I've enjoy the arc so far,and it seems to me that some of the complains you all have might as well be by design, we know the world goverment battleships are waiting outside, and will probably attack now that the pirates are weakened from fighting, with all the top fighthers down it would be up to the weaker crewmembers to hold down the attacks until they stand back up. This way we can see the tension and despair some people seems to want,have Ussop do some serius sniping, maybe see the new weapons that have been mention multiple times since the timekip, and better finishing moves in the fights.

@Spinx:

Didn't Kaido imply that? Luffy can change the surroundings like a paramecia but he got a form like a zoan?

I don't think so, I think he was mentioning that transforming is a zoan thing in general not about awakenings, if awakening would give another form to zoan's it would make no sense that none of the commanders or flying 6 had them, I think zoan awakening is just the increase in strength and recovery mention in Impel Down, luffy is an exception.

@Spinx:

Question about Kaido's awakening. If you're an awakened zoan, why are you not fighting in an awakened form as soon as you go hybrid?
So you use an awakening once you lose a fight? Hehe, I got you! I almost died there so now I'll awaken xD. Makes no sense.

Kaido gave Luffy his props, if he had another form he should've used it when Luffy went gear 5. He did use the fire dragon :ninja:

It's never been said that awakened zoans have a different form.

@ea77:

Because a) His "drunk mode" looks like what we would expect an awakening for his fruit to look like, does it not? When we compare say – Dalton's Hybrid, to Kaido's Hybrid, and then to the Jailer Beasts who -- mind you -- we have as a reference point. We have FOUR Awakened Zoan reference points so we know what to expext (aside from the ParaZoan Luffy) And B) the through line between all confirmed Zoan awakenings, if we add Kaido, is "altered state of consciousness." Luffy is exuberant and laughing like a drunk fuck and the Impel Down Jailers are zoned out of their minds and not even present. It's not a leap that getting into an altered state of consciousness is what is the key to awaken.

Hence Luffy going "Heart, hit that beat" and forcing himself into Gear Second which controls his blood flow to reverse engineer the state, and Kaido using alchohol to lower his inhibitions and lean into his more beerserk stages.

Black Maria, Queen, Sasaki, Lucci. Queen, and King all keep the same form. Lucci just gets slimmer. We literally see the other CP9 guy do the same thing. You may as well argue Shigan is a zoan property if you're counting Lucci.

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

He doesn't have to awaken when drunk, but he needs to be drunk to awaken. Hence why he took it and his haki got stronger. When Luffy awakened, both times, his haki visibly throbbed or pulsed. And that sounds like a euphemism...

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Did you see why I said the drinking could be necessary. If we assume that Devil Fruits can "go on a rampage", as we know from chopper, and that Zoans "have a spirit", the key to Zoan awakening, unlike Paramecia awakening, is "emptying the vessel", so to speak. Hence Luffy awakens at near death when his "voice" dies out, and Kaido gets wasted. It's not a "Ohh he's drunk, therefore awakeneing", it's "what does being drunk" and "what does being hit in the head really hard" and "being asleep" have in common?

--- Update From New Post Merge ---

Also, let me end it here. Ever theory needs to explain something. Now, let's grant my theory for the sake of argument. Here are a few questions it answers:

1. Why does Kaido explain awakening twice? Is Oda that bad at writing? In 1044, he says turning things into rubber is a Paramyhthis awakening. In 1045, he says awakening is what happens when your mind and body catch up? What does the body habe to do with -- Katakuri or Law whose awakenings affect things that are "not them". A) This is because Kaido realises Luffy is a Zoan of some sort, and thus he gives a more tailored explanation.

2. Why does Kaido ask "who are you"? Is he so drunk he forgot who Luffy was? Granting my theory, again, an awakened Zoan would know that the Zoan user gets taken over by their Zoan spirit. So asking "who are you"? Is a valid question in that scenario. Note, the second time Luffy answers the question is when he gives the "Zoan awakening" explanation.

3. The biggest question. Why does Oda just not say it then? And the answer is it's tied to the joyboy explanation.

4. Why does Luffy do the Gear second pose to awaken/how does he know how to do it? He's basically been practisiing for it his whole life.

5. Why was Impel Down full of Awakened Zoans and not CP9 or the Vice Admirals? Because it's not a net benefit for the more animalistic Zoans.

It's not just a random, "He's drunk therefore awakened". Like I said, Oda could very well answer it. But its not worth dismissing just because "Oda hasn't said so yet", anymore than any other theory or thought you had is worth dismissing because "Oda hasnt said so yet."

I doubt that kaido needs to be drunk to be in an awakened state, the way I see it there is no awakened state, the person is either awakened or is not, and once awakened then they are always awakened, the way I understood it is basically the mind and body being able to use 100% of the fruit's ability, I think that both BM and Kaido are awakened we just don't have a point of reference of when they weren't to know the difference, for example if we see Kid fighting in the future and he creates a magnetic field somewhere or on someone, we know he is using the powers he got after awakening, but if you didn't know about it beforehand and Kid started using that power you wouldn't know he is awakened.

I think a lot of people here just make theories about the story and then rant about it not happening, personally I'm fine with Kaido's defeat and his flashback, that said I think I get the whole "it feels flat or different " complains, but that may be because Kaido is getting back up but not as enemy, after all there is the kabuki play 5act thing, and if it is so then we are going into act 4,wich would be all the exhausted pirates fighting against marines and cp0 maybe will finally see the weapons the science division have build, with Kaido epically dying then.

On awakenings I still think Kaido an BM are awakened there is no reason for them not to be and there is no need to mention they are, I think the fact that Doffy an Katakuri mention it was just to introduce the mater of awakenings and foreshadow luffy's, the same with kid's and law's it forshadows luffy's and give then the power up they needed in the fight.

I think when news spread about wano they will reduce Law and Kidd to underlings, it would be funny to see them really pissed about it.

I’m surprised people are actually expecting Kaido to show some awakened ability since it was already stated back at impel down that awakened zoan types have enhanced strength and regeneration, so i’ve been assuming that Kaido and the calamitieswhere already awakened and that zoan types simply don’t affect their surroundings so it doesn’t show as easy, luffy being a ridiculous exception as his fruit is stated to be unique, for the same reason I don’t know why people are so upset with luffy tanking so many of kaido’s attacks in his awakened form, to begin with luffy has always taken a lot of hits in his fights and he just gets back up and keeps fighting, now that his awakened , being a zoan his strength and regeneration are boosted making it easier fot him to tank attacks, plus his fruit being unique he can affect his surroundings and is probably able to affect the attacks themselves( something like turning the kaido’s weapon to rubber when its about to hit minimizing the damage).

I don’t know to what extent the tama=momo’s sister has been discussed, but I find it very probable since we don’t know how the power of their mother works or its limits, she may have send momo with the group we are familiar and then send her with a different group,hitetsu and the 5 samurais drake killed and possibly otsuru since she does mentions she has not been around for long, and since the group was bigger she couldn’t send it to the same time.

As for the Sentoumaru vs jack fight , if it was to showcase the power of the samurai then Orochi and his retainers should also be on that level, also seems jack didn’t report to kaidou about luffy since he was surprise that he came out.

Kaidou’s drangon form seems beast, surely it would take a lot to take him down, would probably involve a free for all between Kaidou, Big Mon and A few Super novas.

@Dark-Abel:

So my theory about the national treasure is that it takes the shape of an item that is currently having the momentum of fate to become a ruler (is this case the pirate king).

So it can change it appearance but is always the same size.
I think it just changed to the strawhat a short time ago and that's why the guy got the bounty posters, to see if it's the same as Luffy's hat.
My other prediction is that the second bounty poster is that of Roger while he was still wearing the hat.

If you can get yout hands on this item your own fate would improve till the time the national treasure changed again.

I like this theory, the idea that a hat is the national treasure with the power that Doffy hinted doesn't feel right to me,so my first thoughts were like you, an item that takes a shape to shows biggest treat to user or where is momentum of power in the era.

Other theory would be that the room itself is scrying room that allows the user to look trough the history of a person or item and the bounty behind luffy's is an early one of roger when he still had the hat, and the person just decided to look trough the hats history.

@K.:

Absolutely, I don't mean to say the revos will lose at the Reverie. I am just saying that when the revos and the WG clash in their "Marineford War" they will lose.

Then they'll have their payback once Luffy charges during the final war.

Well we just have different views on how everything is going to play out, personally I think the final war will be revolutionaries Vs WG with Luffy joining because his friend( Alabasta, Sakura and fishman island, etc…) are involve in the war, with his joining tipping the scales in favor of revos.