Everyone in One Piece is seemingly present for the big Raid on Onigashima to close out the Wano arc. Fights rage all around the floating island, with every pirate facing off in a battle to decide it all. The alliance of Straw Hat, Heart, and Kid Pirates with the Samurai of Wano come against the Emperors in the fights of Onigashima!
Warning this article contains spoilers for One Piece’s Wano arc and some slight hints at what’s to come in the Egghead Island arc. The manga is available to read from Viz or MangaPlus online.
Sanji vs. Queen
There’s a running thread throughout this battle that Sanji is slowly losing his humanity as his Germa66 powers awaken. Though he destroys the Raid Suit his father gave him, it still manages to activate his powers and give him a near indestructible exoskeleton and faster than the eye can see travel. This takes up most of the Sanji vs. Queen fight as the Straw Hat Cook has inner monologues with himself about what’s going on.
The finish is worth it though, as Sanji awakens in the pleasure halls of Onigashima to find a woman hurt and afraid. He thinks he did it, fearing the worst, but continues his fight with Queen only to find out he was behind it all along. Angry at him for hurting a woman, Sanji ignites his newest move, the Ifrit Jambe, and knocks out the funky fresh Queen.
Zoro vs. King
The big battle between Zoro and King hits a major turning point when the mask comes off and Zoro learns his secret. Throughout the entire fight he’s found that he can barely cut King when the flame on his back is flaring up, but his defenses lower with the flame. Keeping this in mind, Zoro wears him out with slice after slice until he’s almost dead, while King fights on. It’s finally here near the end that Zoro tells himself to make Luffy King of the Pirates or die trying, and he vows he’ll become the King of Hell to do it.
The King of Hell Sword Style is born then, with Zoro infusing his swords with Conqueror and Armament Haki. Using this new fighting style to improve on his Demon Asura attack, Zoro cuts down King with no issue. Unfortunately, as soon as the battle with King ends another begins for Zoro. Death appears before him in the visage of a massive Grim Reaper, and Zoro has to face it down to determine it’s not his time yet.
Luffy and Yamato vs. Kaido
This battle is wild, with Luffy and Yamato bouncing attacks off Kaido left and right as the Emperor defends. He’s not happy that Yamato is still holding to these fantasies of being Oden, and he’s done entertaining it. Although Luffy makes a brave effort by switching through Bounceman and Snakeman while Yamato hits his father with ice beams, Luffy is eventually hit. He flies from the rooftop, falling down to the waters below unconscious while Yamato is left to continue the fight alone.
This is about the same time Momo and Shinobu make it out of the castle as well, Shinobu gliding the young Shogun down to earth. They see Luffy fall, but both being Devil Fruit users are powerless to help him. Luckily, the Polar Tang, with most of Law’s crew still on it, finds Luffy floating and brings him in quickly. They’re able to revive him and give him some meat for energy, before eventually dropping him back off on the shoreline alongside Momo. Now Luffy just has to figure out how to get back up while also making sure Onigashima doesn’t fall on the Flower Capital.
Law and Kid vs. Big Mom
Kid and Law take a real beating in their fight against Big Mom. The Emperor has officially replaced Zeus as her homie, switching him out with the much sassier Hera. Now, after trying to kill Tama and others during her rampage through the palace, she ends up against two of the Worst Generation. They give her the fight of her life, Kid throwing any metal scrap he can at her while Law tries to surgically destroy her with his Op-Op Fruit abilities. It’s not quite enough for any of them though, and Kid keeps getting hurt from Killer and Hawkins’s fight down below. Hawkins has Kid as one of his Straw Dolls, which means any damage Killer inflicts on him, will go to Kid instead.
Things finally change up when Killer negates the damage transfer by cutting off Hawkins’ arm, the same one Kid is missing. Now free of any issues atop the Skull Dome, Law, and Kid use their Devil Fruit Awakenings to finish things off. Kid assigns magnetic properties to the homies to get them away from Big Mom, rendering her weaker. Meanwhile, Law uses his Awakening to extend his sword far below Onigashima and into the earth, impaling her all the way down to a magma pit below. They’ve finally beaten an Emperor of the Sea, and now they’re all out of energy.
Momo Grows Up
This poor kid has been through a lot of shit in the past few months, and it feels like two decades for him. Momo has to grow up before his time, and the artificial Devil Fruit he ate just makes him look as wimpy as he feels. He has an idea though, because the only other thing that can stop Onigashima from falling are more Dragon Clouds. He asks Shinobu to use her Ripe-Ripe Fruit on him, aging him up the twenty years he was gone from Wano into a full-grown adult. Now, Momo is able to turn into a full-size dragon just like Kaido, except pink.
He flies Luffy up to the Skull Dome where Luffy trades out the fight with Yamato. As the son of Kaido leaves to help the son of Oden, Luffy faces down with the terrifying Emperor. Kaido is in a hybrid form of his Zoan Fruit, making him an even more fearsome sight as he and Luffy clash with Conqueror Haki to split the sky. It’s a long, exhausting battle that earns Luffy Kaido’’s respect, at a minimum.
Cipher Pol Aegis 0
These guys can just be the worst since they tend to show up everywhere and be in everyone’s business. Stussy gets out of the way relatively quickly, knowing that there will be a scoop and some money in it for her from Big News Morgans. Meanwhile, Guernica and Joseph stay behind, while Drake attempts to kill them. However, it doesn’t work out so well for Drake, as he and Izou attempt to defeat CP0 and are instead seemingly killed. Izou is later confirmed as dead, but Drake’s fate is still unknown.
The downside of things is that Cipher Pol Aegis 0 has new orders from the Gorosei, assassinate Straw Hat Luffy. They know Guernica will likely die in the process, but it’s a risk the CP0 agent must take. As Drake sits powerless, Guernica makes his way to the rooftop to await his moment.
Kurozumi Orochi’s Death
Meanwhile, Kurozumi Orochi is waiting it out in a room below before he sneaks away like the sniveling coward he is. Of course, Kozuki Hiyori has something different in mind and appears with her mask on to play her song for Orochi. Hiyori nails him in place with a sea prism nail to prevent transformation and allows the remaining fire of Kanjuro to set him ablaze. As Orochi burns though, the nail comes loose and he’s able to transform, seemingly getting the last laugh against Hiyori.
Until Denjiro comes bursting through to save her, slicing Orochi’s heads off just in time. The samurai apologizes to her for keeping his identity secret all this time, and swears he will never leave her side again. There’s an emotional reunion as they try to escape the palace, meeting up with the others who are trying to douse the fire enough to escape. Atop the Skull Dome, Luffy and Kaido make one final, major attack each to decide the battle. As Luffy jumps in toward Kaido in Snakeman form though, ready to deliver a blow, Guernica jumps on him and makes him take the full hit of Kaido’s attack.
Luffy Dies
That hit Luffy took from Kaido was the last bit of damage he could handle. Zunesha approaches Wano, speaking with Momonosuke about the events at hand. The Navy approaches Wano as well, Marines intending to take advantage of the chaos and claim Wano for the World Government. As Luffy’s heart stops, everyone pauses and things look bleak for all. It’s only a few moments before Zunesha lets out an excited cry though, and things begin to go into a whole new space of weirdness.
The Drums of Liberation!
When Luffy revives Zunesha claims that the Drums of Liberation are beating again for the first time in eight hundred years. He exclaims that Joyboy has returned, the liberator to save the world! Luffy’s hair and clothes all turn white, smoke enveloping him much like it does for his Gear forms. As he bounces around the rooftop, the ground turns to rubber where he steps. He can’t stop laughing, cackling at everything around him as he proclaims he’s never felt so free. Luffy exclaims to the world that this is his peak, Gear Fifth! Meanwhile, the Gorosei find that their worst fears have come about, and the Devil Fruit they tried so hard to hide for eight hundred years is awake once more.
The Gum-Gum Fruit is actually the Human Human Fruit, Mythical Model: Sun God Nika. Luffy can now fight in whatever ridiculous way he pleases, bringing joy to all who see it. Though it does terrify some of the Straw Hats when Luffy becomes the Gum-Gum Giant, only for his head to crash through the Skull Dome roof and eyes to pop out. It’s one of the best gag screens in the show though, as everyone else’s eyes pop out in turn when they see him.
Gear Fifth
Luffy’s ultimate form isn’t so much of a shock to him, but it does confuse Kaido. Still, the Emperor resumes his fight against the Straw Hat Captain, but Luffy has a different set of rules now. He’s able to behave like a classic cartoon character, bending everything about him and his surroundings to his own imagination. Luffy can grow into a massive giant, swing on lightning-like bungee cords, and reach through Kaido’s eyes to rocket out. He suffers a slight setback as Gear Fifth wears him down from the first use. Still, Luffy goes into his Awakening one more time for the final blow.
He grabs onto Kaido with one hand while the other is high in the clouds. When the thunder and dust finally clear enough, everyone can see what’s about to happen. The Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun, a fist the size of Onigashima and covered in Haki, is ready to come down. Luffy encourages Momo to move the island, despite the crisis of faith the young Shogun is having. He hits Kaido with all he’s got, sending Conqueror Haki flowing through his fist. Kaido gets knocked even further down, into the same magma pit deep into the earth as Big Mom.
What Happens After Wano?
Once the Beast Pirates are rounded up and the dust is cleared away, it’s time for a country-wide party Wano has never seen. There’s food and drink enough for everyone, and they all fill themselves as much as possible. The Straw Hats all manage to make a recovery, and the samurai mourn their dead in Asura and Izou. Despite the loss, Wano is a free country once more. The Straw Hats rest, inviting Yamato to join the crew as they do. Everyone takes it easy for a few before they go to resume their journies. Meanwhile, Robin meets with Kozuki Sukiyaki, the still-living father of Kozuki Oden who was in hiding as the swordsmith Hitetsu.
Robin learns that the Ancient Weapon Pluton is hidden in Wano as Sukiyaki shows her the Poneglyph deep below the capital. The next morning, Aramaki, a Marine Admiral, makes an attack on the coast of Wano to try and take the country for the World Government. His Woods-Woods Fruit is strong, but the combined forces of wano’s samurai, Yamato, and Momonosuke drive him back from the island. The Straw Hats finally get ready to leave, but Yamato decides to stay in Wano and protect it as Oden would have.
To Egghead Island!
The Straw Hats leave Wano alongside the Heart Pirates and Kid Pirates, each taking a different arrow on the Log Pose. New bounties also debut, with Luffy’s new picture showcasing his Gear Fifth form. Despite all, Luffy, Law, and Kid all maintain an equal bounty of three billion Berry! It’s a massive number, and now they all have to split up to cover the remaining road to Laughtale. The Straw Hats end up taking the route to Egghead Island, which will bring them into contact with the legendary Dr. Vegapunk!
The Egghead Island arc has a lot that happens in a relatively short amount of time, and is still ongoing as of this writing. The Raid on Onigashima may have been a major event in One Piece, but this next adventure at Egghead seems to be something that will shake the world. The Straw Hats are one step closer to their goal, but they’re going to have a tough fight on their hands when events start to feel a little too similar!
