@King:
Because if that were the case, Oda could've easily written him as such. Why not just have Yamato say he wants to be Wano's guardian by his own terms?
Because it's simply something that Oda could always address later? Hypothetically speaking, say something that naturally comes about upon Yamato mingling with the people of the mainland once more, realizing they're still needed there? And for that matter, who says it need become Yamato's permanent status quo? For all we know, Oda could always pull a Jinbe or some such with her, depicting her staying behind to help the people of Wano rebuild until setting out to pursue her dream at a later point in time, be it on her own or eventually joining the Strawhats at some later stage?
Again, not saying that will happen, something I believe will happen, but just saying: it's always good to keep an open mind.
Oda has never really subverted a character's wish before.
You mean Strawhat crewmember's wishes, because it's certainly happened before with others.
Besides which, that means everything set in stone? That Oda will never change things up, has nothing else to say on the nature of the pursuit of dreams? I bet he does, and I'm banking on it. Whether Yamato's storyline falls within this scope is another matter, but anywho; we've been given plenty indications already imo that one's dreams and desires in the world of One Piece aren't exempt from being subject to change, to being placed on the backburner, or coming to fruition in other forms, even those one may not initially expect. And that in itself falls squarely under one of the guiding core philosophies of One Piece, as I see it: there are no absolutes.
As such, more to the discussion at hand ( and really, tying into the entire Wano narrative as a whole ), one shouldn't rush to conclusions based on fixed perceptions of patterns, surefire odds, fate, prophecies, and the like, because that is precisely the overall point I see Oda pushing overall, as well as a sign of things to come.
For instance, let's talk about Tama. Because if we're to take precedent as dogma, that means it's she who's set to become the next crewmember, having received the female-specific MARK OF THE CHOSEN ONE, ie Luffy placing his strawhat on her head. And she's one with her own stated dream too. So that means no room for Yamato, sorry guys, Strawhats have never had two new members join at the same time, not happening.
Naaaah.
–- Update From New Post Merge ---
@electricmastro:
And that if it resulted that Yamato decided to stay in Wano, it might risk having all the previous panels mentioning of wanting to leave Wano and disappointment of not being able to leave with Ace be a waste of time.
One could say the same with respect to Tama, no?
Apart from that, this need not necessarily be the case, for a number of a reasons…again, hypothetically speaking. For one, the arc has yet to even conclude, so it's too soon to make such calls, as we've yet to have access the the complete picture. While some readers may deem these scenes to be a waste of time per this scenario, that doesn't preclude the possibility of Oda himself having a different view of it, of having intended these sequences to serve some other purpose that'd ultimately become clearer as the story unfolds and wraps up.
But again, I'll keep repeating for clarification: not a definite by any means, and not what I see happening myself.
@electricmastro:
Well Orochi and Kaido killing a big hope for Wano by killing Oden is an issue, and the frustration and tears Yamato had seems to have led her to conclude that Oden's will must be carried on in the aftermath of his murder and her best solution she came up with was dressing up as him, using his name as an alternate name, attempting to live up to his expectations, and be heroic like the hero he was as opposed to staying more true to herself, in addition to wanting freedom like how he had. If Yamato's motivations for being Oden are to free Wano and herself, then why at that point should the plot demand that she still be Oden after gaining freedom for Wano and herself?
https://i.ibb.co/tPf1g99/Screen-Shot-2021-09-12-at-6-53-57-PM.png
While it need not be something that has to be addressed, I do think it will be, as it'd tie into the presiding themes of Identity and Role currently at play, in tune with some prevalent overarching themes at hand.
Me, I personally foresee the endgoal of Yamato's character arc being Yamato's realization that they need not in some literal, exact sense be Oden in order to simply live up to his example and ideals, fulfill his role, and carry on his legacy. By the same token – and this might be a point of controversy -- this will extend to his gender as well, in that Yamato need not need identity as a man because Oden happened to be a man.
That said, I'm also expecting ( though not guaranteed, of course ) that Oda will cap off the gender topic once and for all by directly proceeding to cement that Yamato has either always identified as male prior to Oden's influence or, perhaps more fittingly, will simply declare that they yet remain a man because that is what Yamato chooses to identify as of his own free will, independent of any association with Oden's role; remains to be seen, of course.
Overall idea and message I believe Oda intends to convey here through Yamato ( for one ) is that one need not, should not, be compelled to arbitrarily adhere to some exact checklist of prerequisites when taking up a cause, following one's will, etc...nor should others expect as much, as we the readers and the characters are sure to learn soon enough in future cases imo. As mentioned before, all falls within the parameters of the themes of Anti-Absolutism and Freedom of Choice.
All that said, I could always see Oda going another alternate route as well, though one that need not clash with the above: Yamato still holding on to the Oden identity, albeit to a more toned down extent. Really, it'd be little different from what's already been established previously; as others have already pointed, Yamato identification as Oden has never really excluded his identification as Yamato either. The long-running themes of identity, role, coming to terms with one's past/origins, legacy, embracing everything….Oda's been gradually interweaving these and will continue to do so going forward, so this could ultimately culminate with Yamato ( and others ) declaring or adopting a mentality along the lines of something like this:
I am "Oden"…I am "Kaido"...I am oni and samurai ( or whatever else )...I am man and woman..,but above all, I am me. That's the very rough gist of it: Yamato no longer proclaiming to be Oden per se, but not exactly discarding the identity altogether…Yamato being Oden but also not Oden...
an acknowledgment that all these various elements and figures may have shaped Yamato to an extent, but no one piece defines them either, which is the thematic point being made. I imagine we'll also see this play out in sync with other characters like Sanj, Zoro, and others coming to terms with their own pasts, particularly as it pertains to Sanji's current ongoing struggles to reconcile his Germa background...and humanity. No coinydink there.
Above all else, I fully believe Taoist philosophy, Quantum Mechanics, and other such related schools of thought run at the heart of One Piece overall, and that's what further colors my reasoning here; Yamato is just one of many other examples we'll be seeing ( and have seen already ) of functional paradoxes at work. And this will further underscore everything else to come.
Who knows? Saw someone propose the idea that Yamato may adopt a new name altogether. Can't rule that out as a possibility either, and would mesh with everything I've outlined. One could say Oda' already planted the seeds with the whole Pirate/Ninja/Samurai/Mink Alliance gag.
"I am ______ aka Oden aka Yamato, son of Oden/Daughter of Kaido/ samurai oni pirate yadda yadda"
On a somewhat related note, it also jives with my own theory of what the D may actually stand for...an abbreviation of a very, very long string of existing or suggested names that the collective D clan members of long ago agreed to combine together because the stubborn idiots couldn't agree on any any one particular designated name. All this time, fans have been wracking their brains over what the D specifically stands for, the mystery behind the supposed secrecy, when the answer may be that it doesn't stand for any one word, and the clan name was abbreviated out of practical necessity 
But yeah, that's my piece.
When the next chapter comes out, we can all celebrate here!
