Inside the castle, CP-0 is revealed to also be attending, though they were disappointed by the sudden death of their business partner Orochi and that the banquet had devolved into a battlefield. Oda is telling us through CP0 how the conflict is gonna progress moving forward.
We’ve had several chapters devoted to the roof, cementing how important it is for Luffy and the rest of the Supernovas to win. It was easy to neglect everything else happening below with that much emphasis on the main battle.
Now it’s clear the rest of the Alliance, specifically the Straw Hats, must defeat the rest of the notable Beasts Pirates. The decisive battle is here, with Oda using the Go game as a framing device for the war between the two sides, whilst the agents countdown the dwindling forces.
I like the choice to include Yamato among the panels depicting the crew. She really feels like a Straw Hat at this point (major Enies Lobby Franky vibes), which is why I expect her to face a Calamity at least before meeting her father.
The nature of this chapter leads me to believe the focus will slowly transition towards the rest of the battles below, leaving the fates of Supernovas a mystery until we go back to them. Kaido’s having the time of his life, and despite all the damage he’s accrued over the course of battle, still stands tall, while the Rookies begin to tire. This is gonna be an uphill battle for the Alliance who still must defeat these tyrants before Onigashima’s descent on the Capital.
Some people are complaining that Luffy is relying too much on Zoro, and that he isn’t “Yonko Level” yet. But being a Yonko, or being Pirate King, is not (only) about strenght. It’s about influence.
Being “Pirate King” doesn’t mean “being the very strongest there is”, being Pirate King means completing a very specific goal. Which yeah, requires the strength to overcome your competitors, but most importantly requires will and trusted allies. There’s a reason why Oda made Luffy say “without you I can’t become Pirate King” to Sanji. Having a crew of trusted allies is as important as being able to 1v1 enemies, in One Piece.
It’s such a basic thing you’d think more people would understand. The underlying message of the whole story. The importance of Nakama. Luffy cannot and will not become Pirate King without the help of his friends, and nor would he want to. Even echoing Sanji’s words from Enies Lobby “There are things I can do that you can’t, and things you can do that I can’t do”. Everyone has their different strengths in different situations.
