Luffy's wide, stretchy, rubbery smile still can't compete with Joy Boy's legendary grill. Koido watches Luffy hit the water and swim with his bretheren, but the reason for his shortfall becomes a little mystery. He could have run out of haki stamina, but that's a G4 thing. No question Kaido got the last hit as Luffy is completely out of it. Kaido says Luffy couldn't become Joy Boy, likely a reference to 1011 when he noted Luffy's smile only got wider in the face of precarious circumstances. Perhaps a connection to the D and their death smile. Joy Boy is a key figure of the Void Century and only the Neptune royal family, Poneglyph readers, and the WG elite should know about him. For Kaido to not only know about this but go beyond as to liken Joy Boy to a reincarnation or title one can achieve like becoming Pirate King makes the flashback with Rocks more interesting than ever.
When in doubt, Chopper can always count on a Caesar flashback. The doctors play roughhouse as Chopper very admirably stalls Queen, eating damage and exhausting himself in the process. Apparently 20+ minutes have passed since 1007's Monster Point. Far beyond his initial 3 min time limit thanks to the pharmacist Cedar, who might be making a killing selling Rumble Balls to Zoan users, in under 10 minutes the nasty side effects will start to kick in. Unfortunately, stalling Queen doesn't even seem to be helping Marco, probably because Perospero is acting as great support peppering the entire battlefield with arrows. I just have to admire how Perospero stepped in as the archer the Wano arc was missing. Chopper's hopes rest on a side effect doing something unpredictable and granting him an advantage, or the Scabbards showing up to take over his fight.
Time for our regularly scheduled update around the base. Black Maria holding it down against Brook and Robin actually looks appropriate considering how hard Usopp and Nami got dominated by Page One and Ulti. Jinbe and Who's Who both look so clean and bored that WW actually returned to base, they just can't wait for Oda to let them fully unleash. And Kid lives to brag for one more chapter about how he doesn't care, but actually really cares for his fellow Superbud Luffy.
Kanjuro draws the second Joker in the deck. When Momo's cries upstairs make Kanjuro crack a big fat smile and put on his jolly Oden costume, you know you have a lovable scumbag. His masterful self-portrait and method acting never flinch once as Kiku, who has already seen his trick, charges at him with a blade. Phony Oden takes out a second Scabbard. Kiku failed to finish Kanjuro the first time, lost an arm and sword to Kaido, defeated by Phoden. Sad to say, but Kiku has been crowned the worst performing Scabbard. I love that Kanjuro learned from his full power ink army getting defeated and switched to winning with Kurozomi slimeball tactics. He disrespects Oden's image until the end, removes his costume to mock Kiku, then turns his bloody grin to backstab Kinemon while he's on the ground only for his number to finally get cut. Kanjuro has no second thoughts, no regrets, no reflections. For his best friend to bring the curtain down on his life performance is the beautiful ending the ham actor did not deserve and he knows it. He lived and died a lunatic married to his role, what a damn unique villain.
For a Kin'emon whose heart is in complete and utter agony, a Kaido clubbing to the head is just what the doctor ordered. The announcement that Kaido has defeated all his challengers including the largest bounty, that it's time to surrender or papa Kaido is coming down to clean up the trash is how you send shivers down everyone's spines. As Kaido noted, the samurai are quite loyal and devoted to the leader who rescued them, gave them weapons and their will to fight. They turned their backs on the Kozuki family and received 20 years of darkness as punishment, they won't be giving up on Luffy and even seeing his head would probably not change that. So the horror show begins as Kaido whacks his first victim because Yamato couldn't stay put for two more chapters. It's finally time! Time to start sorting characters into "Pedro or Pound" piles.
A great chapter most likely capping Volume 100. Onigashima finally sees land meaning half of its journey is over. Momo told Shinobu after the reading the journal that he must stay alive, echoing Yamato's words that he is essential for bringing the Dawn. He could be Joyboy, Uranus, or is just needed to open Wano. The headaches could be Zunisha or Sea Kings, but Wano is isolated, elevated, and it would a little too convenient if they rescue Luffy without someone's command. Law could contact the Polar Tang for a simple solution. I will personally bet my boy Harudako the octopus, responsible for nearly drowning Luffy and separating him from the crew at the start of Wano, is here to redeem himself by saving and reuniting Luffy with the others.