One Piece has finally drawn the curtain on the Wano Country arc. The ending of the arc has been emotional for both the characters and the fans as it brought a close to one of the biggest wars in history. The Wano Country arc provided the fans with many fights and some of them will forever be etched into their memories.
However, it would be extremely rude to overlook how the arc affected the story and the characters. As the arc was over a hundred chapters long, all the main One Piece characters were able to get enough screentime, which allowed them to develop. One of the main highlights of the arc was Kozuki Momonosuke. Ever since he formed an alliance with the Straw Hats, Momosuke has gone through a lot of different ordeals, which have affected his character.
The Beginning
Momonosuke is often dismissed in character debates because of his behavior in the previous arcs, but it is important to remember the horrors that he went through. Twenty years prior to the current timeline, Momonosuke had to see his powerful father being killed by Kaido and his minions.
After Oden's death, Kaido attacked the castle in an attempt to eliminate Toki, Hiyori, and Momonosuke. Toki used her powers to send Momonosuke and a few of Oden's retainers into the future, which saved their lives. Hiyori remained in Wano, but Toki ended up dying. Witnessing all these events as a kid took a lot of toll on Momonosuke's mind, and his inability to do anything to protect his family hurt him even more.
Arriving In The Present
After arriving in the present, the first course of action for the Scabbards and Momonosuke was to gather enough manpower to take down Kaido, Orochi, and their army. Needless to say, this wasn't an easy job, and they were almost hopeless until they finally met Luffy and his crew. Before Momonosuke met the Straw Hats, he had to suffer another tragedy. When he was on Punk Hazard, Momonosuke was hungry, and he was searching for food, and by an extraordinary stroke of luck, he found a fruit. However, Momonosuke was not aware that it was an artificial devil fruit, which turned its user into a dragon.
This was very difficult for Momonosuke as his father's killer, Kaido could also turn into a dragon. Momonosuke had to learn to live with it, and it took him a while before he fully accepted the consequences of eating the devil fruit. After Momonosuke and the others told their heartbreaking story to Luffy, the latter was more than willing to help them take down Kaido.
Arrogant Or Traumatized?
As a young kid, who had suffered from various traumatic experiences, it was sometimes difficult for Momonosuke to understand whether his actions were right or wrong. He would say things that made him come off as too arrogant or stupid, which is perfectly fine for a kid. But, with every passing arc, Momonosuke improved and developed into a well-mannered person. At the time of the formation of the alliance, Momonosuke was just a coward, who couldn't face his fears, but after Luffy reprimanded him, Momonosuke learned some very important things. He became braver, and he was ready to sacrifice his own life to help the alliance to defeat Kaido.
Momonosuke made another important decision during the raid on Onigashima when he asked Shinobu to use her devil fruit powers on him. Initially, Shinobu was reluctant but after seeing Momonosuke's resolve, she used her powers, which resulted in his body aging by twenty years. This allowed Momonosuke to transform into a giant dragon, which in turn helped Luffy to get back to the rooftop. When Luffy was struggling in his fight, Momosuke attacked Kaido to help out his friend. Both Kaido and Luffy were surprised by Momonosuke's fearlessness.
As Luffy and Kaido continued their fight, Momonosuke was given the task of creating fire clouds, which would prevent the island of Onigashima from falling on the Flower Capital. Momonosuke was unsure if he could pull off such an incredible feat, but with Yamato's continuous support, he eventually managed to create the fire clouds, which effectively saved the lives of hundreds of people in the Flower Capital.
The Greatest Shogun
While Momonosuke might be 28 years old biologically, he still has the heart and mind of an 8-year-old. He aspires to become the greatest shogun of Wano and to overtake his late father in the process. It is clear that Momonosuke still has a long way to go before he can become as great as Kozuki Oden, but he has the right people around him, who are willing to go to any lengths to protect him.
It is clear that his confidence has increased a lot and by the end of the war, he was confident that he is the right person to lead Wano to glory. Momonosuke knows that it won't be an easy task, but he is willing to give everything that he has. His development from a snotty brat to an exemplary leader definitely cannot be overlooked. Many fans have had mixed opinions about him, but there is no doubt that Momonosuke will become the greatest shogun in the history of Wano and open the borders of the land to usher in a new era. As Wano's borders remain closed for now, it is quite clear that Momonosuke will be involved in the story at some point in the future.