I’m sorry but the guy who struggled in a 2v1 against 2 HP Izo somehow having way better endurance than Wano Luffy is pretty whack
For sure he knew the attack was coming, unlike Luffy.
You could replace him with Pell or gan fall or pound or literally anyone else and they’d also survive if Oda wanted them to (which he would 99% of the time, whether it makes sense from a powerscaling perspective or not)
Neither the manga nor anime offered any clarity on what actually happened in between Kaido raising his club and guernica tipping his hat. Same as every other asspull survival in the series, it’s pretty much standard fare.
All the optics to suggest a death, but never a follow through. Really it’d be more surprising considering the manga we’re talking about here if guernica actually did die.
For sure he knew the attack was coming. It’s stated in the sbs he took the picture. There’s no indication of Joseph doing so or how he’d even be in position to.