Chapter 1,049: The World That Should Be

[Joy Boy]

@Tyki_Mikk:

What @Greg wrote, I totally agree with him.
Kaido is and was the strongest one, like legit Oda and his stuff hyped this guy everytime when they had the chance to do it.
Kaido was portrayal as the strongest, Luffy actually beat that threat, he took that position via beating his strongest move(if Kaido is really down)!!
And that makes it what Greg wrote, Luffy is the strongest being in the world right now. And even if argue that he only beat Kaido because of Kaido facing so many opponents, in the end we all can agree that Luffy is close to close to Kaido, beat Kaido strongest move.

And that makes Luffy currently the strongest one next to Kaido and here start the problem, when we ever had something like this in OP? The strawhats already made a Yonkou crew this arc, looking like the underdog, how it keep going? How matches like Kid vs Luffy,Weevil encounter and other fights even happen at this point if Luffy stand as the number one at the top?
And even if we say BB and Shanks been stronger, do you think the gap between them and Kaido are huge?
It will be like Kaido(100), Shanks and BB at best 1-2points above 100, otherwise and here Greg point start, the gap between Kaido and Luffy upcoming opponents became ridiculous.

And there the unrealistic events start and kinda open up the question, how big will be Luffy grow at that point?
"There's no threat. No danger. No latitude. No need to grow. No need to explore. No need to struggle."
This kinda desribes the problem who await us in the next arcs, with Luffy the man who beat the strongest creature.
No one in OP world(except Imu probably) going to surpass Kaido far exceed, the other opponents at best surpass that very slighty at best with a small gap.

Can you quote Greg’s post in this thread since I’m banned from the spoiler section ? Would appreciate it

[StrawHatJedi]

There's something I want to point out. We were not reliably told that Kaido is the world's strongest living creature. We were reliably told that people in the One Piece world believe Kaido is the strongest living creature.

I made an entire video on this topic (The first part of a very long series):

[Tyki_Mikk]

@Joy:

Can you quote Greg’s post in this thread since I’m banned from the spoiler section ? Would appreciate it

Sorry don´t doing it without Greg permission.

[Don Quichotte De Flamingo]

Luffy now being the favourite in match-ups might be a problem for some fights, but against many opponents, it was never the question "can Luffy defeat them", but how he will do it and what obstacles they will have for him.
Like Foxy, Moria and Hody.
That may be the role for future opponents like Weevil or some admiral.
The real big guys Luffy has to face in the end of the story, BB, Imu and Akainu might not be lightyears ahead anymore, but still will need all Luffy has and a bit more to overcome.
We might miss the underdog goes aginst a foe bigger than life, but honestly Luffy is now in the end game of the story where nobody should ever underestimate him or see him as a brat anymore.
Luffy will get fights on equal grounding for the title and BB and Imu we ain´t even aware of what their peak might bring to the table.

[black-leg jex]

I feel like the problem from this chapter is the pacing. The flashback at the start feels really unneccesary. The only part that matters is the conversation between King and Kaidou because it sets up for the end. We also didn't need more pages of the flood happening, it should've started with the Denjiro scene, then panned out to Raizo and Jinbei and then straight jump cut to the water bursting out of the castle. Cutting that down and removing the flashback would've allowed more pages to building up tension for Momo and Luffy, which would've made this feel a lot more climactic.

Although part of me is hoping that because it doesn't feel climactic, that means its not actually the climax yet. It can be the end of act 3, sure, but Kaidou can get up in act 4 for the real climax.

[andy]

@Tyki_Mikk:

What @Greg wrote, I totally agree with him.
Kaido is and was the strongest one, like legit Oda and his stuff hyped this guy everytime when they had the chance to do it.
Kaido was portrayal as the strongest, Luffy actually beat that threat, he took that position via beating his strongest move(if Kaido is really down)!!
And that makes it what Greg wrote, Luffy is the strongest being in the world right now. And even if argue that he only beat Kaido because of Kaido facing so many opponents, in the end we all can agree that Luffy is close to close to Kaido, beat Kaido strongest move.

And that makes Luffy currently the strongest one next to Kaido and here start the problem, when we ever had something like this in OP? The strawhats already made a Yonkou crew this arc, looking like the underdog, how it keep going? How matches like Kid vs Luffy,Weevil encounter and other fights even happen at this point if Luffy stand as the number one at the top?
And even if we say BB and Shanks been stronger, do you think the gap between them and Kaido are huge?
It will be like Kaido(100), Shanks and BB at best 1-2points above 100, otherwise and here Greg point start, the gap between Kaido and Luffy upcoming opponents became ridiculous.

And there the unrealistic events start and kinda open up the question, how big will be Luffy grow at that point?
"There's no threat. No danger. No latitude. No need to grow. No need to explore. No need to struggle."
This kinda desribes the problem who await us in the next arcs, with Luffy the man who beat the strongest creature.
No one in OP world(except Imu probably) going to surpass Kaido far exceed, the other opponents at best surpass that very slighty at best with a small gap.

Let me ask you a question , luffy beating any Yonko would have put him into top tier no matter what .
So if the yonkos , admirals suppose to be close to each other you would end up with the same problem of luffy is match for anyone .
How can you be near the end of the series and not run into that aspect ?

[desa]

@Joy:

Can you quote Greg’s post in this thread since I’m banned from the spoiler section ? Would appreciate it

Two of Greg messages from the spoiler thread

@Greg:

While I can't speak for others, I don't think there's anything 'unrealistic' or 'untelegraphed' about Luffy physically overpowering Kaido. Some might call BS but since we just had a power-up, Oda is free to do pretty much whatever he likes. But what he did, or rather, the implications of what this outcome holds for Luffy's place in the world, simply isn't interesting.

Any other manga could do this and it would be 'fine'. And yes, even here, that choice is 'fine'. But 'fine' or 'adequate' are not words commonly associated with OP.

It's weird. It's like Oda is determined to have at least one aspect of his work be violently 'adequate' at any given time after the skip. He finally bought himself some cred with how he handled Yasuie's and 'Pedro's' deaths and now, this (^○^)

@Greg:

Luffy is the strongest being in the world.

Oda will make something stronger, but for now, Luffy is apex of our knowledge. Nothing poses a threat to him at this time.

That's not interesting.

There's no threat. No danger. No latitude. No need to grow. No need to explore. No need to struggle.

There will be. Oda will make all of that necessary. But for almost 1050 chapters, those were ever-present/inherent. Now they've been removed.

You may think it's interesting and if you do, that's fine, like the story. It's fine. Like many other fine manga that have shown plenty of success with massive followings.

Also…big no way in hell to Momo actually killing Kaido. While I do hope for confrontation, no way Oda will soil Momo like that. Slice himstupid if Kaido sees adult Momo and gets Oden trauma? Sure, but no death.

Though, now, even if BB kills him, iunno…. it's like...so what? Luffy beat him so like...okay, cool, I guess?

[black-leg jex]

@Deicide:

I feel this chapter, and the overall final stretch of the fight, would’ve been much better without the Elder Stars exposition dialogue. We could get CP-0 commenting their orders, Zunisha talking Joyboy, Kaido questioning Luffy’s awakening, and finally Kaido thinking Joyboy would defeat him. The fruit explanation could be left for the next intermission or a future arc.

Oh this, absolutely. JoyBoy can still be tied to a fruit, that's fine imo, but not having the Exposition Stars meant fans could've actually speculated about what was happening and Kaidous comment about JoyBoy being the one to beat him would've been far more impactful

[Tyki_Mikk]

@andy:

Let me ask you a question , luffy beating any Yonko would have put him into top tier no matter what .
So if the yonkos , admirals suppose to be close to each other you would end up with the same problem of luffy is match for anyone .
How can you be near the end of the series and not run into that aspect ?

It is not about Luffy match them, it is right now that Luffy beat that top dog of that group, beat the strongest attack of that guy.
Even if someone follow up be stronger, the gap is minimal, how Luffy will now grow from this one, a stronger Luffy means a larger gap between Kaido and Luffy future opponents.
That is only one aspect, what is about the opponents who are under Kaido, like Weevil,Kid and Akainu? If Luffy is already stronger, how these fights play out when Luffy keep going stronger and growing?
Where is any tension between these fights? Someone mentioned Hody and Foxy, fights who didn´t had any tension or growing for Luffy in power.

People not get what we are going with the current route, BB giving later a stronger Luffy(most like with a another powerup in terms of adv CoC) a extrem beat down and hard struggle, what does this mean about Kaido and the power structure of OP? I'm not saying Luffy winning over Kaido is wrong, I'm curious more where this going on from now.
And how Oda is manage to make a proper story, im sure you read Greg post, you should also understand what this mean for the future story.

[KageKageKing]

We still don't know what an Oni is supossed to be in the world of One Piece.

Disclaimer: I know what an Oni is according to japanese mythology, do not try to explain to me.

[killerbee1000]

@FatDogForMidTerms:

going to be in a minority here and say that i've liked this fight from start to end (toon luffy and drunk kaido being the highlight).

there was tension, drama and cool shit happening all over the place. but i do get why other fans maybe don't feel the way i do.

I completely agree.

[Joy Boy]

@KageKageKing:

We still don't know what an Oni is supossed to be in the world of One Piece.

Disclaimer: I know what an Oni is according to japanese mythology, do not try to explain to me.

Pretty sure Oda retconned that since Kaido comes from a human kingdom. Ugh the travesties of this arc..

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@andy:

Let me ask you a question , luffy beating any Yonko would have put him into top tier no matter what .
So if the yonkos , admirals suppose to be close to each other you would end up with the same problem of luffy is match for anyone .
How can you be near the end of the series and not run into that aspect ?

Ehh Luffy didn’t simply beat an emperor. He beat the strongest one. Heck Katakuris defeat was more ambiguous than this. Here Luffy straight up overpowered Kaido. No ifs or buts. Oda went back on his word, he did exactly what he said his fans would find wrong

[black-leg jex]

The thing about Luffy beating Kaidou and how that affects the power balance of the world is that Luffy didn't just solo Kaidou. Kaidou fought 9 Samurai, some of whom on the level of his own commanders, 5 of the worst generation who are way stronger and can do internally damaging attacks, his own son whose not as strong but knows how his father fights so isn't simple to take down, Momo in his dragon form briefly and 1v1'd Luffy three times - with him getting stronger each time and getting a break inbetween 2 of those fights.

I think the idea is that Kaidou only went down through attrition, the problem is that Oda didn't show it that way in this chapter. He just had Luffy beat him. It would've been better had it been a collective effort in this specific fight (even if Luffy is the one who got the finishing blow).

[Joy Boy]

@black-leg:

The thing about Luffy beating Kaidou and how that affects the power balance of the world is that Luffy didn't just solo Kaidou. Kaidou fought 9 Samurai, some of whom on the level of his own commanders, 5 of the worst generation who are way stronger and can do internally damaging attacks, his own son whose not as strong but knows how his father fights so isn't simple to take down, Momo in his dragon form briefly and 1v1'd Luffy three times - with him getting stronger each time and getting a break inbetween 2 of those fights.

I think the idea is that Kaidou only went down through attrition, the problem is that Oda didn't show it that way in this chapter. He just had Luffy beat him. It would've been better had it been a collective effort in this specific fight (even if Luffy is the one who got the finishing blow).

The thing is Luffy did things Kaido was supposed to do. Luffy took an insane amount of damage and got up. Luffy was the first mythical zoan with awakening, Kaido didn’t even show it.

[wolfwood]

This sort of thing entirely depends on if you think power in OP is a rigid scale where a larger amount always beats a lower amount, or if you believe that power is relative to your skillset and the opponents skillset. If you are among the first then of course you'll think oh no he beat the guy with the most cavendishes all challenge is lost. But if you are lucky enough to be like me then you just look at that thinking welp let's see how what helped you beat Kaido stacks up against a guy with another type of advantage

[Kfunk]

@black-leg:

The thing about Luffy beating Kaidou and how that affects the power balance of the world is that Luffy didn't just solo Kaidou. Kaidou fought 9 Samurai, some of whom on the level of his own commanders, 5 of the worst generation who are way stronger and can do internally damaging attacks, his own son whose not as strong but knows how his father fights so isn't simple to take down, Momo in his dragon form briefly and 1v1'd Luffy three times - with him getting stronger each time and getting a break inbetween 2 of those fights.

I think the idea is that Kaidou only went down through attrition, the problem is that Oda didn't show it that way in this chapter. He just had Luffy beat him. It would've been better had it been a collective effort in this specific fight (even if Luffy is the one who got the finishing blow).

i think the problem is that Oda didn't really convey well how much damage Kaido took.
Yes, Yamato told us he and his clouds were weakening but visually it wasn't that apparent. Not that long ago people were tired that it looked like Kaido was taking no real damage lol.

[StrawHatJedi]

@wolfwood:

This sort of thing entirely depends on if you think power in OP is a rigid scale where a larger amount always beats a lower amount, or if you believe that power is relative to your skillset and the opponents skillset. If you are among the first then of course you'll think oh no he beat the guy with the most cavendishes all challenge is lost. But if you are lucky enough to be like me then you just look at that thinking welp let's see how what helped you beat Kaido stacks up against a guy with another type of advantage

I would tend to agree with the latter. The only problem is the narration box accompanying Kaido's intro which says that people say Kaido is the world's strongest. I still think there could be a twist to that descriptor, but the next few chapters are going to be telling whether or not that theory turns out to be correct.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Kfunk:

i think the problem is that Oda didn't really convey well how much Kaido took.
Yes, Yamato told us he and his clouds were weakening but visually it wasn't that apparent. Not that long ago people were tired that it looked like Kaido was taking no real damage lol.

I would go so far as to say Kaido still seemed rather unfazed by most of Gear 5 Nika Luffy's attacks before sudden giant punch.

[ARTEMlS]

@Joy:

Pretty sure Oda retconned that since Kaido comes from a human kingdom. Ugh the travesties of this arc..

Apparently it's indeed pure coincidence that Kaido is so obviously an Oni and in Wano there's an island called Onigashima.

Yet, as it turns out, none of that matters as the sole reason Kaido got to Wano is cause some random woman just invited him.

[Sibersk Esto]

Kaido went down on his knee and showed pretty visible exhaustion a few times during the fight. There wasn't a specific attack that did some sort of damage like a stab wound or something, but he was clearly getting worn down.

[andy]

@Tyki_Mikk:

It is not about Luffy match them, it is right now that Luffy beat that top dog of that group, beat the strongest attack of that guy.
Even if someone follow up be stronger, the gap is minimal, how Luffy will now grow from this one, a stronger Luffy means a larger gap between Kaido and Luffy future opponents.
That is only one aspect, what is about the opponents who are under Kaido, like Weevil,Kid and Akainu? If Luffy is already stronger, how these fights play out when Luffy keep going stronger and growing?
Where is any tension between these fights? Someone mentioned Hody and Foxy, fights who didn´t had any tension or growing for Luffy in power.

People not get what we are going with the current route, BB giving later a stronger Luffy(most like with a another powerup in terms of adv CoC) a extrem beat down and hard struggle, what does this mean about Kaido and the power structure of OP? I'm not saying Luffy winning over Kaido is wrong, I'm curious more where this going on from now.
And how Oda is manage to make a proper story, im sure you read Greg post, you should also understand what this mean for the future story.

I read greg post , the big difference between me and him ( and part of the fan base )is i still think people are a threat to luffy .
( Kaido was super hard for him even with everything and in the end part of Kaido down fall is his fault)
Talking about the future of the series we don't have long more before the series end , so in terms of big fights 2 or 3 people the most for luffy .
IMO Oda is a good enough of a writer that he can make the fights that left interesting and have tension etc etc.
You mention Akainu Oda said he has the DF with the strongest attack power so it not hard to see how Oda can make him a match for luffy .
The top tiers are suppose close to each other and if Oda needs luffy to be the super under dog for his fights and story to interesting i think that is bad .

Like i looking forward to see how Oda going to do things because things that he has been doing for 25 years he can't fall back on as much .
For eg luffy losing 3 to 4 times in a fight .

@Joy:

Ehh Luffy didn’t simply beat an emperor. He beat the strongest one. Heck Katakuris defeat was more ambiguous than this. Here Luffy straight up overpowered Kaido. No ifs or buts. Oda went back on his word, he did exactly what he said his fans would find wrong

He beat the strongest one after a shitload of things helped .
He said fans won't be satisfied if he beat him with just stronger punch .
Of course he added a whole bunch stuff to that punch ( haki , gear 5 ) some fans wanted more i can understand because that is Oda fault .
The same way i can understand that some people don't have a problem with it either .

[Dany]

I don't think that Luffy beating the supposed strongest creature makes him the strongest creature simply because he is not a "creature". He is "human". That's how I think Oda sees it anyways. I can be totally wrong. Maybe Kaido was the strongest period, but does that necessarily mean that whoever beats him automatically becomes the strongest? I'm not sure that's how it works.

[KageKageKing]

@ARTEMlS:

Apparently it's indeed pure coincidence that Kaido is so obviously an Oni and in Wano there's an island called Onigashima.

Yet, as it turns out, none of that matters as the sole reason Kaido got to Wano is cause some random woman just invited him.

Considering she knew who Shiki and Weevil's mom were, it's possible Higurashi was part of Rocks or maybe well-acquainted, so not THAT random.

[Sibersk Esto]

@ARTEMlS:

Apparently it's indeed pure coincidence that Kaido is so obviously an Oni and in Wano there's an island called Onigashima.

Yet, as it turns out, none of that matters as the sole reason Kaido got to Wano is cause some random woman just invited him.

It wasn't called Onigashima before Kaido and the Beast Pirates settled there.

[Tyki_Mikk]

@andy:

I read greg post , the big difference between me and him ( and part of the fan base )is i still think people are a threat to luffy .
( Kaido was super hard for him even with everything and in the end part of Kaido down fall is his fault)

Pls talk for yourself, I read lot of opinion of different readers who are worried too like Greg and I'm on Reddit,worstgen,twitter,german forum and youtube.
People are not really happy how different the portrayal was between the alliance(protagonist) and the villians(Beast pirates).
Lot of discussion about people not been happy how the Beast pirates got portrayal by Oda this arc.
At top now Luffy defeat Kaido the strongest creature.

Talking about the future of the series we don't have long more before the series end , so in terms of big fights 2 or 3 people the most for luffy .
IMO Oda is a good enough of a writer that he can make the fights that left interesting and have tension etc etc.
You mention Akainu Oda said he has the DF with the strongest attack power so it not hard to see how Oda can make him a match for luffy .
The top tiers are suppose close to each other and if Oda needs luffy to be the super under dog for his fights and story to interesting i think that is bad .

Let me ask this question, had fights like Hody,Ceaser or Foxy any tension for the readers/for you?
I remember people been annoyed by the fight with Ceaser, less tension in PH for any strawhat.
Oda and his stuff do anything to hype Kaido, make him the strongest one, even if we agree that Kaido was nerfed in terms of stamina, Luffy actually beat Kaido+strongest attack, took lot of Kaido attacks, what is posing him a danger in the future, in fact Kaido heat was the hot that it melt a horn who was larger then a mountain in the single moment when it touch it? Implying here to Akainu case, I mean if Akainu pull out his strongest move, how different it going be? I doubt it has any big outcome for Luffy right now.

The only one who I see could match/surpass Kaido, are BB and ofc Imu(who will be the final enemy), but the others will face a Luffy who probably getting even stronger after waking up from his wound after Kaido battle. It will be very hard for Oda to make all logical. Stuff like with Hody,Foxy or Ceaser shouldn´t work anymore, since with future sight Luffy should avoid all these problems, I don´t even count the fact that he has adv CoA, adv CoC(perhaps even get a new powerup like the version who most like Shanks and Roger had) and his mighty awakened power who could toe toe with Kaido and overpowered him, Luffy will master it even more, if this was already enough to beat Kaido(if he is down), who is going to fight Luffy who probably master anything, while the current one was strong enough to beat the strongest character so far?

We could reach situation like we had in late Dragonball z/super, with enemies giving a current Luffy trouble who shouldn´t been a problem in first case.
As I said even if BB is stronger then Kaido, the gap will be very close, Luffy already beat that guy who was called the strongest one.

As I said the possibly fighter who could face Luffy:
Kid,Weevil,Loki,BM(if he plan to bring her back),BB,Akainu and Imu?
I expect at least the half of the cast which I mentioned will actually face Luffy,how these fights going to play out, I don´t know but I hope Oda not mess up with the power structure in OP.

[andy]

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

I would tend to agree with the latter. The only problem is the narration box accompanying Kaido's intro which says that people say Kaido is the world's strongest. I still think there could be a twist to that descriptor, but the next few chapters are going to be telling whether or not that theory turns out to be correct..

Thing is if you go by what wolfwood saying that should not matter as much
Like for eg if luffy was fighting BB , then BB could have just cancel that huge fist since it a DF move .
So it really come down to how you view the power system of OP .

[Dany]

Anyways, I know the idea that Blackbeard will kill Kaido and take his fruit power is somewhat popular, but i've always preferred the idea that Big Mom will be the one to somehow kill Kaido for his life force… What are the odds they meet underground? :ninja:

[Joy Boy]

I still think that Kaido getting distracted because of Momo looking like Oden would be the best way to beat him. But Oda has to have Luffy being the golden boy he is. Oda has really fallen as writer and this arc is a prime example for many reasons. Whenever we got a glimpse of tension, Oda was sure to make it disappear right away

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@ARTEMlS:

Apparently it's indeed pure coincidence that Kaido is so obviously an Oni and in Wano there's an island called Onigashima.

Yet, as it turns out, none of that matters as the sole reason Kaido got to Wano is cause some random woman just invited him.

What about Kaido mentioning betrayal, exposing Big Moms goal and yet making that plot point disappear for god Luffy to appear ? Seriously the more I think about it, the more problems this arc has

[desa]

As far as the future is concerned I'm not worried about Blackbeard. He can shut down powers has plenty of other moves. And I'm not worried about smaller arcs, they are mostly about Luffy being easy to manipulate than how strong he is.

The only thing it does is pretty much guaranties that Luffy should kick Akainu's ass but that can simply be a fight for Sabo or the monster trio.

[Monquito]

@Joy:

I still think that Kaido getting distracted because of Momo looking like Oden would be the best way to beat him. But Oda has to have Luffy being the golden boy he is. Oda has really fallen as writer and this arc is a prime example for many reasons. Whenever we got a glimpse of tension, Oda was sure to make it disappear right away

Oda made a very clear point that distractions end up giving them unstatisfactory victories.

I ruled out MomOden appearing in front of Kaido since then.

[Joy Boy]

@Monquito:

Oda made a very clear point that distractions end up giving them unstatisfactory victories.

I ruled out MomOden appearing in front of Kaido since then.

Luffy is the same guy who used Brûlée to escape and had others distract Doflamingo so that he could recharge. Momoden could easily happen but as I said Luffy is a golden boy now a literal god that has to be above all

[andy]

@Tyki_Mikk:

Pls talk for yourself, I read lot of opinion of different readers who are worried too like Greg and I'm on Reddit,worstgen,twitter,german forum and youtube.
People are not really happy how different the portrayal was between the alliance(protagonist) and the villians(Beast pirates).
Lot of discussion about people not been happy how the Beast pirates got portrayal by Oda this arc.
At top now Luffy defeat Kaido the strongest creature.

That is why i said part , i am on all those places and others also ( not German forum lol )and part of the fan base don't have problem with those aspects ( also fuck WG that place is trash for many reason)

@Tyki_Mikk:

Let me ask this question, had fights like Hody,Ceaser or Foxy any tension for the readers/for you?
I remember people been annoyed by the fight with Ceaser, less tension in PH for any strawhat.
Oda and his stuff do anything to hype Kaido, make him the strongest one, even if we agree that Kaido was nerfed in terms of stamina, Luffy actually beat Kaido+strongest attack, took lot of Kaido attacks, what is posing him a danger in the future, in fact Kaido heat was the hot that it melt a horn who was larger then a mountain in the single moment when it touch it? Implying here to Akainu case, I mean if Akainu pull out his strongest move, how different it going be? I doubt it has any big outcome for Luffy right now.

The only one who I see could match/surpass Kaido, are BB and ofc Imu(who will be the final enemy), but the others will face a Luffy who probably getting even stronger after waking up from his wound after Kaido battle. It will be very hard for Oda to make all logical. Stuff like with Hody,Foxy or Ceaser shouldn´t work anymore, since with future sight Luffy should avoid all these problems, I don´t even count the fact that he has adv CoA, adv CoC(perhaps even get a new powerup like the version who most like Shanks and Roger had) and his mighty awakened power who could toe toe with Kaido and overpowered him, Luffy will master it even more, if this was already enough to beat Kaido(if he is down), who is going to fight Luffy who probably master anything, while the current one was strong enough to beat the strongest character so far?

We could reach situation like we had in late Dragonball z/super, with enemies giving a current Luffy trouble who shouldn´t been a problem in first case.
As I said even if BB is stronger then Kaido, the gap will be very close, Luffy already beat that guy who was called the strongest one.

As I said the possibly fighter who could face Luffy:
Kid,Weevil,Loki,BM(if he plan to bring her back),BB,Akainu and Imu?
I expect at least the half of the cast which I mentioned will actually face Luffy,how these fights going to play out, I don´t know but I hope Oda not mess up with the power structure in OP.

Fights for me have tension but they also don't ( luffy is MC he not going to died ) which is why how there done is more interesting to me .
The moves , art , panelling , talking etc etc
If Akainu pull his strongest move it could be differnt simple because Oda wants it to be stronger .
Oda had Roger who was the PK had rivals so that aspect of luffy having people in the same tier is not a problem .
Like i understand what you saying but to me that not a issue , like remember how some people though FS would or could be a issue and Oda simple made Kaido faster.
To me the power structure in OP has enough room for Oda to play around with , like Oda can make any admiral for eg have Haki on luffy level so he has issue with them and that not counting DF.
This along with the series coming to a end mean there no problem .

EDIT as for OP having DBZ\ super issue that will happen if want to make a more when story was suppose to end and make things canon .
Like in a way it already a issue with the OP movies which is why they not canon .

[Deicide]

About threats to Luffy, I feel there's only two characters that feel like challenges: Akainu and Blackbeard. Both are rising stars of this new age, so it's excusable that they became strong enough to contend for the top. Imu may also be a contender, but it's a mystery if he's even a fighter. Blackbeard in particular is interesting because his power negates most of Luffy's upgrades. However, the story will be strange if we keep seeing new enemies capable of fighting Luffy on 1v1. I mean, where were these guys who are able to fight on a Yonko's tier until now? Oda may pull a few 2v1 or 3v1 against Luffy to compensate for that, but I don't think this novelty would be entertaining more than once.

About Luffy, we are in a weird spot because he has essentially maxed all his skills. He got advanced haki in all three types plus awakening. He may still learn new attacks/techniques (Gear 5th in particular is still pretty raw and needs refinement), but there are no more upgrades available, unless Oda pulls a new power system out of nowhere.

My wish is for the story to rely more on the crew from now on. Everything in the Yonko saga has been aimed at make Luffy reach the top. But the remaining Emperors are known for having extremely strong crews rather than being the strongest captains out there. Maybe it's time to focus on upgrading the Straw Hats so they can compete, especially the ones not named Sanji or Zoro.

I've speculated for a time that the next arcs will be, in order: Mary Geoise, Vegapunk, Elbaf and Laugh Tale/final conflict. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji got their spotlights recently, so I could see:

• Jinbe and Robin getting attention in Mary Geoise (Fishman, secret history, slavery, Revolutionaries)
• Franky and Chopper get their chance in Vegapunk arc (science, engineering, artificial humans, DF origins)
• Usopp and the 11th get to shine in Elbaf
• Nami and (maybe) Brook show their worth to reach Laugh Tale

It kinda fits like a glove. But, as almost always, I'm probably wrong.

[ea77]

@Deicide:

About threats to Luffy, I feel there's only two characters that feel like challenges: Akainu and Blackbeard. Both are rising stars of this new age, so it's excusable that they became strong enough to contend for the top. Imu may also be a contender, but it's a mystery if he's even a fighter. Blackbeard in particular is interesting because his power negates most of Luffy's upgrades. However, the story will be strange if we keep seeing new enemies capable of fighting Luffy on 1v1. I mean, where were these guys who are able to fight on a Yonko's tier until now? Oda may pull a few 2v1 or 3v1 against Luffy to compensate for that, but I don't think this novelty would be entertaining more than once.

About Luffy, we are in a weird spot because he has essentially maxed all his skills. He got advanced haki in all three types plus awakening. He may still learn new attacks/techniques (Gear 5th in particular is still pretty raw and needs refinement), but there are no more upgrades available, unless Oda pulls a new power system out of nowhere.

My wish is for the story to rely more on the crew from now on. Everything in the Yonko saga has been aimed at make Luffy reach the top. But the remaining Emperors are known for having extremely strong crews rather than being the strongest captains out there. Maybe it's time to focus on upgrading the Straw Hats so they can compete, especially the ones not named Sanji or Zoro.

I've speculated for a time that the next arcs will be, in order: Mary Geoise, Vegapunk, Elbaf and Laugh Tale/final conflict. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji got their spotlights recently, so I could see:

• Jinbe and Robin getting attention in Mary Geoise (Fishman, secret history, slavery, Revolutionaries)
• Franky and Chopper get their chance in Vegapunk arc (science, engineering, artificial humans, DF origins)
• Usopp and the 11th get to shine in Elbaf
• Nami and (maybe) Brook show their worth to reach Laugh Tale

It kinda fits like a glove. But, as almost always, I'm probably wrong.

When the next popularity poll better vote. See how Ulti was revived when Nami became Number 3 most popular character.

JK but at the same time, writers serve to satisfy. If Zoro and Sanji get traction with fans, then more Zoro and Sanji will happen. It's a self-reinforcing cycle.

[Deicide]

@ea77:

JK but at the same time, writers serve to satisfy. If Zoro and Sanji get traction with fans, then more Zoro and Sanji will happen. It's a self-reinforcing cycle.

They will always have time to shine, what I mean is getting focus. Zoro wasn't a focus in Dressrosa but got his moment there. What I mean is giving other Straw Hats MVP status for some arcs. Like Jinbe and Robin getting extra character development in Mary Geoise, like Zoro in Wano or Sanji in WCI.

[andy]

@Deicide:

About threats to Luffy, I feel there's only two characters that feel like challenges: Akainu and Blackbeard. Both are rising stars of this new age, so it's excusable that they became strong enough to contend for the top. Imu may also be a contender, but it's a mystery if he's even a fighter. Blackbeard in particular is interesting because his power negates most of Luffy's upgrades. However, the story will be strange if we keep seeing new enemies capable of fighting Luffy on 1v1. I mean, where were these guys who are able to fight on a Yonko's tier until now? Oda may pull a few 2v1 or 3v1 against Luffy to compensate for that, but I don't think this novelty would be entertaining more than once.

About Luffy, we are in a weird spot because he has essentially maxed all his skills. He got advanced haki in all three types plus awakening. He may still learn new attacks/techniques (Gear 5th in particular is still pretty raw and needs refinement), but there are no more upgrades available, unless Oda pulls a new power system out of nowhere.

My wish is for the story to rely more on the crew from now on. Everything in the Yonko saga has been aimed at make Luffy reach the top. But the remaining Emperors are known for having extremely strong crews rather than being the strongest captains out there. Maybe it's time to focus on upgrading the Straw Hats so they can compete, especially the ones not named Sanji or Zoro.

I've speculated for a time that the next arcs will be, in order: Mary Geoise, Vegapunk, Elbaf and Laugh Tale/final conflict. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji got their spotlights recently, so I could see:

• Jinbe and Robin getting attention in Mary Geoise (Fishman, secret history, slavery, Revolutionaries)
• Franky and Chopper get their chance in Vegapunk arc (science, engineering, artificial humans, DF origins)
• Usopp and the 11th get to shine in Elbaf
• Nami and (maybe) Brook show their worth to reach Laugh Tale

It kinda fits like a glove. But, as almost always, I'm probably wrong.

Decide the Emperors known for there strong crews but also big crews .
The big crew aspect will never happen with the SH , which is why we have the SHGF.
Power wise when it comes to the crew the SH already to yonko tier .
Like Jinbe is warlord and not even in the top 3 worst yet if Yamato joins .
I hope the others get the spotlight even if it not with fighting or upgrades .

[Captain M]

It's over! Oh god, it's finally over! I'm plugging my fingers in my ears and refusing to hear any speculation to the contrary. Kaido's down. The battle is over. The conflict resolved. Act three has had some tremendous highs and muddled itself into some equally rough lows, but it's done now, and we get to move onto the history and the lore and the next arc. Ugh, I'm not going to rest properly until the narration confirms it after the break, am I?

The cover story gets more and more curious. This can't be related to the figures at Cacao, especially if they really are Reiju and Ichiji. For them, it would have to be Judge in the research facility at Whole Cake, and it feels like a stretch for him to get there so far ahead of them. So either it's a different group, or there's a third party freeing the siblings.

Kaido, for all his meatheaded battle lust in the present, turns out to have a pretty interesting past and some coherent and relevant personal philosophies to think over. "Why does everyone have obey those Celestial Dragons anyway?" "Why should I be a Government lapdog?" "Don't use me as some political pawn!" "(paraphrased)The pampered noble-born rulers take the safety of their ivory thrones for granted!" Excellent points, and all the more terrifying for the authorities coming from someone too strong to be restrained. We even learn more about the World Government's awful powers and beliefs as it happens - they can forcibly constrict individuals from member states into their own navy and don't give citizens non-member states their full human rights. Both of those things could have been intuited previously, but it's good to see them set in stone. Kaido sees the injustices of the world more clearly than I'd given him credit for, but he's learned the wrong lesson from them. Instead of empathising with others who were oppressed and fighting for their equality, he takes the world's unfairness as an unchangable natural law and treats it as a competition to be won - where the prize is to be the oppressor instead of the oppressed.

I'm very interested in Higurashi recruiting Kaido to Wano the same way she sucked in Orochi. The old lady seems to have a lot of knowledge and Devil Fruit access she really shouldn't. Who was her backer? What was her endgame? I hope we get to see how she died at some point. What did she think of Kaido ordering her death after making this deal so long before? Has she got anything to do with Wano's Lode Poneglyph not being in either of the obvious locations of Kaido's basement or the Shogun's palace? This is the kind of thing I'm eager to dig into now that the fghting is wrapped up.

I love the sudden two panel sequence of the last CP0 agent just peacing out of this whole mess. Pretty fair response after everything that's happened. I look forward to seeing who his report reaches.

I love the spread of the water bursting out of the castle wall all at once and crashing down over the Performance Floor. The castle, from looming over the start of the battle, to going all the way up in flames, to spilling out the life-saving water has been an commanding presence in the Onigashima battle. I think it would have been cool if it had been allowed to totally collapse, but I'm glad everyone inside gets out alive. And a clever convergence of plot threads to have the water extinguish the flame clouds as it drains, forcing Momo to finally act.

I'm a tad surprised that the lanterns didn't end up serving a practical purpose in this sequence. It's neat symbolism having them embody the wishes of the locals right as they're fulfilled, but all the build up had the expecting more. I guess I overthought it.

The final blow on Kaido was spectacularly drawn. And I love seeing how the beginning mirrors the end, the first blow matches the last. It's like poetry. It rhymes.

I need more clarity on where exactly Momo set the island down. Did he plug the holes that either Kaido or Big Mom fell into? And where's Luffy going to land, given how high up he was and how badly he seems to have been burned in the final clash?

While I'm sure debates and opinions will rage about tension and awakenings and no one using the skyscraper-sized sword, I really do feel like this is the right place to wrap this battle up. There's been a lot to love in its duration, but it's also been an absolute marathon. An obvious emotional peak has been reached - the wishes, the threat of the falling island, the threat of the fire and Momo's emotional arc converging alongside the final blow - and whether or not it worked for every reader it doesn't make sense to draw things out beyond this point. There's nothing substantial left to run in parallel with any conceivable last hurrah for Kaido, so it would only feel like an anticlimax by comparison. So this is it. Personally, I'm excited to see the transition into Wano's postgame, and look forward to rereading the arc in full in a couple of months (at least) after it properly ends and the crew departs.

[Deicide]

@andy:

Decide the Emperors known for there strong crews but also big crews .
The big crew aspect will never happen with the SH , which is why we have the SHGF.
Power wise when it comes to the crew the SH already to yonko tier .
Like Jinbe is warlord and not even in the top 3 worst yet if Yamato joins .
I hope the others get the spotlight even if it not with fighting or upgrades .

What I mean is that Shanks' crew is known for having all commanders with very high bounties, making them a very balanced crew (as said in Chapter 957).
And Blackbeard's crew is also comprised of very noteworthy individuals who were either hand-picked by Blackbeard before Impel Down or already among the world's worst criminals imprisoned there.

They may have lots of mooks, but what matters are these commanders, who have 1v1 potential. I don't think we will have Red Hair vs Straw Hats as a conflict, but imagine if in such a battle the "lesser" SH like Usopp, Brook, Nami or Chopper are offed because their counterparts are near or above billion-worthy bounties. Then these very capable commanders, now free, can join in other battles, turning the tide of the conflict, even if Luffy, Zoro and Sanji are capable of 1v1 their counterparts.

Can we imagine today's Usopp being capable of offing Van Augur even only knowing what Van Augur could already pull off before the timeskip?

So, I hope the next arcs are about making the crew more balanced. The SHs will need it to fight Blackbeard or even the marines (can you imagine the weaker ones fighting vice-admirals on equal ground?)

[DoctorPhil]

@Tyki_Mikk:

And there the unrealistic events start and kinda open up the question, how big will be Luffy grow at that point?
"There's no threat. No danger. No latitude. No need to grow. No need to explore. No need to struggle."
This kinda desribes the problem who await us in the next arcs, with Luffy the man who beat the strongest creature.
No one in OP world(except Imu probably) going to surpass Kaido far exceed, the other opponents at best surpass that very slighty at best with a small gap.

Blackbeard has also grown and will end up surpassing Kaido as a threat as well. Luffy and BB mirror each other in this too. BB is the only big main bad guy remaining so that's fine (I think Im is not a combatant, that he'll be dealt with in the same arc as BB). Though I will give you, it's sad that Akainu seems totally outclassed by luffy now. Though doubtful, I also hope that BM and Luffy will still have their relatively evenly matched 1v1 to settle things. I have many problems with the latest developments but this isn't one.

[andy]

@DoctorPhil:

Blackbeard has also grown. Luffy and BB mirror each other. BB is the only big main bad guy remaining so that's fine (I think Im is not a combatant, that he'll be dealt with in the same arc as BB). Though I will give you, it's sad that Akainu seems totally outclassed by luffy now. I also hope that BM and Luffy will still have their evenly matched 1v1 to settle things. I have many problems with the arc but this isn't one.

You already have Oda saying Akainu DF has highest attack power ( plus we know he has high level haki ) or he would find OP in less than year etc etc
So he going to get hype to hell when Oda ready , just wondering if it going to be luffy or Sabo that fight him .

[Deicide]

@DoctorPhil:

Blackbeard has also grown and will end up surpassing Kaido as a threat as well. Luffy and BB mirror each other in this too. BB is the only big main bad guy remaining so that's fine (I think Im is not a combatant, that he'll be dealt with in the same arc as BB). Though I will give you, it's sad that Akainu seems totally outclassed by luffy now. Though doubtful, I also hope that BM and Luffy will still have their relatively evenly matched 1v1 to settle things. I have many problems with the latest developments but this isn't one.

IMO, Marineford served to establish both Akainu and Blackbeard as potential "final opponents", and I believe Luffy will have trouble with both. Akainu was also still rising in rank pre-timeskip, there's no telling which level he fits right now, but I believe he's far more dangerous than other admirals.

Also, there's the paper-rock-scissors nature of powers. Luffy won Kaido in a physical battle, but Akainu has pure elemental power, and Blackbeard has hax abilities that would sap Luffy's strengths. They may not be "the strongest" in raw strength, but they can compensate that in other ways.

I don't see other opponents appearing, however, and that may be troublesome. After all, there were once the likes of Caesar Clown and Katakuri to worry about, but any newcomer that fights on Emperor level will earn some raised eyebrows and head scratches from now on. Where have these guys been?

(Plus, there's Imu, who is a total mystery).

[Rean]

If you think Oda has nothing up his sleeve for when Luffy is declared a legit emperor, then think again, he has already planted the idea of the BB pirates going on ability hunts (meaning BB could have more than 2 DFs the next time we see him), not to mention Aokiji potentially joining them, he has Weevil running around, he has Greenbull, he has the SSGs, and depending on whether Sabo has succeeded in freeing him or not, he might even have a brainwashed Kuma.

This is not mentioning Akainu, Shanks, Kid (I think he has the potential to be a future antagonist if Oda wants) and whatever Im/gorosei can do in a physical fight. OP might not have enough strong enemies to sustain itself for another 20 years, but it definitely has more enough for 5 more. That's why I don't really buy the idea of lack of tension.

[andy]

@Deicide:

IMO, Marineford served to establish both Akainu and Blackbeard as potential "final opponents", and I believe Luffy will have trouble with both. Akainu was also still rising in rank pre-timeskip, there's no telling which level he fits right now, but I believe he's far more dangerous than other admirals.

Also, there's the paper-rock-scissors nature of powers. Luffy won Kaido in a physical battle, but Akainu has pure elemental power, and Blackbeard has hax abilities that would sap Luffy's strengths. They may not be "the strongest" in raw strength, but they can compensate that in other ways.

I don't see other opponents appearing, however, and that may be troublesome. After all, there were once the likes of Caesar Clown and Katakuri to worry about, but any newcomer that fights on Emperor level will earn some raised eyebrows and head scratches from now on. Where have these guys been?

(Plus, there's Imu, who is a total mystery).

Yeah Oda already pull that trick with 2 new admirals after the time skip but that won't work again .
At least not with out a whole bunch of set up.

[The Franky Tank]

Thinking about it more, here's how I see next chapter playing out. Luffy v Kaido is officially over, because it was heavily implied or even outright said that the punch Luffy was gonna give was his last attack before completely running out of stamina. However, I do see Kaido getting back up for a little bit but completely sapped of any strength to show that in a way he still came out of top but for all purposes his reign is over. I could see Momo getting to Kaido and him losing his consciousness as Momo arrives in his adult human form. Could be a chance Momo gets the last hit on Kaido to knock him out as a way to allow Kaido to have his final fall be due to Oden's son.

[DarthAsthma]

These Kaido flashbacks with King give me this weird retrospective minor pet peeve about Oda keeping King's face hidden for way too long or even was it that necessary to hide his face, the Lunarian reveal was during the fight as well and didn't super tie into his appearance? I guess you'd lose the imposing first impression. But I kinda just dig the vibes between King and Kaido and it really helps just seeing King's facial expressions. And in retrospect I think I would've enjoyed the King/Zoro fight more as well if I went in seeing his expression earlier vs starting him out as imposing cool man.

[Dragon D. Luffy]

I gotta say I was leaning on thinking the arc is over after reading this chapter but after seeing Mr. Morj AND Greg say they think it can't be over my belief almost took a 180.

Nothing like the voices you respect say exactly what you want to hear.

[Captain M]

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

This ain't over yet.

I have a LOT more to say, but a quick list:

1. Kaido's mini flashback didn't tell us much about his early life / motivation. This was a preview.
2. No awakening for Kaido yet
3. Toki's prophecy (Nine Shadows) hasn't come into the picture yet.
4. Still haven't reached the sunrise yet
5. Zunesha came to Wano to fight by Momo's side… against who / what?
6. No 'Luffy vs Kaido' chapter title
7. No 'Winner: Luffy' plaque at the end of the chapter
8. Inbi & Apoo still standing
9. Kaido isn't looking to be defeated; Kaido has been defaeted as a pirate 7 times. Kaido wants to die. And that hasn't been addressed one way or the other yet.

People are getting really weird about things they think need to happen for this to be over.

6. Rean already reminded you that this happened in the act 1 fight, but you should have a look back at how many villains actually get this. Doflamingo never did. Ceaser never did. Hody didn't. Moria didn't. Arlong didn't. Crocodile got "30 Million VS 81 Million" instead of being mentioned by name.

7. This has literally never happened. I looked at the finishing chapter for every other major Luffy fight and I couldn't find it once. Admittedly I skimmed a little, but the narration boxes are hard to miss. Doflamingo? Lucci? Crocodile? Enel? None of them. Even in arcs where other characters wins were announced by the narration (Alabasta most notably) it's not there. I get that it's desirable as a counterpoint to Kaido's winner box, but it doesn't feel totally required to me.

A lot of the rest of the list is subjective on whether or not we got "enough" of this or that yet or how to interpret prophecies relative to what we've seen, and which loose ends are okay to tie up in the epilogue, but those two things get brought up like they're patterns that have to be fulfilled, but it doesn't take much research to show that they don't stack up.

[Dragon D. Luffy]

I also agree not everything that logically needs to happen always ends up happening, but there are a couple things that together feel very weird not to happen, which I would expect Oda to at least have thought about so he wouldn't miss them:

1- Kaido/BM either having a hidden awakening, or at least mentioning that they don't (made weirder that Kaido actually stopped to talk about Luffy's awakening but said nothing about his)
2- The final attack accomplishing something the island or the protagonists need so it has a cathartic effect, other than just KO'ing the villain.
3- The strawhats leaving this "theres no way we can lose" state they have been in all arc and actually feeling despair for a while so their resolve can be tested.
4- Yamato getting an arc that changes her perspective about something, either leading her to join the strawhats or not to join them. Either way, that decision needs to be based on an arc.
5- Luffy having a moment where he reaches a new level of resolve and surpasses himself by sheer willpower in order to win, other than just getting a power up.
6- Usopp getting a moment of growth and test of his courage.

One one those things being missed is strange and makes the arc feels like an exception. All of them feels like something went really wrong. And that's before you add the little things like momotaro and 9 shadows which don't NEED to happen but it's weird if they were hinted to happen but don't.

[StrawHatJedi]

@Captain:

People are getting really weird about things they think need to happen for this to be over.

6. Rean already reminded you that this happened in the act 1 fight, but you should have a look back at how many villains actually get this. Doflamingo never did. Ceaser never did. Hody didn't. Moria didn't. Arlong didn't. Crocodile got "30 Million VS 81 Million" instead of being mentioned by name.

7. This has literally never happened. I looked at the finishing chapter for every other major Luffy fight and I couldn't find it once. Admittedly I skimmed a little, but the narration boxes are hard to miss. Doflamingo? Lucci? Crocodile? Enel? None of them. Even in arcs where other characters wins were announced by the narration (Alabasta most notably) it's not there. I get that it's desirable as a counterpoint to Kaido's winner box, but it doesn't feel totally required to me.

A lot of the rest of the list is subjective on whether or not we got "enough" of this or that yet or how to interpret prophecies relative to what we've seen, and which loose ends are okay to tie up in the epilogue, but those two things get brought up like they're patterns that have to be fulfilled, but it doesn't take much research to show that they don't stack up.

For 6 and 7, I'm going based only on the conventions of Onigashma. Oda uses them for some arcs, but not others.

The biggest for me remain awakening and backstory / motivation. These short vignettes from Kaido's past revealed a lot in the way of lore, but not underlying motivation. I'm not talking about Rocks as I never expected to learn about Xebec or God Valley on Wano because they likely reveal important details about Shanks, Teach, and Roger that Oda isn't willing to share yet.

When I say flashback, I'm talking about Kaido's childhood - the only panels in this mini flashback to which Oda applied a screen tone contained 10 year old Kaido, which evokes the sense of a flashback in a flashback.

The winner box isn't a definitive sign the battle will continue, but it does mean it's premature to say it's over - because the narrator hasn't called it yet. That's not predicated on any previous arcs - only Onigashima, whre we have seen the narrator announce the various winners.

[Deicide]

@Vongola_Boss_XI:

1. Kaido's mini flashback didn't tell us much about his early life / motivation. This was a preview.

I find it doubtful that it will go much deeper. Maybe we see some more moments, but don't expect anything big. Not even as big as Big Mom's.

2. No awakening for Kaido yet

This is strange indeed, but I feel it's not necessary.

3. Toki's prophecy (Nine Shadows) hasn't come into the picture yet.
4. Still haven't reached the sunrise yet

Yeah, but I'd bet it can/will happen after the battle. It seems Oda is going for a end-of-nightmare scenairo in which the Wano citizens wake up and see the dawn heralded by nine shadows, rather than being expectators of the conflict.

5. Zunesha came to Wano to fight by Momo's side… against who / what?

"Fight" in One Piece can be something other than actual physical brawling. Mancherie was "fighting" in Dressrosa by crying over the citizens to heal them, for instance.
THat said, I wouldn't be surprised if Zunesha does do something important to end the conflict.

6. No 'Luffy vs Kaido' chapter title
7. No 'Winner: Luffy' plaque at the end of the chapter

Not needed.

8. Inbi & Apoo still standing

They may just escape to fight another day. Or be downed by their own pride/be hoisted by their own petard as an ironic fate.

9. Kaido isn't looking to be defeated; Kaido has been defaeted as a pirate 7 times. Kaido wants to die. And that hasn't been addressed one way or the other yet.

To be frank, I feel there's still one last act from Kaido, but it may be nowhere near what people are expecting.
But I also wouldn't be surprised if this is it and we reached the end.

It's a weird ending, but Wano has been really weird in its entirety.

[StrawHatJedi]

I think Kaido not using awakening is beyond strange. Doflamingo and Katakuri were both awakned Devil Fruit users - and I can't see Oda taking a step down against the first EMPEROR Luffy faces in combat.

But more importantly, as demonstrated by Luffy’s new Nika powers, awakening, particularly for mythical zoans isn’t just about giving Kaido a new final form. There is real narrative significance to awakening which hasn’t yet been fully realized – particularly for mythical zoans. As the Elders stated, Zoan fruit have a will of their own and Zunesha recognized Luffy as representing JoyBoy’s return through the awakening of the Nika Fruit.

It's unclear why Kaido hasn’t awakened his Devil Fruit yet, but I suggested after chapter 1045 review that perhaps the answer lies in the question Kaido asked Luffy following the Nika fruit’s awakening: “who are you?” Implicit in this question is the idea that awakening could have turned Luffy into someone or something else. And maybe that’s something Kaido doesn’t want to risk for himself. What or who will Kaido becomes if his mythic fish fruit awakens?