After dispatching Luffy into the ocean, Kaido turns his eyes to the Samurai and in particular, Momonosuke, the Lord of the rebel forces currently fighting across Onigashima. Kaido intends to shatter the spirits of the rebels with the news of Luffy’s defeat and the annihilation of their lord, Momonosuke. What Kaido fails to grasp is the independence of each Samurai’s belief. They have all reached a point where they will happily give their life to protect and to fight for their lord, nation and people. Fear and desperation have already guided each of them to this point. Adding more terror won’t change the resolution burned into their soul. The Straw Hat Pirates won’t give up and neither will the Samurai. Kin’emon, the representative of the Samurai rebellion now stands against Kaido challenging him head on with the weight of the nation on his shoulder and the presence of his lord behind him. Overpowered by Kaido as he may be, Kin’emon still stands.
Kin’emon won’t be defeating Kaido but the seconds he can buy keeping Kaido away from Momonosuke will give other players within the conflict more time to turn the tables on the Beast Pirates. Luffy hasn’t been completely defeated and Yamato has been suspiciously kept away from encountering Kaido since his introduction. By the time Yamato comes face to face with his father, the inevitability Kaido and the rest of the Beast Pirates are so certain of now will be but a mere illusion of the past. Luffy will return. And Yamato will challenge his father alongside his new nakama. The spirit o Oden remains and so to does the spirit of the Samurai.
Kaido mentioning Joy Boy was such a curious development. What does Kaido know about Joy Boy? How did Kaido come to find out about Joy Boy? And why is Kaido so interested in Joy Boy? Did Kaido come across this information when sailing under Rocks or was this something Kaido found out while operating the Beast Pirates? Or could this be the result of his Bloodline or family past? Whatever the case, what exactly made Kaido so interested in the Joy Boy and knowing who would carry on Joy Boy’s will? If Luffy can establish his presence as the inheritor of Joy Boy’s will, what would Kaido do then? I also wonder why Onigashima was never part of Wano Kuni, why was it separate? Rather than 6 Wano Kuni families ruling each of the lands and serving the Kozuki, could there have been 7? Could Kaido and Yamato belong the seventh Wano Kuni family that existed in the past but decided not to swear fealty under the Kozuki Shogun? Could this clan have been called Raigetsu and at one point based on Onigashima Island? There being seven regions within the seas of Wano Kuni does suggest that there could have been seven Wano Kuni families at one point. This seventh Wano Kuni family could have in the past wished to keep Wano open and fight the threat of 800 years ago. When such an option became impossible with the sealing of Wano Kuni borders, did this clan leave before the borders were closed? Similar to how some Amatsuki members left, could the seventh family have also left and set-up their new home elsewhere in the world? Kaido is currently going through a lot of effort to make Onigashima the Capital of Wano and this could be the result of a shadowed past.
As for Joy Boy, what if Luffy isn’t Joy Boy but it is instead Momonosuke? The people of Wano Kuni have an intimate connection to the Ancient Civilisation and they were the ones who created the Poneglyphs that passed the true history of the world into the future. Was Joy Boy a Wano Kuni citizen (or a Giant?) and did he carve out the apology letter stored in Fish-Man Island himself? Will Momonosuke and Shirahoshi have a part to play together when they use their abilities? Shirahoshi can summon Sea Kings and communicate with them. Momonosuke can also seemingly communicate with ancient creatures. Was what Momonosuke heard in this chapter the voice of a Sea King? Did the Sea King tell Momonosuke not to worry about Luffy as it had him covered? Is this the message Momonosuke wanted to pass on to Kin’emon before Kanjuro arrived? With Momonosuke back on the run, will Yamato be the one Momonosuke’s shares the message with? Yamato has become someone Momonosuke trust.
Kanjuro managed to use his Oden clone strategy again effectively to take down Kiku but Kanjuro lacked sufficient strength and capability to take on Kin’emon. Kanjuro was slashed down by Kin’emon and even though Kanjuro did mention it was fitting for his best friend on stage to have killed him, I don’t believe Kanjuro is completely dead. Kanjuro’s role may have ended in the Wano Kuni Arc but I don’t believe he is completely dead. The same with Kiku. She gave a sorrowful speech to Kin’emon at the end but come the conclusion of the Wano Kuni Arc and she will still be alive alongside Ashura Doji.
If a Sea King does appear in the Wano Kuni ocean to save Luffy could Shirahoshi also end up appearing given her identity as Poseidon? Could Vivi also be with her? Would this be where Caribou comes in with his knowledge of Shirahoshi as an Ancient Weapon? And regarding the Sea King, did it enter Wano’s water through the Waterfall or is Wano Kuni based on a Giant Sea King that has now awoken? Or Sea Kings may not be relevant and what saves Luffy could the Octopus that helped the Straw Hat Pirates enter Wano Kuni? If it the Octopus, I so curious to know if Yamato and it are linked in some way. Very much looking forward to the next chapter and learning about the message Momonosuke wanted Kin’emon to pass on to everyone. And I love how Zoro and Sanji reacted to Kaido’s allowance of surrender. With those two still present on Onigashima, the battle is far from over.
12Dimension 