Kaido came out and straight said it, no matter how powerful someone’s Devil Fruit, if their opponents Haki is stronger, they will be the overwhelmed. Both Kaido and Luffy possess Mythical Zoans and both possess Haoshoku Haki. They have been evenly matched and are now in their last legs in terms of endurance. What Luffy seeks to do is send one last attack Kaido’s way that is impossible to dodge and defend against. A fist so massive that it covers the skies and almost rivals Onigashima in size. Onigashima is in Luffy’s way and Momonosuke is tasked to move it before the hammer of Luffy drops.
Luffy being able to catch lightning and convert it into rubber is so fascinatingly ridiculous. Kaido had rubber lightning thrown at him. I can understand why Kaido considers such an act something childish but he understood the danger that lightning represented and dodged it. Kaido didn’t tank it or defend against it but evaded it completely. I honestly don’t blame Kaido for being so puzzled by Luffy’s power and edged by how preposterous they are. Because that’s exactly what Luffy’s power is. The Nika Fruit allows one such freedom that in the hands of someone with Luffy’s mind, it becomes something completely unparalleled. Kaido may have defeated Luffy twice before but each time Kaido fought Luffy, he became less and less able to predict and counter him. An attack that KO’d Luffy during their first encounter now became an attack that Luffy can repeatedly endure. This third time will ultimately be the moment Kaido is overwhelmed.
Even after witnessing the scene play out in front of my eyes, I still can’t believe Luffy is able to inflate his fist to such a massive size AND coat it completely in Haki. The surface area of his fist is many times his body yet he still has the Haki left to fully coat it. If anyone would like to know how determined Luffy is, they would just need to look at this scene. It conveys just how immense Luffy’s Haki is. Despite Luffy being nearly out of gas, he is still able to draw out such insane amounts of Haki. Kaido is shaken and he should be. Momonosuke and Yamato are in shock and they should be. What Luffy is doing goes beyond logic and believability (if you aren’t familiar with Luffy). Hopefully, this impact inspires Momonosuke to up his game and move Onigashima out of Luffy’s attack path.
Momonosuke’s story in the Wano Arc has been building up toward Momonosuke rising up to carry out the responsibilities expected of him both by himself and Wano. As the flashback in this chapter illustrates, while Momonosuke may have started out as a terrified child unable to comprehend the weight of leadership, he has gone through a journey where he learned what being the Shogun could mean and how many place their hopes and belief in him. When Momonosuke was in the burning Kuri Castle, he noticed Kin’emon’s plea and vaguely understood that he was the person who could help the Akazaya Samurai continue to live as Samurai. Momonosuke may not have understood exactly how Kin’emon felt but he recognised that the path ahead of him was one he had to traverse. The path that led toward becoming Shogun. Even with tears and snot running down his face, he farewelled his mother and accepted his destiny. Momonosuke reminisced on this moment when Yamato placed his hopes in him to produce flame clouds to keep Onigashima afloat. Momonosuke doubted himself but after remembering the last moment with his mother, he gained the resolve to not fail his mother’s belief and love in him.
The flashback establishes how important Kin’emon is to Momonosuke and how Momonosuke, even before their journey to Zou, saw Kin’emon as a Samurai, mentor and voice capable of helping him see the truth for what it is. Kin’emon was not afraid to speak to Momonosuke as an adult and even question the choices Momonosuke was making. As for the rest of the Samurai, they have no issue laying their lives down for Luffy and Momonosuke. The Samurai have regained their resolve meaning that once Kaido and the Beast Pirates are driven out of Wano, they will be in a position to retake their roles as defenders of Wano. The people of Wano have suffered during the past 20 years but the spirit of the Samurai remain and all the Samurai on Onigashima expecting to die will be saved by Momonosuke. Rather than die as Samurai, Momonosuke will request of them to live as Samurai. To live for Wano. Very much looking forward to the next chapter and seeing Momonosuke rise to the occasion.
12Dimension 