Solid build up/action chapter. Delightful to see the return of the colorful summer spreads. Zoro looking like he's about to be turned into a wax statue, and topless Jinbe fanservice putting Nami and Robin to shame.
Mythical Roach Roach model: Orochi. Kaido can't be killed and Orochi keeps defying death, they really are two peas in a pod. It feels like Oda goes out of his way to synchronize the fates of Wano's two tormentors with Orochi/Hiyori even taking up a third of the Gear 5th chapter. But with Orochi on fire, down to his final head, Hiyori in danger, Denjiro crying in the corner for his moment, how much longer can the cowardly charade last? Speaking of cowards, Usopp being extra pathetic and useless is a point hammered in quite hard lately, a heavy contrast to the suicidal samurai. His future Elbaf plotline or late Wano development is looking intriguing.
Groping Kaido's chest like Onigashima depends on it. Gratifying that Luffy learns from missing a valuable attack like Thunder to grab hold of Kaido for dear life so his Onigashima-sized fist isn't also wasted. Kaido unleashes his 4th wisdom king attack, Yamantaka, the diety that destroyed death or Yama/Enma - it's symbolic in that Kaido killed Oden + Enma, yet he himself has become incapable of choosing when and where he dies as if he defeated death altogether. Kaido confirming Roger was fruitless on the surface looks like a jab at Luffy (and his own DF army), needing a godly DF when Roger became King with only blood/sweat/supreme blades/rare CoC genes/and Oden. But Kaido is going for the double entendre invoking the literal translation of haki which is will or ambition; Oda's message here is likely that it doesn't matter if you think Luffy has a silly or a broken fruit because in the end battles are decided by whose will endures and whose will dominates. I can't knock the idea that this hints at Luffy losing his DF against Blackbeard forcing him to overcome like Roger or Garp fought at God Valley.
While Luffy's belief in his friends was just vindicated by Raizo putting out the fire, his absolute faith in Momo still makes him look a *little* insane.
It's all coming together. Interesting how many climatic pieces are converging at once. The lanterns marking the final event of the fire festival now in the air, their light soon giving the citizens a brief full view of the show in the sky. Orochi, in the middle of death by immolation, needs to be immediately taken care of for Hiyori's sake. Now Luffy wants to end it all with a giant unavoidable punch. And Momo has to finally master his own flame clouds to save Onigashima. I'm getting 1040 vibes: an entire chapter to push Big Mom down a hole, now Luffy delivering one massive unnamed punch that could clear the dark sky. But as Kaido has yet to connect Luffy and Joy Boy, the monster is bound to survive even all that.