Chapter 1020 opens with a big reveal regarding Yamato’s Zoan devil fruit: Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Okuchi no Makami. Kaido himself states that the Makami is Wano’s guardian deity and claims that it is an incredibly valuable fruit.
The claim that this fruit is the Guardian Deity got me thinking of a previous Kingdom: ALABASTA KINGDOM
In Alabasta it was stated that Pell’s devil fruit, the Tori Tori no mi Model: Falcon, is the Guardian Deity of Wano.
Pell was considered Alabasta’s strongest warrior and I always believed he inherited the fruit because he proved his worth for the kingdom.
In that same light I believe that Wano surely had a fine warrior that inherited the Makami Zoan Devil Fruit.
With all the traditions that are being preserved in Wano I find it highly likely that Kaido had to have killed the previous user in order to pass it down to someone of his choosing.
Who do you think this warrior could be?
My guess is Shimotsuki Ushimaru who was a Master Swordsman, a Daimyo, and a Shimotsuki; the supposed descendant of the great Ryuuma.
Let’s not forget that this whole saga is filled with huge thematic ties to the Alabasta saga.
They both begin with the Straw Hats crew teaming up with royalty that had to go incognito to protect their identities. They join in the first island of each leg (Whiskey Peak/Punk Hazard both places they weren’t “supposed” to go), travel with them to two other islands (Little Garden/Drum Island and Dressrosa/Zou) before they eventually reach their destination where the emperor/warlord has overtaken their country.
