Without hesitation, Kinemon tells Shinobu to grab Momo and flee as he remains to hold off Kaido , one on one… Without a word, Kaido raises his club and strikes with full force. This was honestly one of the most brutal and shocking moments of the series as Kaido delivers what is almost certainly a fatal blow to Kinemon, one of the longest term companions of the Straw Hats on their voyage, and most prominent characters in the entire series.
Kaido was completely silent here. He doesn’t speak a word, but his rage is palpable. I think the suddenness contributed to just how surprising this scene was. His club is coated in Conqueror’s Haki, much like we witnessed when Roger and Whitebeard clashed with full force. Kinemon’s swords are shattered, signaling the end of his life as a warrior. As sad as it is to say, I really do believe this is going to result in Kinemon’s death. I think there’s always a balancing act in stories between not wanting to see characters you like killed and wanting there to be stakes. For me, Kinemon’s death, if it stands, is one of the most shocking. There’s already the fact Oda rarely kills characters, but even the major named characters who have died – in retrospect, it seems like that was always the end to their character arc. So to me, Kinemon dying is even more shocking and hits harder than Ace or Whitebeard.
Interestingly, earlier in the arc as the Scabbards were fighting Kaido on the roof of Onigashima, I thought the moment of tragedy to end the third act of Wano would be the death of the Scabbards. What gave me pause was of course Oda’s past reluctance to kill characters. Nine prominent characters all dying at once seemed to just not be Oda’s style. Nevertheless, the death flags have surrounded the Scabbards from the very beginning. Act 1 even shows us their grave markers in Kuri. Both Orochi and the citizens of Wano have continually referred to them as ghosts. Yet the other part of this that remains clear is that they have survived for a reason – to open Wano’s borders. They are Oden’s retainers, an extension of his will, and have loyally served him, waiting for 20 years and even traveling through time to ensure Oden’s will, opening Wano’s borders, is fulfilled.
And so, if they were to meet their end tragically in combat on the roof, I suspected they would first leave Kaido with a wound which would prove to be critical in his ultimate defeat. Yet aside from Luffy, the only participant in the rooftop battle to leave Kaido with a lasting scar was Zoro.
And so, because the Scabbards left no lasting impact on Kaido and because they already passed through mortal peril, emerging safely alive on the other side, I think Oda very intentionally lulled us into a false sense of security. He intentionally subverted our expectations here. Many were expecting a tragic end to act 3 based on the Kabuki act structure for Wano and the death of the Scabbards seemed to be the obvious fit. Perhaps too obvious. Once they were safely inside the castle, healed from their injuries, the possibility of them dying was greatly diminished.
Now, I actually think Kinemon, Kiku, and maybe even Kanjuro have not passed through deaths’ door quite yet. The Scabbards have yet to have had any tangible impact on Kaido and I think their role in liberating Wano will be greater than simply bringing the Straw Hats to face Kaido. I already posted a theory in the past discussing this idea at length, but I believe there is increasingly god evidence the shadows of the Scabbards will give Luffy the boost he needs to overcome Kaido and bring the Dawn to Wano.
This would fit really well with Toki’s prophecy of Nine Shadows liberating Wano. When Ashura Doji was left near the brink of death by Kanjuro, I predicted the Scabbards would fall one by one and it appears that is exactly what is happening now.
Denjiro, Kawamatsu, Raizo, Inuarushi, Nekomamushi, and Izo may soon follow in receiving mortal injuries, being left near death. Despite the fact that Kinemon and Kiku’s injuries are in all likelihood fatal, I believe they will cling to life long enough to give Luffy the final push he needs. As stated earlier, I think there’s good reason to believe Moria will come to Wano and so perhaps the Scabbards, all near death, will contribute their shadows to Luffy. I can imagine a scene where Nightmare or, Dream Luffy, carrying the will of Oden and his retainers, strikes down Kaido just as the sun creeps over the horizon and the ghosts of Wano’s past fade away, content that they have together helped bring the New Dawn to Wano and open its borders to the world.
*Theory by StrawHatJedi
