It seems clear in Chapter 1012 that Momonosuke is aware of the status of the rooftop battle thanks to the Voice of All Things. He tells Yamato that it’s down to two – Luffy and Kaido. I think the implication of this scene is really interesting – as soon as Yamato hears it’s a one-on-one fight, she hightails it to the roof. This gives the impression Yamato knows something here the reader doesn’t – and it’s very interesting Yamato lingers on the phrase ‘one-on-one’.
This seemingly refers back to Kaido’s introduction; In a one-on-one fight, always bet on Kaido.
This ties into a theory I have posted in the past regarding Kaido’s inability to be killed. I believe that as an Eastern style Dragon, Kaido’s Devil Fruit affords him incredibly good fortune. The Beasts Pirates and the upper echelon of the subsidiary Donquixote Family have names themed after card games, or in other words, games of chance. Gambling has been a recurring motif throughout this entire story saga. And now, I think we have a very good idea of how this ability or power might work. Though subtle, Yamato’s words here indicate that this good luck or good fortune factor kicks in when Kaido engages someone in one-on-one combat. We see evidence for this in chapter 970 – pure, dumb luck saves Kaido from what would have been certain death at the hands of Kozuki Oden. Even when overpowered, Kaido comes out on top. In a one-on-one fight, always bet on Kaido.
Despite Luffy’s progress and new mastery of Conqueror’s Haki I have felt he was not yet desperate enough for this to be the final phase of his battle against Kaido. Yamato’s words here are foreboding and signal Luffy’s parity with Kaido may be short-lived. Momonosuke says Luffy’s strength is slowly draining and so I do still believe Luffy will need an extra edge to defeat Kaido. If the above theory is correct, both the good fortune factor and the one-on-one activation, then Luffy will need allies to fight by his side. But didn’t that scene already unfold with Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer? I suppose Yamato.
Will Yamato’s help be enough to defeat Kaido? Will we finally discover the devil fruit of Yamato in the upcoming chapters? Many speculated that Yamato has a Tiger Zoan Devil Fruit. In chinese mythology, Dragons have a mortal enemy, the Tiger. Tigers were said to be on equal footing with Dragons, and that they were similar beings in terms of strength and will.
Will Yamato be key to defeating Kaido?
Here’s the full video review:
*Theory by StrawHatJedi
