One Piece Chapter 1003 – Luffy And Zoro VS Kaido

February 8, 2021 by Syphin 1 Comment

The qualities of an emperor are on full display within this chapter. Despite Luffy’s loss to Kaido earlier in the arc when he was completely overwhelmed, Luffy identified a path forward and during the two weeks leading up to the Fire Festival, training was undergone to prepare himself for the battle against Kaido. The inability to injure Kaido was the hurdle Luffy needed to overcome and thanks to Hyogoro and Luffy’s tenacity, Luffy was able to advance his Haki. The speechlessness of Big Mom and the pressured reaction of Kaido conveys how extraordinary Luffy’s growth is.

Both Big Mom and Kaido who have faced Luffy before cannot believe this is the same opponent they encountered in the past. It lasted for only a flurry of attacks before Luffy exhausted his Haki but that was enough to damage Kaido to the point of forcing Kaido into his Hybrid form. A form which Kaido appears to utilise when getting serious about the opponent he is facing. Big Mom in turn also targets Luffy when he is in his weakened state to avoid having to face Luffy’s Gear Fourth form again. Both interest and concern have driven the Yonko into action. While the Yonko are getting damaged, the issue now resides in the fact that both have become serious and Luffy is currently out of action. How will Zoro, Law, Kid and Killer deal with Big Mom and Kaido? Will they be able to buy Luffy 10 minutes for his Haki to recover or will new allies arrive on the roof of Onigashima Skull dome to assist them? It is quite clear this battle is far from over.

Zoro has caught the attention of Big Mom and Kaido with his use of Enma and ability to injure Kaido. In order to free Luffy from Kaido’s jaws, Zoro had to awaken his Santoryu style and unleash a Dragon Twister of his own to slice Kaido. With the damage Kaido suffered, he could do little but release Luffy from his mouth. Kaido is primarily focused on Enma concluding that is the source of Zoro’s power but what Kaido is currently failing to realise is that the Swordsman wielding the blade is even more dangerous. Mihawk realised this when he encountered Zoro in East Blue but sadly Kaido doesn’t have the same discerning eyes as Mihawk. This could wondrously come back to bite Kaido. When the demon aura behind the Haki of Enma reveals its terrifying form.

With the CP0 present on Onigashima Island, a new wrinkle has presented itself within this arc. I expected the CP0 to still be stationed in Wano Kuni as they work out the final details of transferring the Marine battleship to Orochi but I didn’t expect Orochi to officially invite them to the Fire Festival on Onigashima Island. It makes sense though. And it add a governmental presence in this war to witness exactly what goes down. The CP0 will be left in awe at the Beast Pirates defeat and realise the increased danger each of the Straw Hat Pirates represent which will inevitable shortly drive up the bounties placed on each of the members head. In turn, the allies fighting alongside the Straw Hat Pirates will be given the same treatment and have their bounties increased. Yamato in particular will be especially noted by the world government as the child of Kaido and a key ally to the and how the Beast Pirates are defeated. Incoming bounty increase for the crew and a bounty issue for Yamato who will be identified as Kaido’s child and a primary figure in the defeat of the Yonko. With the World Government/Marines holding interest in Kaido, they too will be as interested in his child. I expect a hefty bounty to placed on Yamato and some serious effort to be put behind the Marines effort in attempting to apprehend them.

The CP0 state the outcome of the battle is an unnecessary concern but that is only because they are currently unaware of the value Momonosuke holds as a threat towards the World Government and Im. They are ignorant parties within this war and may end up having their hubris explode in their faces as they sit idly by and let their expected result crumble into nothingness. The CP0 believe the outcome of the battle is not much in doubt which implies their belief in the Beast Pirates but once the Black Pieces fall one by one from the efforts of the New Generation, the realisation within their arrogance will grow until the liberation of their error arrives too late to remedy. The CP0 will inevitable rue this moment when they decided to leave the pirates to their own devices. The CP0 could not control Doflamingo and they certainly won’t be able to overcome the crew that defeated Doflamingo. The White Pieces will penetrate directly through the shadow hanging over Wano Kuni for the past 20+ years.

The Officers of Kaido the CP0 are talking about seem to refer primarily to the Tobiroppo and not the All Stars at the moment. With Drake currently assisting the Straw Hat Pirates only five Tobiroppo stand against the rebellion. Franky is facing off against Sasaki. Sanji is attempting to escape Black Maria. Jinbe is battling Who’s Who. And Ulti and Page One currently have not had opponents confirmed. Though, with two different groups also presented during the narrative, I suspect Ulti and Page One to be split between those groups. Nami, Usopp and Tama will encounter Page One. And Ulti will once again challenge Yamato who is protecting Momonosuke and Shinobu. Considering the history Ulti and Yamato have and narrative in which their character panels are presented, I expect the two to clash. Ulti was taken out by Yamato earlier in the arc and has not repaid the debt back to Yamato. In the panel showing Yamato defending against something or someone, I expect that to be Ulti.

The events are erupting into chaos and with Tama still needing to express her role as the Trump Card against the Beast Pirates, she may end up pacifying Page One during the battle. This in turn could lead to Tama turning more Beast Pirates against Kaido, slowly reducing the number of Black Pieces and increasing the number of White Pieces on the Go board the CP0 are analysing the battle through. Very much looking forward to the next chapter.