The Emperor of the Sea title that Luffy has earned recently in One Piece is his biggest achievement yet. However, this title was not easy to earn as Luffy had to awaken his Gear 5 Devil Fruit powers and defeat the strongest creature in the One Piece World, Kaido, the Governor-General of the Beast Pirates.
Although the battle lasted for many episodes, Luffy was finally able to keep his promise of freeing Wano by punching Kaido into the depths of Samurai country. But this punch was not how One Piece fans anticipated Kaido to go down. Even Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, believed that Kaido’s end would require much more effort than a single punch for Luffy.
He once revealed in an interview that although he had not planned how he would bring Kaido’s end, the one thing that was for sure was the fact that it wouldn’t be a punch from Luffy. And if fans understand the analogy behind Luffy’s punch, they will understand that it was not just any punch, but probably one of the most terrifying attacks One Piece has ever seen.
Eiichiro Oda’s Initial Plan For Kaido’s Defeat
In 2016, a special Oda interview was featured in the One Piece magazine volume 2, where the mangaka talked about Kaido and his battle with Luffy. This interview was later shared by GoodFellaVN on OPFanpage. During the interview, Oda revealed what he had in mind for Yonko’s defeat and how he would portray it.
Oda stated:
When Kaidou appeared for the first time, I said that Luffy can’t defeat such a strong character yet. And I’m yet to know how Luffy would defeat Kaidou. Probably my audience will not be satisfied if the reason for defeating Kaidou is just because Luffy’s punch is so strong. Luffy and I have to find a solution somehow.
Although Oda has planned the entire narrative of One Piece, other aspects of the story, like battles and fights, are something that the manga creator works on as he reaches close to them.
Thus, he had no idea about how Luffy was going to defeat Kaido, but the one thing that he was sure about was the fact that it wouldn’t just be another strong punch from the protagonist. However, in the end, he had to go back on his words and use the power of Luffy’s Bajrang Gun to end the Yonko’s reign.
Luffy’s Punch That Defeated Kaido Was Special
While One Piece fans were disappointed that Eiichiro Oda broke his promise of ending Luffy vs. Kaido with a punch, they had to realize that it was no ordinary punch. Luffy’s attack that sent Kaido flying was imbued with not one but three different aspects of power that fans failed to recognize.
Luffy’s final Bajrang Gun that defeated Kaido was a combination of his Gear 5 powers, advanced armor Haki, and Conqueror’s Haki. When Luffy was imprisoned in Udon prison in Wano, he learned about the power of advanced armor Haki and how it can demolish anything in its path.
He spent days mastering it, and when the time came, he combined it with his Devil Fruit powers and his Conqueror’s Haki. He imbued it all in the largest punch he could create with his rubbery body (Bajrang Gun), and he hit Kaido with it, which resulted in his ultimate defeat. Thus, the defeat of the strongest creature in One Piece took everything that Luffy had in him.
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