What I find very fascinating from this chapter is that it puts a lot of weight on the fact that the Scabbards are not just “Oden’s fanboy squad” but are their own fighters, with their own techniques and skills.
They trained themselves and each other while Oden was gone, to the point that, once he returned, they refused his training out of confidence in their own skills and training.
Kaido’s monologue is also extremely important: it tells us that no, the Scabbards are not using Oden’s techniques – meaning that he was wrong back in chapter 987 when he thought they were using Oden’s Ryuo to hurt him.
Not only that. We are now completely removed from the psychological excuse that we thought to be at play in that very chapter as well. Kaido is just as confused as we are. How can the Red Scabbards actually damage him, given that they’re not using Oden’s techniques, and that he’s completely sober and no ptsd in sight – well, until the final blow, that is. The answer is simple: Kaido – and us with him – underestimated them, and he’s still doing so. He expected them to be Oden’s leftovers. Well, it turns out, they’re not.
This chapter was both a celebration of Oden’s Scabbards before their inevitable demise, showing off their named attacks, and another way to tell us “No, there’s no ptsd or magic at play here. These Scabbards have trained their asses off in Oden’s absence, after taking Yasuie’s ideals to heart, and are betting their life on this fight. They’re trained, they’re skilled, they’re resolute. They are STRONG, strong enough to be able to face a Yonko”.
If people still find this weird or unbelievable, then there’s literally nothing else that can be done. Oda is being pretty straightforward, especially with this chapter. A Yonko is fighting against 9 opponents who are either extremely powerful or extremely skilled.
*Theory by DrKuro
