I see where you are coming from now and it's the same for me as well, there is just something lacking especially from the finisher, I can't feel the emotional impact. There is something seriously lacking lately from Oda writing, and I don't think his editor is doing a good job, I don't even know if he takes up a volume and read it over.

–- Update From New Post Merge ---

@Greg:

Nope, or perhaps I should say, not here.

I've separated myself from being disappointed when things don't go how I think they will. That alone isn't going to upset me in any way. In fact, and people who know me longest can attest to this, I'm never happier than when I'm wrong.

What happened here is, while Oda didn't take one path I suggested (even though there's still room for him to achieve the same result) what's disappointing is comparing his work to his own work.

Oda didn't hit the beats he usually hits and he didn't tie up the action (yet) with a meaningful 'bigger picture' emotional moment like he almost always does.

It's not a case of Oda not doing what I wanted him to do.

It's a case of Oda not doing what he usually does.

But, that's just me.

I see where you are coming from now and it's the same for me as well, there is just something lacking especially from the finisher, I can't feel the emotional impact. There is something seriously lacking lately from Oda writing, and I don't think his editor is doing a good job, I don't even know if he takes up a volume and read it over.

I am not as concern about Luffy future fights or the fact that he defeat Kaido, my main disappointment is the execution of the arc and how it didn't have much tension or Luffy finisher didn't feel like there was any emotional weight behind it. In the end Luffy only have three (3) enemies in the entire series left to beat Black Beard who have two of the most overpowered devil fruit that can practically nil out all of Luffy's new power-ups, who know what else he has up is sleeve, Akain who I am not convince Luffy will fight and Imu who we know nothing about and who can have god like mowers for all we know. We are in the end game people and has much as we don't like Luffy defeating the strongest creature, there is only two major enemy left for our protagonist to beat and they are OP as fuck so it all comes down to execution and that is where Oda needs to improve and not make the same mistake he did in this arc.

While I do think those who have a problem with Luffy beating the strongest creature including Greg, I think part of the major problem is the fact that, they had theories on how Kaido would go down which didn't come to fruition and the reason for the major disappointment. I expected Luffy to defeat Kaido this arc but I expected it to have me like how can he beat him and when he did I would be left with a wow factor and satisfaction but instead it was tension less and felt like Kaido more deserve the win than Luffy.

I know Luffy will win in the end but I feel like he is undeserving of the victory just like the fight with Katakuri, I think he is more running on plot armour more than will.

While continuing to read comments and reading the chapters, I feel like Oda will continue to disappoint a lot of persons this arc, I am not normally pessimistic but the arc really lack tension and emotional investment for me, my expectations have drop and in order to not get into a negative frame of mind I just try to go through the faze week after week.

What about Kaido having the ability to manipulate and use elements( fire, lightening, wind etc.) is his awakening. Also maybe the guards in impel down was force awaken and their minds wasn't able to keep up with their ability, but Kaido through his will is able to be one with his ability and mind. What else can Kaido gain if there is an awakening separate from what we are seeing now, him able to control different elements, unmatched stamina, quick healing, not saying there can't be more but I can't think of anything outside of what he is now doing, maybe he will become mindless until he is put down.

The fact that Kaido have control over multiple elements and he evolve from a fish fish fruit into a Dragon why can't we consider him to be awaken. Big mom also can do so much already with her fruit that is beyond what it should do, why do we think it is not awaken.

I don't see anything broken about Luffy's devil fruit awakening, most of what he has done so far, have been done already, even the lightening he is holding onto in chapter 1046, we have seen already in strong world. The only thing change about the ability is that he can now affect persons and the environment, Luffy so far on paper is the only one I see work hard to reach where he is and deserve the power up he got. The awakening only allows him to have more control over his body and can flex his body in whatever form he likes. This is the same as any rubber powers I know in every comics, I was even looking for him to become liquid rubber which Oda seems not to going down that route. I don't know why fans want everybody in the series devil fruit to be broken and the protagonist fruit to just be meh. Law fruit is broken, Kaido fruit is broken, Big mom fruit is broken, Black Beard fruit is broken, Kid fruit is broken if he was creative. As it relates to the fruit becoming a Zoan there must be a reason why Oda made it so, we just don't know yet. I also think it being a zoan could have been avoided as we could have gotten the same result but there must be some info Oda as yet to reveal that might make it make sense (maybe).

This is the second time Kaido try to eat Luffy, I have never seen anyone on the forum think this is a weird thing to do. I wonder if he ate somebody already, it seems normal to him.

If Luffy can turn the ground into is gatling gun attack, while doing jet gatling with his own harm that would be a devastating finisher Kaido can't dodge. I hope next chapter he uses his awakening like Danflamingo and Katacuri.

I think suneisha is in for a huge surprise, wait until he meets Luffy and starts calling him Joy Boy, "No I am Luffy the man who will become the pirate king". Luffy will always be Luffy I will bet anything on that.

At first I was upset with the renaming and reclassification of the Gomu Gomu because I thought it would introduce some new powers and change what we have been accustomed to for over 1000 chapters, after seeing seeing the execution I am less angry. The Gomu Gomu properties remain the same except luffy is now more malleable and can change his form in every which way he will, with the additional bonus of having control over the environment. At first I was put off by Kaido cartoonish figure when he was being twerl around because I thought the awakening turn everything into loonie toon but I realize that was just Oda being Oda, putting some fun in a serious fight. I can't say that the reveal was the best or had the right placement but as Greg pointed out the info about Nika and the Gomu Gomu is scarce to the point the guard who leak the info got executed, that shows that it's not info that is out there in the public domain and we might have never gotten it if we didn't come across who's who, that found out in special circumstances. I think we should wait for further info before jumping to conclusions because obviously there are missing pieces we are not yet previ to
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