government by erasing the existence of a whole kingdom.
* Chapter 1061:
** ''The ending.'' Jewelry Bonney informs the Straw Hats that the island they are approaching, Egghead, is the home of the enigmatic Dr. Vegapunk, which explains the robotic creations swarming the seas around it. Suddenly the group are confronted by a giant humanoid robot, large enough to ''lift the ship out of the water'', which turns out to have a human pilot. This pilot, a woman in a bodysuit and leather jacket, steps out into proper view... and what she said implies that [[TheReveal one of the most anticipated characters in the franchise is finally here]]:
--->''I'm just a humble genius scientist hired by the government. [[WhamLine You can call me...]] '''[[SamusIsAGirl Dr. Vegapunk!!!]]'''''
* Chapter 1062:
** Vegapunk pulled off the incredible feat of splitting himself into six satellites, plus his main body, with the young woman from the previous chapter being one of them. Even Lucci is baffled at how this is possible.
** While Lilith underestimates the Straw Hats due to the rest of the crew goofing off, fellow Vegapunk satellite Shaka, as well as Zoro and Robin's calm and confident DeathGlare, reminds her that they're the crew of a new Emperor of the Sea, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
--->'''Shaka:''' You've underestimated them... Look at the swordsman on board! That's Pirate Hunter Zoro, worth a bounty of 1.111 billion berries. The reason he's calmly hanging back... is because he knows he can slaughter you in an instant from that range! The same goes for the Demon Child behind him, Nico Robin.
* Chapter 1063:
** The Heart Pirates' encounter with the Blackbeard Pirates gives both crews a chance to show off;
** First, when Doc Q uses his Sick-Sick Fruit to infect the Heart Pirates with a GenderBender disease, Law uses his Haki to undo the transformation- literally ''willing'' himself back to normal, and thus creating antibodies that cure the rest of his crew. Law even says that he learned how to use Haki this way in Wano.
** Meanwhile, Jesus Burgess shows off his Strong-Strong Fruit. Originally, he could pick up and throw buildings, but now he's capable of doing the same to ''mountains!''
* Chapter 1064:
** The fight between Blackbeard and Law shows that the rest of the Heart Pirates can be just as badass as their captain. Penguin and Shachi are capable of swimming through the sea, unlike the Blackbeard Pirates, and when Doc Q drops his apple bombs, Shachi uses himself as a human water cannon to blast the apples from a distance! And when Van Auger tries to snipe Law, Jean Bart uses himself as a human shield, tanking the bullets from Auger's gun without fail.
--->'''Shachi:''' [[BadassBoast Don't mess with folks born and raised in a frigid North Blue port!!]]
** Law himself wounds Blackbeard severely, after having repelled his minions. Keep in mind Blackbeard is a Yonko. Van Auger even suggests retreat. However, Blackbeard shows determination and refuses.
** The giant robot Vegapunk Lilith has? It can ''fly.'' And Vegapunk's research is also capable of replicating the bouncy clouds from the White Seas.
* Chapter 1065: Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Robin, and Franky have to fight S-Shark, a Seraphim modelled after Jimbei. During the fight, S-Shark demonstrates not only skill with Fish-Man Karate like the real Jimbei and lasers like the original Pacifistas, but also the power of ''the Swim-Swim Fruit''!
* Chapter 1066:
** A retroactive one for Clover, the elderly head archaeologist of Ohara. He was a renowned adventurer in his youth, searching the world for rare texts in his quest to understand the Void Century, who was arrested by the navy and broke out of prison ''10 times''.
** Vegapunk said it best; '''Ohara Won'''. It turns out the scholars who tried to save their books during the Buster Call succeeded. Saul's giants retrieved them and hid them, and Vegapunk memorized the whole lot. The World Government burning down the entire island was not enough to bury the truth forever, and in the end worked against them by implicitly confirming Ohara's theories and inspiring the formation of the Revolutionary army. In short, the scholars posthumously gave one big middle finger to the World Government.
* Chapter 1069:
** Vegapunk, after 25 YEARS of theories, finally gives an explanation of Devil Fruits... desires manifesting into reality. Dreams people have taking on physical form and rejected by nature. That's right, the main power pushing the supernatural nature of One Piece is people's dreams! Oda has been pushing this for years!!
** The audience is reminded of what Luffy becoming an Emperor means: the Marines now consider messing with him something to [[TheDreaded avoid if at all possible.]] Even ''Sakazuki'' doesn't like the idea of messing with him and provoking another war with an Emperor.
** Lucci proves himself to be a '''master''' in XanatosSpeedChess.
*** To point: Even though he has awakened his own Zoan fruit, being able to use his "Six-King Pistol" attack without any side-effects and easily taking out Atlas, he is still not a match for Luffy's awakened "Sun God" form. He can't even touch Luffy, who refuses to takes the fight seriously and receives a punch that nearly knock him out. To make matters worse for [=CP0=], Science Captain Sentomaru has arrived with the Seraphim and decides [[ToBeLawfulOrGood to protect Dr. Vegapunk]] to whom [[IOweYouMyLife he owes his life]]. The Seraphim begin to attack [=CP0=] and things begin to look bleak for Rob Lucci and his team. Stussy explains that the Science Captain has higher authority than [=CP0=], meaning they can no longer control the Seraphim which have now turned against them. After hearing Stussy, Lucci figures out the best course of action - he ''instantly takes out Science Captain Sentomaru'', which allows [=CP0=] to gain back control of the Seraphim and turn things around literally with one fell swoop!
* Chapter 1070:
** Sentomaru isn't some scrub. He was able to block Lucci's strike just enough to avoid being killed, and stays conscious just long enough for Luffy's group to escape while the Seraphim support.
** The moment Luffy actually goes on the offensive, he completely obliterates Lucci despite the latter's boasting about his Awakened form. A single solid hit knocks Lucci unconscious with him having no idea how Luffy became so strong. This is a far cry from Luffy's previous encounters with Lucci, in which the latter had the edge over Straw Hat.
* Chapter 1071:
** When Kaku tried to destroy the Sunny with the same attack that cut the Tower of Justice in half back in the Ernies Lobby Arc, a barely-awake Zoro stopped it with zero effort, much to [[OhCrap Kaku's shock.]] Keep in mind that last time Zoro stopped that attack, he had to be in his Nine-Sword Style state.
*** It's even better because it shows incredible growth on Kaku's part too. Way back in Enies Lobby, Kaku needed to be in his Half-Giraffe form to unleash the Sky Slicer and even then, he still needed to wind up for several seconds. 2 years later and now Kaku can do it in his human form, ''without any windup at all''.
* Chapter 1072:
** Much like Lucci, Kaku has awakened his Devil Fruit and shows off new attacks. Much like Luffy, Zoro isn't remotely impressed and takes him on with ease.
** In the middle of everything, Stussy shows her true colors and knocks out Kaku before demanding that Lucci "take a cat nap too".
* Chapter 1073:
** Stussy follows up on her surprise ambush on Kaku by ''easily'' subduing '''Rob Lucci''', of all people, using an application of [[FlashStep Soru]] to get behind him and touch his neck with her lipstick, revealed to be laced with [[KryptoniteFactor Seastone]], freezing Lucci's movements long enough to [[VampireBitesSuck drain him of his blood]] and leave him collapsed on the floor. Lucci's shock at the lipstick trick implies Stussy had [[CrazyPrepared always kept it handy as a trump card]] in preparation to betray [=CP0=] when the time came. Furthermore, Stussy adds salt to Lucci's ongoing HumiliationConga by mocking how his first reaction to her being a traitor was [[MurderIsTheBestSolution instantly trying to kill her]] despite his confusion, noting how he senselessly and unimaginatively destroys whatever he doesn't understand.
-->'''Stussy:''' So when you don't understand something, your first move is to kill it?
* Chapter 1076:
** Just like it was hinted at the previous chapter, Luffy and Zoro teams up with ''[[EnemyMine Lucci and Kaku]]'' in order to take on S-Bear and S-Hawk.
*** Both Lucci and Luffy get a minor moment each. Lucci, despite the fact that his survival hinges on gaining Luffy's trust, refuses to compromise his ideals, making it very clear that he's going to kill his targets (the Vegapunks, the Straw Hats, and Stussy) as soon as the collaboration is over. On the other hand, Luffy manages to psychologically manipulate Lucci, ensuring that he won't betray the alliance and that he won't go after the others behind Luffy's back.
** Kid refuses to be intimidated despite going up against '''Shanks''', his entire crew, the allied pirate crews, '''and the Giants of Elbaf.'''
* Chapter 1079:
** Shanks finally demonstrates why he's an [[TheDreaded Emperor]], by [[StraightForTheCommander zeroing in on Kid]] and defeating him in ''[[SingleStrokeBattle one blow]]''. Not to be outdone, Dorry and Broggy finish the job by sinking Kid's ship. This is the first time we see him in action too, and what better way to demonstrate his power than him using Divine Departure, a SignatureAttack of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger himself.
** Despite his crushing defeat, Kid deserves credit for his strength; his [[{{BFG}} Damned Punk]] attack was about to sink several ships of Shanks' fleet at once and deal major damage; Shanks simply decided to [[NoNonsenseNemesis take no chances]]. The latter taking the initiative is emphasized by Shanks [[CombatClairvoyance seeing what destruction Kid's attack would do]].
** Shanks demonstrates an advantage most of the top tier fighters in One Piece don't, which makes him a ''terrifying'' foe: he [[NoNonsenseNemesis instantly takes threats seriously]], which is the only reason he saves the lives of his crew.
* Chapter 1080:
** Koby's Cross Guild-issued bounty is revealed: it's 5 treasure chests, which is roughly equivalent to a 500 million bounty. Keep in mind, this is the same character who entered the series as an ineffectual coward!
** Garp's [[DynamicEntry epic entrance]] to the operation to rescue Koby by using a single, massive Haki imbued fist to destroy an entire town after the other Marines finished corralling Blackbeard's underlings in a single spot. The attack was so powerful it was comparable to ''Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit'' in terms of size and destructiveness, showing why Garp was considered Roger-and by extension Whitebeard's- equal without having any kind of Devil Fruit power.
** Also, well - there's the reaction to Garp just ''being there'', from Blackbeard's men. Keep in mind, this is an Emperor's crew, on a place ''literally'' called "Pirate Island", when they have ''half of Blackbeard's lieutenants backing them up, all from Level Six of Impel Down'', with a boss who they say has ''no'' issues killing them if they fail him - and they '''''still''''' [[TheDreaded decided that running away from Garp was safer]].
*** Just to add to the awesomeness, the attack reveals that Garp is not only a Conqueror's Haki user, but that he's capable of Conqueror's Haki Infusion, a technique that only a handful of the strongest can use.
* Chapter 1081:
** Bepo, of all people, manages to pull out an awesome moment by going Sulong without a full moon, thanks to something Chopper gave him. With this power he manages to fight off ''Blackbeard'' and save Law.
** Kuzan being officially revealed as Blackbeard's mysterious tenth Titanic Captain and immediately engaging Garp is awesome for both sides, as Kuzan quickly froze Hibari without anyone in the rescue party noticing, while Garp [[NoSell effortlessly broke out of Kuzan's Ice Ball attack]] and counterattacked with his own Blue Hole attack, smashing the former Admiral into the ground in an instant.
* Chapter 1082:
** Cross Guild's plan to hunt marines is working and they even have one known victory. An old man from the starving nation of Pepe with his family and friends barely having enough to survive on, kills Vice-Admiral T-Bone and escapes to Cross Guild to collect the bounty. Cross Guild not only pays the man but Buggy offers him sanctuary in their ranks because if he leaves the Navy will have his head in response. Even Sengoku realizes how they underestimated the draw of Cross Guild's bounties.
--->'''Sengoku:''' Not that I excuse whoever killed him. If this was his goal, then we have sorely overlooked the ''Genius Jester''. How can we risk our lives to help the people if we're living in fear of being killed by them?!
*** Ever since they joined him, Crocodile and Mihawk have been manipulating Buggy and his Cross Guild crew to create their own pirate nation as TheManBehindTheMan, and Buggy has been nothing more than a ButtMonkey to them behind the scenes. However, after learning that Shanks is going after the One Piece, Buggy finds his own dream of being the Pirate King rekindled and declares that compared to it, Mihawk's and Crocodile's goal is weak and pathetic. ''[[ButtMonkey Buggy]]'' is genuinely looking down on ''[[TheDreaded Crocodile and Mihawk]]''.
*** When Crocodile and Mihawk shoot down his protests, Buggy proves that he isn't done growing a backbone. When they accuse him of expecting them, the two powerhouses that he himself ''isn't'', to fight his enemies for him, he counters with [[PragmaticVillainy simple pragmatism]], saying that they don't ''have'' to fight the other Emperors to gain the One Piece -- all they have to do is get to Laugh Tale ''before'' them.
*** Using his own floating powers, Buggy has his head turn on a transponder snail to send this conversation over the whole island so all their subordinates can hear. Against Crocodile and Mihawk's threats and them ''literally beating him up'' trying to shut him up, Buggy declares to everyone that Cross Guild is going after the One Piece too, drawing cheers from the rest of the crew. At this point, the two have no choice but to go along with it. ''Buggy'' has outplayed ''Crocodile and Mihawk'' and somehow proves to be the true captain of the Cross Guild all along.
*** Something that makes this even ''bigger''? Oda has always said Buggy has the ''potential'' to be one of the strongest guys in the series... but he was never properly motivated to train and grow stronger. Well, now Buggy ''is'' motivated...
*** Part of Buggy's RousingSpeech to Cross Guild's underlings is clearly fuelled by his own suffering -- after the latest round of torture in the "meeting room," he's inwardly monologuing that this isn't how he wanted his life to go, and openly begging for death. When he switches on the transponder snail, he urges his underlings to not be intimidated by impossible odds; after all, their lives could end any time. Considering how much he's suffered, it's implied that Buggy's lost a good chunk of his own fear of torment after being re-motivated.
*** The cherry on top? The expressions on Crocodile and Mihawk's faces make it clear that they ''know'' how badly Buggy has out-maneuvered them, but can't do anything about it. Crocodile, in particular, hasn't looked this furious since ''Alabasta''. ''Buggy'', of all people, manages to throw ''Crocodile'' off his game!
*** To add on all the above, Buggy's ''right.'' While conflicts are inevitable, it really is first come first serve for the One Piece. Depending on how much either of them remember the trip when they were young, ''both Buggy and Shanks have a leg up over Blackbeard and Luffy!''
** In the closing pages, it turns out that while Imu destroyed Lulusia, the last laugh goes to the Revolutionary Army -- ''Sabo managed to survive,'' and brought refugees from the destroyed kingdom with him!
*** It gets better -- he was CrazyPrepared enough to make his previous call from an indirect location, meaning he was ''near'' Lulusia, but not ''in'' the kingdom when Imu made their move.
* Chapter 1083:
** It turns out that the attack on Marijoa resulted in more than just 8 nations being overrun. Thanks to the destruction of the World Nobles food stores, and cargo ships carrying supplies being stopped by the Revolutionaries, it won't be long until the Celestial Dragons start feeling the torment they've subjected others to...
--->'''Ivankov:''' They like to call Marijoa an impenetrable fortress because of it's great elevation, '''but they have no defense against a lack of food!!! Let's see how you like living without money in the bank or dinner on the table!!! HEEEE-HAAAAW!!!'''
** Just that the Revolutionary Captains Morley and Karasu are able to fight on par with Admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu. Even though, as the former [=CP9-now-CP0=] agents point out, [[DramaPreservingHandicap the Admirals have to limit themselves due to protecting the World Nobles]], it's still a feat for anyone to fight on par with the Navy's heaviest hitters.
** Lucci follows Vivi around, with the stated intention to keep her safe during the Reverie. [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Vivi tells him off]] by retorting with "[[OnceDoneNeverForgotten Like you kept Shirahoshi safe?]]".
* Chapter 1084:
** King Cobra proves that he has balls of pure titanium in his meeting with the Five Elders, asking them point-blank what happened to Lily, the queen of Alabasta who went missing 800 years ago after the Void Century. Then, when they don't give him an answer, he follows that up by asking them "What is the D?" The information that the World Government has been keeping supressed for centuries, and Cobra asks them about it point-blank.
** After Charlos tries, yet again, to kidnap Princess Shirahoshi, he is stopped by Leo and Sai, who are [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem given explicit permission to do so by Mjosgard]] because, unlike a royal such as Fukaboshi, their countries won't suffer the repercussions [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork since they are pirates]]. The duo deliver a [[CombinationAttack Drill Dragon Nail-Tail Hammer double attack]] that [[ThereisNoKillLikeOverkill crushes Charlos's skull]], and apparently ''kills'' him! Or, at the very least, [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat makes the other Celestial Dragons who witnessed the attack think he's dead]].
* Chapter 1085:
** Cobra [[DoNotGoGentle absolutely refuses to heel to Imu and the Five Elders when they have him at their mercy]], calmly answering their questions before being fatally injured. Sabo, as well, leaps in to try and save him, though it's futile, but Cobra is able to FlingALightIntoTheFuture by way of passing on his final words to Luffy and Vivi through him.
*** Also, Sabo's reaction deserves a more through explanation here: He ''incinerates all Five Elders at once'' with Fire Fist, and moves to take out Imu ''instantly'' - the only reason he's unable to effectively topple the World Goverment's highest authority figures right there and then is that they are all Zoan Ability Users, a Devil Fruit Class that is designed around incredible durability.
** Similarly, Vivi is captured by [=CP0=], but she's not taking it for even a second, mouthing off at them and beginning to form a plan to escape. Before she can do something (and given her expression, it's implied she could have, even against [=CP0=]), she's offered a golden opportunity by way of [[SpannerInTheWorks Wapol fleeing Imu's wrath]]. She then [[EnemyMine teams up with him to escape.]]
** The would-be first Queen of Alabasta is said to have botched securing the poneglyphs, allowing the relics to be scattered out into the world for anyone to find. However, a letter to her brother that she signed with her full name leads Imu and the Elders to suspect this was a purposeful act of sabotage committed against her fellow proto Celestial Dragons. Her full name? Nefertari '''D.''' Lili. The reason both Cobra and Vivi are defiantly fearless in the face of the World Government's treatment of them? Vivi and Cobra both are Ds.
*** Even though it cost her her kingdom and quite possibly her life, Nefertari D. Lili's act of defiance is what gave pirate crews like the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hats the means to seek out One Piece (and the truth of the Void Century) at all.
** It's also revealed that before leaving, Sai and Leo announce their membership to the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and with Luffy's new status as an Emperor, the Marines can't do anything without HQ's permission, effectively allowing the two to leave unharmed and unopposed.
** Fujitora actually helped the Revolutionary Army free slaves... and given he was then sent on an important mission ''afterwards'' and still has his rank, he ''got away with it''.
* Chapter 1087:
** Garp once again demonstrating his phenomenal power by not only keeping at bay all of Blackbeard's Titanic Captains alone while Grus, Koby and Helmeppo helped by defeating lesser pirates, he THREW San Juan Wolf's entire hundred+ meters bulk into the ocean effortlessly. Even Shiryu stabbing him didn't exactly slow him down, as Garp quickly reacted by punching Shiryu hard enough to immobilize him, and Kuzan outright said even if they tied his legs and arms down none of the nameless pirates surrounding him have a chance to kill Garp at all.
** Garp's Cross Guild Bounty is revelaled to be three crowns, or roughly three ''billion'' berries, the exact same bounty as Luffy, which puts Garp's bounty on the same level as the Emperors of the Sea. Garp then continues to show that he earned every last berry of that bounty.
** Kuzan to his credit also proved his strength as a former Admiral, being durable enough to still be standing from Garp's attacks, and ultimately delivering a mutual punch with his teacher that resulted in a large explosion, sending both him and Garp flying and out of action for a little while.
*** As shown by his flashback, Kuzan started out as a fairly small fry, unable to equal [[TrainingFromHell Garp's harsh training of punching the crap out of battleships every day]] and unable to use basic Haki. Yet after years and years of nonstop training he not only attained the rank of Admiral, he's capable of comfortably trading blows with old legends such as Whitebeard and Garp himself. As Brannew put it, the strength of the Marines' greatest heroes didn't come from their birth, [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower it's the result of bottomless dedication to their physical and mental training]].
* Chapter 1088:
** It's finally revealed how Koby ended-up a prisoner on Pirate Island: he wasn't defeated in a fight, rather [[TakeMeInstead he exchanged himself for Blackbeard letting a captured battleship and her crew of 800 marines go free]].
** Garp coordinates with Koby, Helmeppo and Grus in order to stop Pizarro from destroying the ship with the rescued slaves. The end result is a thing of beauty:
*** Helmeppo makes damn sure the Blackbeard Pirates don't get in the way of Koby and Grus, and blocks a cannonball with his own body. [[MadeOfIron He's later shown relatively unscathed]].
*** Garp makes a beeline for Pizarro and delivers him a Conqueror's Haki-infused punch while he's assimilating the island's skull-shaped mountain, ''splitting it in two''. His claim that he demolished several mountains to train for his duel with Don Chinjao clearly wasn't a bluff.
*** Koby finally shows off how he earned the name of hero, why Garp calls him the future of the Marines, and why his Cross Guild bounty equivalent to 500 million beris should probably be ''[[UnderestimatingBadassery higher]]''. As it turns out, Koby trained himself the same way Kuzan did, by punching a battleship until the skin '''peeled off his hands'''. In the present, his Armament Haki-infused punch rivals that of Garp, easily splitting apart Pizarro's mountain-sized rock hand and saving hundreds of lives in the process.
*** Also, let's just put Coby's above feat in context - he has been, for quite a while, undergoing TrainingFromHell from Garp - the sort of training that left Luffy, Sabo, and Ace, all ''extremely'' powerful and skilled fighters, who could probably beat up Coby when he was 16 when they were 11, terrified of their grandfather. Coby probably got trained as hard as they did, possibly ''harder'', and decided it ''wasn't enough.''
*** Koby and Garp's punches are so powerful that they even hurt Pizarro's physical body and make him bleed.
*** Grus has no time to be amazed by Koby's feat, and uses his ability to create a giant web made of clay in order to catch the leftover rubble from Pizarro's arm, ensuring that their ship isn't crushed by the debris.
*** Keep in mind that, as far as we know, Koby ''doesn't'' have Conqueror's Haki like Garp does, and yet his punch was '''still''' on the same level as the latter's Galaxy Impact. THAT's how hard he trained himself and it perfectly justifies why Garp has so much faith in him and the younger generation of the Marines in general.
** He's mortally wounded, surrounded by numerous very angry pirates, and half his body is frozen, and yet Monkey D. Garp only laughs at his predicament, showing that he is indeed a true D. by displaying a complete lack of fear of death, just like his grandson. What's more, he willingly chose this result, as it's implied he's fully capable of getting onto the ship with his strength, but instead he spent his last move helping Koby bloom his own strength rather than letting the old generation, represented by him, take the stage again.
* Chapter 1089: After spending months away from the Straw Hats, we finally return to Egghead... and it's awesome.
** It's revealed that the Seraphim were utterly thrashed by the Straw Hats [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome off-screen]], and that they have taken York hostage, freed Vegapunk, and are now in total control of the island, all while suffering no casualties and only minor injuries. If there were any doubts that the Straw Hats were an Emperor-Level crew, they have been fully dispelled.
** The Five Elders having an OhCrap moment when they realized they were outgambitted by the Straw Hats to reveal the deal between them and York.
** A subtle moment, but the final panel in the chapter shows Rob Lucci standing behind the Straw Hats, unrestrained. Either he's thrown his lot in with the Straw Hats, or he's accepted that they're so far above his level that fighting them would be pointless.
* Chapter 1090:
** Upon taking the transceiver, Luffy tries to make the Five Elders pull the fleet around Egghead back if they want York. It doesn't work, but it was still pretty gutsy for Luffy to make a direct challenge to the some of the top authority in the World Government.
*** It also shows that Luffy is clearly trying to take advantage of his new status as an Emperor, recalling how the other Emperors were able to intimidate others.
** [[SmugSnake York,]] though clearly scared of the Straw Hats now that she's been caught, warns them that if they lay a hand on her, Egghead will be destroyed "just like [[DoomedHometown Ohara!]]" This results in [[CowardlyLion Nami]] ''immediately'' starting to beat her with her Clima-Tact. Her response to York threatening to tell the 5 Elders what she's done? [[BringIt "Do it!]] [[BadassBoast Make my day!"]] This also results in a [[WhenSheSmiles genuinely lovely]] image of Robin smiling at her crewmate, clearly touched at her defence of her hometown.
** Hancock's love for Luffy is so strong that it makes her Seraphim clone S-Snake, who inherited those feelings, [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming override her programming]] and help Luffy. Elder Nyon was right: "Love is a Hurricane".
** The Log Pose has reset, and the Straw Hats have their next destination. It's a place that's been hinted at for ''years''. That's right - a decade and some change after it was first mentioned, the Straw Hats are headed to Elbaf.
** The end of the chapter ends with a panel of Luffy reacting to Kizaru's attack and being [[OhCrap visibly shook]] while stating that someone very strong was coming.
* Chapter 1091:
** Sentomaru manages to briefly stall Kizaru. While he didn't last very long, the fact that he managed to do anything at all against an Admiral is still impressive.
** After Kizaru breaches the Frontier Dome, Lucci makes his move, attempting to assasinate Vegapunk, only to be stoped by Stussy, who [[TakingTheBullet takes the finger pistol]] for Vegapunk. Sanji and Zoro immediately jump into action. Sanji grabs Nami's Bubble Gun and bubbles Kaku before he can even do anything, and Zoro begins fighting Lucci, mocking him.
--->'''Zoro:''' So you got backup and throught you could make your move, huh?!\\
'''Lucci:''' Between me and Kizaru, you're all dead.\\
'''Zoro:''' [[BringIt Then you don't know us very well!!!]]
** At the end of the chapter, Kizaru is moving to intercept Vegaforce One and the Thousand Sunny, planning on destroying them to cut off the Straw Hats's escape route... only for Luffy to intercept him, clashing with him and stopping Kizaru dead in his tracks, [[GrinOfAudacity grinning like a madman the whole time]]. Luffy recalls the first time he and Kizaru crossed paths back at Sabaody, and informs Kizaru that this time, things will be different.
--->'''Kizaru:''' Hmm? Hello there. Long time no- ''[blocks Luffy's kick]'' ''' ''Very'' ''' bad manners.\\
'''Luffy:''' ''Kizaru!!'' Compared to two years ago... ''' ''[[CallBack We're a hundred times stronger now!!]]'' '''
*** Made more awesome with the fact that Luffy didn't seem to be using any of his Gears, only his haki-infused punch.
** Even better? Kizaru's sentences in Japanese are always ended with a series of squiggles to denote his laid back manner of speaking. When he has to block Luffy's kick... the squiggles disappear, implying Kizaru suddenly isn't nearly as relaxed as he usually is after feeling just how strong Luffy is now.
* Chapter 1092:
** At the beginning of the chapter, we cut back to Kuma, who has succeeded in climbing the Red Line and reaching Mariejois, a feat that only one other person (that being Fisher Tiger) had accomplished. When the Celestial Dragons' guards attempt to capture him, he uses his ''Ursa Shock'' to '''''blow them and a good portion of Mariejois AWAY'''''. Finally, he manages to withstand a couple of direct hits from Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and manages to escape, despite losing a foot, and continues going to his unknown destination.
** One has to give credit to Admiral Kizaru as he goes head-to-head with the man who defeated the Strongest Creature in the World. After enduring Luffy's attacks (while he was in Snakeman form), he manages to send the Straw Hat captain flying backwards, destroying the Vegaforce 1 and snafuing the heroes' escape plan in the process.
** On the other side of the fight, Kizaru clearly states that Luffy's new title of Emperor of the Sea is well-deserved, as he displays his power with G4 Snakeman attacks. Despite Kizaru managing to block them, Luffy's attacks compel him to defend himself for some time. One of Luffy's attacks nearly strikes Kizaru in a vulnerable area, but he is swift enough to teleport away and retaliate with a lightning-fast counterkick. After bouncing back from Kizaru's lightspeed attack, he transforms into Gear Five, becomes gigantic and actually ''grabs the Admiral in his hand'', with said Admiral becoming ''[[OhCrap visibly unnerved]]'' for the [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness first time in canon]].
*** Luffy even mentions having to pass though the supposedly unbreakable barrier twice.
* Chapter 1093:
** Luffy vs Kizaru continues, and both fighters are putting in an impressive show.
*** Luffy, after grabbing Kizaru, throws him out into the ocean, planning to exploit one of the universal weaknesses of Devil Fruits to win the fight, and when that doesn't work, he easily contends with Kizaru's light clones.
*** Kizaru proves to be a fast thinker and avoids falling into the sea by using Yasakani Sacred Jewel to shoot himself back towards Egghead Island. He then creates a small army of light clones to distract Luffy while he moves in to kill Vegapunk, and then follows that up with a blast that does significant damage to Luffy.
** Zoro vs Lucci continues, and Lucci is managing to hold his own against Zoro, who is using his King of Hell 3 Sword Style.
** Atlas manages to get control over the Pacifistas and orders them to attack and wipe out the Marines on Egghead Island.
* Chapter 1094:
** '''Kizaru is down!''' He knew not to engage Luffy directly and spent the entire fight playing defensively and trying to distance himself from the angry Emperor, but Luffy's persistence finally wins out and he delivers a decisive blow to the Admiral's head. Though that's not to say he doesn't deserve credit where it's due, managing to take out Vegapunk's getaway car and lasting long enough that Luffy's Gear Fifth transformation expired...
** ...at what might be the worst possible moment, too. With the order of one powerful voice, all the Pacifistas suddenly cease all activity, and what can only be described as some kind of ''Satanic summoning circle'' appears near the Vegapunks and the accompanying Straw Hats. And out of the circle comes a titanic, bearded, horned spider-centaur with a shawl of black flame. Exit the Admiral, enter one of the ''Five Elders'': '''[[VillainNoLongerIdle Saint Jaygarcia Saturn has come to face the Straw Hats personally.]]'''
** For better or worse, Saturn made landfall in time to witness Luffy using the awakened ''Nika'' Devil Fruit. It wasn't clear before if the Five Elders knew that ''Nika'' had been awakened or not, and it was the very thing they were willing to risk a brawl with Kaido to prevent. One of the Five Elders laying eyes on Gear Fifth now has removed all ambiguity, and previous chapters have heavily implied that Imu and the Five Elders were preparing to enact their master plan. If the viewers had any doubt this would be the final saga, they've been assuaged now: the brakes on the plot have officially been cut.
** Bonney, for her part, isn't intimidated by Saturn. She sees him and all she thinks about is how this is one of the people who lobotomized her father. The first thing she does is ''stab him on sight''.
** In a bit of a retroactive Moment of Awesome for Sabo, it's worth noting that he was in a room with six beings who are presumably just as powerful and terrifying as Saturn, and he managed to not only keep his cool, but escape with his life. Also one for Cobra for not losing his nerve when faced with the Five Elders and Imu, and still managing to FaceDeathWithDignity in the face of such monstrous terrors.
* Chapter 1095:
** Kizaru confirms that the blow from last chapter did some lasting damage to him. Despite the cartoony effect of it making him literally see stars, he admits outright to Saturn's face that he won't be mobile for a while until he shakes it off. Whilst Saturn's comments imply that Kizaru may not be 100% in the fight (due to having to attack Bonney and Sentomaru on top of killing his old ally Vegapunk) the Elder fully accepts at face value that the power Luffy wields as Nika incarnate is enough to easily pull off a DoubleKnockout on an ''Admiral'' with just one direct hit, emphasising just how strong the form makes Luffy, apparently giving him cartoon-esque feats of strength ''on top of'' his already-ridiculous CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
** Saturn continues to be both awesome and utterly terrifying. After the marines start freaking out that Bonney stabbed one of the Five Elders, Saturn tells them to pipe down and informs them that he allowed himself to get stabbed by her. He then pulls the blade out of his body, and the wound heals up instantly, with even the blood vanishing.
--->'''St. Jaygarcia Saturn:''' Pipe down, you insects!! If I were afraid of her sword... I would have avoided it!
** Saturn tries to kill Luffy with a FinishingStomp, but Franky uses a Strong Right to punch Luffy out of the way, and then he grabs Luffy, [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness boasting about how awesome it is that his Captain has earned the personal attention of the biggest head honchos in the World Government]].
** A chapter titled "A world where you're better off dead" ends with young Ivankov proclaiming his will to live.
* Chapter 1096:
** It's revealed that Ginny, Iva's newly-introduced companion from the last chapter, is an expert thief, wiretapper and radio operator, despite her young age (she's only 4 years older than Kuma) and apparently having been a slave since she was 4 years old. How does she showcase this? She casually reveals to the other slaves Iva's rallying to aid in the escape plan they're making by the seat of their pants that she leaked the information of the God Valley event, and the World Nobles' presence on it, over 2 weeks ago, planning to utilise the chaos that would result from whomever showed up to crash the party as a distraction for the slaves to seize their freedom. This directly lead to the Rocks pirates attacking the World Nobles, followed shortly thereafter by the Roger pirates with Garp hot on their heels aiming to finally capture his pirate nemesis. That's right, '''Ginny caused the God Valley Incident''', an event that ''continues'' to have a long-lasting ripple effect even to the present day despite all records of it being erased, and it was all just to cause a ''distraction'' for the slaves to escape. For a seemingly-powerless child, she may very well have altered the course of history through that innocuous action.
*** It's further revealed that both Rocks and Roger were apparently after a mysterious "treasure" that the World Nobles had stolen from Fullalead Island and brought to the event, one prized highly enough that Garp fully expected there to be a war fought over it. Nothing further is clarified, but it's heavily implied this treasure was a crucial component of Roger's eventual rise to Pirate King, valuable enough that he and his ArchEnemy Rocks fought intensely to claim it from the other.
** The reveal that it was simple, ordinary slaves that ultimately set in motion the events of the God Valley Incident, all so they could use the chaos to steal the Devil Fruit prizes and mobilise the fantastical abilities to seize freedom. These people were abused, mistreated and considered lower than animals by the World Nobles, but it was precisely because of them being considered BeneathNotice that such an Earth-shattering historical conflict happened. These mere slaves wished for freedom so deeply, they ultimately took action and set in motion events that continue to undermine the authority of the World Government, by the present day starting to spill into international chaos, just like the legend of Nika himself. Put in perspective, it almost feels like Nika's incarnation into Luffy was a destined event caused by the culmination of their wish to be free no matter the odds.
** Though understated, Iva's leadership skills deserve mention. Despite lacking his Devil Fruit at this point and being too weak to break the chains binding his hands himself, he uses a RousingSpeech to break the desperate "rabbits" from their panic, shooting down their belief that they'd be freed if they survived for 3 weeks by noting it's nothing but a vain HopeSpot to make the hunt more interesting, apparently aware that prior such events[[labelnote:*]]which are supposed to be hidden from the world at large[[/labelnote]] have had ''zero'' survivors, so the slaves' only hope is to not play by the rules. Instead, they need to seize the tournament prizes for themselves, using the powers to make their own way to freedom despite the presence of both the God Knights and one of the Five Elders on the island. Despite the almost impossibly low odds, ''they succeeded''.
** Kuma successfully eats his Paw-Paw fruit, but on the way out is confronted by Saturn himself, knocked down by his DeadlyGaze. Despite his enemy's power, the lowly slave Kuma stands back up whilst ''demanding'' of the Elder to tell him what determines somebody being "born" important like him, or that makes people like Kuma born to be slaves? The result of the face-off isn't seen, but according to Iva, Kuma was apparently able to save over ''500'' slaves from the Island, despite just having received the powers. Given Devil Fruits don't come with an instruction manual, Kuma managing to master enough of his new ability to achieve that is an impressive feat for the young boy.
---> '''St. Jaygarcia Saturn:''' The Buccaneer boy...Your only options are slavery and death. History itself chose them for you.\\
'''Kuma:''' Are you important, mister? It doesn't make sense that you're ''born'' important...''and there's no reason for someone to be born a slave!'' If I've got some kind of power...then I want to be like '''Nika''' and save as many of these unfortunate people as I possibly can!!!
** Elder Nyon is revealed to have been a member of the Rocks pirates in her younger days. Given the power level of some of their members (Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, Xebec), she clearly was quite strong.
* Chapter 1099:
** Kuma, [[BewareTheNiceOnes sick of King Becori's cruelty]] upon returning to reclaim his throne, [[UnstoppableRage personally goes up to defeat him]]. The narration claims that this will be known as "Sorbet's ''[[OneManArmy One Man Revolution]]''".
** When Kuma returns to the seas to find the cure for Bonney, King Becori returns again, this time with an entire armada of Marines, which Kuma then goes on to sink.
* Chapter 1100: It's revealed that prior to Kuma joining, there had been a member of the Seven Warlords who had fallen. The one responsible? A certain '''Portgas D. Ace'''. That's right; before Luffy took down Crocodile, his brother was already known for defeating a Warlord.
* Chapter 1101:
** Bonney's friends concoct a plan to sneak her out of Sorbet so she can reunite with Kuma. Once Alpha realizes she's been duped, she furiously attempts to pursue and capture Bonney while promising to [[WouldHurtAChild beat her within an inch of her life]], kill her friends and chain her up day and night so she can't escape again. How does Bonney respond? By using [[AlternateSelf Distortion Future]] to [[VariantPowerCopying mimic Nika's rubbery body]] and [[TheDogBitesBack punching Alpha into the sea]] with [[MegatonPunch a pseudo-Gear Third punch]] as her crew cheers at her.
** This in turn explains how a 12-year old child was able to become one of the Supernovas -- Bonney's fruit not only allows her to copy Devil Fruits, even those eaten by another, but also imparts a case of InstantExpert upon her from retroactively making her skilled in the skill or technique she's using. It look Luffy years or practice with his Gum-Gum to get the handle of it, and further focusing of his skills to successfully pull off Gear Third with a workaround of blowing air into his thumb. But Bonney simply decides that she wants to age herself into a future where she became like Nika and can instantly pull it off like she was using Gear Fifth. When applied to any other skills or fields Bonney wants to become expertly skilled in, it means that Bonney can make herself a JackOfAllStats, able to adapt to whatever situations she's in through retroactively having spent years mastering the skills needed to overcome it.
** A minor one, but in a flashback, Dragon tells Kuma to stop asking about Luffy unless he wants to have Dragon killed, stating that a child is the weakness of the parent. While this exchange underlines his reasoning for keeping his son's existence a secret and the danger it poses to the Revolutionary Army, it also makes clear that [[PapaWolf Dragon would have willingly thrown away everything he worked for and sacrificed if it meant protecting his boy]].
* Chapter 1102: Kuma's actions on Sabaody are completely recontextualized. After Luffy punched Charlos, Kuma remarks to himself that no one has assaulted a Celestial Dragon in hundreds of years, and this, combined with his other knowledge of Luffy and his powers, convinces Kuma that Luffy truly is the man who will carry on Nika's will. He knew that Luffy wasn't strong enough to handle the New World yet, so he used this opportunity to show them how strong they needed to get, and sent them to the places they needed to go to become stronger. He pinned his hopes and dreams on Luffy being the "one who will save the world." Safe to say, his gamble paid off.
** A retroactive one for Zoro, as Kuma silently acknowledges that the amount of pain and suffering he transferred to Zoro back in Thriller Bark would probably be enough to knock out Kuma himself despite his massive durability, and Zoro stayed conscious through not only this but his own injuries as well!
* Chapter 1103: We come out of the flashback and Saturn has Bonney at his mercy. Then the marine escort sees KUMA, rushing right through the escort, tanking several cannon balls and other attacks on the way, blocking Saturn's spider leg that he was about to stab Bonney with, then pulling it out of his own back. And the last image of the chapter is Kuma rearing back ready to punch Saturn... with his fist coated black. That's right, despite his brainwashing, despite everything that Saturn put him through, Kuma was able to use Haki. Which means two things: The brainwashing wasn't as thorough as Saturn wanted or Bonney's cries for help awakened Kuma's PapaWolf instincts to come save her. The sight of Haki is enough to spook Saturn.
** That's right, '''Haki'''. The very manifestation of a person's '''will'''. Even though Kuma's personality is completely wiped, his paternal instinct is still intact and driving his will to fight. Saturn just attempted to kill Bonney in front of Kuma, Kuma is ''pissed'' and he is about to go all PapaWolf on the old bastard's ass.
** Something that should be noted: He climbed the Red Line to get to Egghead. Which means he started on the Paradise side of the land mass. He climbed up, raced through Marajois, climbed back down, raced through the sea, crashed through the blockade and stopped Saturn's attack, in what can't be much more than a single day's time.
** One moment for Bonney herself. As badly as she was losing against Saturn, the fact that she actually tried to fight back and became his [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness top priority]], to the point he tried to kill her personally, is very impressive for her. Especially since she wasn't even Saturn's initial target.
* Chapter 1104:
** Kuma's punch has landed, and actually ''hurt the Elder''. For the first time in the series, one of the Five Elders is in genuine danger. After what he has put Kuma through, [[CatharsisFactor it's beyond satisfying]]. The punch [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sends him crashing through several buildings]] and breaks off one of his horns and hands.
** Saturn mentions that he pushed the self-destruct mechanism installed in Kuma to destroy him the day the Revolutionaries rescued him. Though Vegapunk lampshaded to himself that he didn't actually install a bomb, [[LoopholeAbuse he instead installed a mechanism that simply shuts down Kuma]]. Yes, Kuma is still mobile even if he's supposed to be in a vegetative state by now, [[PapaWolf all to protect Bonney]].
** After being freed from whatever spell Saturn has inflicted on them, Franky and Sanji fight off Saint Saturn not allowing the elder to inflict any more pain to Bonney and Kuma. Sanji kicks away his leg as he is about to hit Kuma, while Franky fires a Radical Beam that punches a big hole through his chest.
--->'''Franky:''' We owe Kuma a great debt, too!\\
'''Kizaru:''' And it's true... you've developed very well.
** If the marines' reactions is of any indication, Luffy managed to pull a StealthHiBye when everyone was distracted by Kuma's arrival.
* Chapter 1106:
** Despite knowing that Saturn will kill him for it, Vegapunk reveals he outsmarted Saturn one last time by implanting a hidden failsafe in the Pacifistas: Bonney ''outranks the Five Elders'' in their command hierarchy. When it's clear there's no other choice and Saturn standing ''right behind him'', he has Atlas reveal this to Bonney, resulting in the Pacifistas turning on the Buster Call ships. Saturn stabs him through the chest for the deception, but under no circumstances would Vegapunk allow the image of her father to bring Bonney any harm.
** Kizaru shows his great skills as he recovers and manages to shoot Franky down. Franky has become very strong and his body is nearly imprevious, but an Admiral can still pierce it. This is also a moment for Franky because he stands up to an Admiral.
** Sanji fights Kizaru next and actually ''blocks some of the Admiral's attacks'' before going down. Usually it takes a Yonko Commander, like Ace and Marco, to even stop an Admiral's attack, and Sanji has officially become one.
** Once Kizaru has beaten both powerful Straw Hats, he gets struck by Luffy, who has recovered, and Bonney finally sees Luffy as Nika because of the power of Gear Five. Vegapunk himself declares that not even a Buster Call could hope to stop Luffy now.
--->'''Vegapunk''': So you didn't realize it, Bonney. I couldn't be sure until I saw it for myself. The very same Straw Hat Luffy that Kuma had his eye on... '''''was Nika, the Sun God!''''' Kuma was right! This Buster Call is futile! For centuries, people all over the world... '''''have been waiting for him!'''''
** In the previous chapter, the civilian ship that Saturn ordered sunk was revealed to have been saved by a third party that sank the Marine convoy pursuing it before making its way to Egghead, said party being enough of a threat that the surviving Marines scrambled to try and report this to Kizaru at any cost. The final page of this chapter reveals their identity. Is it the Straw Hat Grand Fleet? The Blackbeard Pirates? The Revolutionary Army? The Big Mom Pirates? Direct intervention of the Red Hair Pirates? Cross Guild? Nope: ''[[TheBusCameBack it's Dorry and Brogy]]''.
--->'''Brogy:''' [[SignatureLaugh Ga ba ba ba ba]]!! [[TheCavalry We're here for you, Straw Hat]]!!!\\
'''Dorry:''' [[SignatureLaugh Ge gya gya gya gya]]!!! [[WhamLine Or should it be... Sun God]]!!!
* Chapter 1107:
** It's not just Dorry and Brogy coming to help, but the entire Giant Warrior Pirates crew ([[ThoseTwoGuys Oimo and Kashii]] included), who proceed to smash the Marine armada to pieces. Between that and the rogue Pacifistas, Vice Admiral Red King laments that only their battleships have a chance of surviving the assault.
** Luffy, now back in Gear 5, beats the ever-loving crap out of Saint Saturn with a [[RapidFireFisticuffs Gum-Gum Dawn Gatling]]. Specifically, he grants Bonney's request to show her how to throw a punch properly.
** Sanji saves Bonney, Franky, and the dying Vegapunk from Kizaru by ''kicking his laser beam attack away'', an act that [[NotSoStoic surprises even the otherwise unflappable Kizaru]]. Sanji then gears up for a one-on-one confrontation, completely unshaken by the Admiral.
--->'''Sanji:''' ''Love is stronger than light!!''\\
'''Kizaru:''' If that's true, then physics as we know it is dead...
* Chapter 1108:
** Despite their reduced numbers the Pacifistas are still holding off the Buster Call fleet and inflicting heavy damage to the Marines, frustrating the commanding Vice-Admirals as they can't go all out since they risk permanently destroying valuable Marines assets. The situation is so bad that the Vice-Admirals opt to land on the island themselves and [[StraightForTheCommander try to take out Bonney]] rather than continue trying to get through the Pacifistas.
** Even when the circumstances of his departure from the Marines was rather negative and disgraceful, Saul's legacy seems to be somewhat positive, as Vice-Admiral Bluegrass compliments his strength when Doll reveals she served under him 20 years ago.
** Broggy [[HammeredIntoTheGround rather quickly]] dispatches a Vice-Admiral who's about to attack Franky with a single hit of his axe, then going off with Dorry to help Luffy out.
** Luffy stops both a fully transformed Saturn and Kizaru, who are trying to kill the escaping Sanji and Vegapunk, singlehandedly. As in, each of his arms restrains them individually, with Kizaru bleeding from the mouth from Luffy's sheer grip strength, all the while he's grinning menacingly and proudly proclaiming neither of them will go anywhere.
** At the end of the chapter, Vegapunk seemingly dies. However, as he does, a message starts broadcasting. Looks like Vegapunk had [[DeadMansSwitch one last surprise in store]], and it's a ''doozy.''
--->'''Vegapunk's Recorded Message:''' Ahem! Hello? Check check... Is this thing on? Hello out there! Come in world... Ahem... I am Dr. Vegapunk, A humble genius scientist. While many of you will likely be shocked by what I have to say in this message... I assure you that it is the '''truth''' of this world!!!
* Chapter 1109: Luffy showcases his abilities as an Emperor in Gear 5, delivering a remarkable performance against Kizaru and Saturn.
** First, he renders Kizaru motionless once again and enters into an "UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject" impasse with Saturn, where he acts as the unstoppable force while Saturn becomes the immovable object.
** Saturn's DeadlyGaze can obliterate heads with a mere glance or cause significant damage to the Straw Hats; however, when Luffy becomes the target of the attack, he [[NoSell shrugs it off easily]], as if receiving an invisible punch to the head.
** Luffy quickly overpowers Saturn and Admiral Kizaru, causing the admiral-class fighter to cough up blood from his mere grip strength. Although Kizaru falls every time Luffy lands a direct hit on him, Saturn's bizarre HealingFactor ensures he can recover from any damage sustained almost indefinitely. Regardless of how powerful Luffy's blow is, Saturn always counterattacks without relenting.
** The urgency to put a stop to Vegapunk's worldwide broadcast after his DeadMansSwitch is activated forces Saturn to call upon the other Elders to help him break the impasse, as he is unable to overcome Luffy alone.
* Chapter 1110: The Five Elders' "planetfall" is objectively horrifying for the Straw Hats and their odds of winning the battle on Egghead...but god ''damn'' if it isn't one of the most awe-inspiring entrances of any group in the history of One Piece. The four summoned warriors are all heralded by black lightning striking the ground around Saturn, just like when he made his appearance, and emerge in their full monstrous glory, each representing a different mythical demon from Japanese mythology, which culminates in one of Oda's '''very''' rare single-panel two-page spreads[[note]]The last such spread was for the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, ''310 chapters and '''6.5 years''' ago''[[/note]] as the five of them stand before Luffy...or rather, as [[DavidVsGoliath Luffy stands before them]]. While they're yet to show their full capabilities in this form, it's made abundantly clear that '''none''' of them are to be trifled with - Nusjuro, in particular, [[ChekhovsGun finally demonstrates that his sword isn't for show]] by running around the perimeter of the island [[SuperSpeed faster than the eye can follow]] and '''''effortlessly''''' [[TheWorfEffect incapacitating the Pacifista that were otherwise decimating the Marines]].
** But of course, it's not all doom and gloom: first, as Zoro continues his apparent stalemate with Lucci, he overhears [[BerserkButton Sanji calling him a liability]] for delaying the crew's departure and '''''immediately''''' cuts the bastard down with a new Santoryu technique, demonstrating that [[IAmNotLeftHanded he could've easily ended the battle at any time]]...
** ...while outside, Luffy finds himself abruptly swallowed by Ju Peter, having taken the form of a massive worm. However, just as quickly, Dorry and Broggy see what's happened and move to intervene...by ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu cutting off Ju Peter's head]]'' to free Luffy ([[CallBack just as Dorry did to a brontosaurus when they first met 894 chapters ago]])!
--->'''Luffy:''' Huh?! It's you guys! [[TheBusCameBack It's the giants!]] \\
'''Brogy:''' Gababababa! It's been too long, Straw Hat! \\
'''Dorry:''' We couldn't wait to see you again! Gegya gya gya gya!
* Chapter 1111: Though suffering a CurbStompBattle from Zoro and never measuring to his current level, Lucci managed to come out of the fight with his dignity intact. He remained on his feet after the final attack, and was able to give a full and accurate report to Marcus Mars right afterwards - revealing he'd been keeping full tabs of what's going on all around the island ''even as he fought Zoro''. Not for nothing did Kizaru praise him for his efficiency.
** Meanwhile, though cut short by Luffy due to his explanation of [[GoodThingYouCanHeal the Five Elders being immortal]], his and the giants' battle against them is fittingly spectacular. First, with Dorry signaling their retrieval of Luffy and ability to leave to his crew, Warcury decides to deliver his own signal that they're ''not'' allowed to leave by letting out a '''massive''' blast of Conqueror's Haki, one that shakes the ''entire island'' and momentarily ''[[ToonPhysics scares the features off Luffy]]''. With every chapter, it becomes more and more clear that the Five Elders will ''not'' be pushovers...
** But despite that, Luffy, Dorry, and Broggy stand strong, the latter two earning every ounce of [[TheDreaded their]] [[WorldsStrongestMan reputation]] as the fearsome Giant captains by not only blocking Warcury's next attack, but ''repelling him'' with enough force to flip him over, not even straining themselves in the process. Meanwhile, when Luffy sees a vision of pellets fired by Saturn poisoning the Giants, he brilliantly channels [[{{ComicStrip/Popeye}} Popeye the Sailor-Man]] by grabbing a nearby tree, chewing it down to a large bat, ''[[AscendedMeme painting it black with Armament Haki]]'', and [[BatterUp smacking those pellets right back at the Five Elders like he's playing baseball]], culminating in them being '''[[StuffBlowingUp blown to smithereens]]'''. Of course, they start [[CompleteImmortality reforming immediately]], which prompts Luffy to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere have the Giants retreat]], but that does nothing to negate the badassery on display.
[[/folder]]

----

[[folder:Wano Country Saga]]
[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act I]]
* Chapter 909:
** Zoro has been back to the story for only a few pages. What's the first real thing he does? Cut down a magistrate and the building behind him, from across the hall, ''with a tanto'' (dagger used for seppuku).
** Before that, Zoro sniffed blood on the magistrate and deduced the true culprit of the street murders, the magistrate himself, who tried to frame Zoro to get his hands on Shuusui.
** Zoro achieving said feat owes itself to some FridgeBrilliance: it brings to mind what Mihawk said about any blade serving as a black blade as very viable and goes back to the showdown where all he used was a dinner knife to attack Zoro. Zoro has just proven he is able to match Mihawk on that level.
** Whitebeard turning out to spend his seventy-year life making his homeland prosperous by funneling in ''all his treasure'' as dirty money going to a good cause a la Robin Hood, and ''never'' once being exposed by outside parties for doing that.
* Chapter 910: The way to Wano is gorgeous. The scene with the wave is straight out of the famous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa Great Wave off Kanagawa]]. It seemed that Wano was designed so that Oda can show off his skill at traditional Japanese art.
** Wano is apparently a lot like the places Luffy ''and'' Zoro trained on during the timeskip mixed into one. Rusukaina (a place full of giant beasts) + Gloom Kingdom (populated by Humandrills who copy what they see, including armed combat) = Wano (giant animals who can wield weapons like people), as the first thing Luffy notices after making landfall are two beasts fighting, one of which is wielding a giant katana.
* Chapter 911:
** Luffy's skill with the Color of Observation have really improved after having fought Charlotte Katakuri. No sooner than the two members of the Beast Pirates find him, they try to capture him. Luffy has none of that and knocks the first guy out without even looking behind him from far away. Then the second guy is knocked down by Luffy kicking the lizard steed the two were using right into the rifle which misfires.
** Tama is building up to be a tough little girl despite the fact that she was captured and is adorable. Right after Luffy knocks the guy down and tames the baboon that was fighting the Komainu (both of which soon come to be tamed by her later using her Devil Fruit power), she gets out of the bag they were holding her in and using a stick, knocks the Beast Pirate member out. If that wasn't enough, right after thanking Luffy and everything, she decides to give her hard-earned rice to Luffy as a way to thank him for saving her life and is fighting the hunger she has to express her gratitude. Then there's a fact that she's dealing with all of this as she waits for a pirate named Ace who promised to see her again, when she could've moved to another place that has no toxic rivers (courtesy of Kaido's factories) and not have to survive in the most meager way possible.
** To top it all off, the "Headliner" that the Beast Pirates were talking about? The guy that obviously is a higher member of the crew? It is the "Magician" Basil Hawkins, who like Apoo, has joined the Beast Pirates!
* Chapter 912:
** The long awaited team up finally happened: Zoro and Luffy vs Basil Hawkins! To add to the awesomeness, Luffy is wielding the ''Nidai Kitetsu'' (Kitetsu the Second), the middle member of the infamous cursed swords trio (Zoro already possesses ''Sandai'' -- the Third). You just know that this will lead to some awesome revelation.
** Yet another awesome points for "Oda never forgets". The story of the Kitetsus was first mentioned all the way back in Loguetown, more than 800 chapters ago. Now we are meeting their bladesmiths who may have an answer to the curse.
** Also, the name of the village that Ace was in is Amigasa, which mean a type of Straw hat, this is likely where Ace learn how to knit the straw hat for Oars Jr.
* Chapters 915 & 916: Urashima, the arrogant Yokozuna-rank sumo wrestler in Wano, summarily got his honor torn into pieces when Kiku cut down his topknot and subsequently got trounced by Luffy in a straight-up sumo wrestling, sending him off flying through the tower where Tama was kidnapped.
* Chapter 917:
** Luffy and Zoro moving so fast that Luffy is able to snatch Tama from Kamijiro's jaws without Holdem even seeing it happen (let along Kamijiro being able to crush Tama first), and Zoro slices through the mooks menacing Kiku.
** Luffy not only isn't hurt at all from Kamijiro's huge fire attack, but then defeats Holdem in one hit with Gum Gum Red Hawk.
* Chapter 918:
** Luffy and Zoro successfully deliver the food to Okobore, and Luffy declares he will not leave Wano until the people are able to always have a good meal.
* Chapter 921:
** Shutenmaru, the leader of the bandits mentioned in several prior chapters, appears and though he is robbing the citizens of Leftover Town, he is shown to be no slouch. He takes on Jack, who rides on what appears to be a giant land shark creature, and instantly wounds Jack with no trouble. Indeed, the bandits and citizens stay away due to the intense fight.
** After years and years of theories and speculations after the mention of Kaido and how he is the strongest "creature" in the world, Oda delivers a bomb almost as big as when Kaido 1st physically appeared...Kaido has been revealed to have eaten a Mythical Zoan type Devil Fruit that can turn him into a Dragon!
*** This is also retroactively a big moment for Shanks as well. All the way back in the Paramount War Arc, '''THIS''' is the monster that he stalled ''without a scratch'' to allow Whitebeard to enter Marineford.
* Chapter 922:
** Kaido shows exactly why he's feared [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/onepiece/images/1/1b/Kaidou_Uses_Bolo_Breath.png/revision/latest?cb=20200211053522 when he proceeds to wipe out Oden Castle with a single breath attack]].
** Of course, that doesn't scare Luffy as he finishes the chapter by delivering an Elephant Gun straight to Kaido's head in furious retaliation for attacking his crewmembers.
* Chapter 923:
** Kaido gives us the very greatest demonstration of the Four Emperors' personal might ever seen, by effortlessly [[NoSell no-selling]] everything Luffy throws at him, then [[CurbStompBattle beating him within the inch of his life with a single effortless hit]] from a lightning-powered kanbo! As in: [[ScissorsCutsRock two things that Luffy is almost immune to!]] Nightmarish, unpleasant, but still awesome.
*** It's understated, but Kaido's reaction to getting hit with ''three Haki-infused finishers?'' He just sits up, sighs in disappointment, and ''one shots Luffy.'' Given his disappointment, it's entirely possible that Luffy's initial barrage made him think ''for once'' he might be up against someone who could challenge him.
** Adding to that when Luffy dodges another flame breath and prepares to strike Kaido again, the warlord just ''stares'' before getting hit.
** The battle is also one for Luffy, though to a lesser extent. Kaido is not reacting in pain, but Luffy's attacks are clearly uncomfortable for him to go through. Even though Kaido is known for tanking everything that comes his way, Luffy's assault is at least more than he expected.
** It should be noted that Kaido is the first enemy to OneHitKill [[TheHero Luffy]]. Crocodile, Smoker, Admiral Kizaru... none of them managed to take out Luffy in one hit... all of them beat him at least once in the past... but none so soundly and abruptly as Kaido. Talk about a HeroKiller.
** "I'm gonna be king of the pirates!" is Luffy's catchphrase, and he tells Kaido the same thing. After Kaido's done with him, ''this'' is his response.
--->'''Kaido:''' '''You, Pirate King?''' '''''You, boy!?'''''
* Chapter 924:
** Kaido when sober quickly proves that he's not DumbMuscle by stating that Luffy is still conscious and ''glaring at him'', even though he is no longer moving. A couple of mooks fail to listen to this perception and get a blast of Luffy's Conqueror's Haki for their insolence.
** Beaten within an inch of their lives and captured by Kaido's men, Kid and Luffy both display their unbreakable will and determination. Luffy still has the strength to glare at his captors, and both of them declare that Kaido will pay for this.
** An unknown prisoner demonstrates just why [[ImprovisedWeaponUser you don't want to feed him fish with any bone in it]], impaling a guard who was menacing Luffy in the neck with the fishbone he spits out. Oh, did we forget to mention that ''the fishes he ate daily are normally fatally poisonous?''
** Despite being [=KOed=] last chapter, Luffy is already on his feet and walking.
** Kaido is vocally disturbed by Luffy. A stark contrast to when he was insulted into a rage when he was advised to take Luffy seriously.
** A slight one for Kid. While he was still unconditionally crushed, we at least learn he put up enough of a fight to leave a firm impression, just like Luffy did.
*** Oh, by the way. Kid is confirmed to possess ''Conqueror's Haki!''

[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act II]]
* Chapter 925:
** Teach makes his debut after the TimeSkip and is revealed to have a bounty of 2.247 ''billion''.
** The Blackbeard pirates display another two of the Devil Fruits they've acquired during the TimeSkip. Devon has the Mythical Zoan Dog-Dog Fruit, Model: Nine-Tailed Fox, and Shiryu has the Clear-Clear Fruit.
* Chapter 926:
** Both Luffy and Kid move over 500 stone blocks several times their size despite being weakened by Seastone, having turned what was supposed to be a hellish imprisonment into a FriendlyRivalry to keep themselves from giving in to their jailers.
** After eating hundreds of kibidango, they're confronted by the deputy warden Dobon, who uses the giant hippo attached to him to eat Luffy and Kid. They then proceed to punch their way out of him despite the Seastone restraints, and then pull a "you didn't see anything" due to the rules of fighting back.
* Chapter 927:
** Sanji reminds us why you never waste food around him. When one of Kyoshiro's goons knocks over his soba cart, he kicks his head in and force feeds him the soba off the ground.
** Franky gets in on the fun as he suplexes another goon from the top of a building. Seems he learned some tricks from his fight with Senor Pink.
* Chapter 930:
** The Big Mom Pirates are heading to Wano and are breaking through with ease. That is until King shows off his Devil Fruit ability (Dragon Dragon Fruit: Model: ''Pteranodon'') and knocks Big Mom's ship and crew into the ocean.
** When Page One goes on a rampage looking for Sanji, he shows himself with a kick to the face, and then in order to make sure his identity is hidden, he takes out the Germa Raid Suit, forgoing his vow to never use it.
* Chapter 931:
** We finally see Sanji in his Raidsuit, and it is glorious. Known as Stealth Black, it grants Sanji one of his greatest dreams: invisibility! Bathhouses and foes better watch out.
** The fight between Sanji and Pageone looks good for both of them. Pageone is forced to go hybrid form and sends Sanji though multiple buildings with one attack, thinking that has done his foe in only for Sanji to show up far above him still ready to fight. Brings back memories of him being punched through a wall way back at Arlong Park, only for him to get up and complain about how ''weak'' the blow was.
* Chapter 932:
** Despite being caught by the Oniwabanshu, Robin still shows some quick thinking while trying her best to get away from them:
*** Even after being warned that she'll be tortured to death if she lies, Robin lies anyway when asked who she is and what she's doing there, claiming to be the Witching Hour Boy investigating the flow of money in the capital. When the ninja try to capture her, it's revealed that "she" is actually just her flower clone, and she's able to get away temporarily.
*** Robin also realizes that, since she won't be able to get away from the palace, she might as well blend in by going back to the party and trying to continue her mission anyway. She does successfully conceal herself from the searching ninja for several minutes, and goes right up to Orochi when he invites her to him and starts asking him questions for the mission.
** Komurasaki shows she won't take crap from anyone, not even the Shogun. When he tries to kill Toko for apparently laughing at him and refuses to listen to the courtesan's pleas for Toko's life, she gives him an epic bitch-slap across the face and tells him that she won't kneel for anyone, and doesn't even blink when he threatens to kill her for it.
* Chapter 933: As Robin, Nami, and Shinobu are escaping the palace, Nami summons Zeus to send a powerful thunderbolt onto the palace.
* Chapter 934: Off-screen, Kid has escaped the inescapable Udon Prison with his Seastone handcuffs still attached to him.
* Chapter 935: Luffy, on the other hand, has been practicing with his Seastone cuffs to FightOffTheKryptonite so that he'll come out of the prison even stronger than before. Queen, one of the All-Stars who serves under '''Kaido''', outright labels Luffy a freak of nature.
* Chapter 936:
** We learn the identity of the dangerous prisoner: Kawamatsu, one of Oden's samurai. He's been stuck in this prison and eating poisoned fish for ''13 years'', and he's already fired up and ready to fight upon seeing one of his old friends.
** Queen finally decides to execute Luffy, but it's more of an Amazon Lily-style execution where he is made to fight and die for their amusement. This requires him to remove Luffy's Seastone cuffs, and Luffy's immediate response upon being thrown into the ring is to knock out the first wave of enemies with Conqueror's Haki.
* Chapter 937: Zoro shows that he doesn't need a sword to use Three-Sword Style. Grabbing one of Kamazo's scythes with his shoulder, taking it out and using it to perform Purgatory Onigiri on the man-slayer. The anime adds Yutapon Cubes.
* Chapter 939:
** Luffy's battle against Katakuri has truly improved his Observation Haki as he is able to completely foretell what his enemies are doing, and is even directing Grandpa Hyou during battle so that the old man can put up a fight.
** Of course, what really sells how amazing Grandpa Hyou, or rather Hyougoro of the Flower, is the fact that he can wield the same type of Haki that Rayleigh did when he stopped the giant elephant way back. That's right, Grandpa Hyou is on par (Haki-wise, at least) as the Pirate King's right-hand man!
** In another episode of "Oda NEVER Forgets", Hyogoro describes a technique that allows one to cut steel, but can also allow one not to cut paper. Sound familiar? The Breath of All Things has made a comeback!
* Chapter 942: Sad as the whole moment is, there is solace to be found in the fact that Yasu went down giving a good amount of momentum to the rebellion, and most importantly, making his archnemesis Orochi look like an absolute ''bitch'' in the process.
** To elaborate, Yasu claims the markers Orochi's been using to arrest members of the rebellion, a tattoo and a pamphlet, were a random fad from twenty years ago and a prank by himself to make Orochi look like a coward. The actual rebels realize that Orochi can't say anything about the rebellion now without looking like he's jumping at shadows.
* Chapter 943: After nearly six real life years, Sanji and Zoro finally reunite to defend O-Toko from Orochi.
* Chapter 944:
** Despite knowing well that it will cause them problems, the Straw Hats decide to not only steal the body of Yasu back while they're saving Toko but Zoro even aims an attack at Orochi for good measure.
** Kyoshiro's strength is now being shown as he easily deflects Zoro's 720 Pound Cannon with one sword swing.
** Of course, the Beast Pirates aren't slacking off on awesome, either. Queen demonstrates that while he's a fun guy, he's not someone you want in a bad mood as he easily blocks one of Luffy's punches.
* Chapter 945:
** Battles all over the flower capital are showing that both the forces of Wano and the Beast Pirates (or rather, Drake and Hawkins) are not going to let the Straw Hats have it easy. Kyoshiro is still holding off Zoro easily (while Zoro is showing fatigue), the Orochi Oniwabanshu arrive and show they're pretty smart (rather than hoping to capture them all, they decide to go after one to make them talk), Sanji is stalled by Drake in full dinosaur form, and (perhaps the most dark awesome we've seen) Hawkins is using his powers to hold Law's friends as hostages and shields.
** Of course, we can't sell the Straw Hats short as Brook displays his soul power to some of the Orochi Oniwabanshu and scares them off while Zoro and Sanji aren't giving their foes an inch.
** The chapter ends in a confrontation that will have massive consequences in the future: Big Mom vs Queen.
** It's probably also worth noting that even suffering from amnesia, Charlotte Linlin still makes it clear that if she wants some food, ''you do not deny her''. Queen tries to do just that and the amnesiac Emperor grabs his head (when he's a ''[[ScaledUp Brachiosaurus]]'') and violently slams it into the ground.
* Chapter 946:
** Even with amnesia, Big Mom is no joke as she takes out Queen in two hits.
** Amazingly even after that beating, Queen was still conscious.
** In another CallBack, Luffy manages to figure out how to remove the neck restraints in the nick of time.
** With an angry Big Mom down their neck, Hyogoro stands his ground and orders Luffy to stop her in an impromptu training session. Ending on:
---> '''Luffy:''' Come then, Emperor!
* Chapter 947:
** Though Luffy fails to activate Ryuo (the true name for "the Breath of All Things"), Hyogoro assures him that he has the potential and goes on to explain how it works -- and it sounds strikingly similar to the Haki techniques that make Big Mom and Kaido so freakishly tough. Luffy figuring out how to activate this power at will would allow him to finally challenge the Emperors directly, all he needs is a chance to train with it.
** Queen deserves props: despite having been thrashed by Big Mom in the previous chapter, he still manages to stand back on his feet and devises a plan to stop her, luring her into a place where he could drop onto her head with the full weight of his ''Brachiosaurus'' form.
*** Not to be outdone, Big Mom tanks the attack, which only manages to restore her memories... [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments and then she unceremoniously falls asleep for unrelated reasons]].
*** And when Big Mom is out cold, [[ProperlyParanoid Queen immediately orders the use of 100% seastone chains and 100 doses of beast tranquilizer on her,]] to ensure that she is ''completely'' immobilized for the entire time she's being shipped off to Kaido. Considering who he works for, ''he knows what kind of monster Big Mom is'', and he's willing to take precautions that would be considered NoKillLikeOverkill for ''anyone else''.
** At the end of the chapter, with Queen, Big Mom, and majority of the guards gone, Luffy is finally able to go wild against Babanuki and the remaining guards due to no longer being bound by any restraints; the last panel of the chapter showing him declaring he's going to take over Udon.
* Chapter 948: Raizo manages to successfully free Kawamatsu, and he shows off not only his sword skills, but his sumo skills.
* Chapter 949:
** Daifugo infects several prisoners with Plague Bullets, meaning if anyone touches them, they get the plague too. Luffy takes it, grabbing several prisoners and ''purposely'' taking on the virus. Luffy then calls out the prisoners for being weak and to stand up to Kaido, telling them of his promise to Tama to make sure nobody in Wano starves.
--->'''Luffy:''' (''While infected'') [[BadassBoast You call this devastation?!! You call this overwhelming power...? This stuff has no effect on me!!!]] [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech The samurai I know are all strong and hardy. But you guys are broken all the way on the inside! What do you mean,]] ''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech normal life]]''[[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech ?! Obeying every order they give you, living off of dumplings... is that normal?! Open your eyes!!! You're nothing but slaves!!!]] So what if I came from another place?! Why can't an outsider help protect your country?!! I made a promise with a friend named Tama... who fed me back in Kuri!! I promised to make this a place where you can eat your fill again!!! If we can't make that happen, this will ''always'' be Hell!!! I already heard about Oden!! He was a great man!! But the day Kaido killed him 20 years ago was the day this country stopped working, right?!! [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable WE CAME HERE TO FIGHT KAIDO AND WIN!!!]] There's no reason for the people on our own side to stop us!!! So make up your minds! Right now!! Are you with us... or are you with Kaido?!
** When Babanuki tries to attack with a bomb with the power of 200 bullets, Luffy "sees" it and ties up his elephant's trunk. [[UnflinchingWalk Then turns away when he explodes.]]
-->'''Luffy:''' I saw a pretty bad future just now...
** When Daifugo tries to intimidate the prisoners, Luffy's speech already got through to them. What happens afterwards is a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown for Daifugo. The takeover of Udon is a success!
---> '''Luffy:''' You get the rest.\\
'''Daifugo:''' Hey! Stop, you!! Remember, anyone who defies a jailer in their first offense gets...\\
'''Prisoner 1:''' [[NotAfraidOfYouAnymore We know, and we don't care.]]\\
'''Prisoner 2:''' We've decided to ''rebel''!!!
* Chapter 950:
** Zoro being epic and protecting Hiyori from several of the ninjas.
** The end with Law unflinchingly grinning at Hawkins and Drake in defiance, and in the next chapter urging that he doesn't need rescuing.
* Chapter 951:
** Even after Big Mom gets her memories back, Queen has the stones to call her an old hag to her face.
** King proves himself to have balls of ''steel'', upon telling Big Mom, to her face, his response to her asking him to join her crew: '''[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu "I refuse."]]'''
** After having her Seastone handcuffs removed, Big Mom draws Napoleon and clashes with Kaido, causing the heavens to split a/la Shanks and Whitebeard.
** Another one for how much Brook [[WowingCthulhu impressed Big Mom]], when Kaido threatens her, she paraphrases the line Brook used on her about "What kind of fool would have come planning to die?"
* Chapter 953:
** Onimaru the Fox was not only the loyal companion of one of Wano's renowned sword masters, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, but joined Kawamatsu in stopping actual grave robbers as the two worked hard in obtaining as many weapons as they could to stop Kaido when the time came. Even more awesome is the fact that Onimaru decided to continue as "Gyukimaru the Bridge Bandit" and collected even more weapons while Kawamatsu was captured.
** Yet another awesome moment for Kozuki Oden was revealed: with the aid of his legendary sword Enma, he was the only one to ''leave a scar on Kaido''.
* Chapter 954:
** Law proves he didn't need rescuing after all. When we finally see him again in this chapter, he has had an OffscreenMomentOfAwesome, having freed himself and ''defeated Hawkins''.
** Luffy, recovered from the Mummy virus and free to train without enemies breathing down on him, has made considerable progress towards mastering Ryuo in just three days, demonstrated by him pummeling a giant cube of ''solid steel''. Compare this to his battle with Katakuri who could make his limbs as strong as steel, where Luffy expressly needed Gear Four to break through it; now Luffy is in base form and treating the steel cube like ''jelly''.
** This chapter also put a high bar on the JustForFun/HolyShitQuotient. Big Mom and Kaido did what everyone from the Marines feared in the last arc, '''and have officially teamed up to destroy the Straw Hats and take over the world.'''
* Chapter 955: Act 2 comes to an end.
** Zoro tries out Enma, and its power is so great that his experimental swing at a tree results in him cutting a ''cliff''. The secret to the blade is revealed: it forcibly draws Haki out of the wielder for massive strikes, and in inexperienced hands it's enough to drain their life force dry. Zoro has to will his stolen Haki back into his arm, which ''shriveled'' from the Haki extraction after just the one swing. Even with the danger it poses, Zoro gladly accepts Enma as his own. The Cursed Swords subplot has finally reached its payoff!
** Luffy has mastered Advanced Armament Haki enough that he's now able to punch a big hole into a tree without touching it, just like how Grandpa Hyou punched out some of the executioners.

[[AC:Wano Country Arc: Act III]]
* Chapter 956:
** "Big News" Morgans shows that he's not all talk. He gets offered a "hefty" sum from the World Government to perform a cover-up, only to flatly refuse. The messenger then reveals himself as a Cipher Pol agent, threatening him ''at gunpoint'' to reconsider. Unintimidated and ''thoroughly'' unamused, Morgans ''kicked his ass'' not even a page later and went on to publish the full story.
** The Seven Warlord system is gone. The representatives of Alabasta and Dressrosa explained at the Reverie how their nations suffered ''horribly'' under the Warlords, and the decision to revoke their Government protection was met with the majority agreeing.
** X Drake is revealed to not only still being a Marine, but he is a member of a Special Unit known only as "SWORD." It's revealed that Koby is also part of that group.
** Best of all, however, are the reactions of the other Warlords. Buggy, while maintaining his image of being a great pirate, rallies his crew to fight (though he admits to himself he'll run away in the middle of the commotion). Weevil is, at first, dumbfounded by the fact that the Marines have turned against them so his mom elects to just kill them all. As for Boa Hancock and Mihawk? Hancock, upon hearing that some Marines (with Koby being a part of this group, mind you) are heading her way makes tells her Kuja subjects to calm down. Mihawk, on the other hand, just smirks at the prospect of being on the opposite end of the Marine's sights. The two warlords then make the most badass statements in the face of this impending threat:
---> '''Boa Hancock:''' Don't panic! You seem to have forgotten something. The reason they chose us to be the Seven Warlords was for our strength!
---> '''Dracule Mihawk''': I'm feeling a tremor of excitement. It has been a while... since I was the one being chased.
* Chapter 957 drops a lore nuke after lore nuke courtesy of former Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to the point where ''everything in the chapter'' is awesome:
** We're finally given information on the pirate crew that Big Mom, Kaido, ''and Whitebeard'' were once a part of before their heyday: the Rocks Pirates, led by Rocks '''D.''' Xebec. Essentially the EvilCounterpart to Gol D. Roger, this captain and crew were so mighty and relentless, they were regarded as ''terrorists'' rather than pirates, with Rocks' main goal being to usurp the Empty Throne from Imu. Unsurprisingly, this crew is also noteworthy for birthing a number of legendary pirates, some of which the Straw Hats contended with in the films.
** The "God Valley Incident" where the Rocks Pirates were disbanded, courtesy of '''[[EnemyMine Vice Admiral Garp and Gold Roger]]''' in what could've only been a battle too epic to put to page to take down Rocks, defending the Celestial Dragons and their slaves from what would've been certain doom. This incident was one of the things that the World Government tried to erase from the history books.
*** Additionally, this confirms that Garp was on par with the Pirate King, and has been ''turning down'' promotions to a more fitting rank than Vice Admiral so he could uphold his ideals of justice without being the Celestial Dragons' lapdog. Sengoku thinks the only reason they haven't got rid of Garp for this attitude is because he's ''just that good''.
** After years of ambiguity, we've finally been given the bounties on the Four Emperors and Gold Roger (Rocks was exempt due to the GovernmentConspiracy), putting their threat level as the ''One Piece'' world sees it into stark relief:
*** Blackbeard: 2,247,600,000 Berries, which might've been the highest revealed in the series had he not been new to the Emperor business.
*** Shanks: 4,048,900,000 Berries.
*** Big Mom: 4,388,000,000 Berries.
*** Kaido: 4,611,100,000 Berries.
*** Whitebeard: 5,046,000,000 Berries -- that's over ''five billion''.
*** Gold Roger: 5,564,800,000 Berries, the highest bounty for a pirate in the world's history.
** What prompted Sengoku to start dropping all these lore bombs? He learned about the alliance between Big Mom and Kaido, and grouses that this happened at the exact same time that they decided to go to war against the Seven Warlords. The world-spanning war Doflamingo predicted has indeed begun.
** And Sengoku still wasn't done after all of this, having one last bomb to drop: Kozuki Oden ''was a pirate'', and a pirate of '''Whitebeard's''' crew at that, a mere subordinate to an Emperor able to do lasting harm to another Emperor. It's clear that something ''big'' is brewing underneath the coming war at Wano...
** And just like Chapter 956, this chapter similarly started trending on Twitter. But the difference here is that it trended within '''30 minutes after it released.''' And this was worldwide, meaning that the Western half of the globe stayed up into the night to read it.
** Outside of the aforementioned [[ExpositionDump lore nuke,]] there is another CMOA that is a bit more subtle. At the beginning of the chapter, Issho is talking to Sakazuki. If you look at Issho, though, it is clear from how heavily bandaged he is that he sustained massive injuries in his off-screen battle against Sabo and the Revolutionary Commanders, despite being backed up by Green Bull. Bear in mind too that throughout the entire Dressrosa arc where Issho clashed against the likes of Law, Doffy, Sabo (after just eating the Mera Mera), and Luffy, he only suffered a few bruises at worst. While Sabo and the Revolutionary Commanders lost the battle, the fact that they were able to not only face off against two Admirals and seriously wound one of them is a testament to how strong they are.
* Chapter 959:
** Props to Orochi. Despite being labeled as a fool and everyone in his forces not believing him, he still manages to ruin things for everyone when he orders the destruction of all the bridges to Tokage Port and any ships on any of the other ports. What's more, he even sends some men to go and destroy the ''Sunny''!
* Chapter 960:
** Kozuki Oden's childhood was nothing but one crazy feat after another, complete with a ListOfTransgressions as early as ''one year old''.
** Tsuru pinning down Kin'emon while he was trying to steal her money to settle his friend's gambling debts. Keep in mind that Kin'emon was a yakuza thug back then.
*** And she tops it off by threatening to rip off and sell his organs to reclaim his debt.
* Chapter 961:
** Oden has definitely earned his reputation. Taking out the Mountain God (a gigantic boar that can eat buildings and humans) in one strike and saving every person she ate. This is what made Kin'emon and Denjiro loyal to him.
* Chapter 963:
** This chapter highlights how much work, dedication, and loyalty the Akazaya Nine have for Oden when they take Yasuie's words to heart. They all pour themselves into not only training physically, but mentally by learning manners and polishing themselves up from their rough habits. In fact, they become so polished, that the people of the capital are shocked to see them as exemplary samurai.
** Oden himself is still an amazing man from not only using the Mountain God and its child as steeds, but for having accepted Cat Viper, Dog Storm, and Kawamatsu as part of his retainers. The best part, however, comes at the end, where Oden races to the shore to face off against Whitebeard himself, brazenly asking to join his crew.
** Episode 963 of the anime shows us the fight in full, with Oden being delighted in finding a WorthyOpponent in Whitebeard. The fight ends with Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit-enhanced fist overpowering Oden's Oden Nitoryu and knocking the samurai flat on his back.
* Chapter 964:
** To get Oden to prove himself, Whitebeard has him hold on to chain attached to the ship for three days. He almost does it too, only letting go when he hears a woman in distress. That woman being his future wife, Toki.
** But it turns out that was also a test, as Whitebeard sees Oden as a man willing to abandon his ambitions for someone else, he happily rewards him with an invite. On top of that, he refers to Oden as "brother" rather than "son", seeing him as an equal.
* Chapter 966:
** We finally get to see the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates clash, and the only word for it is epic. Oden starts off by taking down a number of the Roger pirates before clashing with Roger, who expertly and easily sends Oden flying ''through'' six trees and into a seventh with one strike. Oden runs back in time to see Roger and Whitebeard clash, a clash that not only showcases their respective Conqueror's Haki but shakes the island so much that the ''Moby Dick'' nearly capsizes from how powerful the clash is. In the end, it took three days for each crew to finally call a draw.
** Just before this epic battle, it is shown that the Roger pirates had an encounter with a Marine ship. We don't get to see how the fight went down, just the result: everyone on that unfortunate ship is dead, the ship itself damaged beyond repair, and Roger has some parting words for the captain before leaving him for dead.
---> '''Roger''': If you're going to go after me, you'd better bring Sengoku or Garp with you.
** That's not even the best of it. When Whitebeard and Roger raise their weapons, they're coated in such an intensely dense layer of Haki that they leave thick trails of Haki arching through the air just by moving them.
** Also, about that clash, their weapons didn't even touch each other. Their Haki was so unbelievably thick that they were unable to get their weapons to touch each other. This means that that shockwave that almost capsized the ''Moby Dick'' came entirely from the pressure of just them swinging their Haki-infused weapons.
** The simple fact that the viewers get to witness both Roger and Whitebeard fighting ''in their prime''.
** On a minor note, Buggy notes that Teach (who was fighting with the crew) also didn't sleep for the days of the truce after the fight. Heck, Buggy even mentions that there is a rumor that Teach had never slept once in his life. Considering what the future holds...
* Chapter 967:
** We bear witness to Roger conquering the Grand Line, and finding Laugh Tale.
* Chapter 968:
** When Oden learns what Orochi has done in his absence, he goes full OneManArmy and charges through Orochi's ''entire'' legion of bodyguards with no issue.
* Chapter 969:
** Oden made an unknown deal with Orochi that involved him spending five years acting like a fool, smearing his own name. When Orochi unsurprisingly reneged on the deal (something involving boats and Kaido), Oden had enough and with the Akazaya Nine they storm the castle. Ending on a badass two-page spread.
* Chapter 970: We finally see the decisive battle between Oden and Kaido. The Emperor's forces number a thousand, though they are not the army of Devil Fruit users he has been building up in the present day; Oden, the Akazaya Nine and a late-joining Shinbou are ''crushing'' them, culminating in Oden leaving his legendary scar on Kaido. The battle seems even, or perhaps even steeped in Oden's favor... until [[VoluntaryShapeshifter Higurashi interferes by impersonating Momosuke]], providing the critical distraction Kaido needed to knock Oden out.
* Chapter 971: Oden prompts a bet out of Kaido that if those sentenced to boil survive one full hour in the pot, they go free. Kaido agrees to it and gives his word. So Oden proceeds ''to jump in and have his retainer stand on the lid while he holds it up by himself''. Oden spends at least the first five minutes of this execution standing there, holding up all nine of his retainers while his body is steadily boiled. And keep in-mind, this is a man who [[BadassNormal has no Devil Fruit powers]] and besides that, no Devil Fruit user would be able to do anything in this sort of situation. If wounding Kaido didn't certify Oden as utterly badass, this solidifies it.
* Chapter 972: Oden did it. He stood in the boiling pot for one whole hour while keeping his allies alive! But then Orochi reveals he changed his mind at the last minute and orders Oden, his allies and his family to be shot dead.
** He did not go quietly either. He stood defiant to Kaido, telling him that he was born to boil before Kaido shoots him. Even then, Oden [[GoOutWithASmile went out with a smile]] as his body sank into the oil. It should also be noted that Kaido personally ended Oden's misery as a sign of respect for the only man to ever wound him, having gone so far as killing Higurashi offscreen for interrupting the only bout with a WorthyOpponent he's had in decades.
* Chapter 973: We finally know what happened to Denjiro. While Kin'emon, Kanjuro, Raizo, Kiku, Momonosuke went forward in time, Dogstorm and Catviper went back to Zou each blaming each other for Oden's death, Kawamatsu taking Hiyori, and Ashura-doji biding his time; he was consumed with such a rage that his hair changed color. He then went to the Flower Capital where he assumed the name Kyoshiro. He quickly rose in the ranks of the underworld there to the point he caught Orochi's attention who made him his vassal. The reason for his epithet "Napping"? He spends all night awake as Witching-Hour Boy! After Hiyori left Kawamatsu, she ended up finding him and instantly recognizing him as Denjiro, who had her sworn to secrecy as to his identity until the final battle and gave her the name Komurasaki.
* Chapter 974:
** On the cover side story, Gotti manages to save Chiffon despite looking like he had quite the tussle with the Marines.
** We finally come back to the present, and things are looking bleak for the Akazaya Nine. Not only are they trying still to get to Onigashima in a bad storm but it is revealed to them that Kanjuro was in fact the mole the entire time! With the arrival of the Beast Pirates and Kanjuro kidnapping Momonosuke, hope finally arrives in the form of Luffy, Law, and even Kid taking on the Beast Pirates!
--> '''Luffy''': Don't pick on Samurai in a rowboat! When you're at sea, you fight against Pirates!
* Chapter 975:
** The ''Sunny'' survived the sabotage attempt made by the Beasts Pirates because it was made of Adam Wood; the only damage done was the sails being torn. When Franky claimed that the Adam Tree could handle cannonballs being fired at it, he wasn't kidding.
** Luffy, Law, and Kid immediately ''obliterate'' one of the enemy ships. The end result is the three of them arguing on a small piece of driftwood.
** When Denjiro/Kyoshiro shows up in his own ship, he reveals his true colors by slicing another of the Beast Pirates' ships in half!
** It turns out that Orochi's precautions were utterly pointless; Blowing up the bridges between the regions? The rebels had already crossed them, so it didn't matter. Destroying the ships? Those were just the leftovers the samurai didn't need. With the inclusion of the 200 man Kyoshiro Yakuza and the 1,000 supporters imprisoned in the Flower Capital, the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance now has over '''five thousand men''' ready to take on Onigashima!
** Yasuie gets a posthumous one, as it turns out his adding two lines didn't mean Tokage port but to remove the middle of the message so it read wharf as in the wharf of Habu.
* Chapter 976:
** An OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: While Kanjuro is getting away with Momonosuke, the three arguing pirate captains obliterated ''another'' of the Beast Pirates' ships.
** Towards the end of the chapter, the remaining Beast ship gets smart and sails to a safe distance, bringing out long-range artillery to ravage the Samurai's fleet. It looks like they're going to get away with it until something from ''under the sea'' gouges a large hole in the ship: [[TheBusCameBack Jimbei is back]] with impeccable timing! He then finishes off the final ship and loudly proclaims he has officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates, assuaging any fears from the audience that he'd be on a LongBusTrip for this arc.
** As if to underscore just how big of a deal Jimbei officially joining the Straw Hats is, both Law and Kid immediately respond with a mixture of OhCrap and YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe. Jimbei was already a legendary pirate in his own right, a former Warlord of the Sea and a prominent member of Big Mom's crew... and now he's a proud member of the Straw Hat Pirates, making an already monstrously strong crew that much more powerful.
* Chapter 977: The fact that the Straw Hats (including their newest member, Jimbei) destroy the fortress that is the front gate in seconds. Hilariously? This was so that they could get some booze to celebrate Jimbei joining the crew.
* Chapter 978: Kin'emon, with two sentences, summarizes how much he and those under him are willing to risk to see Wano free and Kozuki Oden avenged. They are fully aware that the risk they will fail and be killed to the last is there - and they aren't letting it stop them.
--> ''[The allied forces disembark from their ships, which start sinking almost immediately.]''\\
'''Luffy:''' Huh?! The ships are sinking! What happened to your ships, guys?!\\
'''Kin'emon:''' [[BurningTheShips We sink them before we go]]! On this mission... ''[[NotAfraidToDie we need no return ships]]!!''
* Chapter 980:
** Luffy knocking the Beast Pirate mook for wasting the oshiruko? Cool. Zoro slashing a tower apart to reprimand Luffy? Cool. When Luffy explains why he knocked the mook out? The two decide they need to knock a few heads for what happened to Tama.
** We get to see some of Apoo's Devil Fruit powers at their best against Luffy and Zoro, and it is still as bizarre and awesome as when he began to display them against Kizaru.
*** More props to Apoo for visibly hurting Zoro, which was an extreme rarity to see in the New World.
** At the end, it's not Luffy or Zoro that go to smash Apoo, but Kid, with a giant metallic hand for Apoo's treachery from before.
* Chapter 981:
** The Big Mom Pirates make it back up the waterfall, only to be knocked down again by a different flying pirate. Marco the Phoenix has arrived to Wano! And he brought Cat Viper and Izou.
*** What's particularly notable about Marco's DynamicEntry and makes it stand out is how [[CombatPragmatist ruthlessly pragmatic it is for one of the Straw Hat's allies]]. By knocking them all the way back down again, Marco has effectively removed the Big Mom Pirates (with the exception of Big Mom herself) from the playing field, meaning that Luffy and the others will not need to worry about them interfering in the battle against the Beast Pirates.
---->'''Marco:''' The next time you show up the times may have moved on a bit more than before.
* Chapter 983:
** Yamato's big introduction. When Ulti begins to overpower Luffy and he was about to use Gear Four, he runs in with a Thunder Bagua and knocks her out. LikeFatherLikeSon indeed.
** Rather than try to go up the waterfall again, Perospero heads into Onigashima alone. With no Smoothie, Daifuku, or anyone strong to protect him.
** Usopp and Chopper survive their encounter with Big Mom with only a couple bumps on their heads.
* Chapter 984: Yamato's big secret: "he" is actually a "she," having decided to take on masculine mannerisms to emulate Kozuki Oden. And as a daughter of one of the Five Emperors, he sets the bar for what it means to be an ActionGirl in this series!
* Chapter 985:
** NightmareFuel though this action of his may also be, for what it exactly is he intends to do... '''no one''' can deny that Kaido has served as the MVP of this chapter, for one simple reason: killing fucking '''[[HateSink Orochi.]]''' In the midst of his speech, on turning the Flower Capital into another factory grounds. And, in that same speech... his goals are made clear: he and Big Mom both intend to find the '''[[MythArc One Piece]]''', the very goal our heroes have been journeying long and hard for, this entire time. A Crowning Moment Of ''Evil'', if ever there WAS one.
** What's particularly impressive about the way Kaido kills Orochi is just how [[SurprisinglySuddenDeath immediate it is]]. Unlike a lot of ''One Piece'' villains, he doesn't monologue or go into some long-winded MotiveRant or EvilGloating about how Orochi was nothing more than his UnwittingPawn and how Orochi [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness no longer has any usefulness.]] Instead, the second Orochi starts to catch wind of what Kaido is planning, [[NoNonsenseNemesis Kaido immediately beheads him]] and resumes discussing his plan with his men.
* Chapter 986:
** Luffy shows some impeccable use of Advanced Armament Haki when he easily removes Yamato's handcuffs.
** When Yamato learns that they really were explosive handcuffs, he immediately disowns his father.
*** One for Luffy shortly afterwards -- instead of leaping straight into the fight, he holds Yamato back and tells him that the two of them aren't meant to throw the first punch. The HotBlooded IdiotHero is ''following the plan.''
** Momonosuke shows some real development. When faced with death if he confirms that he's the son of Oden, he proudly shouts that he's Kozuki Momonosuke and he will be the Shogun of Wano.
** The Raid begins! The Akazaya Nine charge in, rushing ''Kaido''. Izo shows his impeccable marksmanship by shooting a sword out of King's hand. The Nine's presence is so overbearing that Kaido actually flashes back to Oden. The group jumps him with a cry of "Sunacchi!". King and Queen be ''damned'', nothing will stop the retainers of Oden from killing Kaido.
** A special mention the animated episode of this chapter being released with the Nine racing through the hallways, cutting and shooting down anything that gets in their way, along with the stellar animation of Kinemon's performance and technique, taking down Kaido's many goons. And a slight reminder that this dangerous guy was introduced as a joke as a detached head and legs, courtesy of Law, in Punk Hazard.
* Chapter 987:
** The Akazaya Nine do what nobody but Oden managed to do in 20 years: ''wound Kaido''. Their blades don't go far (especially when one considers that Raizou went for his throat), but their blades still pierce the Emperor's nigh-impenetrable skin, and Kiku [[ImpaledPalm stabs through his hand]]. Even if they didn't do much damage at the outset, Kaido is shocked by the fact that he's even ''feeling'' pain.
** Luffy confronts both Big Mom and Kaido, announcing that he's not there just for fun -- he's there to declare all-out ''war'' on them! And Kaido's response is to laugh -- not in a mocking fashion, but with ''excitement'' as he [[BloodKnight gleefully accepts the challenge.]] Clearly, things are about to get ''real'' in the next several chapters.
*** This also implies that Luffy managed to earn Kaido's ''[[VillainRespect respect]].'' Of all the vanquished foes that Kaido sentenced to a living hell, Luffy was one of the ''very'' few whose spirit was never broken. And now the captain of the Straw Hat crew has returned, having TookALevelInBadass, and is ready for ''round two.'' And ''that'' is how one earns the respect of Kaido, who's infamously known throughout the world as its "[[RedBaron Strongest Creature]]."
** Kaido doesn't waste time [[JustToyingWithThem playing around]] in human form. Instead, he smashes right through the roof of his castle in his [[ScaledUp dragon form]], declaring that he's all sobered up. Clearly, he has no intention of holding back; the Akazaya Nine have impressed him enough to take this fight seriously.
** Closing out the chapter is Boss Cat Viper noting that the Strawhat-Samurai-Mink Alliance were ''counting'' on Kaido smashing up through the roof. That's why he and Duke Dogstorm brought all the warriors of Zou to fight; they're all up there already waiting for Kaido. And his closing remarks about the full moon being out that night can mean only one thing...'''Boss Cat Viper and Duke Dogstorm are about to go [[SuperMode Sulong]]!!!'''
* Chapter 988:
** It turns out not to be just be Viper and Dogstorm going Sulong, but ''all of the Minks involved in the raid'', forming an angry mob that prepares to keep Jack and his cronies away from the battle with Kaido.
** Shinobu and a suited-up Sanji work together to rescue Momonosuke, and despite King brutally retaliating, they succeed.
** In case you've forgotten how strong Big Mom really is, she uses her [[SwordBeam Ikoku]] technique to blast a hole clean through Onigashima and into the sea.
** When it looks like Nami is done for after Big Mom reclaims Zeus, Franky and Brook suddenly arrive on the scene, cutting Zeus in half again and ''running Big Mom over''. Not just running her over, driving over her face!
** In the Anime adaption of this chapter, Brook and Franky start singing as they ride towards Big Mom, and the whole time they never lose their cheerful expressions. Quite possibly the most dangerous opponent they have ever faced, and they treat the whole thing like a celebration.
* Chapter 989:
** Franky, Robin, and Jimbei team up to directly fight Big Mom, aiming to take her off the board temporarily. And '''they succeed.''' Jimbei grabs her by the arm from behind as she goes to swing at Franky (who was distracted by one of Kaido's wild beasts and was forced to attack it rather than Big Mom), and Robin then restrains her with her powers before rolling her straight out of the building like a soccer ball. Suddenly, she seems like someone the Straw Hats can actually beat.
** Franky's response to Nami warning about Big Mom being one of the Four Emperors was pretty much a "so what", boasting that Luffy is going to be the King of the Pirates. Noteworthy, as Franky was freaking out over Luffy challenging her back at Fish-Man Island.
** A subtle one for Franky. As he aimed his Radical Beam at Big Mom, she had a worried look on her face. Franky managed to intimidate one of the Four Emperors.
** After their confrontations with King and Queen, Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy regroup with the rest of the crew. The final frame of the chapter is the ten of them standing ready to fight (reminiscent of the iconic scene from Fish-Man Island), and Luffy declaring that he knows he can rely on his crew to defeat Kaido's lackeys while he goes for the big guy himself. Awesome.
* Chapter 990:
** Even when facing the Minks in their Sulong form, Jack still puts up a fight, easily taking several of them out despite cuts all over his trunk and swords in his body.
** Facing down the Numbers (revealed in the last chapter to be failed experiments at recreating ancient giants), Luffy is reminded of fighting Oars on Thriller Bark, remembering how his crew had to work together to take him down, and barely even did it then. But now, Luffy can easily take each of the Numbers on by himself, and does just that by going Gear Four and attacking one with a Kong Gun.
** Zoro and Jimbei show their stuff when taking on a Number. Zoro cuts its mace in half, and Jimbei punches it to stop it.
** Drake ends up getting outed as TheMole by Queen, Who's Who, and Hawkins. In response, he sets off an explosion, escapes, attacks a Number, and, remembering what Koby said, joins Luffy's side.
* Chapter 991:
** Apoo sobering the Numbers back up. In addition, when Luffy and Sanji cover their ears from his attack, he points out the LogicalWeakness in that strategy:
---> '''Apoo:''' [[SignatureLaugh Aaaa pa pa pa pa!!]] So you learned, huh?! But it's a lot harder to fight in silence than you think!
** Kin'emon gets to show just how powerful his Fox-Fire Style is when he literally cuts '''Kaido's [[BreathWeapon Blast Breath]]''' in half, protecting the rest of the Akazaya Nine and injuring Kaido in the process.
** The Akazaya Nine showing just how [[{{Determinator}} determined]] they are when they state that it doesn't matter if they die, so long as Kaido [[TakingYouWithMe goes down with them]].
---> '''Denjiro:''' (''about escaping'') Run? Don't make me laugh!\\
'''Raizo:''' We're tired of running!! Tired of hiding!!!\\
'''Ashura Doji:''' Just [[TitleDrop let us die]]!!! As Oden's samurai!!!\\
'''Kawamatsu:''' Once we've taken your head, that is!!!
* Chapter 992:
** The whole thing is practically one long moment of awesome as the Akazaya Nine (with Izo effectively replacing Kanjuro) go to town on Kaido's dragon form and actually ''hurt'' him. ''Repeatedly.''
*** Cat Viper and Kawamatsu draw first blood, causing all of Kaido's subordinates to have a collective OhCrap moment when they realize ''their boss can be hurt''.
*** Dogstorm puts his new pegleg to good use by stabbing it into Kaido's skin.
*** Izo and Kikunojo pepper Kaido with enough ranged attacks that he resorts to using his [[BreathWeapon Blast Breath]] on them, except...
*** Raizo summons a scroll from out of nowhere, absorbs the Blast Breath with it, and ''[[AttackReflector sends it directly back at Kaido]]!''
*** The whole thing culminates with Dogstorm, Ashura, Denjiro, and Kin'emon all ''simultaneously'' replicating the very same technique Oden himself used against Kaido over 20 years ago and reopening the scar Oden gave Kaido at the same moment. All four strikes land on the ''exact same spot''.
* Chapter 993: Kaido once again shows why he's the "King of the Beasts" when he shrugs off the attacks of the Akazaya samurai, claims they're still nothing compared to Oden, and launches a RazorWind attack that [[AnArmAndALeg cleaves off Kiku's arm]] [[ArmorPiercingAttack through her armor]].
* Chapter 994: After Kiku loses an arm, her brother ties up the stump to lessen the bleeding before Kin'emon cauterizes it with his FlamingSword. She then states that she's still good to fight. Kaido himself was [[VillainRespect impressed by this]].
* Chapter 995:
** Marco briefly clashes with Big Mom and Prometheus, even injuring the latter with his phoenix powers. Goes to show that this guy was second-in-command to '''[[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard]]''' not just out of fatherly love.
** As Perospero is about to shoot Marco with an arrow, Sulong Carrot and Wanda rush in and slash him across the eyes!
** Ulti brutally beats Nami, and in a fit of anger demand she say Luffy will never be King of the Pirates. Nami, bleeding and afraid, defies her and says he'll "never STOP until he's King of the Pirates". Her loyalty to the crew will never waver.
** Just as Ulti is about to smash Nami's skull, Tama appears with Komachiyo and bites down on her.
* Chapter 996:
** Kaido is shown wiping the floor with the Akazaya Nine showing he was just toying with them all along.
** How did Tama get to Onigashima? She snuck aboard an enemy ship. On her own that wouldn't be impressive, but the fact she brought a large lion-dog and sword-wielding baboon with her is worth mentioning.
** Where has Law been the last several chapters? Turns out he was hunting for the Road Poneglyph, as he's now dedicated to finding out the truth of the D. name along with Robin (and the audience).
* Chapter 997:
** In the anime at least, Sanji almost says he doesn't like Black Maria. Considering it's Sanji post-timeskip, the fact that it takes actual ''effort'' from Maria's part to seduce him is an awesome moment for him.
** Zoro shows us why he's largely considered to be the Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. He first takes Apoo down in a single strike and proceeds to give Chopper the vial and instruct him to synthesize an antidote to the Ice Oni virus. He then destroys Queen's Excite Bullet gatling gun before Queen can even react and caps it off by dropping a BadassBoast on him:
---> '''Zoro:''' I DIDN'T COME ALL THE WAY TO THIS ISLAND TO WASTE TIME ON A BUNCH OF NONSENSE!!! THEY SAY KAIDO'S THE TOUGHEST GUY IN THE WORLD!! SO I'M HERE TO SLICE HIM INTO PIECES!!
*** Keep in mind Queen has a bounty almost 4X that of Zoro's current bounty and is one of the top three in an EMPEROR'S crew and Zoro basically told him he isn't worth his attention. Bad. Ass.
** Terrifying as it is, Kaido's power lifting the ENTIRE ISLAND of Onigashima!!
* Chapter 998:
** Marco's flames allow the infected to be temporarily subdued while Chopper and a few Minks create and distribute the antibody.
** We finally get to see all of the Devil Fruits of the Tobiroppo. Turns out, they're all Ancient Zoans:
*** As previously seen, X Drake, Page One and Ulti can transform into an ''Allosaurus'', ''Spinosaurus'', and ''Pachycephalosaurus'' respectively.
*** Now, Sasaki knocks General Franky down as a ''Triceratops'', Black Maria entangles Sanji with the webs of a ''Rosamygale Grauvogeli'', and Who's Who confronts Jimbei in the form of a large ''Saber-toothed Tiger''.
** The last page reveals that Yamato met Ace when the latter visited Onigashima, and that Ace came to Onigashima with the intention of killing ''Kaido'' of all people, seemingly on his own!
* Chapter 999:
** The flashback starts with Ace clashing with Yamato. Due to the fact that Kaido and his higher ranked were on an expedition, Ace is able to take down everyone except for Yamato.
*** It is also shown that Ace and his crew were apparently there to save kids who were kidnapped, which they succeeded in doing with no problem.
*** When Ace notices the shackles on Yamato's arms, he tells Yanati that he shouldn't let his heart be shackled too, which moves Yamato, leading to the two becoming friends.
** Marco is taking on both King and Queen to bring Zoro to the roof.
* Chapter 1000:
** To start things off this chapter, we have Marco (in full phoenix form) putting Queen AND King in neck holds with his wings. This is especially impressive given not only their own strength but also the size difference between Marco and them.
** Yamato reveals that within Oden's logbook, he left a message describing what will happen in the future.
---> Over 20 years in the future, powerful pirates leading the next generation will come swarming into the New World!! If I am dead by then, they will be the ones to strike down Kaido!!!
*** As this is being said, Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer all make it to the roof to confront Kaido ''and'' Big Mom.
** When Luffy arrives at the summit of Onigashima, he is joined by all of his fellow Supernovas participating in the raid, resulting in a two-page panel of them fearlessly facing down the two Emperors. The final confrontation for Wano has begun.
** When Luffy sees the Akazaya Nine, he immediately goes to Kin'emon. Kin'emon asks that Luffy save Wano, to which Luffy responds that he'll do it because it's his friend's country.
*** Also, to get to Kin'emon, Luffy strides right between two of the most powerful pirates in the world like they aren't even worth his time.
** When Luffy encounters the two Emperors, Kaido ''demands'' that Luffy ''dare'' to say what he said to him in their first bout all those chapters ago to his face again. Incensed by Luffy ignoring him to tend to Kin'emon, he attempts to crush the Straw Hats' captain on the spot -- only for Luffy to dodge into the air. Thinking back to all the friends he's made in Wano [[BerserkButton who Kaido has hurt]], he summons up an [[MegatonPunch Elephant Gun]], only to instead unleash a ''[[ElementalPunch Red Hawk]]'' variant of it called '''Red Roc'''. This attack ''[[NotSoInvincibleAfterAll draws blood from Kaido]]'' and ''smashes him facefirst into the ground.'' As Big Mom reprimands Kaido in disbelief, Luffy stands before them and, at last, answers Kaido's question for the both of them:
---> "[[MyNameIsInigoMontoya I am Monkey D. Luffy]]. [[BadassBoast And I'm the man who will surpass you...]] ''[[CharacterCatchphrase to be King of the Pirates!!!]]''"
*** Both Kaido and Big Mom are shocked that Luffy could do damage to Kaido, which shows how much stronger Luffy has gotten since his last bout with him. For bonus points, Kaido doesn't have the "I was drunk out of my mind" excuse this time around, nor was Luffy taking advantage of his scar -- he ''legitimately'' drew blood from Kaido on the word "Go". Luffy's brief Ryuo training has already levelled the playing field.
* Chapter 1001:
** Zoro shows that his time training for the war was well spent as he performs Kin'emon's firecutting technique to cut Prometheus in half.
** We finally get to see what Kid was planning to do with all the scrap metal he'd gathered a few chapters ago: Form a giant mech that's larger than Kaido.
** Luffy is capable of partly dodging Kaido's attack. Kaido even [[WorthyOpponent compliments him for that.]]
** In a callback to their first meeting at Sabaody, Luffy, Kid, and Law engage Kaido together with Luffy punching him in the stomach with a Gear Four Kong Gun, Kid crushing him between the hands of his mech, and Law using his powers to bury Kaido in rubble.
** Of course, Kaido's no slouch either. His Thunder Bagua is so fast that even with advanced Observation Haki, it's almost impossible to dodge. And when the Worst Generation gang up on him, he's able to take their hits and come back swinging.
* Chapter 1002:
** Kid, Law, and Killer attacking Kaido and actually ''making it hurt''. Kid uses his Punk Rotten to throw Kaido's ''much'' larger body and slam it, and Law uses his Gamma Knife to strike the dragon's heart directly. Killer follows this up with something called "Sonic Scythe" where his Punishers apparently bypass scales to reach the internals, represented visually by his blades growing larger and cutting through Kaido's body! Even Kaido admits that he can't rely on his natural durability to win this one alone.
** Just when it looks like Luffy is about to take a point blank Breath Blast from Kaido, Zoro with Law's help dives in the middle and cuts his attack clean in half to disperse it. This is followed by Big Mom ''[[OhCrap freaking out and screaming]]'' for Kaido to dodge the counterattack when she sees his sword, and even Kaido seems intimidated when he senses the same aura as Oden coming from Zoro. Kaido barely dodges and the whiffed strike ends up cleaving off one of the castle's horns. Let's repeat that: Kaido, who has tanked every attack without any concern, [[TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort decided to dodge the attack instead of risking it head-on]]. The fact Kaido even felt the need to heed Big Mom's advice about dodging speaks volumes of the threat Zoro poses now that he has trained with Enma.
** In an ''amazing'' CallBack that's both this and hilarious, Big Mom strikes Luffy directly with Zeus and is convinced he's toast, but when he turns up unscathed she demands to know why, and Luffy casually reiterates that he's made of rubber. Big Mom is left making ''an identical'' OhCrap face as Eneru as she realizes that not even Zeus being magically animated and empowered by Haki keeps Luffy from being the LogicalWeakness of a third of her powerset.
** Immediately after is an even better moment: Luffy gets hit by a point-blank Blast Breath... and ''powers through it with sheer '''guts'''''. Repeat: '''Luffy managed to tank an attack that OBLITERATED AN ENTIRE CASTLE AND THE MOUNTAIN IT WAS STANDING ON.''' Which is then followed up by Luffy revealing '''Kong Gatling.''' He's pummeling Kaido right in his face, just like he did during their first fight... but this time, [[CurbStompBattle he's not going to come out unscathed]].
** This chapter really shows how far all of the Supernovas have come. While Kaido is built up throughout the arc as a justifiably immense threat, his opponents have managed to reach that threat level. From a narrative standpoint, this is why Big Mom was reintroduced for this arc: not to help Kaido deliver a CurbStompBattle, but to prevent him from being on the ''[[AntiClimaxBoss receiving end]]''.
* Chapter 1003:
** Despite getting hit by Big Mom's lighting in the last chapter, Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer are all revealed to be relatively unscathed and watching as Luffy delivers his Kong Gatling on Kaido.
** Law managed to hurt Big Mom with his Counter Shock. It goes to show that even if he isn't the heavy-hitter that Luffy and Kid are, Law's analytical fighting style and precise close-range attacks can now pierce straight through and hit even the strongest of Devil Fruit or Haki-users.
** Luffy finishes his Kong Gatling by hitting Kaido with a punch that knocks him into the ground with enough force to create a massive dust cloud.
** Another point to Kaido, he gets right back up and uses his powers to create tornados across the battlefield.
** Then when Kaido tries to eat Luffy, Zoro counters with his own tornado and actually manages to cut him with the power of Enma.
** And a major one at the end, Kaido has finally assumed his hybrid form.
* Chapter 1004:
** We find out why Tama snuck into the battle: she used her Devil Fruit ability to create as much kibi-dango as possible on the boat ride to Onigashima to ''[[HeelFaceBrainwashing tame a bunch of SMILE-users mid-raid]]'' - every dango fed equals a new ally for the rebellion. That prediction that [=CP0=] made last chapter about the Beast Pirates defeating the alliance with sheer numbers? Already called into question because of one little girl.
** Tied with the top, Nami and Usopp are able to fool Sasaki and his crew long enough for Usopp to snipe the kibi-dango right into the mouths of many of the Armored Corps.
** Nami is able to nail Ulti with a Thunder Lance Tempo. While she admits she needs to use more power to take Ulti down, it is nice to see the same move that took down Kalifa from [=CP9=] way back when.
** Not to be outdone, Franky is able to fight Sasaki to the point where he lands a deadly sword attack on the currently transformed member of the Flying Six.
* Chapter 1005:
** Sanji asking for help. Considering his pride and how he fears putting women in danger, him admitting he needs help takes ''serious guts''. He also uses his cry to help to show how the Beast Pirates network works, which Usopp takes advantage of and starts making a plan to exploit it.
** Robin and Brook show up to save Sanji from Black Maria. Robin slaps the Tobiroppo with a giant hand, while Brook uses his GhostlyChill to free Sanji.
* Chapter 1006:
** Proving that he was [[WorldsStrongestMan Whitebeard's]] NumberTwo for a ''reason'', Marco continues to absolutely [[CurbStompBattle trivialize]] both [[CoDragons King and Queen]] with utmost ease and at the ''same time'', to the point that he's openly more invested and entertained at what's happening around him than the fight itself.
** Hyogoro shows why he was such a feared warrior when he unleashes a move that defeats all of the Mimawarigumi and the Orochi Oniwabanshu single-handedly. This is because catching the Ice Oni virus drew out his dormant strength.
* Chapter 1007:
** Chopper successfully creates a cure for the Ice Oni virus and heals everyone who's been infected -- not a second too soon either, as Hyogoro would've had to be given a MercyKill otherwise.
** How does Chopper do it? He and his assistants fire an ''airborne cure'' through a ''cannon''. This is enough to purify the entire floor, saving thousands of lives.
** Just before this, Queen was ranting at how the Pleasures and Waiters are useless CannonFodder whose only purpose now is [[WeHaveReserves to spread the Ice Oni virus]]. Now that Chopper saved them? ''[[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal They all turn on Queen.]]'' [=CP0=] might want to run the numbers again, because the Beast Pirates' advantage just evaporated.
---> "We're not gonna sit still and get murdered by an insane boss! We'd rather die on the side of the guy who saved our lives!! Ain't that right, boys?!"
** Chopper caps off his moment of heroism by immediately using Monster Point and ''decking'' Queen as a means of venting for all the Tanuki comments.
* Chapter 1008: This quote as the 5 Supernovas face down against the 2 Emperors.
--> '''Kid:''' ''[Grinning]'' With the two of them [Big Mom and Kaido] standing side by side it looks like we're in Hell!\\
'''Luffy:''' ''[Smiling]'' That suits me fine. [[BadassBoast I've been to Hell and back a few times already!! It's Home Territory!!!]]
* Chapter 1009:
** Kin'emon and the others [[OffWithHisHead decapitate all of Orochi's heads]] like it's an afterthought.
---> '''Kin'emon:''' We have no time to waste on you. [[BadassBoast Your judgement will be served in Hell!!!]]
** Big Mom and Kaido's CombinationAttack, Conquest of the Sea, is probably the strongest attack seen in the series to date.
*** Zoro then manages to BLOCK IT. Yes, it's only for a moment, and he is still heavily injured, but read that again. Zoro managed to block a CombinationAttack from two Emperors!
** Luffy and Kaido are still fighting. While Kaido is still hammering Luffy, the younger pirate gloats that Kaido is now actually bothering to ''dodge'' his attack, thus fixing Kaido's full attention on him long enough for the others to pull off their plan to separate the Emperors.
** Zoro, Killer, Kid and Law display excellent teamwork against Big Mom and her Homies. Kid creates a metal box that Law uses to trap Zeus in. Then Zoro uses Kin'emon's Fox Fire Style to cut Prometheus into pieces while Killer separates Napoleon from Big Mom. With her Homies gone, Kid attacks Big Mom; although she {{No Sell}}s his attacks and smashes him into the ground, he wraps her arm in metal and uses Repel to launch her into the air. Law then uses Tact to chuck a rock at her, which doesn't harm her, but manages to push her off the edge of the island and towards the sea below. With Zeus trapped, Prometheus in pieces and Kaido busy with Luffy, Big Mom is very likely out of the fight, at least for a time.
* Chapter 1010:
** Zoro, for the first time since the TimeSkip, brings back his Nine-Sword Style Asura mode to unleash a devastating move that leaves Kaido with ''another'' scar. And Kaido realizes that Zoro has Conqueror's Haki as well!
** But the real MVP is Luffy, who has discovered that he can use his Ryuo moves with his own Conqueror's Haki, allowing him to block Kaido's club ''without touching it'', just like when ''Gol D. Roger'' and ''Whitebeard'' fought! And Luffy then follows up with a punch to the gut and an uppercut that sends Kaido reeling. And Luffy did it '''without his Gears'''.
** Just the fact that Luffy GETS RIGHT BACK UP after being knocked unconscious for a brief period by one of Kaido's strongest attacks in the last chapter.
** Kaido proves deserving of his reputation as unkillable by tanking all of the above without much trouble, while still making the island float with his power.
* Chapter 1011:
** In their only scene of the chapter, Luffy and Kaido have an epic clash of Haki reminiscent of whenever the Four Emperors clashed. It's official: Luffy is now in the league of the Emperors.
** Tama continues to be an epic SpannerInTheWorks. She, Nami, and Usopp are still fleeing Page One -- and run into the recovered Big Mom! It almost looks like they'll have a new pursuer, until Big Mom recognizes Tama. She stops everything and genuinely ''thanks'' the little girl for giving her food when she was an amnesiac... and then Tama sullenly reveals that Okobore, where she got that food from, was burned down by the Beast Pirates not long after. Big Mom is '''incensed''', doing a complete 180 and citing EvenEvilHasStandards as she ''smashes Page One into the floor''. Whatever pretext the Beast-Big Mom Alliance had just collapsed.
--->'''Big Mom:''' ''Don't you know... that even in the cruel world of pirates, '''[[EvenEvilHasStandards there's still a code of honor?!! You clowns!!!]]'''''
* Chapter 1012:
** Villainous though it may be, Ulti gets some points in awesomeness in that she is willing to fight Big Mom. Let's repeat this: Ulti was willing to fight Big Mom after seeing Big Mom deck Page One and only stopped to continue pursuing Nami, Usopp, and Tama. Then what does she do to show she is willing to cross lines? She beats up Komachiyo and then, IN FRONT OF BIG MOM, slashes Tama.
** When Ulti [[KickTheDog slashes Tama's cheek,]] Nami goes from trying to escape to smacking Ulti with a lightning bolt. While Usopp freaks out over her actions, Nami swears she'd never tolerate someone who'd raise their hand to a child.
--->'''Nami:''' I'm going to stay here and crush her!!!
* Chapter 1013:
** Livid about what Ulti did to Tama, Big Mom proves her status as an Emperor by [[CombinationAttack combining her three Homies]] into a SwordBeam she calls Maser Cannon, blowing [[TorsoWithAView a hole straight through Ulti's gut]] and taking her out instantly.
** When Big Mom turns her attention to the Straw Hats, Captain Kid comes down on her with Punk Gibson, before deciding to take her on while the Straw Hats get away.
** A villainous one for Kaido. [[HopeSpot Despite the set up that Luffy has a fighting chance now that he knows how Kaido's power works]], the ending has the chilling scene of an unconscious Luffy falling from Onigashima, once again proving that Kaido is "the strongest creature alive". In a one-on-one fight -- on land, on sea, or in the air -- ''always bet on Kaido.''
*** That also makes Kaido the very first antagonist since ''Crocodile'' to beat Luffy twice in a row (or even ''three times'' if you count the moment Luffy was knocked out by Kaido's Ragnaraku during the fight on the roof).
* Chapter 1014: Everybody refusing Kaido's offer to join him even after they hear about the Akazaya Nine and Luffy's defeats.
** Kin'emon not only took down Kanjuro, he also took on Kaido by himself while alone and injured.
* Chapter 1015: Things are looking bad for Chopper. Queen just won't go down and Perospero has unleashed a massive rain of arrows onto the samurai. Then Sanji shows up, kicks Queen (In his brachiosaurus form) so hard the Lead Performer goes into a spin that not only deflects the arrows but ''also'' smacks Perospero away!
--> '''Sanji:''' '''Rotisserie...STRIKE!!!'''
** Kin'emon staying conscious despite being hit with a two handed kanabo Conqueror's Haki attack from Kaido. For perspective: Page One, who has [[SuperToughness an ancient Zoan type devil fruit]], was knocked out with a single handed Conqueror's Haki blow from Big Mom. Even when severely injured, Kin'emon still managed to injure and survive Kaido.
** Momonosuke announces that Luffy is still alive and restores everyone's morale, showing he is doing his part to contribute.
** Luffy managing to still speak while underwater and unconscious. Despite how serious his situation is, Luffy still doesn't give up and continues to fight Kaido.
* Chapter 1016:
** Ulti just '''won't quit'''. She nearly got her side blown off by Big Mom and is running on fumes, and she ''still'' manages to catch up to Nami, Usopp and Tama at the stage.
** Fortunately, Nami and a miraculously-surviving Zeus manage to trump Ulti's awesome moment with their own. Zeus managed to cling to life by accidentally letting some of his soul slip into Nami's Clima-Tact, ''turning it into a homie'' that doubles as a MorphWeapon -- and this time he's completely loyal to his new master. Nami and Zeus team up, and together they finally take Ulti down for good.
** Props to Usopp; Nami initially can't attack Ulti because the Headliner is holding Tama, so Usopp, despite being beaten down, fires a Green Star Sargasso to help Tama escape. Then, once Ulti is beaten, he captures Bao-Huang with a Green Star Devil so Tama can use Bao-Huang's connection to the Marys so she can talk to all of the Dango-eating Gifters on Onigashima!
** With Luffy temporarily out of the action, Yamato steps up to bat against his father, and while he's fully aware there's no way he can defeat Kaido without Luffy's help, he's ready to HoldTheLine for Luffy to get back into it with him. This is followed by the firm declaration that once Kaido is deposed, Yamato is going to take to the seas... ''as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates''. Yamato also got Kaido to take him seriously as the latter went straight into his hybrid form to fight.
* Chapter 1017:
** Tama did it. Using the kidnapped Bao-Huang, she sent her orders to the entire island. The result is every SMILE user on Onigashima who ate Tama's millet dumplings (which at this point is '''most of them''') pulling a ManchurianAgent and allying with the Straw Hats. Thanks to Tama, the Animal Kingdom Pirates' numbers advantage has diminished to the point that the Straw Hats can now turn their full attention to the Lead Performers and the Tobi Roppo.
** Though that's not to say the Animal Kingdom Pirates are making it easy. Queen, having been sufficiently incensed by Sanji, reveals his past. He was a part of the same research group as Judge, known as MADS, and decides to show how more of his cybernetics combined with his hybrid form, which results in a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot gigantic man with dinosaur skin and several unfriendly-looking robot limbs]]. Despite this intimidation tactic, Sanji is unfazed in the slightest and is regarding the Calamity with pure annoyance more than anything.
** Meanwhile in response to the chaos, Who's-Who of the Tobi Roppo has also realized he needs to get serious, fighting against Jimbei, and starts busting out ''Six Powers'' techniques in tandem with his Sabertooth powers -- turns out Who's-Who's a former [=CP9=] agent. His combination attacks rip the room apart like a knife through butter.
*** Why is a [=CP9=] Agent now working as a pirate? Twelve years prior, a Devil Fruit he was in charge of transporting was stolen off his ship by pirates, which he was promptly fired and imprisoned for. ''Which'' Devil Fruit did the pirates steal? ''The Gum-Gum Fruit.''
*** Not only that, the fact that a ''[=CP9=] agent'' was tasked with guarding the Fruit means that the World Government considered the ''Gum-Gum Fruit'' valuable enough to protect- and the Red Hair Pirates ''still'' managed to steal it.
** Not that Jimbei lets any of that scare him. In fact, before Tama's announcement, the First Son of the Sea makes it clear he fully expected a 5K vs 30K war, and that he's not going to complain about the very uneven odds. When Who's Who whips out the Six Powers moves, Jimbei counters easily, even blocking a Tempest Kick with his bare Armament Haki-covered arm.
---> '''Jimbei:''' And this is what you call '''Iron Body,''' correct?
* Chapter 1018:
** Jimbei vs Who's-Who, a battle between a former Warlord and [=CP9=] agent! Who's-Who unleashes a blitz of his Six Powers techniques on the First Son of the Sea, never letting up while making derogatory comments about fishmen. But Jimbei takes it all without flinching -- when Who's-Who unleashes a rapid-fire Finger Pistol, the Tobi Roppo ends up ''breaking his fingers''.
---> '''Who's-Who:''' ''[Performing a rapid-fire Finger Pistol]'' Stop pretending like you don't know anything about slaves! You're a Fishman, arent you?! ''So, out with it already,'' '''JIMBEI!'''
--->''[Jimbei blocks Who's-Who onslaught of attacks for a moment, before his words finally ticked him off and covers himself in Armament Haki, breaking Who's-Who's fingers and twisting them with a Shark Grip.]''\\
'''Jimbei:''' ''I have nothing to tell you! Do you understand me?!''
*** Jimbei steps on Who's-Who's tail to keep him from running away from one heckuva punch; the Demon Brick Fist to the face.
---> '''Jimbei:''' You run you mouth about this like it's some sort of game! ''This'' is the weight of history! Do you understand now?!
** Tama ends up making even more Animal Kingdom members turn to the Straw Hat's side than expected, as the brainwashed Headliners take their ''non''-brainwashed subordinates with them. With this, we get the new numbers for the armies: 16,000 on the Animal Kingdom side, 9,000 on the Straw Hats side, with the strength of the rogue SMILE users making up the difference. It suddenly seems like the Straw Hats can win this war, and [=CP0=] has realized it; formerly confident that the Straw Hats had no chance, they're now preparing to pull a VillainExitStageLeft (after confirming that Who's-Who has been silenced).
* Chapter 1019: With the Gifters changing sides, Sasaki enters his hybrid form. And with this form's flying ability (see the Funny page), the Tobi Roppo now has an edge in speed and maneuverability! In earlier showings, the General Franky decimated its foes, but Sasaki ends up overwhelming it, even breaking the Franken with his Screw Sword. Knowing that a protracted battle won't end well, Franky pulls out the stops and blasts Sasaki into the air with the General Cannon! When Sasaki recovers from that and goes into a divebomb, Franky ejects from the cockpit as the triceratops-man crashes into the robot and fires his Radical Beam into Sasaki's earlier wound!
* Chapter 1020:
** Yamato shows he's on near equal ground to Kaido, thanks to the Mythical Devil Fruit he ate that allows him to transform into a divine wolf.
** Black Maria creates illusions of Robin's loved ones (Olvia, Clover, and Saul), but she quickly sees through them and slaps them.
** In the anime adaptation, Brook also sees an illusion of his beloved former captain, but he isn't fooled either. In fact, he and Robin are mad at what Black Maria did.
** Brook goes into soul mode and easily dispatches Black Maria's Wanyudo weapon.
** As Brook takes care of the rabble, Robin takes on Black Maria by herself, and shows she is not to be messed with. By summoning "Gigante Fleur", sprouting a giant Robin.
* Chapter 1021:
** After more than a decade of not getting a simple one-on-one fight like many of her contemporaries, Robin finally gets a chance to show her stuff against a peer opponent. Despite Black Maria's webs and brute force, Robin unveils '''Demonio Fleur''', creating a giant demonic-looking version of herself. It even manges to frighten the Tobi Roppo member for a bit due to how sudden Robin's new form appeared.
*** She even declares her resolve to help the Straw Hats and the people who count on her no matter what. She's not a liability Black Maria thinks she is.
--->'''Robin''': You were wrong. There are people in this world who need me, who love me and rely on me, and I'd do anything for them. ''Anything.'' '''Even turn into a demon!'''
*** '''Demonio Fleur: Gran Jacuzzi Clutch'''; Robin's finishing move against Black Maria. She first surrounds and grabs the Rosamygale spider Tobi Roppo with her now crimson red arms uses a leg to further her hold on Black Maria, tightly locks her hold and with all her might, ''crushes'' the Tobi Roppo member with a single joint lock.
*** Even better, Black Maria before was just pummeling Robin within a inch of her life and taunting her "uselessness" when she had the upper hand. Now, she's at the mercy of the demonic archaeologist, screaming for her life while Robin preforms her clutch.
** When Black Maria sets her webs on fire to create a massive blaze, Robin creates a giant hand and palm strikes ''the ceiling'', burying the fire with the rubble!
** Brook then follows up by taking down Maria's lackies, including one of the Numbers, with a slash in the shape of a treble clef.
** Momonosuke asking Shinobu to age him into an adult so that he can help save Wano.
* Chapter 1022:
** Perospero is about to snipe Sanji with a candy arrow, only for Cat Viper to ambush and send the villain flying.
** In the anime adaptation, Sanji holds off both King and Queen, with the former Lead Performer visibly saving the latter from serious harm, until Zoro recovers and gets King off Sanji's hair.
** Zoro and Sanji counterattack against King and Queen and this was after Marco referred to them (Zoro and Sanji) as the star players.
*** Marco's comment alongside the chapter title ("The Stars Take the Stage") plus the ending chapter comment ("The Two Wings in Action!") really puts into perspective the crucial role Sanji and Zoro serve among the Straw Hats ''AND'' serves as a CallBack to Robin's claim regarding Sanji during her fight against Black Maria.
---> '''Robin''': He's one of the wings that'll allow the Pirate King to soar!!
** This short exchange between Zoro and Sanji just straight up sends ''shivers'' down your spine.
---> '''Zoro''': Hey Curly Brows, if we win this--
---> '''Sanji''': I know, it'll finally be in sight... '''Luffy becoming King of the Pirates!!'''
* Chapter 1023:
** King and Queen get back up, barely fazed by Zoro and Sanji's opening strikes. The duo take it in stride, dodging Queen's blaster fire and blocking King's sword strikes like pros.
** Sanji makes an interesting remark in passing about how he's body's felt a little different -- but not in a ''bad'' way -- since he started wearing the Raid Suit. Is it possible he's about to receive a power-up?
** When Queen demands to know if Sanji's fiery legs are the result of some kind of cybernetic modification from Germa 66, Sanji shoots down that theory by pointing out he's ''all human.''
--->'''Sanji:''' [[BadassBoast The heat of my passion surpasses the temperature of flame!]]
** King's sword turns out to have sawteeth that can trap an opponent's swords. He does this on Zoro's two main blades, then forces them aside to hurl a punch at Zoro. Zoro's counter? Blocking that punch with the sword in his jaws, then catching his two main swords to keep fighting.
*** Kawamatsu and Hyogoro, watching this, remark that Zoro reminds them of the Daimiyo of Ringo, Shimotsuki Ushimaru, right down to the three-sword style. And they happen to drop another bombshell... Lord Ushimaru was the descendant of ''Ryuma!''
** Jack, meanwhile, is about to crush Dogstorm...only for the latter to go Sulong thanks to a hole in the roof, judo-throwing Jack out of the palace and into the courtyard. And while ''that's'' happening, Cat Viper joins Wanda and Carrot in confronting Perospero... and ''he's'' going Sulong too, intent on avenging Pedro!
** Raizou matches the Oniwaban leader ninjitsu for ninjitsu, shutting down the latter's mockery by proclaiming that Momonosuke will grow up to be a fine young man.
** And the big kicker, for the end of the chapter: Momonosuke's gambit ''worked.'' Thanks to Shinobu's powers, he now has the body of a 28-year-old man... and, in his transformed state, the body of a magnificent adult dragon. And he's prepared to carry Luffy back to Kaidou for the final round!
* Chapter 1024:
** Usopp shows what a powerful liar he is when he convinces a bunch of Beast Pirates that he has Conqueror's Haki (when it was really Big Mom's own Haki that was leaking all over).
** Yamato had Conqueror's Haki since he was eight. Showing how strong he was even as a kid.
** The unnamed Samurai (more than likely Shimotsuki Ushimaru) willingly giving his food to Yamato, saying again that Samurai do not get hungry. He also manages to cut down the stone barrier despite the lack of nourishment.
* Chapter 1025:
** Yamato matches Kaidou blow for blow throughout the chapter, instead of suffering from the WorfEffect like Rebecca did in Dressrosa. They're evenly matched up till the end of the chapter, but more on that in a bit...
*** This includes [[ShutUpHannibal refuting Kaidou's claim]] that he was always alone, citing Ace and the samurai who helped him in the past.
*** Not to be outdone, Kaido [[ShutUpKirk retorts]] that Yamato's friends ended up dying, and how Yamato must rely on his own strength alone.
** While Momonosuke's still afraid of heights, his grown-up dragon form is apparently durable enough that ramming through Onigashima's castle -- he's flying with his eyes shut, you see -- barely fazes him.
** Finally, at the climax of the chapter, Luffy guides Momo back to the top of Onigashima just as Yamato rallies and charges Kaidou. The end result is Luffy going Gear Four (Snake Man) just in time to land a Jet Culverin on Kaidou at the same time as Yamato delivering a White Serpent strike. Kaidou gets flung backwards, once again taking visible damage.
** Undeterred, Kaidou re-emerges in full dragon form, demanding to know who this other dragon is. Despite being visibly frightened, Momonosuke rallies his nerve and announces himself alongside Luffy, who's giving his own BadassBoast.
--->'''Luffy''': Nothing you do is going to kill me! I'm the man who will be king of the pirates!
--->'''Momonosuke''': And... and my... my name is...[[MyNameIsInigoMontoya Kozuki Momonosuke! The man who will be shogun of Wano!]]
* Chapter 1026:
** Momo might not have fire breath like Kaido, but he's able to dodge the latter's Blast Breath technique all the same. Keep in mind that aged-up or not, he's mentally ''still a kid;'' and he's still able to dodge shots from the man who traumatized him.
** Luffy convinces Momo to try and ''[[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu bite Kaido]]''. While it doesn't do any lasting damage, it ''still'' makes Kaido roar out in pain.
*** More importantly, it shows how far Momo's grown -- despite insisting that it's impossible for him to do that, he starts flashing back to when Kaido killed his mother, and how terrified he was...and then Momo gets ''furious,'' and lunges for Kaido. Even when the latter seems unharmed and demands to know what Momo's thinking, Momo keeps biting, seething about how he's lost his parents to this monster.
*** Even better, when Luffy declares that after biting one of the Four Emperors, nothing should seem scary for Momo anymore, the latter agrees...which means that he's not scared of flying now, and will be able to hold up Onigashima.
** Luffy's pep talk to Momo is carried down to the rest of Onigashima, and when he announces that he's going to beat Kaido, every member of the resistance starts cheering wildly, their morale boosted like nothing else.
** Luffy and Kaido resume their battle, with Luffy declaring that even if he's lost to Kaido twice, so long as he's standing, ''anything'' is possible.
*** Take note of what happens during their initial clash -- the Haki infused into their blows splits the sky, a CallBack to when Red-Haired Shanks and Whitebeard did the same thing. This is solid proof that Luffy's new title in the papers isn't just hype -- he really ''has'' reached the same level as the Emperors.
*** Further adding to the moment of awesome? During the clash, Kaido swings his kanabo attack with ''two'' hands. Meanwhile, Luffy's using a ''single'' fist...''without'' stretching it at all. And all the same, Luffy's blow is still EQUAL to Kaido's.
** Oh, and that clash of Haki that the splits off the sky? It [[SpannerInTheWorks reveals the full moon again]], allowing Cat Viper and Dogstorm to assume their Sulong forms just as Perospero and Jack were about to finish them off. This development turns the fight ''completely'' around, with Cat Viper and Dogstorm finishing off Perospero and Jack respectively with a single blow apiece, avenging both Pedro and the agony unleashed on Zou.
* Chapter 1027:
** Yamato's still processing the aforementioned sky-splitting. Just like when Roger and Whitebeard would fight in Oden's journal.
** It's subtle, but after getting bitten by him in the last chapter, Kaido calls Momonosuke out by his name, whereas the most acknowledgement he could muster before was calling him boy or brat. It's clear that even though it failed to do any real damage, Momonosuke's stunt impressed Kaido.
** While Luffy's duking it out singlehandedly with Kaido, Yamato and Momonosuke notice that chunks of Onigashima are starting to chip off the main part. What's more, the Flame Clouds holding the island up are weakening. Proof that Kaido ''is'' getting tired.
** Of course, that means that if Onigashima falls out of the sky, the whole capital will be destroyed, including the citizens. Momonosuke panics because even if his dragon powers can generate Flame Clouds like Kaido's, he's not sure he'd be able to prop up the whole island in time. Plus if Luffy takes down Kaido prematurely, that'll instantly negate the Clouds present. Momo considers going back to tell Luffy to hold off... and Yamato [[GetAHoldOfYourselfMan gives him a good conk on the head]], reminding him that Luffy's already got enough on his plate. Their job right now is to handle Onigashima, so that's what they'll do.
** The Zoro vs. King fight continues, and it shows no signs of easing up. King's mask got damaged, which has pissed him off, and now he's putting some serious effort into killing our favorite three-swordsman. This is ''very'' impressive of both parts:
*** On [[TheDragon King's]] part, considering that every opponent Zoro has had ever since the TimeSkip before [[WhamEpisode Wano]], have been absolutely {{Curb Stomp Battle}}s, this shows just how powerful the top brass of the Animal Kingdom Pirates are. King is not even predominantly a swordsman, and he's pushing Zoro almost as much as [[TheJuggernaut Kaido]] himself did, showing that his status as a [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership Lead Performer]] was very well earned.
*** On Zoro's part, the fact that King is [[LetsGetDangerous openly trying to kill Zoro]], compared to his almost casual bout with Marco alongside Queen, shows that he's taken Zoro to be a [[WorthyOpponent considerably more dangerous enemy than almost anyone in Onigashima]] right now and knows that holding back against Zoro is not viable in any way, so he's [[NoNonsenseNemesis not even bothering in the first place]].
** At one point, King ''does'' succeed in knocking Zoro off of Onigashima. The Pirate Hunter uses a RazorWind technique to propel himself back up!
* Chapter 1028:
** Sanji's battle with Queen continues, with neither letting up. Queen launches Sanji into a wall with his mechanical fist, but Sanji is barely fazed and counters with Bien Cuit: Grill Shot, the same moved he used against the Kraken!
*** Even though Queen took next to no damage from it, he compliments the attack, saying it packs a good punch. He then reveals the utterly nonsensical ability to separate himself from his legs, turning himself into a snake that can crush even masters of Armament Haki under its coils.
*** Even though he was in pain from the attack with Queen confident that he is dead, Sanji gets up just as quickly as he went down, his bones not having broken, but ''bent.'' As he snaps his body parts back into place, Queen goes for a sucker punch with his sword. The blade '''snaps like a twig on Sanji's neck''', with Sanji looking thoroughly unimpressed by the attempt on his life. Sanji's Raid Suit has awakened his dormant genetic modifications, and it's made him much, MUCH stronger.
*** It's also worthy of noting that back on Whole Cake Island, Sanji kicked Yonji's face so hard, he bent the latter's exoskeleton to the point that they had to use an hydraulic press to force his head back into its normal shape. When Sanji got his own exoskeleton bent by Queen, he bends it back to normal simply by flexing.
* Chapter 1029:
** Sanji's new Germa power-up shows that he's now immune to bullets.
** Killer continues to be the MVP of the raid. Understanding how Hawkins' powers work, he slices off his left arm, knowing the damage will not transfer as Kid doesn't have a left arm. Then Hawkins summons his Strawman with the Death card, but Killer effortlessly decapitates it. With his trump card taken out, Hawkins scrambles for something new, only for Killer to slice him down the middle. Victorious, Killer wishes his partner good luck.
* Chapter 1030:
** Even though he's near death, Kanjiro uses up the last of his strength to paint a living flame with the intent to light the entire castle ablaze.
** It's revealed that both Law and Kid have Awakened their Devil Fruit abilities, though they can use said Awakened abilities for a short time. They use their Awakenings to deal a huge blow to Big Mom at the end of the chapter.
* Chapter 1031:
** Despite been struck by both Law and Kid's Awakened abilities and being buried under a pile of metal, Big Mom gets up enraged that their attacks managed to hurt her. She then proceeds to rip out the the souls of the nearby Beast pirates to bring an army of objects to life then consumes a year of her own lifespan to power herself up and grow even larger, finally being forced to take Law and Kid seriously. Kid and Law, for their part simply state that she's the kind of person they need to beat in order to achieve their dreams and get ready to continue fighting her.
** Sanji discovers that the effects of his newly awakened Germa modifications have apparently caused him to unconsciously strike a woman and is horrified. After Queen finally catches up to him, Sanji decides to crush his Raid Suit declaring that he'll never belong to Germa and deciding to finish their fight regardless of what happens next. Then he calls Zoro and tells him that if he's no longer himself by the time the fighting is over, he wants Zoro to kill him. Sanji promptly moves fast enough to vanish from sight and hits Queen with Hell Memories.
*** Really, Sanji deciding that '''he doesn't need the Germa modifications to beat Queen''' is awesome by itself. The rest just adds to it.
** Drake's intelligence in countering Apoo's attacks as he noticed they were based on his line of sight and hearing the sounds. He'd also rather take down Apoo than team up with him to take down the winner(s) of the war.
** While brief, the unnamed Minks HoldTheLine to allow Brook to help Robin escape from the [=CP0=] pursuers.
* Chapter 1032:
** Thanks to the fire monster Kanjuro brought into existence, [=CP0=] end up separated from Robin and Brook, and stumble onto Drake and Apoo. Because Apoo plans on giving their involvement to the newspapers, and Drake is a Navy infiltrator, the agents decide to kill both pirates...who immediately stop quarreling to fight back.
** Goofy moment aside with his beak, King continues to keep Zoro on the defensive in their duel. Zoro notes how despite every attack he's thrown his way, the Lead Performer hasn't lost a single drop of blood yet. He's not even sure he can beat King without knowing what race he belongs to.
* Chapter 1033:
** Back to Zoro vs. King. Zoro has to keep telling Enma to stop drawing so much Haki out of him, causing him to get knocked to the floor. For a moment, he thinks back to his childhood in Shimotsuki Village, when the old geezer of the village gave him a couple swords to practice with and some choice words: that swords have souls and personalities. He recalls the old tales of the village having been founded by a former pirate, and it suddenly dawns on him. That "old geezer" was none other than '''Shimotsuki Kozaburo''', the founder and namesake of the village who fled Wano half a century ago...''and the man who forged the very Enma in his hand right now, a sword he claimed to be his masterpiece''. Zoro then gets it. Enma isn't trying to be greedy; it's ''[[DareToBeBadass daring him to rise up to Oden's level]]''! Zoro is hesitant as it means putting his life on the line...and then realizes if that's what he has to do, then so be it! He gets back up again, and his three swords course with Haki, earning a compliment from King that Zoro actually shows kingly ambition. Zoro replies of course he has ambitions...and a couple promises he has to keep.
** Take a look at Zoro's swords when he gets back up: they're all emanating with black lightning. The same type of emanation that's associated with ''advanced Conqueror's Haki.'' If there were any doubts at all at Zoro having Conqueror's Haki before, those doubts have been quelled by this chapter.
** A couple of Animal Kingdom Pirates try gang up on Zoro but fall unconscious instantly. And Zoro wasn't even really targeting them, he's prepping his Haki for Enma.
** Props to King as well: he first blows himself up when Zoro stabs him, then weathers an Ittoryu attack that usually finishes off Zoro's fights.
* Chapter 1034:
** Now back to Sanji vs. Queen. We now see why Queen has been so anxious to see Sanji in the Germa Raid suit. It turns out he's also adapted his body to incorporate versions of the same tech the Vinsmoke brothers have, only more brutal. He wanted to beat Sanji in his Stealth Black to prove himself superior to Judge. But in doing so, he pressed one of Sanji's {{Berserk Button}}s: ''bringing up the Vinsmoke family.'' Sanji, bruises and all, starts wailing on Queen for that, and this time he scores some real hits! So now Queen reveals that his copying of Germa tech ''includes a version of Sanji's Stealth Black!'' But Sanji replies by tapping into his SuperSpeed to hide. Just then, Osome (the girl who's scared of Sanji and who he thought he hit in a fit of "Germa Rage") stumbles in looking for her mouse. Queen drops a hint that he abuses her, pressing ''another'' of Sanji's Berserk Buttons: ''he hit a lady''... and [[FrameUp pinned the blame on him]]. Sanji decides to combine his enhanced endurance, speed, and Armament Haki to introduce Queen to a whole new level of hell: '''Ifrit Jambe!'''
** The anime version of the fight sequence captured the introduction of Ifrit Jambe perfectly. As Sanji realizes that his enhanced biology as a Vinsmoke are merely tools in his "arsenal" that he can combine to create stronger attacks, he becomes completely engulfed in fire... before revealing that his normal orange flames became ''blue'', the hottest flames in existence. He proceeds to rocket toward Queen foot-first, powered by rage over the latter framing him for the striking of an innocent woman. The CurbStompBattle that follows is fluidly animated, with Sanji [[LightningBruiser delivering powerful kicks while swiftly evading even Queen's strongest attacks]], showing just how outclassed Queen is compared to Sanji's newest technique before he is [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sent flying across the prison corridor]] as a coup de grace.
--->'''Sanji:''' ''FLY AWAY, YOU ASSHOLE!''
* Chapter 1035:
** It's confirmed that Sanji's new Ifrit Jambe has kicked Queen off the island and out of action...shortly before Sanji returns Osome's mouse to her as he passes out, too.
** Meanwhile, Zoro has figured out King's trade-off: he may be NighInvulnerable when his flames are on, but to outmaneuver Zoro he has to turn them off...and Zoro can cut him then. He starts to exploit this to score some serious hits on King, first by cutting off his mask and revealing his dark skin, confirming him to be a Lunarian. Before anyone can react to this, King lashes out with his fire, but both realize they're at their limits, so each goes for their ultimate techniques. King unleashes his Imperial Guardian Flaming Dragon. Zoro counters with the full power of his Conqueror's Haki coursing through his three swords -- '''King of Hell Three-Sword Serpent: 103 Mercies Dragon Damnation''' -- and cuts King's Dragon to pieces down its whole length... and the attack continues on down and strikes down King.
--->'''Zoro:''' [[BadassBoast I shall become...]] ''[[BadassBoast the King of Hell!]]''
** The Zoro vs King finale in the anime was unbelievably beautiful, with many comparing the quality of the animation and compositing to a ''movie'' - and it was all done by '''one animator''', on his first ever major animation project. Even cooler, as an added flourish after Zoro strikes down King, there's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment where the lightning spells out "Z-O-R-O."
* Chapter 1036:
** With the defeat of King (the last of the All-Stars) [=CP0=] finally realize that the Straw Hats and their allies [[OhCrap actually have a chance at beating Kaido and Big Mom]], pulling a 180 of their assessment at the start of the battle. Meanwhile, news of the defeat of the All-Stars spreads all throughout the battle. Things are coming to a head, and everyone realizes that whatever happens in the next few minutes, it's gonna be ''big''.
** Usopp proving, once again, why he's a trusted member of the Straw Hats, refusing to leave Kikunojo and Kin'emon to their deaths despite being surrounded by Kaido's pirates. Despite their pleas for him to save himself, Usopp downright refuses to leave them behind, also spitting their honorable culture back at their faces, [[DareToBeBadass daring them to continue to live, like him and Luffy]]. Izo hears this, compliments Usopp's bravery, and takes his place to buy them time to get to safety.
** Raizo refusing to let go of the paralyzing jutsu on his opponent despite the fire surrounding him. He even declares the fire isn't hot, a callback to when he was suffering from the heat of the oil Oden was standing in.
** On word of that, we ''finally'' take it back to the top of the island, where Luffy and Kaido are trading blows, and we're talking ''serious'' blows here; tough as they are, each one's blows are having definite effects on the other. The chapter ends with the two of them staring down each other and declaring, "[[WorthyOpponent This is getting good!]]"
* Chapter 1037:
** The fight between Luffy and Kaido keeps heating up as Kaido downs an entire barrel of alcohol, and gets horribly drunk. However, this doesn't lower his fighting capabilities but rather boosts them that he has Luffy in the defensive for a good portion of the fight as he goes from being a happy drunk to a sad one to an angry drunk all in the span of a few pages.
** Of course, Luffy manages to weather the storm, and lands a few solid hits. Their scene ends with Luffy delivering a Gear 3 kick right to Kaido's gut.
** Remember that fleet of World Government ships that are waiting for the results of the battle? They might not be able to do battle. Why, you ask? Because Zunisha, the giant elephant of Zou that decimated Jack's fleet has arrived at the Land of Wano.
* Chapter 1038:
** Kanjuro's final fire monster proves strong enough to melt Yamato's ice breath and a formidable opponent for the Oni Princess.
** Big Mom has utterly stomped Kid and Law. When their crews try to save them, she just swats them away like they're bugs. As she heads to the roof to assist Kaido again, Law gets back up and once again activates his DF Awakening and shocks her from the inside. Then Kid gets back up and smashes her with a metallic bull that's even bigger than Big Mom. [[YouShallNotPass The two rookie pirates declare that they would rather die before allowing her to get to the roof.]]
*** After defeating both of them, Big Mom is taunting the two, confident of her victory over them. But as soon as Law pierces her again and is about to hit her with another shockwave, she starts ''begging'' Law to not do it again. It's as if to say that yes, Kid and Law ARE doing real damage to her, and she's afraid of them now that they've shown the potential to surpass her.
*** Perhaps the most impressive of this is *how* they are doing it: ''without using a single ounce of Haki.'' Luffy trained to learn Ryuou in order to actually fight the Emperors with their unbelievable durability, backed by empowering themselves with Conqueror's Haki. But after so long of having it touted that Haki use makes Devil Fruit powers all but null and void, Kid and Law show through clever application that they don't ''need'' it to overcome her, Law bypassing her defenses with internal shockwaves, and Kid utilizing crushing force to violently compress her body and make such defenses moot ''anyway.''
* Chapter 1039: Law and Kid just might have done the impossible: '''''defeating Big Mom'''''!
** First, it's revealed that Kid's attack from the previous chapter managed to break Big Mom's bones, forcing her to once again use portions of her own soul to heal herself.
** Then, Kid uses his Awakening again to once more make her magnetic, attaching her to a wall. Just before he's about to slam her with the same attack from last chapter, she just barely manages to block by swinging around so the wall attached to her back takes the hit instead.
** Then Big Mom tries to hit Kid with one of her own attacks, an absolutely monstrous combination of Napoleon, Prometheus, and Hera called "Mother's Visit Cannon: Three Thousand Leagues of Misery". Kid barely dodges in time.
** Next, Law attacks her again, once more piercing her with his sword and extending -- except this time, he extends it all the way through Onigashima, through the air, until it reaches the ground of Wano below. And ''then'' he uses his Awakening to shock her from the inside, the impact of which reaches throughout his sword and creates an absolutely ''massive'' crater right in the heart of Wano.
** And finally, ''finally'', that gives Kid the opening for ''his'' trump card: '''[[{{BFG}} a giant electromagnetic railgun]]'''! And then... this exchange:
--->'''Big Mom''': YOU RATS! [[BringIt GIVE ME ALL YOU'VE GOT THEN!]] YOU THINK YOU CAN BEST ME?! I'M BIG MOM!\\
'''Kid''': [[ShutUpHannibal And that's why we're getting rid of you]]! (''fires railgun'')\\
'''Big Mom''': (''spits blood'') ''AAAAH!!!''\\
'''Law''': Your era... is over!
** The anime expands the fight by having Law deliver a Shock Wille to Big Mom's face and {{Teleport Spam}}ming her as he and Kid attack her in tandem, leaving Big Mom with very little room to defend herself. When she finally loses her patience and summons Misery, the homie lays an absolutely ''feral'' NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Kid, who only survives due to Misery being distracted by Law dropping a tower on Big Mom. That Kid survived ''at all'' says a lot about [[MadeOfIron how sturdy]] he is. In fact, the very episode opens with Kid resting from the beatdown Misery gave him, slowly preparing Damned Punk with ragged breathing while covered head to toes in his own blood [[MyLifeFlashedBeforeMyEyes as his life flashes before his eyes]], before jumping to his feet when Law signals him to finish off Big Mom.
* Chapter 1040: Law and Kid HAVE done the impossible: '''''[[DefeatingTheUndefeatable they defeated Big Mom]]'''''!
** Big Mom gets a great moment as well, shrugging off Kid's railgun and moving to steal the lifeforce of everyone around her. It only doesn't work because...
** Like Jimbei before them, Law and Kid aren't afraid of the Emperor in the least. Kid continues blasting Big Mom while Law uses a new move to silence her, cutting off her soul-draining.
--->'''Kid''': [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Why should we be afraid of the weak words of some old hag who's outlived her welcome?]]
*** To really shut her up, Law demonstrates another form of Awakening technique - the R-Room, with which he ''copies'' Rocinante's "Silence" technique, preventing Big Mom's words from reaching ANYONE and stopping the soul drain on everyone else.
** Kid keeps blasting Big Mom, finally knocking her through the floor and eventually all the way through the bottom of the floating island. Unable to call for her Homies thanks to Law's R-Room, she lands in the crater Law created earlier along with several MASSIVE bombs, which explode. And boy, do they explode: the blast alone dwarfs the Flower Capital, going unheard thanks to, again, Law's R-Room. The battle for the future of Wano Country is reaching its end, [[LockedOutOfTheLoop and the people in the Flower Capital have yet to notice as they celebrate the Fire Festival]].
*** For added fun, those bombs? They came from ''the armory Yamato was protecting'' -- Law's and Kid's attack went through there. Not only that, Big Mom's collateral damage took out the fire youkai threatening to detonate the island.
** The ending of the battle is awesome for both sides. It's heavily implied Big Mom ''survived'' the explosion, while the narrator confirms Law and Kid are the victors. For the first time in the series, ''a healthy Emperor has been defeated''. The New Generation has arrived.
*** On that note, the cover page shows how Niji and Yonji were [[CurbStompBattle utterly trounced]] by Big Mom. The latter is labelled "a creature beyond the power of science," highlighting her supposed invincibility. And yet, Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law defeat this same creature through [[{{Determinator}} sheer persistence]].
** Also worth mentioning; For some time now, Raizou and Fukurokuju have been locked in a stalemate, holding each other still with paralysis techniques, in a burning room...and Raizou was the first to catch fire. The first man to succumb to the heat? ''Fukurokuju'', because to Raizou, being fully enveloped in flames is '''nothing''' compared to [[CallBack the boiling oil that Oden stood for an hour in]].
** Yamato manages to freeze most of the bombs and creates an ice wall to shield the remaining explosives, preventing the utter destruction of Onigashima.
** Momo then ends the chapter with a cliffhanger. Zunisha has come to Wano for a reason: an OldShame from back when he was with Joy Boy...''800 years ago''.
* Chapter 1041:
** When the ceiling above Orochi collapses on top of him, the phony shogun finds that he cannot transform into his Zoan form and is trapped underneath the rubble. "Komurasaki" then reveals that while Orochi was cozying up to her, she planted a few sea prism stone nails to negate his Devil Fruit power. It is then she reveals her true identity as Hiyori, and basically tells him YouKilledMyFather.
** The Five Elders telling [=CP0=] to kill Luffy. Yes, that's right, Luffy is considered so dangerous by the Government that they wanted to eliminate him even if this means that the [=CP0=] had to interrupt Luffy's fight with ''Kaido''. The [=CP0=] agent who received the order was so shocked by this, that he started to wonder what's so important with the Straw Hat crew that the Government had to use such extreme methods to eradicate the captain.
** When Kaido finds that Big Mom was defeated, he tries to go AlasPoorVillain, but Luffy ain't having it. Luffy goes Gear 4 Snake Man and begins to pummel Kaido. And he's not going to stop until Kaido is out of Wano.
--->'''Luffy:''' Your ambitions mean nothing to me!!! Especially if it leaves the people here with no food to eat!!
* Chapter 1042:
** Kaido, still drunk at the moment, shows that he is also capable of using the advance form of Observation Haki to take on a Snake-Man Luffy. Not only dodging, but then counterattacking Luffy before using his powerful breath attack to send Luffy to the bottom of Onigashima. Luffy still won't give up, however. Even when he's caught off guard by Kaido's counterattack, he decides to go into his Bounce Man form to fight back, unleashing a new Kong Gun on Kaido. Kaido, then fights back by unleashing an even more powerful version of his Thunder Bagua to knock Luffy back off before the two prepare to unleash their (possible) final attacks...
** Only for Luffy to be distracted by the [=CP0=] agent, who is able to catch Luffy's attention and use his power to slow him down just as Kaido's Roaring Thunder Bagua lands! Kaido then has a flashback to when his fight with Oden was interrupted and we all know how angry he was then.
** Kaido is by far Luffy's toughest, most badass foe. It took him the Akazaya Nine, Zoro, Law, Kidd, Yamato and a round with Luffy before the hero could fight him fairly. '''One''' distraction in his favor and he still wins, so his victory actually was more earned than he thought. Also, he has now beaten Luffy three times, a record that's hard to be surpassed.
* Chapter 1043 is a doozy:
** First, we have to give credit to Kaido for putting the [=CP0=] jackass in his place for daring to interrupt his fight with Luffy. With an [[TranquilFury ice-cold look on his face]], Kaido just curtly notes [[PrepareToDie he's prepared for what happens next]] before slamming his kanabo onto the agent's head hard enough to shake the foundation of the floors below. Kaido might be a villain, but damn if he doesn't have a level of valor that the government lacks.
*** The [=CP0=] agent does deserve some props, despite his actions. When Kaido calls him out over his interference, he doesn't respond or attempt to justify himself and merely lowers his hat to hide his eyes, as if ashamed of pulling such a low move, even if it was under direct orders from the Five Elders. He simply stands still and [[FaceDeathWithDignity allows Kaido to bring the full force of his might down on his head]], accepting his end with grace despite the circumstances. He could have used either Shave or Iron Body to attempt to evade or defend himself more, even if it would have been futile against Kaido, but he instead allows himself to be struck down, almost in [[EvenEvilHasStandards apology]] towards both fighters for his underhanded move.
** Kaido then goes on a rampage, demanding that either Momonosuke surrender or he'll start fighting anyone and everyone, because Luffy is dead and nobody is left who can challenge his authority. This begins a sequence of excellent events in rapid succession, [[HoldTheLine culminating in what's shaping up to be an eight on one battle against Kaido.]]
*** First, [[CowardlyLion Nami]] of all people challenges Kaido, telling him to his face that he's a liar.
*** When Kaido attempts to attack her, Marco proceeds to show us again how inhumanly tough he is by completely nullifying Kaido's Blast Breath, thus preventing Nami from getting harmed at all.
*** Nekomamushi and Carrot as well heed the call and decide to join the fight against Kaido.
*** Law and Kid are attacked by the rank and file Animal Kingdom Pirates, but are defended by their crews. They decide that surrendering isn't an option for them either.
*** Momo wants to surrender, but Yamato refuses to agree to this -- they decide that dying with dignity is better than surrender.
** Finally, as Yamato and Momo go to join the fight, Zunesha speaks to Momo. He hears Joy Boy's voice. [[HesBack And coincidentally, Luffy is smiling...]]
--->'''Zunesha''': Momonosuke!! I can hear it!! How long it's been.
--->'''Momonosuke''': What is it, Zunesha?!
--->'''Zunesha''': I hear the '''drums of liberation.''' For the first time in 800 years... he is '''here!!!'''
--->'''Momonosuke''': Who is?!
--->'''Zunesha''': Joy Boy... has returned!!
*** Also at the same time, a mysterious substance begins coming from Luffy's body, giving the impression that his Devil Fruit may have '''AWAKENED'''.[[note]][[MoodWhiplash But then]], just like when Luffy first revealed the existence of Gear Four, [[TrollingCreator Oda]] decides to go on a break.[[/note]]
*** The anime adds up to the awesomeness with the ''amazing'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnz09cjnehU Drums of Liberation]], that really gives the feeling of being Luffy's heartbeat as he becomes Joy Boy.
* Chapter 1044: with a title like ''[[HeroicSecondWind Warrior of Liberation]]'', you know that what's about to happen will be '''supreme'''.
** To begin with, kicking right off the last chapter, Luffy's ''wide'' awake, and laughing like a madman. Even though he just ''lost'', he's somehow up again and feels ''better than ever''. All the while, the "drums of liberation" that Zunesha had mentioned, what he believes marks Joy Boy's return, are now pronounced more than ever, and their source becomes clear: ''it's the heartbeat of one who has [[LimitBreak Awakened]] the Gum Gum Fruit,'' what Luffy has dubbed "Gear Five"... Or, as it is now revealed by its true name: ''the Mythical Zoan'', Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika.[[note]][[MeaningfulName Model]]: ''[[ToonPhysics Grin]]''.[[/note]]
** The return of Luffy's "voice" after being snuffed out is so loud and so prominent that ''every member of the crew and alliance who can sense Haki realize what's happening''. Even Sanji, who'd been unconscious after his fight with Queen, ''snaps awake''.
** This infodump comes courtesy of the Five Elders, who had previously ordered the [=CP0=] agent on a SuicideMission: ''Nika'' is a power that the Elders define as "the most ridiculous" amidst a WorldOfBadass, so much so that they attempted to hide it away once they found it twelve years prior, and would rather risk ''Kaido's world-spanning war'' than have another ''Nika'' holder around. The reason they dread it so much? Because ''Nika'', once it's fully awakened, gives its user the power of ToonPhysics. Luffy's become the embodiment of freedom itself -- which is anathema to the World Government, which wants order and control at all cost. Even worse for them, Zoans are revealed to have some degree of sentience, and ''Nika'' in particular seems to have been actively avoiding the World Government for ''800 years''.
** Having now released his ability's true nature, Luffy shows off what it can do: he no longer needs to apply any focus towards stretching, warping, or enlarging his body, he just ''does.'' With an almost comical gait, he reaches a colossal hand down into Onigashima, ''yanks'' Kaido ''right back out'' to continue their fight, and immediately starts MetronomicManMashing Kaido all over the roof. When Kaido attempts to counter with a Blast Breath, Luffy ''grabs hold of the Skull Dome like a fabric'' and ''pulls up a slab like a rubber sheet'', which ''bounces the blast back at Kaido''. And it should be noted: while Luffy had his hands on Kaido, Kaido's eyes were comically bugging out, and after getting his head smashed in, a swollen head lump and the cartoonish "dizzy star" effect was swirling over his head -- but as soon as Luffy lets go, he's back to normal. All the while, Luffy's laughing up a storm and having a ''ball.'' With how much visual emphasis is being put on these details (right down to Luffy doing an actual WildTake when Kaido tried his Blast Breath), there can be no denying what this conceptually is. Long ago, Oda said that he wanted Luffy to be akin to a cartoon character... and now he's ''become'' one, wielding ToonPhysics like the [[InkblotCartoonStyle bygone days of rubberhose animation.]]
** Kaido, for his part, isn't cowed. Once he's stopped being on the wrong end of Luffy's MetronomicManMashing, he ''[[BloodKnight thanks Luffy for surviving]]'', and after an obligatory Blast Breath, the first thing he does is ''apologize for [=CP0=]'s interference''. He doesn't understand the changes Luffy has undergone, nor does he care. He doesn't have a VillainousBreakdown like so many of Luffy's conquests before him. In fact, he's '''visibly thrilled''' that his WorthyOpponent is back up for one last round.
** Finally, take a close look at Luffy. Not only are his eyes different, but his hair's changed. No longer black, it's a bit longer and glowing like a flame.
** One more thing? Nika's a ''god'', meaning Luffy now has the power of a ''deity''.
** This is underrated and unnoticed, but the fact that Luffy has been able to take the most basic form of his DF powers and continually honed Haki skills and, with his imagination, develop them to the point he can fight on par with ''The Strongest Creature in the World'' at age 19 speaks volumes about his potential, without factoring in his awakening. One can only imagine how ''much farther'' he'll go with full access to his Devil Fruit's true power.
*** Honestly, Oda deserves mention for his skillful storytelling, for being able to retroactively reveal that the main character's power, established and developed over ''1000+ chapters''', was something completely different than advertised the whole time and have that ''not'' come off as an AssPull of the highest order, but rather a logical conclusion of Luffy's abilities and personality demonstrated over all that time.
** All this aside, another moment happens in the bowels of Onigashima, when Hiyori finally confronts Orochi and lays out all of the Shogun's transgressions: most notably, ''going back on his word and allowing her father to die''. With a final declaration of hatred, Hiyori drops the mask of "Komurasaki" and reveals that she is still alive and here to avenge her father. At this point, Kazenbo, carrying the final embers of Kanjuro, emerges in the room. Orochi orders him to burn Hiyori...but Kazenbo, following [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Orochi's own words]] to '[[ExactWords go to where he is]]' heads towards the immobile dictator ''and burns Orochi instead''.
** The anime adaptation deserves credit for nailing Gear Five's cartoonish powers. Not only are the effects animated well, but cartoonish sound effects were added and even the ''animation style and quality'' are changed to fit. It all adds to the feeling Luffy's powers are even affecting the ''show itself''.
* Chapter 1045. We get an idea of just how absurdly powerful the ''Nika'' fruit is.
** Kaido spends much of the chapter completely at Luffy's mercy, as Luffy's literal cartoonish antics operate similarly to [[ComicBook/TheMask The Mask]]. [[note]]Kaido's body is warped in cartoonish fashion, but he FEELS that warping as damage.[[/note]] Such gems include giving Kaido a literal case of BalloonBelly and using his dragon form as a ''jump rope''.
** On Kaido's end, we're once again reminded that he's a freak of nature as even with ToonPhysics in play, the blows Kaido lands are visibly powerful and painful even to this newly-minted PhysicalGod, and he correctly points out that Luffy is burning the candle of his life at both ends by channeling this power so hard. Luffy's SuperMode put him ''on par'' with the Emperor, not above him.
** However, Luffy's not the only one running out of steam. In the brief lull when Luffy's Joy Boy form [[HourOfPower runs out]], Kaido actually ''collapses to his knees'' from exhaustion, something that seems to severely surprise him, showing that for all his immense power and endurance, even ''he's'' been pushed to his limit by this conflict. The biggest example of this is when Luffy endures Kaido's attacks, then begins a TornadoMove attack culminating in a massive Gear Five punch that runs '''''through''''' Kaido's face. Both fighters cannot continue the fight for much longer, and the climax is drawing nearer, but Luffy has just pulled off a major feat: In spite of his dragon form, Kaido is down.
* Chapter 1046:
** First, a brief lull. Luffy and Kaido are both down and exhausted and have a brief exchange. It serves to fire them back up, and they get back up to trade blows yet again! And with Luffy still in Gear Five, both of them are comically stretching from the ferocity of each other's blows. The reader is left to marvel and wonder: ''What's it going to take?!''
*** The final shot of the chapter has Luffy using his [[RealityWarper new powers]] to grab the ''[[DramaticThunder background lighting]]'' to their duel and make a spear out of it to strike Kaido with, again demonstrating the sheer versatility and expanded range of combat options his new state grants him.
** Meanwhile, underneath, Onigashama is burning, trapping everyone inside and threatening to overwhelm them. But then Raizo and Jimbei deliver a BigDamnHeroes team-up. Raizo had long ago used his Devil Fruit to seal some of the massive torrent unleashed by Zunesha bathing in a scroll. Remembering his failure to protect anyone in the Kozuki clan from the flames of Oden castle on the night Oden died, Raizo vows to not let the people he swore to protect down again, unleashing this deluge now, which Jimbei then redirects downward with his Fishman Karate into the rest of Onigashima, drowning out the flames.
** While all this is going on, Yamato tells Momonosuke to get ready. Kaido is on his last legs, and if Momonosuke can't suspend Onigashima with his own flame clouds, when Kaido goes down, ''so will Onigashima!!''
*** 20 years ago, Kozuki Oden held up 9 men aloft over a pot of boiling oil for over an hour to protect them. Now, his son will have to repeat this feat, with a '''lot''' more lives on the line.
* Chapter 1047:
** Luffy's evolved abilities enable him to not only throw the lighting at Kaido, but use it as a temporary pole/handhold to swing around and launch a counter-attack after Kaido dodges and smacks him out of the air. For his part, Kaido gives no quarter even whilst facing off with an opponent who's altering the very rules of reality around him, deriding Luffy for thinking his new powers will be enough to overcome him on their own, and furthermore, allow Luffy to take the mantle of the Pirate King. As he goes on to demonstrate, the driving power that determines who stands at the top of their WorldOfBadass is not who has the strongest Devil Fruit ability, but who has the strongest ''Haki'', smashing Luffy around with just his physical hand-to-hand skills and Haki-infused mace, even with Joy Boy [[AmusingInjuries blunting the effect of his blows]], at one point even [[HoistByHisOwnPetard turning Luffy's own powers against him]] by thwacking him down into the rubberised roof of Onigashima, resulting in Luffy getting uncontrollably bounced back into Kaido's followup full-power blow to the face, even breaking through Luffy's Haki-guarded block with his arms and nearly rendering him unconscious for the ''fifth'' time.
---> '''Kaido:''' Play all the games you want, but abilities alone cannot conquer the world!!! The world is convenient that way!! Roger didn't have any fruit powers!!! Because only Haki... can transcend all!!!
** Furthermore, Kaido's rant ''confirms'' the long-standing theory that Gol D. Roger was a BadassNormal human being. In a world with insane weather, fantastical creatures, superhuman opponents, and a World Government actively suppressing the truth about the Void Century with ''extreme'' prejudices, Roger spurred the temptation of gaining a Devil fruit of his own as 'not being worth it' and went on to conquer the seas with just his sword skills and [[AwesomenessIsAForce immense Haki]], discovering the truth of the lost century, finding Joy Boy's treasure, and overcoming untold odds all whilst remaining an un-empowered human being, and ''dying from an incurable disease'' towards the end. And he went on to go out in style and kick-start a new era of piracy to boot. Truly, the man was the stuff of legends.
** Inside Onigashima, almost everyone has realized that the island is getting ready to fall. Hyogoro promptly states that it's a good thing, because it means Kaido's reaching the end of his rope and reminds everyone that if Kaido wins then they'd only stay alive for a few minutes longer than falling with the island. After that all the samurai decide to FaceDeathWithDignity and happily yell for Luffy to keep going.
** After being launched into the air by Kaido, Luffy stretches his hand down and grabs onto the Emperor, refusing to let no no matter how many time he's slashed, smashed or blasted by his fiery breath. The chapter's end reveals the reason why -- the clouds part to reveal Luffy's other fist, covered in Haki and larger than Onigashima itself, ready to come down on Kaido like the proverbial fist of a god. However, the island and his allies are in the way of his FinishingMove smashing Kaido down to earth. Does Luffy hesitate? Nope! He just yells out to Momonosuke to ''move the entire island right now'', cause he's finishing this fight one way or the other! If there was ever a DieOrFly time....
* Chapter 1048:
** Kaido retaliates to Luffy's finishing blow with his own final move: Flame Dragon Torch, [[IncendiaryExponent a flaming shell of his own likeness formed from his dragon breath]], hundreds of times larger than Kaido's already-massive dragon form, [[AMoltenDateWithDeath hot enough to melt Onigashima's remaining horn formation just by Kaido's tail brushing past it]], turning it into molten rock in seconds. Luffy is forced to release his death grip on Kaido from the heat, but despite that, Kaido promises him [[VillainousValour he won't run away from his final attack]]. Instead, he'll take it full-force head on and melt Luffy's arm into nothingness. Far from being intimidated by Kaido's seemingly impenetrable defence and offence in one, Luffy just quips back that he already knows how to hit him without touching him directly thanks to Hyogoro's training him in [[ChekhovsGun the Ryuo technique]], combining both the new powers and new application of his Haki that he's learned in Wano into one massive attack that collides with Kaido in a ''epic'' PunchParry.
---> '''Luffy:''' The old man taught me how to do that without touching!! [[BadassBoast I'll smash you all the way down to the bottom of hell!!!]]
** During a flashback to Oden's death 20 years ago, Kaido declares that he will go kill Momonosuke and the rest of the Kozuki. The crowd, having been won back to Oden's side, quickly stands in his way and begs him to leave them alone. It doesn't work, but having the balls to stand up to Kaido is pretty amazing for the non-powered civilians.
** Kaido and Orochi then turn to the daimyo and give them an ultimatum: Join or Die? Shimotsuki Ushimaru then offers this badass response before charging Kaido with his fellow daimyo and their subordinates.
---> '''Ushimaru:''' A stupid question, with an obvious answer! We refuse to accept a Shogun who is not a Kozuki!
** After a montage of the pain inflicted upon the civilians on Wano in the 20 years since Oden's death in the name of Orochi's {{Revenge}} upon them for his clan's misfortunes, in the present the petty tyrant, aflame and on on his last legs, attempts one final attack in his burning Zoan form on Hiyori, [[TakingYouWithMe swearing to meet her again for a drink in the afterlife]], looking every inch the monster he is underneath in his last moments. Rather than understandably flee from him, Hiyori [[FacedeathWithDignity merely closes her eyes]], content with finally taking the hated despot down with her and refusing to shame herself in her last moments. However, before Orochi can strike, he's [[BigDamnHeroes interrupted by Denjiro]], who fulfils his promise to Orochi that he'll 'gladly show him his swordsmanship' on the promised day by cutting off the burning shogun's head --hinted to be his last and final one-- and standing betwixt him and Hiyori, leaving the mad ruler to burn in the very 'flames of vengeance' he had Kanjuro create to strike back at all his assembled enemies in in Onigashima.
*** Of note however -- despite Denjiro's interference, the narrative doesn't portray the act as him stepping in to 'dirty his hands' for Hiyori's sake, nor to do what she herself couldn't by striking down Orochi. Orochi himself admitted that he was dying from the fires that Hiyori immobilised him long enough to be engulfed by and all his efforts were merely him trying to [[RageQuit enact one last act of petty suffering against the Kozuki clan]], taking Hiyori down with him to [[SoreLoser deny her the reward of her long 20 years waiting for that very moment]]. Denjro's interference was merely him denying the tyrant even that small victory, leaving him to die an utter disgrace at the hands of a woman [[WeakButSkilled who wasn't even a fighter, yet rendered him utterly helpless to avert his demise regardless]].
* Chapter 1049:
** With one last, mighty effort on Luffy's behalf, the Bajrang Gun prevails over the Flaming Bagua, blowing Kaido out of the sky and knocking him clear to "the bottom of Hell" as promised, Kaido ''shooting'' thousands upon ''thousands'' of feet straight into the earth at rocketing speeds, and ''still falling'' even as we last see him leaving behind a hole in the shape of his dragon form.
** Not to be undone is Luffy's crowning moment amidst the final clash. Way back in the beginning of the New World half of the series, at Fish-Man Island, Luffy stated without any doubt whatsoever that he has ''no interest'' in being a hero. All he wanted was to be free and live life however he wanted. However, here, Kaido challenges Luffy's determination, claiming someone like him can't change the world, and demanding what kind of world he possibly thinks he can make. Luffy's response is that he will -- to make the kind of world where his friends will be free "to eat as much as they want". The Warrior of Liberation has fully emerged in him.
--->'''Kaido:''' ''STRAW HAT!! '''WHAT KIND OF WORLD DO YOU WISH TO MAKE?!'''''\\
'''Luffy:''' ''A world where... my friends... '''can eat... as much as they like!! THAT'S MY KIND OF WORLD!!!''' ''
** Props to Kaido as well. Even though he ends up getting overpowered, he actually manages to ''match'' Luffy's final attack with his own for a while before being ultimately overcome, in spite of the amount of fighting he had done throughout the entire night against everyone who'd come his way.
* Chapter 1050: It's official. Luffy defeated Kaido, and the long war for Wano is finally over.
** After [[ComicBookTime ten long real-time years]] since Luffy and Law formed their alliance to bring down the Emperor Kaido, it's finally over with the narration itself noting that the winner of the fight has been revised. Luffy made good on his promise to punch Kaido to "the bottom of Hell", with Kaido having been hit so hard that he ended up ''shooting'' thousands of feet straight into the earth at rocketing speeds, right into ''the magma deep under the ground''. After a battle nearly fifty chapters, and spanning the longest arc in One Piece history, Monkey D. Luffy has triumphed over the Emperor of the Sea.
*** How awesome is that? In the anime adaptation, Luffy's beatdown on Kaido was initially set to a DarkReprise of "We Go", the show's first opening theme song after the time skip, until Luffy eventually makes a comeback and the song changes of a TriumphantReprise of "We Are", the show's first ever opening theme song!
** Big Mom also ended up in Wano's mantle due to Kid and Law. The final shot we see of her and Kaido is their unconscious bodies beside each other on the mantle... which then proceed to ''explode'' like a newborn volcano that rocks the whole nation. It's as if Wano itself has given the boasts of the Supernovas a seal of approval: [[EndOfAnAge the era of the Four Emperors is finally over.]]
* Chapter 1051: Not so much the chapter itself which lends more to SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments than Awesome, but rather the announcement that followed it: ''One Piece'' is going on hiatus for a month following the June 27th issue... so that the author can prepare for the final saga. [[LongRunners After 24-and-a-half years]][[note]]The first issue of ''One Piece'' hit shelves on December 24th, 1997[[/note]], following the defeat of Kaido, ''One Piece'' has officially entered [[GrandFinale the endgame]].
* Chapter 1052: A mysterious figure is using a spinning flower growing out his back to fly up and effortlessly bypass the treacherous hazards leading into Wano seven days after the Fire Festival. Who is it? Admiral Ryokugyu. The chaos that took place was leaked to the World Government by Scratchmen Apoo, and Sakazuki had to reluctantly send a very powerful but troublesome Admiral to assess the situation, warning him not to make the situation any worse (like Fujitora). Ryokugyu doesn't even show ''any'' sign of intimidation towards his superior officer, treating his order like an afterthought.
* Chapter 1053:
** Big News Morgan released the information that Big Mom and Kaido have both been defeated at the hands of Law, Kid, and Luffy, against the wishes of the Five Elders.
** We learn what Ryokugyu can do when he takes down all the remaining Beast Pirates, including both King and Queen (though the two are [[WorfHadTheFlu injured and tired from all the fighting they did]]).
** Luffy is now officially a member of the New Emperors, alongside Shanks, Blackbeard, and (surprisingly) Buggy.
** Tenguyama reveals himself to be Kozuki Sukiyaki under his mask and confirms what Robin learned from the Poneglyph in Alabasta: that [[WeaponOfMassDestruction Pluton]] is somewhere in Wano.
* Chapter 1054:
** We finally learn the full story of Sabo's actions in Mary Geoise: Not only did he and his fellow commanders successfully make their declaration of war against the World Nobles, but they managed to escape their clash with Fujitora and Ryokugyu ''while taking Kuma with them'', along with inspiring eight countries to rebel against their monarchs while they were at the Levery, resulting in Sabo being declared the "Flame Emperor" throughout the world. The only thing that offsets it is the alleged story that he murdered Nefertari Cobra.
** Aramaki takes on all the powerful natives of Wano all alone.
** Shanks making a bold claim after over a thousand chapters of not showing any particular interest... until now.
---> '''Shanks:''' Say, Beck. I think it's time we make our move. ... '''Let's claim the One Piece.'''
* Chapter 1055:
** Aramaki shows that he isn't just strong after he takes on a fire attack from Raizou, lampshading that he would be prepared to defend against an obvious weakness.
** Momonosuke refuses to ask Luffy for help because they are outsiders; the people who are supposed to guard Wano should only rely on themselves to defend the country.
** After Aramaki calls Momonosuke pathetic, the latter finally succeeds in firing his own Blast Breath, seemingly burning Aramaki into nothing and completely overwhelming his countermeasure against fire. This noticeably causes Aramaki to [[OhCrap visibly panic]].
--->'''Momonosuke:''' [[GetOut GET OUT! GET OUT OF THE LAND OF WANO!]]
*** More importantly, Momo uncorks not just ''one'' Blast Breath, but ''several.'' In ''rapid succession.''
** Aramaki [[FromASingleCell reforms from a single sapling]], and is ready to continue the fight (to Momonosuke's credit, the admiral still clearly felt the onslaught), but is suddenly halted by someone's Conqueror's Haki. The admiral then realizes that this Haki belongs to Shanks. This is all the Emperor needs to do to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere get the admiral]] [[KnowWhenToFoldEm to retreat]].
*** Somehow, Shanks is able to use his Haki to converse with Aramaki from all the way outside of Wano, taking a moment to point out how [[EveryoneHasStandards it's poor form]] to go after the Worst Generation right after they've worn themselves out making history. Aramaki is visibly sweating while Shanks has him pinned down.
---->'''Shanks:''' ''Does the New Age frighten you that much?!''
*** On that note, Shanks is the last remaining Emperor of the original line-up back when they were introduced. This surge of Conqueror's Haki, which is even knocking out a couple of the Red-Hair Pirates' new recruits as noted by a crewmate of his, shows people just how the happy-go-lucky, one-handed party lover who inspired Luffy to become a pirate stood ''on equal grounds'' with legendary monsters like Big Mom, Kaido and Whitebeard.
** Turns out, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Jimbei are completely aware of Aramaki's presence. And they're willing to let Momonosuke and the Red Scabbards deal with him, showing they no longer see the Admirals as a threat for them to fight.
* Chapter 1056:
** Some light gets shed on how [[ButtMonkey Buggy]] of all people became one of the new emperors. While nothing is yet confirmed on the exact reasoning, it seems that Buggy has had the ''sheer audacity'' to start issuing ''bounties'' on ''marines''. Keep in mind that bounties are one of the ways the World Government keeps pirates in check by enticing powerful bounty hunters to take pirates down for the government, and this is so ingrained in the world's culture that a pirate's bounty is a large part of their identity, both in and out of universe. Buggy took that entire script and decided to flip it, turning one of the World Government's biggest anti-pirate tools against them.
*** Buggy even managed, at least according to the newspaper, to somehow make two former Warlords, Crocodile and Mihawk, work for him. Even Law acknowledges that Buggy deserves the title of Emperor if he was able to get those two to work for him.
*** Even when it turns out his status isn't genuine, he still succeeded at tricking the government into thinking ''he'' is the Emperor, and stayed in command due to Mihawk's pragmatism.
* Chapter 1057:
** As recounted in the play retelling of their daring raid on Onigashima, it turns out that despite being decapitated and aflame, Orochi was NotQuiteDead, and spitefully [[DyingCurse swore]] to Hiyori that the Kurozumi clan's wrath would forever curse Wano until it's last generation, in a [[IronicEcho similar manner]] to Toki and Oden's own prophecy and deaths 20 years ago. Rather than accept Orochi's words as the final say in their feud, with 20 years of suffering fresh in her mind, Hiyori instead steps forward and taunts Orochi with an echo of her father's catchphrase. "Kurozumi was born to burn!"[[note]]The Kanji used for the phrase referencing 'smoulder' , akin to the Kanji for the Kurozumi clan's name meaning 'charcoal' and thus how their revenge and Orochi was always destined to go up in flames.[[/note]] Orochi can do nothing but scream in frustrated anguish as the flames he ordered to burn his enemies in the name of his clan's revenge and his own spite consume him instead, leaving him an utter pathetic failure everybody is glad to move on from.
*** The anime somehow makes this moment more awesome as the play's narrator asks the audience to join him in saying Hiyori's last words to Orochi [[note]]The translation the anime subs went with was "black charcaol could not be called kurozumi if it wasn't burned," complete with an image of Oden appearing as Hiyori speaks. [[/note]]. Given that there are children wearing wigs that imitate Denjiro and Hiyori's hairstyles from when they were undercover plus people cheering that they were waiting for the narrator to get to that part, it's clear that people have gone to see the play multiple times.
** Momonosuke catches up to Luffy and the Straw Hats at the harbor, crying and asking Luffy to not leave. In response, Luffy says that he's like a little brother to him and hands Momonosuke a copy of the Straw Hat Pirates' flag, telling him to hang it somewhere in Wano and that he'll come to help if the country is threatened. In other words, ''Luffy has marked Wano Country as his territory, much like he did with Fishman Island.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Final Saga]]
[[AC:Egghead Arc]]
* Chapter 1058:
** The bounties for the rest of the Straw Hats are revealed: besides Chopper, who is saddled with an insultingly pitiful bounty of 1000, all of the Straw Hats have at the ''very least'' 300 million. Namely, Zoro, Jimbei, and Sanji all have over 1 billion, with Robin coming close at 930 million. The detail of the crewmembers being officially recognized as "commanders" makes it extra awesome.
*** As noted on the [[Characters/OnePieceStrawHatPirates characters page]], the crew's combined bounty is 8,816,001,000 Berries.
** The unfrozen bounties for the former Warlords are also revealed: Crocodile has 1.965 billion, Buggy, for his "accomplishments," has 3.189 billion, and Mihawk, for having the skill comparable to the Four Emperors, has a whopping '''3.59 billion'''. With Kaido and Big Mom out of the running, he has the second-highest active bounty out of any pirate, second only to Shanks. Mihawk even insinuated that the Emperor position is well within his grasp if he ever wanted it, he just chooses not to.
*** On the subject of Mihawk, it is implied by Crocodile that ''Mihawk used to hunt marines'' and was even called the "Marine hunter".
* Chapter 1059:
** Rayleigh saving the Kuja from Blackbeard, even calling the latter ''Whitebeard's apprentice brat''.
** Hancock shows exactly why her bounty is so high (1.659 billion) by instantly petrifying every (non-Pacifista) hostile on Amazon Lily at once, barring Koby and Blackbeard himself. Even two of Blackbeard's lieutenants, Catarina Devon and Vasco Shot, are petrified by her devil fruit.
** The Seraphim, the new Pacifista models, are no slouches. One of them even manages to slice a piece of Amazon Lily's ''mountain off''! It's implied that they are somehow child-clones of the former Warlords combined with Lunarian genes. They are able to survive the battle without so much as a scratch, and one of them was able to force Blackbeard to defend himself. When Fujitora claimed they could replace the Warlords, he wasn't kidding.
** Blackbeard himself proves his own high bounty (3.996 billion) by being unaffected by Hancock's beauty and even Rayleigh was unsure if he could defeat him, forcing him to bet on his reputation being enough to scare Blackbeard off.
** Koby has two minor ones displayed, the first which he [[ArrowCatch catches an arrow aimed at him without being aware of it]] and the second is being the only Marine in the invasion who hasn't been petrified by Hancock's ability which affected Helmeppo and even a Vice Admiral. Despite being on his own, he was still able to remain calm and collected while in the presence of an Ex-Warlord ''and'' an Emperor of the Sea.
*** Furthermore while the chapter shows that he still got a long way to go, we learned a bit more about the scope of Koby's actions at the Rocky Port incident, apparently managed to ''earn the gratitude of Blackbeard of all people'' mentioning that because of him, he was able to seize Pirate Island from a member of the Rocks Pirates. Adding that Blackbeard had gone out of his way to capture him for unknown reasons and being relevant enough to have his abduction on a newspaper segment, Koby is starting to be famous in his own right.
* Chapter 1060:
** Sabo reveals he is not the killer of King Cobra and he also ''exposes Imu'', the darkest secret of the Government.
** Imu shows why they are the mastermind behind the Government by erasing the existence of a whole kingdom.
* Chapter 1061:
** ''The ending.'' Jewelry Bonney informs the Straw Hats that the island they are approaching, Egghead, is the home of the enigmatic Dr. Vegapunk, which explains the robotic creations swarming the seas around it. Suddenly the group are confronted by a giant humanoid robot, large enough to ''lift the ship out of the water'', which turns out to have a human pilot. This pilot, a woman in a bodysuit and leather jacket, steps out into proper view... and what she said implies that [[TheReveal one of the most anticipated characters in the franchise is finally here]]:
--->''I'm just a humble genius scientist hired by the government. [[WhamLine You can call me...]] '''[[SamusIsAGirl Dr. Vegapunk!!!]]'''''
* Chapter 1062:
** Vegapunk pulled off the incredible feat of splitting himself into six satellites, plus his main body, with the young woman from the previous chapter being one of them. Even Lucci is baffled at how this is possible.
** While Lilith underestimates the Straw Hats due to the rest of the crew goofing off, fellow Vegapunk satellite Shaka, as well as Zoro and Robin's calm and confident DeathGlare, reminds her that they're the crew of a new Emperor of the Sea, and shouldn't be taken lightly.
--->'''Shaka:''' You've underestimated them... Look at the swordsman on board! That's Pirate Hunter Zoro, worth a bounty of 1.111 billion berries. The reason he's calmly hanging back... is because he knows he can slaughter you in an instant from that range! The same goes for the Demon Child behind him, Nico Robin.
* Chapter 1063:
** The Heart Pirates' encounter with the Blackbeard Pirates gives both crews a chance to show off;
** First, when Doc Q uses his Sick-Sick Fruit to infect the Heart Pirates with a GenderBender disease, Law uses his Haki to undo the transformation- literally ''willing'' himself back to normal, and thus creating antibodies that cure the rest of his crew. Law even says that he learned how to use Haki this way in Wano.
** Meanwhile, Jesus Burgess shows off his Strong-Strong Fruit. Originally, he could pick up and throw buildings, but now he's capable of doing the same to ''mountains!''
* Chapter 1064:
** The fight between Blackbeard and Law shows that the rest of the Heart Pirates can be just as badass as their captain. Penguin and Shachi are capable of swimming through the sea, unlike the Blackbeard Pirates, and when Doc Q drops his apple bombs, Shachi uses himself as a human water cannon to blast the apples from a distance! And when Van Auger tries to snipe Law, Jean Bart uses himself as a human shield, tanking the bullets from Auger's gun without fail.
--->'''Shachi:''' [[BadassBoast Don't mess with folks born and raised in a frigid North Blue port!!]]
** Law himself wounds Blackbeard severely, after having repelled his minions. Keep in mind Blackbeard is a Yonko. Van Auger even suggests retreat. However, Blackbeard shows determination and refuses.
** The giant robot Vegapunk Lilith has? It can ''fly.'' And Vegapunk's research is also capable of replicating the bouncy clouds from the White Seas.
* Chapter 1065: Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Robin, and Franky have to fight S-Shark, a Seraphim modelled after Jimbei. During the fight, S-Shark demonstrates not only skill with Fish-Man Karate like the real Jimbei and lasers like the original Pacifistas, but also the power of ''the Swim-Swim Fruit''!
* Chapter 1066:
** A retroactive one for Clover, the elderly head archaeologist of Ohara. He was a renowned adventurer in his youth, searching the world for rare texts in his quest to understand the Void Century, who was arrested by the navy and broke out of prison ''10 times''.
** Vegapunk said it best; '''Ohara Won'''. It turns out the scholars who tried to save their books during the Buster Call succeeded. Saul's giants retrieved them and hid them, and Vegapunk memorized the whole lot. The World Government burning down the entire island was not enough to bury the truth forever, and in the end worked against them by implicitly confirming Ohara's theories and inspiring the formation of the Revolutionary army. In short, the scholars posthumously gave one big middle finger to the World Government.
* Chapter 1069:
** Vegapunk, after 25 YEARS of theories, finally gives an explanation of Devil Fruits... desires manifesting into reality. Dreams people have taking on physical form and rejected by nature. That's right, the main power pushing the supernatural nature of One Piece is people's dreams! Oda has been pushing this for years!!
** The audience is reminded of what Luffy becoming an Emperor means: the Marines now consider messing with him something to [[TheDreaded avoid if at all possible.]] Even ''Sakazuki'' doesn't like the idea of messing with him and provoking another war with an Emperor.
** Lucci proves himself to be a '''master''' in XanatosSpeedChess.
*** To point: Even though he has awakened his own Zoan fruit, being able to use his "Six-King Pistol" attack without any side-effects and easily taking out Atlas, he is still not a match for Luffy's awakened "Sun God" form. He can't even touch Luffy, who refuses to takes the fight seriously and receives a punch that nearly knock him out. To make matters worse for [=CP0=], Science Captain Sentomaru has arrived with the Seraphim and decides [[ToBeLawfulOrGood to protect Dr. Vegapunk]] to whom [[IOweYouMyLife he owes his life]]. The Seraphim begin to attack [=CP0=] and things begin to look bleak for Rob Lucci and his team. Stussy explains that the Science Captain has higher authority than [=CP0=], meaning they can no longer control the Seraphim which have now turned against them. After hearing Stussy, Lucci figures out the best course of action - he ''instantly takes out Science Captain Sentomaru'', which allows [=CP0=] to gain back control of the Seraphim and turn things around literally with one fell swoop!
* Chapter 1070:
** Sentomaru isn't some scrub. He was able to block Lucci's strike just enough to avoid being killed, and stays conscious just long enough for Luffy's group to escape while the Seraphim support.
** The moment Luffy actually goes on the offensive, he completely obliterates Lucci despite the latter's boasting about his Awakened form. A single solid hit knocks Lucci unconscious with him having no idea how Luffy became so strong. This is a far cry from Luffy's previous encounters with Lucci, in which the latter had the edge over Straw Hat.
* Chapter 1071:
** When Kaku tried to destroy the Sunny with the same attack that cut the Tower of Justice in half back in the Ernies Lobby Arc, a barely-awake Zoro stopped it with zero effort, much to [[OhCrap Kaku's shock.]] Keep in mind that last time Zoro stopped that attack, he had to be in his Nine-Sword Style state.
*** It's even better because it shows incredible growth on Kaku's part too. Way back in Enies Lobby, Kaku needed to be in his Half-Giraffe form to unleash the Sky Slicer and even then, he still needed to wind up for several seconds. 2 years later and now Kaku can do it in his human form, ''without any windup at all''.
* Chapter 1072:
** Much like Lucci, Kaku has awakened his Devil Fruit and shows off new attacks. Much like Luffy, Zoro isn't remotely impressed and takes him on with ease.
** In the middle of everything, Stussy shows her true colors and knocks out Kaku before demanding that Lucci "take a cat nap too".
* Chapter 1073:
** Stussy follows up on her surprise ambush on Kaku by ''easily'' subduing '''Rob Lucci''', of all people, using an application of [[FlashStep Soru]] to get behind him and touch his neck with her lipstick, revealed to be laced with [[KryptoniteFactor Seastone]], freezing Lucci's movements long enough to [[VampireBitesSuck drain him of his blood]] and leave him collapsed on the floor. Lucci's shock at the lipstick trick implies Stussy had [[CrazyPrepared always kept it handy as a trump card]] in preparation to betray [=CP0=] when the time came. Furthermore, Stussy adds salt to Lucci's ongoing HumiliationConga by mocking how his first reaction to her being a traitor was [[MurderIsTheBestSolution instantly trying to kill her]] despite his confusion, noting how he senselessly and unimaginatively destroys whatever he doesn't understand.
-->'''Stussy:''' So when you don't understand something, your first move is to kill it?
* Chapter 1076:
** Just like it was hinted at the previous chapter, Luffy and Zoro teams up with ''[[EnemyMine Lucci and Kaku]]'' in order to take on S-Bear and S-Hawk.
*** Both Lucci and Luffy get a minor moment each. Lucci, despite the fact that his survival hinges on gaining Luffy's trust, refuses to compromise his ideals, making it very clear that he's going to kill his targets (the Vegapunks, the Straw Hats, and Stussy) as soon as the collaboration is over. On the other hand, Luffy manages to psychologically manipulate Lucci, ensuring that he won't betray the alliance and that he won't go after the others behind Luffy's back.
** Kid refuses to be intimidated despite going up against '''Shanks''', his entire crew, the allied pirate crews, '''and the Giants of Elbaf.'''
* Chapter 1079:
** Shanks finally demonstrates why he's an [[TheDreaded Emperor]], by [[StraightForTheCommander zeroing in on Kid]] and defeating him in ''[[SingleStrokeBattle one blow]]''. Not to be outdone, Dorry and Broggy finish the job by sinking Kid's ship. This is the first time we see him in action too, and what better way to demonstrate his power than him using Divine Departure, a SignatureAttack of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger himself.
** Despite his crushing defeat, Kid deserves credit for his strength; his [[{{BFG}} Damned Punk]] attack was about to sink several ships of Shanks' fleet at once and deal major damage; Shanks simply decided to [[NoNonsenseNemesis take no chances]]. The latter taking the initiative is emphasized by Shanks [[CombatClairvoyance seeing what destruction Kid's attack would do]].
** Shanks demonstrates an advantage most of the top tier fighters in One Piece don't, which makes him a ''terrifying'' foe: he [[NoNonsenseNemesis instantly takes threats seriously]], which is the only reason he saves the lives of his crew.
* Chapter 1080:
** Koby's Cross Guild-issued bounty is revealed: it's 5 treasure chests, which is roughly equivalent to a 500 million bounty. Keep in mind, this is the same character who entered the series as an ineffectual coward!
** Garp's [[DynamicEntry epic entrance]] to the operation to rescue Koby by using a single, massive Haki imbued fist to destroy an entire town after the other Marines finished corralling Blackbeard's underlings in a single spot. The attack was so powerful it was comparable to ''Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit'' in terms of size and destructiveness, showing why Garp was considered Roger-and by extension Whitebeard's- equal without having any kind of Devil Fruit power.
** Also, well - there's the reaction to Garp just ''being there'', from Blackbeard's men. Keep in mind, this is an Emperor's crew, on a place ''literally'' called "Pirate Island", when they have ''half of Blackbeard's lieutenants backing them up, all from Level Six of Impel Down'', with a boss who they say has ''no'' issues killing them if they fail him - and they '''''still''''' [[TheDreaded decided that running away from Garp was safer]].
*** Just to add to the awesomeness, the attack reveals that Garp is not only a Conqueror's Haki user, but that he's capable of Conqueror's Haki Infusion, a technique that only a handful of the strongest can use.
* Chapter 1081:
** Bepo, of all people, manages to pull out an awesome moment by going Sulong without a full moon, thanks to something Chopper gave him. With this power he manages to fight off ''Blackbeard'' and save Law.
** Kuzan being officially revealed as Blackbeard's mysterious tenth Titanic Captain and immediately engaging Garp is awesome for both sides, as Kuzan quickly froze Hibari without anyone in the rescue party noticing, while Garp [[NoSell effortlessly broke out of Kuzan's Ice Ball attack]] and counterattacked with his own Blue Hole attack, smashing the former Admiral into the ground in an instant.
* Chapter 1082:
** Cross Guild's plan to hunt marines is working and they even have one known victory. An old man from the starving nation of Pepe with his family and friends barely having enough to survive on, kills Vice-Admiral T-Bone and escapes to Cross Guild to collect the bounty. Cross Guild not only pays the man but Buggy offers him sanctuary in their ranks because if he leaves the Navy will have his head in response. Even Sengoku realizes how they underestimated the draw of Cross Guild's bounties.
--->'''Sengoku:''' Not that I excuse whoever killed him. If this was his goal, then we have sorely overlooked the ''Genius Jester''. How can we risk our lives to help the people if we're living in fear of being killed by them?!
*** Ever since they joined him, Crocodile and Mihawk have been manipulating Buggy and his Cross Guild crew to create their own pirate nation as TheManBehindTheMan, and Buggy has been nothing more than a ButtMonkey to them behind the scenes. However, after learning that Shanks is going after the One Piece, Buggy finds his own dream of being the Pirate King rekindled and declares that compared to it, Mihawk's and Crocodile's goal is weak and pathetic. ''[[ButtMonkey Buggy]]'' is genuinely looking down on ''[[TheDreaded Crocodile and Mihawk]]''.
*** When Crocodile and Mihawk shoot down his protests, Buggy proves that he isn't done growing a backbone. When they accuse him of expecting them, the two powerhouses that he himself ''isn't'', to fight his enemies for him, he counters with [[PragmaticVillainy simple pragmatism]], saying that they don't ''have'' to fight the other Emperors to gain the One Piece -- all they have to do is get to Laugh Tale ''before'' them.
*** Using his own floating powers, Buggy has his head turn on a transponder snail to send this conversation over the whole island so all their subordinates can hear. Against Crocodile and Mihawk's threats and them ''literally beating him up'' trying to shut him up, Buggy declares to everyone that Cross Guild is going after the One Piece too, drawing cheers from the rest of the crew. At this point, the two have no choice but to go along with it. ''Buggy'' has outplayed ''Crocodile and Mihawk'' and somehow proves to be the true captain of the Cross Guild all along.
*** Something that makes this even ''bigger''? Oda has always said Buggy has the ''potential'' to be one of the strongest guys in the series... but he was never properly motivated to train and grow stronger. Well, now Buggy ''is'' motivated...
*** Part of Buggy's RousingSpeech to Cross Guild's underlings is clearly fuelled by his own suffering -- after the latest round of torture in the "meeting room," he's inwardly monologuing that this isn't how he wanted his life to go, and openly begging for death. When he switches on the transponder snail, he urges his underlings to not be intimidated by impossible odds; after all, their lives could end any time. Considering how much he's suffered, it's implied that Buggy's lost a good chunk of his own fear of torment after being re-motivated.
*** The cherry on top? The expressions on Crocodile and Mihawk's faces make it clear that they ''know'' how badly Buggy has out-maneuvered them, but can't do anything about it. Crocodile, in particular, hasn't looked this furious since ''Alabasta''. ''Buggy'', of all people, manages to throw ''Crocodile'' off his game!
*** To add on all the above, Buggy's ''right.'' While conflicts are inevitable, it really is first come first serve for the One Piece. Depending on how much either of them remember the trip when they were young, ''both Buggy and Shanks have a leg up over Blackbeard and Luffy!''
** In the closing pages, it turns out that while Imu destroyed Lulusia, the last laugh goes to the Revolutionary Army -- ''Sabo managed to survive,'' and brought refugees from the destroyed kingdom with him!
*** It gets better -- he was CrazyPrepared enough to make his previous call from an indirect location, meaning he was ''near'' Lulusia, but not ''in'' the kingdom when Imu made their move.
* Chapter 1083:
** It turns out that the attack on Marijoa resulted in more than just 8 nations being overrun. Thanks to the destruction of the World Nobles food stores, and cargo ships carrying supplies being stopped by the Revolutionaries, it won't be long until the Celestial Dragons start feeling the torment they've subjected others to...
--->'''Ivankov:''' They like to call Marijoa an impenetrable fortress because of it's great elevation, '''but they have no defense against a lack of food!!! Let's see how you like living without money in the bank or dinner on the table!!! HEEEE-HAAAAW!!!'''
** Just that the Revolutionary Captains Morley and Karasu are able to fight on par with Admirals Fujitora and Ryokugyu. Even though, as the former [=CP9-now-CP0=] agents point out, [[DramaPreservingHandicap the Admirals have to limit themselves due to protecting the World Nobles]], it's still a feat for anyone to fight on par with the Navy's heaviest hitters.
** Lucci follows Vivi around, with the stated intention to keep her safe during the Reverie. [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu Vivi tells him off]] by retorting with "[[OnceDoneNeverForgotten Like you kept Shirahoshi safe?]]".
* Chapter 1084:
** King Cobra proves that he has balls of pure titanium in his meeting with the Five Elders, asking them point-blank what happened to Lily, the queen of Alabasta who went missing 800 years ago after the Void Century. Then, when they don't give him an answer, he follows that up by asking them "What is the D?" The information that the World Government has been keeping supressed for centuries, and Cobra asks them about it point-blank.
** After Charlos tries, yet again, to kidnap Princess Shirahoshi, he is stopped by Leo and Sai, who are [[ScrewTheRulesIMakeThem given explicit permission to do so by Mjosgard]] because, unlike a royal such as Fukaboshi, their countries won't suffer the repercussions [[BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork since they are pirates]]. The duo deliver a [[CombinationAttack Drill Dragon Nail-Tail Hammer double attack]] that [[ThereisNoKillLikeOverkill crushes Charlos's skull]], and apparently ''kills'' him! Or, at the very least, [[NoOneCouldSurviveThat makes the other Celestial Dragons who witnessed the attack think he's dead]].
* Chapter 1085:
** Cobra [[DoNotGoGentle absolutely refuses to heel to Imu and the Five Elders when they have him at their mercy]], calmly answering their questions before being fatally injured. Sabo, as well, leaps in to try and save him, though it's futile, but Cobra is able to FlingALightIntoTheFuture by way of passing on his final words to Luffy and Vivi through him.
*** Also, Sabo's reaction deserves a more through explanation here: He ''incinerates all Five Elders at once'' with Fire Fist, and moves to take out Imu ''instantly'' - the only reason he's unable to effectively topple the World Goverment's highest authority figures right there and then is that they are all Zoan Ability Users, a Devil Fruit Class that is designed around incredible durability.
** Similarly, Vivi is captured by [=CP0=], but she's not taking it for even a second, mouthing off at them and beginning to form a plan to escape. Before she can do something (and given her expression, it's implied she could have, even against [=CP0=]), she's offered a golden opportunity by way of [[SpannerInTheWorks Wapol fleeing Imu's wrath]]. She then [[EnemyMine teams up with him to escape.]]
** The would-be first Queen of Alabasta is said to have botched securing the poneglyphs, allowing the relics to be scattered out into the world for anyone to find. However, a letter to her brother that she signed with her full name leads Imu and the Elders to suspect this was a purposeful act of sabotage committed against her fellow proto Celestial Dragons. Her full name? Nefertari '''D.''' Lili. The reason both Cobra and Vivi are defiantly fearless in the face of the World Government's treatment of them? Vivi and Cobra both are Ds.
*** Even though it cost her her kingdom and quite possibly her life, Nefertari D. Lili's act of defiance is what gave pirate crews like the Roger Pirates and the Straw Hats the means to seek out One Piece (and the truth of the Void Century) at all.
** It's also revealed that before leaving, Sai and Leo announce their membership to the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, and with Luffy's new status as an Emperor, the Marines can't do anything without HQ's permission, effectively allowing the two to leave unharmed and unopposed.
** Fujitora actually helped the Revolutionary Army free slaves... and given he was then sent on an important mission ''afterwards'' and still has his rank, he ''got away with it''.
* Chapter 1087:
** Garp once again demonstrating his phenomenal power by not only keeping at bay all of Blackbeard's Titanic Captains alone while Grus, Koby and Helmeppo helped by defeating lesser pirates, he THREW San Juan Wolf's entire hundred+ meters bulk into the ocean effortlessly. Even Shiryu stabbing him didn't exactly slow him down, as Garp quickly reacted by punching Shiryu hard enough to immobilize him, and Kuzan outright said even if they tied his legs and arms down none of the nameless pirates surrounding him have a chance to kill Garp at all.
** Garp's Cross Guild Bounty is revelaled to be three crowns, or roughly three ''billion'' berries, the exact same bounty as Luffy, which puts Garp's bounty on the same level as the Emperors of the Sea. Garp then continues to show that he earned every last berry of that bounty.
** Kuzan to his credit also proved his strength as a former Admiral, being durable enough to still be standing from Garp's attacks, and ultimately delivering a mutual punch with his teacher that resulted in a large explosion, sending both him and Garp flying and out of action for a little while.
*** As shown by his flashback, Kuzan started out as a fairly small fry, unable to equal [[TrainingFromHell Garp's harsh training of punching the crap out of battleships every day]] and unable to use basic Haki. Yet after years and years of nonstop training he not only attained the rank of Admiral, he's capable of comfortably trading blows with old legends such as Whitebeard and Garp himself. As Brannew put it, the strength of the Marines' greatest heroes didn't come from their birth, [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower it's the result of bottomless dedication to their physical and mental training]].
* Chapter 1088:
** It's finally revealed how Koby ended-up a prisoner on Pirate Island: he wasn't defeated in a fight, rather [[TakeMeInstead he exchanged himself for Blackbeard letting a captured battleship and her crew of 800 marines go free]].
** Garp coordinates with Koby, Helmeppo and Grus in order to stop Pizarro from destroying the ship with the rescued slaves. The end result is a thing of beauty:
*** Helmeppo makes damn sure the Blackbeard Pirates don't get in the way of Koby and Grus, and blocks a cannonball with his own body. [[MadeOfIron He's later shown relatively unscathed]].
*** Garp makes a beeline for Pizarro and delivers him a Conqueror's Haki-infused punch while he's assimilating the island's skull-shaped mountain, ''splitting it in two''. His claim that he demolished several mountains to train for his duel with Don Chinjao clearly wasn't a bluff.
*** Koby finally shows off how he earned the name of hero, why Garp calls him the future of the Marines, and why his Cross Guild bounty equivalent to 500 million beris should probably be ''[[UnderestimatingBadassery higher]]''. As it turns out, Koby trained himself the same way Kuzan did, by punching a battleship until the skin '''peeled off his hands'''. In the present, his Armament Haki-infused punch rivals that of Garp, easily splitting apart Pizarro's mountain-sized rock hand and saving hundreds of lives in the process.
*** Also, let's just put Coby's above feat in context - he has been, for quite a while, undergoing TrainingFromHell from Garp - the sort of training that left Luffy, Sabo, and Ace, all ''extremely'' powerful and skilled fighters, who could probably beat up Coby when he was 16 when they were 11, terrified of their grandfather. Coby probably got trained as hard as they did, possibly ''harder'', and decided it ''wasn't enough.''
*** Koby and Garp's punches are so powerful that they even hurt Pizarro's physical body and make him bleed.
*** Grus has no time to be amazed by Koby's feat, and uses his ability to create a giant web made of clay in order to catch the leftover rubble from Pizarro's arm, ensuring that their ship isn't crushed by the debris.
*** Keep in mind that, as far as we know, Koby ''doesn't'' have Conqueror's Haki like Garp does, and yet his punch was '''still''' on the same level as the latter's Galaxy Impact. THAT's how hard he trained himself and it perfectly justifies why Garp has so much faith in him and the younger generation of the Marines in general.
** He's mortally wounded, surrounded by numerous very angry pirates, and half his body is frozen, and yet Monkey D. Garp only laughs at his predicament, showing that he is indeed a true D. by displaying a complete lack of fear of death, just like his grandson. What's more, he willingly chose this result, as it's implied he's fully capable of getting onto the ship with his strength, but instead he spent his last move helping Koby bloom his own strength rather than letting the old generation, represented by him, take the stage again.
* Chapter 1089: After spending months away from the Straw Hats, we finally return to Egghead... and it's awesome.
** It's revealed that the Seraphim were utterly thrashed by the Straw Hats [[OffscreenMomentOfAwesome off-screen]], and that they have taken York hostage, freed Vegapunk, and are now in total control of the island, all while suffering no casualties and only minor injuries. If there were any doubts that the Straw Hats were an Emperor-Level crew, they have been fully dispelled.
** The Five Elders having an OhCrap moment when they realized they were outgambitted by the Straw Hats to reveal the deal between them and York.
** A subtle moment, but the final panel in the chapter shows Rob Lucci standing behind the Straw Hats, unrestrained. Either he's thrown his lot in with the Straw Hats, or he's accepted that they're so far above his level that fighting them would be pointless.
* Chapter 1090:
** Upon taking the transceiver, Luffy tries to make the Five Elders pull the fleet around Egghead back if they want York. It doesn't work, but it was still pretty gutsy for Luffy to make a direct challenge to the some of the top authority in the World Government.
*** It also shows that Luffy is clearly trying to take advantage of his new status as an Emperor, recalling how the other Emperors were able to intimidate others.
** [[SmugSnake York,]] though clearly scared of the Straw Hats now that she's been caught, warns them that if they lay a hand on her, Egghead will be destroyed "just like [[DoomedHometown Ohara!]]" This results in [[CowardlyLion Nami]] ''immediately'' starting to beat her with her Clima-Tact. Her response to York threatening to tell the 5 Elders what she's done? [[BringIt "Do it!]] [[BadassBoast Make my day!"]] This also results in a [[WhenSheSmiles genuinely lovely]] image of Robin smiling at her crewmate, clearly touched at her defence of her hometown.
** Hancock's love for Luffy is so strong that it makes her Seraphim clone S-Snake, who inherited those feelings, [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming override her programming]] and help Luffy. Elder Nyon was right: "Love is a Hurricane".
** The Log Pose has reset, and the Straw Hats have their next destination. It's a place that's been hinted at for ''years''. That's right - a decade and some change after it was first mentioned, the Straw Hats are headed to Elbaf.
** The end of the chapter ends with a panel of Luffy reacting to Kizaru's attack and being [[OhCrap visibly shook]] while stating that someone very strong was coming.
* Chapter 1091:
** Sentomaru manages to briefly stall Kizaru. While he didn't last very long, the fact that he managed to do anything at all against an Admiral is still impressive.
** After Kizaru breaches the Frontier Dome, Lucci makes his move, attempting to assasinate Vegapunk, only to be stoped by Stussy, who [[TakingTheBullet takes the finger pistol]] for Vegapunk. Sanji and Zoro immediately jump into action. Sanji grabs Nami's Bubble Gun and bubbles Kaku before he can even do anything, and Zoro begins fighting Lucci, mocking him.
--->'''Zoro:''' So you got backup and throught you could make your move, huh?!\\
'''Lucci:''' Between me and Kizaru, you're all dead.\\
'''Zoro:''' [[BringIt Then you don't know us very well!!!]]
** At the end of the chapter, Kizaru is moving to intercept Vegaforce One and the Thousand Sunny, planning on destroying them to cut off the Straw Hats's escape route... only for Luffy to intercept him, clashing with him and stopping Kizaru dead in his tracks, [[GrinOfAudacity grinning like a madman the whole time]]. Luffy recalls the first time he and Kizaru crossed paths back at Sabaody, and informs Kizaru that this time, things will be different.
--->'''Kizaru:''' Hmm? Hello there. Long time no- ''[blocks Luffy's kick]'' ''' ''Very'' ''' bad manners.\\
'''Luffy:''' ''Kizaru!!'' Compared to two years ago... ''' ''[[CallBack We're a hundred times stronger now!!]]'' '''
*** Made more awesome with the fact that Luffy didn't seem to be using any of his Gears, only his haki-infused punch.
** Even better? Kizaru's sentences in Japanese are always ended with a series of squiggles to denote his laid back manner of speaking. When he has to block Luffy's kick... the squiggles disappear, implying Kizaru suddenly isn't nearly as relaxed as he usually is after feeling just how strong Luffy is now.
* Chapter 1092:
** At the beginning of the chapter, we cut back to Kuma, who has succeeded in climbing the Red Line and reaching Mariejois, a feat that only one other person (that being Fisher Tiger) had accomplished. When the Celestial Dragons' guards attempt to capture him, he uses his ''Ursa Shock'' to '''''blow them and a good portion of Mariejois AWAY'''''. Finally, he manages to withstand a couple of direct hits from Fleet Admiral Sakazuki and manages to escape, despite losing a foot, and continues going to his unknown destination.
** One has to give credit to Admiral Kizaru as he goes head-to-head with the man who defeated the Strongest Creature in the World. After enduring Luffy's attacks (while he was in Snakeman form), he manages to send the Straw Hat captain flying backwards, destroying the Vegaforce 1 and snafuing the heroes' escape plan in the process.
** On the other side of the fight, Kizaru clearly states that Luffy's new title of Emperor of the Sea is well-deserved, as he displays his power with G4 Snakeman attacks. Despite Kizaru managing to block them, Luffy's attacks compel him to defend himself for some time. One of Luffy's attacks nearly strikes Kizaru in a vulnerable area, but he is swift enough to teleport away and retaliate with a lightning-fast counterkick. After bouncing back from Kizaru's lightspeed attack, he transforms into Gear Five, becomes gigantic and actually ''grabs the Admiral in his hand'', with said Admiral becoming ''[[OhCrap visibly unnerved]]'' for the [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness first time in canon]].
*** Luffy even mentions having to pass though the supposedly unbreakable barrier twice.
* Chapter 1093:
** Luffy vs Kizaru continues, and both fighters are putting in an impressive show.
*** Luffy, after grabbing Kizaru, throws him out into the ocean, planning to exploit one of the universal weaknesses of Devil Fruits to win the fight, and when that doesn't work, he easily contends with Kizaru's light clones.
*** Kizaru proves to be a fast thinker and avoids falling into the sea by using Yasakani Sacred Jewel to shoot himself back towards Egghead Island. He then creates a small army of light clones to distract Luffy while he moves in to kill Vegapunk, and then follows that up with a blast that does significant damage to Luffy.
** Zoro vs Lucci continues, and Lucci is managing to hold his own against Zoro, who is using his King of Hell 3 Sword Style.
** Atlas manages to get control over the Pacifistas and orders them to attack and wipe out the Marines on Egghead Island.
* Chapter 1094:
** '''Kizaru is down!''' He knew not to engage Luffy directly and spent the entire fight playing defensively and trying to distance himself from the angry Emperor, but Luffy's persistence finally wins out and he delivers a decisive blow to the Admiral's head. Though that's not to say he doesn't deserve credit where it's due, managing to take out Vegapunk's getaway car and lasting long enough that Luffy's Gear Fifth transformation expired...
** ...at what might be the worst possible moment, too. With the order of one powerful voice, all the Pacifistas suddenly cease all activity, and what can only be described as some kind of ''Satanic summoning circle'' appears near the Vegapunks and the accompanying Straw Hats. And out of the circle comes a titanic, bearded, horned spider-centaur with a shawl of black flame. Exit the Admiral, enter one of the ''Five Elders'': '''[[VillainNoLongerIdle Saint Jaygarcia Saturn has come to face the Straw Hats personally.]]'''
** For better or worse, Saturn made landfall in time to witness Luffy using the awakened ''Nika'' Devil Fruit. It wasn't clear before if the Five Elders knew that ''Nika'' had been awakened or not, and it was the very thing they were willing to risk a brawl with Kaido to prevent. One of the Five Elders laying eyes on Gear Fifth now has removed all ambiguity, and previous chapters have heavily implied that Imu and the Five Elders were preparing to enact their master plan. If the viewers had any doubt this would be the final saga, they've been assuaged now: the brakes on the plot have officially been cut.
** Bonney, for her part, isn't intimidated by Saturn. She sees him and all she thinks about is how this is one of the people who lobotomized her father. The first thing she does is ''stab him on sight''.
** In a bit of a retroactive Moment of Awesome for Sabo, it's worth noting that he was in a room with six beings who are presumably just as powerful and terrifying as Saturn, and he managed to not only keep his cool, but escape with his life. Also one for Cobra for not losing his nerve when faced with the Five Elders and Imu, and still managing to FaceDeathWithDignity in the face of such monstrous terrors.
* Chapter 1095:
** Kizaru confirms that the blow from last chapter did some lasting damage to him. Despite the cartoony effect of it making him literally see stars, he admits outright to Saturn's face that he won't be mobile for a while until he shakes it off. Whilst Saturn's comments imply that Kizaru may not be 100% in the fight (due to having to attack Bonney and Sentomaru on top of killing his old ally Vegapunk) the Elder fully accepts at face value that the power Luffy wields as Nika incarnate is enough to easily pull off a DoubleKnockout on an ''Admiral'' with just one direct hit, emphasising just how strong the form makes Luffy, apparently giving him cartoon-esque feats of strength ''on top of'' his already-ridiculous CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
** Saturn continues to be both awesome and utterly terrifying. After the marines start freaking out that Bonney stabbed one of the Five Elders, Saturn tells them to pipe down and informs them that he allowed himself to get stabbed by her. He then pulls the blade out of his body, and the wound heals up instantly, with even the blood vanishing.
--->'''St. Jaygarcia Saturn:''' Pipe down, you insects!! If I were afraid of her sword... I would have avoided it!
** Saturn tries to kill Luffy with a FinishingStomp, but Franky uses a Strong Right to punch Luffy out of the way, and then he grabs Luffy, [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness boasting about how awesome it is that his Captain has earned the personal attention of the biggest head honchos in the World Government]].
** A chapter titled "A world where you're better off dead" ends with young Ivankov proclaiming his will to live.
* Chapter 1096:
** It's revealed that Ginny, Iva's newly-introduced companion from the last chapter, is an expert thief, wiretapper and radio operator, despite her young age (she's only 4 years older than Kuma) and apparently having been a slave since she was 4 years old. How does she showcase this? She casually reveals to the other slaves Iva's rallying to aid in the escape plan they're making by the seat of their pants that she leaked the information of the God Valley event, and the World Nobles' presence on it, over 2 weeks ago, planning to utilise the chaos that would result from whomever showed up to crash the party as a distraction for the slaves to seize their freedom. This directly lead to the Rocks pirates attacking the World Nobles, followed shortly thereafter by the Roger pirates with Garp hot on their heels aiming to finally capture his pirate nemesis. That's right, '''Ginny caused the God Valley Incident''', an event that ''continues'' to have a long-lasting ripple effect even to the present day despite all records of it being erased, and it was all just to cause a ''distraction'' for the slaves to escape. For a seemingly-powerless child, she may very well have altered the course of history through that innocuous action.
*** It's further revealed that both Rocks and Roger were apparently after a mysterious "treasure" that the World Nobles had stolen from Fullalead Island and brought to the event, one prized highly enough that Garp fully expected there to be a war fought over it. Nothing further is clarified, but it's heavily implied this treasure was a crucial component of Roger's eventual rise to Pirate King, valuable enough that he and his ArchEnemy Rocks fought intensely to claim it from the other.
** The reveal that it was simple, ordinary slaves that ultimately set in motion the events of the God Valley Incident, all so they could use the chaos to steal the Devil Fruit prizes and mobilise the fantastical abilities to seize freedom. These people were abused, mistreated and considered lower than animals by the World Nobles, but it was precisely because of them being considered BeneathNotice that such an Earth-shattering historical conflict happened. These mere slaves wished for freedom so deeply, they ultimately took action and set in motion events that continue to undermine the authority of the World Government, by the present day starting to spill into international chaos, just like the legend of Nika himself. Put in perspective, it almost feels like Nika's incarnation into Luffy was a destined event caused by the culmination of their wish to be free no matter the odds.
** Though understated, Iva's leadership skills deserve mention. Despite lacking his Devil Fruit at this point and being too weak to break the chains binding his hands himself, he uses a RousingSpeech to break the desperate "rabbits" from their panic, shooting down their belief that they'd be freed if they survived for 3 weeks by noting it's nothing but a vain HopeSpot to make the hunt more interesting, apparently aware that prior such events[[labelnote:*]]which are supposed to be hidden from the world at large[[/labelnote]] have had ''zero'' survivors, so the slaves' only hope is to not play by the rules. Instead, they need to seize the tournament prizes for themselves, using the powers to make their own way to freedom despite the presence of both the God Knights and one of the Five Elders on the island. Despite the almost impossibly low odds, ''they succeeded''.
** Kuma successfully eats his Paw-Paw fruit, but on the way out is confronted by Saturn himself, knocked down by his DeadlyGaze. Despite his enemy's power, the lowly slave Kuma stands back up whilst ''demanding'' of the Elder to tell him what determines somebody being "born" important like him, or that makes people like Kuma born to be slaves? The result of the face-off isn't seen, but according to Iva, Kuma was apparently able to save over ''500'' slaves from the Island, despite just having received the powers. Given Devil Fruits don't come with an instruction manual, Kuma managing to master enough of his new ability to achieve that is an impressive feat for the young boy.
---> '''St. Jaygarcia Saturn:''' The Buccaneer boy...Your only options are slavery and death. History itself chose them for you.\\
'''Kuma:''' Are you important, mister? It doesn't make sense that you're ''born'' important...''and there's no reason for someone to be born a slave!'' If I've got some kind of power...then I want to be like '''Nika''' and save as many of these unfortunate people as I possibly can!!!
** Elder Nyon is revealed to have been a member of the Rocks pirates in her younger days. Given the power level of some of their members (Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shiki, Xebec), she clearly was quite strong.
* Chapter 1099:
** Kuma, [[BewareTheNiceOnes sick of King Becori's cruelty]] upon returning to reclaim his throne, [[UnstoppableRage personally goes up to defeat him]]. The narration claims that this will be known as "Sorbet's ''[[OneManArmy One Man Revolution]]''".
** When Kuma returns to the seas to find the cure for Bonney, King Becori returns again, this time with an entire armada of Marines, which Kuma then goes on to sink.
* Chapter 1100: It's revealed that prior to Kuma joining, there had been a member of the Seven Warlords who had fallen. The one responsible? A certain '''Portgas D. Ace'''. That's right; before Luffy took down Crocodile, his brother was already known for defeating a Warlord.
* Chapter 1101:
** Bonney's friends concoct a plan to sneak her out of Sorbet so she can reunite with Kuma. Once Alpha realizes she's been duped, she furiously attempts to pursue and capture Bonney while promising to [[WouldHurtAChild beat her within an inch of her life]], kill her friends and chain her up day and night so she can't escape again. How does Bonney respond? By using [[AlternateSelf Distortion Future]] to [[VariantPowerCopying mimic Nika's rubbery body]] and [[TheDogBitesBack punching Alpha into the sea]] with [[MegatonPunch a pseudo-Gear Third punch]] as her crew cheers at her.
** This in turn explains how a 12-year old child was able to become one of the Supernovas -- Bonney's fruit not only allows her to copy Devil Fruits, even those eaten by another, but also imparts a case of InstantExpert upon her from retroactively making her skilled in the skill or technique she's using. It look Luffy years or practice with his Gum-Gum to get the handle of it, and further focusing of his skills to successfully pull off Gear Third with a workaround of blowing air into his thumb. But Bonney simply decides that she wants to age herself into a future where she became like Nika and can instantly pull it off like she was using Gear Fifth. When applied to any other skills or fields Bonney wants to become expertly skilled in, it means that Bonney can make herself a JackOfAllStats, able to adapt to whatever situations she's in through retroactively having spent years mastering the skills needed to overcome it.
** A minor one, but in a flashback, Dragon tells Kuma to stop asking about Luffy unless he wants to have Dragon killed, stating that a child is the weakness of the parent. While this exchange underlines his reasoning for keeping his son's existence a secret and the danger it poses to the Revolutionary Army, it also makes clear that [[PapaWolf Dragon would have willingly thrown away everything he worked for and sacrificed if it meant protecting his boy]].
* Chapter 1102: Kuma's actions on Sabaody are completely recontextualized. After Luffy punched Charlos, Kuma remarks to himself that no one has assaulted a Celestial Dragon in hundreds of years, and this, combined with his other knowledge of Luffy and his powers, convinces Kuma that Luffy truly is the man who will carry on Nika's will. He knew that Luffy wasn't strong enough to handle the New World yet, so he used this opportunity to show them how strong they needed to get, and sent them to the places they needed to go to become stronger. He pinned his hopes and dreams on Luffy being the "one who will save the world." Safe to say, his gamble paid off.
** A retroactive one for Zoro, as Kuma silently acknowledges that the amount of pain and suffering he transferred to Zoro back in Thriller Bark would probably be enough to knock out Kuma himself despite his massive durability, and Zoro stayed conscious through not only this but his own injuries as well!
* Chapter 1103: We come out of the flashback and Saturn has Bonney at his mercy. Then the marine escort sees KUMA, rushing right through the escort, tanking several cannon balls and other attacks on the way, blocking Saturn's spider leg that he was about to stab Bonney with, then pulling it out of his own back. And the last image of the chapter is Kuma rearing back ready to punch Saturn... with his fist coated black. That's right, despite his brainwashing, despite everything that Saturn put him through, Kuma was able to use Haki. Which means two things: The brainwashing wasn't as thorough as Saturn wanted or Bonney's cries for help awakened Kuma's PapaWolf instincts to come save her. The sight of Haki is enough to spook Saturn.
** That's right, '''Haki'''. The very manifestation of a person's '''will'''. Even though Kuma's personality is completely wiped, his paternal instinct is still intact and driving his will to fight. Saturn just attempted to kill Bonney in front of Kuma, Kuma is ''pissed'' and he is about to go all PapaWolf on the old bastard's ass.
** Something that should be noted: He climbed the Red Line to get to Egghead. Which means he started on the Paradise side of the land mass. He climbed up, raced through Marajois, climbed back down, raced through the sea, crashed through the blockade and stopped Saturn's attack, in what can't be much more than a single day's time.
** One moment for Bonney herself. As badly as she was losing against Saturn, the fact that she actually tried to fight back and became his [[EnemiesEqualsGreatness top priority]], to the point he tried to kill her personally, is very impressive for her. Especially since she wasn't even Saturn's initial target.
* Chapter 1104:
** Kuma's punch has landed, and actually ''hurt the Elder''. For the first time in the series, one of the Five Elders is in genuine danger. After what he has put Kuma through, [[CatharsisFactor it's beyond satisfying]]. The punch [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom sends him crashing through several buildings]] and breaks off one of his horns and hands.
** Saturn mentions that he pushed the self-destruct mechanism installed in Kuma to destroy him the day the Revolutionaries rescued him. Though Vegapunk lampshaded to himself that he didn't actually install a bomb, [[LoopholeAbuse he instead installed a mechanism that simply shuts down Kuma]]. Yes, Kuma is still mobile even if he's supposed to be in a vegetative state by now, [[PapaWolf all to protect Bonney]].
** After being freed from whatever spell Saturn has inflicted on them, Franky and Sanji fight off Saint Saturn not allowing the elder to inflict any more pain to Bonney and Kuma. Sanji kicks away his leg as he is about to hit Kuma, while Franky fires a Radical Beam that punches a big hole through his chest.
--->'''Franky:''' We owe Kuma a great debt, too!\\
'''Kizaru:''' And it's true... you've developed very well.
** If the marines' reactions is of any indication, Luffy managed to pull a StealthHiBye when everyone was distracted by Kuma's arrival.
* Chapter 1106:
** Despite knowing that Saturn will kill him for it, Vegapunk reveals he outsmarted Saturn one last time by implanting a hidden failsafe in the Pacifistas: Bonney ''outranks the Five Elders'' in their command hierarchy. When it's clear there's no other choice and Saturn standing ''right behind him'', he has Atlas reveal this to Bonney, resulting in the Pacifistas turning on the Buster Call ships. Saturn stabs him through the chest for the deception, but under no circumstances would Vegapunk allow the image of her father to bring Bonney any harm.
** Kizaru shows his great skills as he recovers and manages to shoot Franky down. Franky has become very strong and his body is nearly imprevious, but an Admiral can still pierce it. This is also a moment for Franky because he stands up to an Admiral.
** Sanji fights Kizaru next and actually ''blocks some of the Admiral's attacks'' before going down. Usually it takes a Yonko Commander, like Ace and Marco, to even stop an Admiral's attack, and Sanji has officially become one.
** Once Kizaru has beaten both powerful Straw Hats, he gets struck by Luffy, who has recovered, and Bonney finally sees Luffy as Nika because of the power of Gear Five. Vegapunk himself declares that not even a Buster Call could hope to stop Luffy now.
--->'''Vegapunk''': So you didn't realize it, Bonney. I couldn't be sure until I saw it for myself. The very same Straw Hat Luffy that Kuma had his eye on... '''''was Nika, the Sun God!''''' Kuma was right! This Buster Call is futile! For centuries, people all over the world... '''''have been waiting for him!'''''
** In the previous chapter, the civilian ship that Saturn ordered sunk was revealed to have been saved by a third party that sank the Marine convoy pursuing it before making its way to Egghead, said party being enough of a threat that the surviving Marines scrambled to try and report this to Kizaru at any cost. The final page of this chapter reveals their identity. Is it the Straw Hat Grand Fleet? The Blackbeard Pirates? The Revolutionary Army? The Big Mom Pirates? Direct intervention of the Red Hair Pirates? Cross Guild? Nope: ''[[TheBusCameBack it's Dorry and Brogy]]''.
--->'''Brogy:''' [[SignatureLaugh Ga ba ba ba ba]]!! [[TheCavalry We're here for you, Straw Hat]]!!!\\
'''Dorry:''' [[SignatureLaugh Ge gya gya gya gya]]!!! [[WhamLine Or should it be... Sun God]]!!!
* Chapter 1107:
** It's not just Dorry and Brogy coming to help, but the entire Giant Warrior Pirates crew ([[ThoseTwoGuys Oimo and Kashii]] included), who proceed to smash the Marine armada to pieces. Between that and the rogue Pacifistas, Vice Admiral Red King laments that only their battleships have a chance of surviving the assault.
** Luffy, now back in Gear 5, beats the ever-loving crap out of Saint Saturn with a [[RapidFireFisticuffs Gum-Gum Dawn Gatling]]. Specifically, he grants Bonney's request to show her how to throw a punch properly.
** Sanji saves Bonney, Franky, and the dying Vegapunk from Kizaru by ''kicking his laser beam attack away'', an act that [[NotSoStoic surprises even the otherwise unflappable Kizaru]]. Sanji then gears up for a one-on-one confrontation, completely unshaken by the Admiral.
--->'''Sanji:''' ''Love is stronger than light!!''\\
'''Kizaru:''' If that's true, then physics as we know it is dead...
* Chapter 1108:
** Despite their reduced numbers the Pacifistas are still holding off the Buster Call fleet and inflicting heavy damage to the Marines, frustrating the commanding Vice-Admirals as they can't go all out since they risk permanently destroying valuable Marines assets. The situation is so bad that the Vice-Admirals opt to land on the island themselves and [[StraightForTheCommander try to take out Bonney]] rather than continue trying to get through the Pacifistas.
** Even when the circumstances of his departure from the Marines was rather negative and disgraceful, Saul's legacy seems to be somewhat positive, as Vice-Admiral Bluegrass compliments his strength when Doll reveals she served under him 20 years ago.
** Broggy [[HammeredIntoTheGround rather quickly]] dispatches a Vice-Admiral who's about to attack Franky with a single hit of his axe, then going off with Dorry to help Luffy out.
** Luffy stops both a fully transformed Saturn and Kizaru, who are trying to kill the escaping Sanji and Vegapunk, singlehandedly. As in, each of his arms restrains them individually, with Kizaru bleeding from the mouth from Luffy's sheer grip strength, all the while he's grinning menacingly and proudly proclaiming neither of them will go anywhere.
** At the end of the chapter, Vegapunk seemingly dies. However, as he does, a message starts broadcasting. Looks like Vegapunk had [[DeadMansSwitch one last surprise in store]], and it's a ''doozy.''
--->'''Vegapunk's Recorded Message:''' Ahem! Hello? Check check... Is this thing on? Hello out there! Come in world... Ahem... I am Dr. Vegapunk, A humble genius scientist. While many of you will likely be shocked by what I have to say in this message... I assure you that it is the '''truth''' of this world!!!
* Chapter 1109: Luffy showcases his abilities as an Emperor in Gear 5, delivering a remarkable performance against Kizaru and Saturn.
** First, he renders Kizaru motionless once again and enters into an "UnstoppableForceMeetsImmovableObject" impasse with Saturn, where he acts as the unstoppable force while Saturn becomes the immovable object.
** Saturn's DeadlyGaze can obliterate heads with a mere glance or cause significant damage to the Straw Hats; however, when Luffy becomes the target of the attack, he [[NoSell shrugs it off easily]], as if receiving an invisible punch to the head.
** Luffy quickly overpowers Saturn and Admiral Kizaru, causing the admiral-class fighter to cough up blood from his mere grip strength. Although Kizaru falls every time Luffy lands a direct hit on him, Saturn's bizarre HealingFactor ensures he can recover from any damage sustained almost indefinitely. Regardless of how powerful Luffy's blow is, Saturn always counterattacks without relenting.
** The urgency to put a stop to Vegapunk's worldwide broadcast after his DeadMansSwitch is activated forces Saturn to call upon the other Elders to help him break the impasse, as he is unable to overcome Luffy alone.
* Chapter 1110: The Five Elders' "planetfall" is objectively horrifying for the Straw Hats and their odds of winning the battle on Egghead...but god ''damn'' if it isn't one of the most awe-inspiring entrances of any group in the history of One Piece. The four summoned warriors are all heralded by black lightning striking the ground around Saturn, just like when he made his appearance, and emerge in their full monstrous glory, each representing a different mythical demon from Japanese mythology, which culminates in one of Oda's '''very''' rare single-panel two-page spreads[[note]]The last such spread was for the formation of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet, ''310 chapters and '''6.5 years''' ago''[[/note]] as the five of them stand before Luffy...or rather, as [[DavidVsGoliath Luffy stands before them]]. While they're yet to show their full capabilities in this form, it's made abundantly clear that '''none''' of them are to be trifled with - Nusjuro, in particular, [[ChekhovsGun finally demonstrates that his sword isn't for show]] by running around the perimeter of the island [[SuperSpeed faster than the eye can follow]] and '''''effortlessly''''' [[TheWorfEffect incapacitating the Pacifista that were otherwise decimating the Marines]].
** But of course, it's not all doom and gloom: first, as Zoro continues his apparent stalemate with Lucci, he overhears [[BerserkButton Sanji calling him a liability]] for delaying the crew's departure and '''''immediately''''' cuts the bastard down with a new Santoryu technique, demonstrating that [[IAmNotLeftHanded he could've easily ended the battle at any time]]...
** ...while outside, Luffy finds himself abruptly swallowed by Ju Peter, having taken the form of a massive worm. However, just as quickly, Dorry and Broggy see what's happened and move to intervene...by ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu cutting off Ju Peter's head]]'' to free Luffy ([[CallBack just as Dorry did to a brontosaurus when they first met 894 chapters ago]])!
--->'''Luffy:''' Huh?! It's you guys! [[TheBusCameBack It's the giants!]] \\
'''Brogy:''' Gababababa! It's been too long, Straw Hat! \\
'''Dorry:''' We couldn't wait to see you again! Gegya gya gya gya!
* Chapter 1111: Though suffering a CurbStompBattle from Zoro and never measuring to his current level, Lucci managed to come out of the fight with his dignity intact. He remained on his feet after the final attack, and was able to give a full and accurate report to Marcus Mars right afterwards - revealing he'd been keeping full tabs of what's going on all around the island ''even as he fought Zoro''. Not for nothing did Kizaru praise him for his efficiency.
** Meanwhile, though cut short by Luffy due to his explanation of [[GoodThingYouCanHeal the Five Elders being immortal]], his and the giants' battle against them is fittingly spectacular. First, with Dorry signaling their retrieval of Luffy and ability to leave to his crew, Warcury decides to deliver his own signal that they're ''not'' allowed to leave by letting out a '''massive''' blast of Conqueror's Haki, one that shakes the ''entire island'' and momentarily ''[[ToonPhysics scares the features off Luffy]]''. With every chapter, it becomes more and more clear that the Five Elders will ''not'' be pushovers...
** But despite that, Luffy, Dorry, and Broggy stand strong, the latter two earning every ounce of [[TheDreaded their]] [[WorldsStrongestMan reputation]] as the fearsome Giant captains by not only blocking Warcury's next attack, but ''repelling him'' with enough force to flip him over, not even straining themselves in the process. Meanwhile, when Luffy sees a vision of pellets fired by Saturn poisoning the Giants, he brilliantly channels [[{{ComicStrip/Popeye}} Popeye the Sailor-Man]] by grabbing a nearby tree, chewing it down to a large bat, ''[[AscendedMeme painting it black with Armament Haki]]'', and [[BatterUp smacking those pellets right back at the Five Elders like he's playing baseball]], culminating in them being '''[[StuffBlowingUp blown to smithereens]]'''. Of course, they start [[CompleteImmortality reforming immediately]], which prompts Luffy to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere have the Giants retreat]], but that does nothing to negate the badassery on display.
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