- CP0 intervening saves Luffy's life (even though he died
). Kaido can't lop Luffy's head off and parade it downstairs to demoralize the alliance like he said at the end of 1013 because he's ashamed of how he won. Kaido may even secretly wish Luffy gets back up so they can settle the score for real, better just leave him alone for now.
- Kaido declaring the raiders and Wano will receive the harshest slavery is terrifying evil, but I see it as him venting his frustrations. He was denied finishing the best fight he had in years. The alliance with Big Mom is over. His crew proved to be full of weaklings and losers, he can only rely on himself. Reality has hit hard for Kaido and all he can do is take it out on others.
- Tama told she lost one brother at the beginning of Wano and now losing her other bro. It's a small panel but really impactful that her reaction was included here.
- If I have a problem with Joyboy, it's that he easily overshadows figures like Whitebeard, Xebec, Roger, etc. Pirate King Roger merely found Joyboy's treasure. For Luffy who has not beaten a Yonko to already be compared to someone greater than Roger is too early. The best way to save this is for the final arc to emphasize that Luffy being Joyboy doesn't mean anything because Joyboy failed anyway, requiring Luffy look deep inside himself and a reach a state/title not even Joyboy could.
Marco remaining levelheaded shows he learned from Marineford. Throw in the Payback war too, he's gotten too used to losing. The man is experiencing the same nightmare again when his own captain Whitebeard and now Nami's captain Luffy died. The battle is about to turn sour for his side but Marco still believes if they hold it together then there is hope. They're not dead yet, they're not slaves yet, if they hang on then a miracle like Shanks showing up to stop the war is possible. And he is absolutely right.
After Kaido puts down Samurai culture last chapter for throwing their lives away so the losers can save face, I like that it's Yamato now putting the same idea on a pedestal. Momo still doesn't under what being a samurai means, if the borders should be opened, if surrendering would save the most lives. Yamato steps in as Oden and guides her son. She references the Daimyo who refused to bend the knee to Kaido and died fighting him -- these were the samurai in the cave with her, she KNEW these guys and was greatly influenced by them. Yamato and the Daimyo who died all idolized Oden, this suicidal behavior is not contradictory or turning a page on how Oden behaved.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If Oden knew Orochi and Kaido were never to be trusted, he would have slayed them 25 years ago rather than giving them an extra 5 years to gather strength. This is the lesson Yamato is passing on to Momo now. There is no surrendering, there is no making deals with Kaido anymore. This is the final battle as it was for Oden in Udon Vs Kaido. Kaido's executives have been defeated, Kaido himself is looking close to defeat, there are plenty of strong allies still left standing, a basement full of bombs that could defeat Kaido in a suicidal charge like Big Mom. But any slim chance of victory goes away the moment Momo surrenders.
Luffy died without a smile. You can chalk it up as a reason why Luffy didn't actually die, but for me this shows what the Will of D really represents. Luffy died caught off guard. He was not ready to concede and is in no way satisfied with this defeat. He may have accepted death as a minnow in Loguetown, but on the verge of beating a Yonko, liberating Wano and achieving his dream -- Luffy dies feeling his job was not done and his will was not ready to pass on.
Each D and faux D like Oden dies with a smile knowing they did what they could to advance the cause, that their work and collective dream will be carried on by their descendants. In essence, they smile because their dreams are not dead but part of a collective unbroken chain passed down for generations. Joyboy did his part creating One Piece. Roger did his part starting the Great Pirate Age. Minor Ds did their part if only giving birth to other Ds. Luffy's role is to take their work, put it all together, and fulfill the purpose of the D clan. It's a collective effort that took countless individuals and civilizations 800+ years. Luffy=Joyboy doesn't look like reincarnation but rather affirmation that the beginning and the end are finally becoming linked together. Joyboy started the Will of D, Luffy will complete it.
