One Piece 1048 is officially out and Eiichiro Oda delivered an incredible chapter this week after returning from a two-week break. As expected, the fight between Luffy and Kaido is heading closer to its end and is essentially at its final few moments now. Chapter 1047 saw Luffy use the pinnacle of his Gear 5th power to create a fist as massive as Onigashima itself and prepare it to defeat Kaido in a single hit.
At the same time, Momonosuke was asked by Luffy to move Onigashima out of the way, and in doing so, aid Luffy in his attempt to free Wano. One Piece 1048 delivered on all fronts and gave fans much more than they expected, with some great stuff from Luffy's fight against Kaido, Momonosuke's dilemma, the plight of the people of Wano, and even a flashback sequence from 20 years ago. All this saw chapter 1048 establish itself as one of the very best Wano chapters of all time.
Luffy Vs Kaido Near Its End
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One Piece Chapter 1048 saw Luffy's fight against Kaido come close to its conclusion. With Luffy's giant fist ready to take Kaido down, the Yonko replied with a powerful attack of his own, called Flaming Drum Dragon. Using the power of fire, Kaido created a massive dragon around his body that seemingly raised his power to its absolute peak. The heat generated from the technique was such that even the horns of Onigashima melted away, once again, showing that Kaido is still more than capable of taking on Luffy and even overpowering him in combat. As expected of someone like Kaido, he challenged Luffy to a clash and promised to not run away, which goes hand-in-hand with his character.
Fans also got to see what could now be Luffy's strongest technique in the series, called Bajrang Gun. As the two clash above the Onigashima rooftop, it is clear that one of the two will be defeated once the two attacks are done colliding against each other. Kaido's giant dragon form makes it nearly impossible for Luffy to touch him, however, this is where the power of Ryuo comes into play. Thanks to this Haki, Luffy was able to launch his attack at Kaido without actually making contact with him. This was a rather welcomed addition to the chapter as not only did it give Luffy's training in Udon more meaning but also showed fans that Oda pays attention to small details, as always.
The Flashback Of 20 Years
The majority of the One Piece1048 focused on a flashback sequence that started immediately after Luffy and Kaido traded blows. At this point, it was quite unexpected for Oda to go into a flashback that isn't about Kaido, however, it was woven so well into the chapter that it ended up being potentially the best part of the chapter. The flashback took fans 20 years into the past to the same day as Kozuki Oden was executed. Shortly after his execution, Kaido targeted Momonosuke and aimed to end the Kozuki line once and for all. Fans saw another short war break out in Wano but, as expected, Kaido made little work of all those who stood against him, including the powerful Daimyo of each region of Wano.
With Kaido breaking the spirits of people, Orochi continued his job to make sure that he drove the country into the dirt for good. By destroying the entire land, force-feeding Smile Devil Fruits, and even making the people of Wano starve, Orochi did immense damage to the county and would've continued to do that as long as he was allowed. Eiichiro Oda has, undoubtedly, done a phenomenal job at making sure fans hate Orochi as well as he wants and this was certainly a masterful stroke by the author.
The Conclusion Of The Fire Festival
The Fire Festival is, for the people of Wano, an extremely important event and one that gives them a taste of freedom once every year. Along with that, it also brings them closer to their loved ones who have passed away. By using the Sky Boats, the people make their wishes known and light up the Wano sky every single year, however, with each year, their thirst for freedom grows. One Piece 1048 gave fans a very interesting look into the plight of the people of Wano. Fans got to see everyone make their wishes, young and old, and watching them wish for things such as clean water and a day of freedom certainly pulled at the heartstrings. Once again, the execution of ideas in the chapter by Oda was absolutely perfect. The chapter paralleled the wishes coming true, as immediately when one Sky Boat carried a wish to be freed from Orochi, Denjiro, one of the Red Scabbards, swooped in to save Hiyori and chopped his head off.
With Orochi out of the way, all that's left now is for Momonosuke to move Onigashima out of the way and for Luffy to overpower Kaido and send him down to the depths of hell, just as he promised he would. The fight is closer to its conclusion and should wrap up within the next two or three chapters. With that, the Wano Country arc will finally enter its ending phase and deal with the post-war revelations, which are certainly going to be just as exciting as the war itself.