It’s also possible this could double as Yamato’s tragic flashback if she is intended to join the crew. As I said in my video discussing that particular topic at length, I think Yamato joining could go either way. Her declared intent to sail with Luffy is admittedly a big moment this week. Yet at this point, we haven’t really seen her bond with the crew enough to say whether this sentiment will be reciprocated. It does dispel the notion that Yamato feels a stronger sense of duty or obligation to Momonosuke at this point.
Yet, if Wano is so important to the entire world and Momonosuke is left as a child Emperor without much in the way of protection, given the current status of Kinemon and the other Scabbards, I do still question whether Yamato, as Oden, would make the decision to leave Wano unprotected, especially if other parties arrive in the final act, like the Marines, intent on exerting their influence over the newly liberated land of samurai. If Yamato is going to join the crew, I also would expect to see her flashback fill in a more specific dream, providing a stronger motivation for joining the crew than simply following in Oden’s footsteps.
Yamato tells Kaido that Luffy is the one Oden has been waiting for which is an interesting counter to Kaido’s line from two chapters prior. After Kaido dropped Luffy from the roof of Onigashima, he said Luffy was also unfit to be Joy Boy.
While the mystery of how exactly Kaido even knows about JoyBoy remains unanswered, we know from Chapter 968 that Oden wanted to open Wano’s borders to prepare for Joy Boy’s return. Yamato declaring Luffy to be the one Oden was waiting for thus implies, despite what Kaido said, Luffy does indeed represent the return of Joy Boy.
Now, the question of who or what Joy Boy is, isn’t a topic I’ll delve into at length in this review, but given the prominence of inherited will as a theme through the entire series, I believe the return of Joy Boy signifies Luffy will be the one to inherit not only the will of Roger, but also Joy Boy, when after discovering One Piece, he fights to bring the New Dawn to the entire world.
Wano is based heavily on Japan, the land of the rising sun, and thus it’s fitting the New Dawn arrives here first with the defeat of Kaido and Orochi, but soon that same light will be extended to the entire world when Luffy after Luffy takes up the mantle of the Pirate King.
I released a video about a month ago analyzing Yamato’s character arc, trying to answer the question of whether or not Yamato will join the Straw Hat Pirates
*by StrawHatJedi
