Y'know a lot of people used to think Luffy would only reach Roger level at the end of the series. I was one of the few who said that people needed to stop thinking about Luffy as the up and coming rookie. He's not the young upstart anymore he's stepping into the big leagues. "We're creeping up on Roger level right now" I said. People didn't believe me. Now look where we are.
I know Luffy is still a bit off but given that his clash with Kaido is a deliberate parallel to WB & Roger in their primes I'd say I was right in saying that Roger level was right around the corner.
But what is funny is that the people who thought that the fight with Kaido would be a team battle, and the people that thought Luffy would fight Kaido 1v1....were both correct. It was a team fight that turned into a 1v1. Really baffling that no one considered that both would happen. People let themselves be divided on that for no reason.
Advanced Conqueror's is fucking insane. No wonder the Marines were terrified of this Haki. It makes sense why they'd spread the lie that you need to be born with it. Just figuring out how to use it has help Luffy bridge the gap between him and Kaido. I mean he's still gonna lose this fight but it's impressive how Conquerors Haki has brought him to so close to Kaido's level. As cool as it is I still fully expect Kaido to pull the classic "This isn't even my Final Form" and reveal his Awakening. Showing that the gap between them was a lot bigger than we thought.
I feel it should be noted that Kidd & Killer just straight up tanked that big ass Lighting Blast from Big Mom. Holy shit these guys are tough. What seems to be even crazier is that this is just Big Mom "testing" out her new Homie. Sheesh.
The next portion of the chapter I really enjoy. Not just for the comedy but because it confirms something I've been saying for the longest time. All of the Strawhats are going to Awaken Armament Haki. I know a lot of people don't like that and think that the other strawhats have been fine with their usual moveset but it's quite clear that that isn't enough anymore. We are not some small time Pirates anymore. This isn't East Blue. The Strawhats aren't Rookies anymore. Again, This Is The Big Leagues. Little tricks and gimmicks are just NOT gonna cut it anymore. We're not at a point in the story where the weaker strawhats can keep coasting by on little tricks.That shit is not gonna fly. They need real power behind their attacks. They need Armament Haki. And I think Oda knows that which is why he is deliberately showing us the limits of their tricky fighting. That it's not enough to just have a cool fighting gimmick. Thats not enough to be one of the Top Pirate crews on the ocean. Certainly not an Emperor's crew let alone the Future Pirate King's crew. Luffy said he was gonna have a crew that rivaled or even surpassed Shanks. If they're gonna do that? be one of the Elite? They need to step their game up. Period.
So yes I think that the Strawhats are all Awakening Haki this arc. The scene with Nami & Usopp being upset that they're not strong enough to make Tama feel safe is proof of that in my opinion. That is exactly how a character arc starts. A weakness and internal struggle the characters need to overcome. If the strawhats ever get Tama & Momo as apprentices(and I think they will) they need to be strong enough to protect them on the ocean. So I believe this scene was the start of that arc for them. By the end of the Arc the likes of Usopp and Nami will become powerful enough to to defeat Ulti & Page 1 in one-on-one combat proving that they're strong enough to protect Tama.
I have a separate post I wanna make about Hawkins but I want to explain this theme in One Piece and why it ties into Hawkin's arc for Wano and it's too long to include in this one. So I've save it for later.
I'll end this but just saying I liked seeing Big Mom use Advanced Conqueror's abut even moreso I liked seeing her express her ideals which further flesh out the Pirates Philosophy in One Piece. Pirates may not have "morals" like normal people but Pirate society still has it's own codes and rules. I also really appreciate what Oda's doing with Big Mom this arc, by not only revealing new layers of her character bit by bit but also playing her as this absolute unpredictable wildcard. Big Mom is an engine of chaos this arc. You just have no idea what she's gonna do next.