Monkey D. Luffy/History/Wano

First Act
As the Thousand Sunny continued towards Wano Country, the group was informed of the Levely through a newspaper. They later encountered an unusual weather disturbance in their direction, followed by an octopus on their ship as well as a school of huge carp on their side. After a bumpy ride across a river, the ship climbed up a waterfall. After reaching the top, they came across a whirlpool. Luffy helped his group escape but was held back by the octopus before he could leave the ship. Luffy and the Thousand Sunny later washed up on a beach at Kuri and Luffy woke up when a crab pinched his nose. He then encountered a komainu and a baboon wielding a katana.



While the komainu and the baboon were fighting, two Beasts Pirates scouts were riding nearby. When they spotted Luffy and the Sunny, they tried to attack Luffy, but the latter easily defeated them and saved a little girl they had captured in the process. One of the pirates ordered the baboon, known as Hihimaru, to attack Luffy, but the latter stopped the baboon with a glare. The little girl, Tama, then knocked out the enemy pirate, and the girl managed to tame Hihimaru by feeding him kibi-dango created from her own cheek. Tama explained to Luffy where he was and what had happened to her, and after taking the Sunny to a secure location, she offered to feed him as thanks. She took him to her master's house, where she made some rice dishes. After he ate, Luffy was confronted by Tama's master, who was angered that he ate the rice that she rarely got to have due to spending her life weaving kasas every day. Tama explained to her master that she gave Luffy the rice to thank him, but she then got sick due to having drank some river water that was contaminated by Kaidou's factories. Her master revealed that she had decided to continue living in Kuri to wait for Ace, who had promised to return there.

Luffy then informed them that Ace died, causing Tama to become upset and pass out. Hitetsu berated Luffy for saying it so directly and told him about Ace's visit as well as the destruction of Tama's village. Luffy then offered to take Tama to the town to see a doctor, and Hitetsu told him to look for his allies. After changing his clothes, Luffy took the sword Nidai Kitetsu with him, and Hitetsu tried to stop him due to fearing its curse, but was unsuccessful as Luffy left with Tama. As Komachiyo gave them a ride through the bamboo forest, Tama accused Luffy of lying and explained about the promise Ace made to her. They later entered a wasteland and Tama explained about the terrible environment created by the Beasts Pirates before falling unconscious again. Luffy later spotted Zoro saving a woman from some of Kaidou's thugs. He then reunited with his crewmate, but they were confronted by Hawkins shortly afterwards.



Hawkins then read Luffy and Zoro's fortune, saying that they had 19% chance of surviving at the end of the month. As they prepared to fight, Zoro noticed the sword Luffy was carrying and asked to hold on to it, but Luffy decided to use it. As Hawkins' men attacked, Luffy used a punch instead of attacking with the blade. One of the giant lizards tried to bite Luffy, but he dodged it, grabbed it, and threw it at Hawkins, who caught it with his straw sword. Luffy was then surprised when Zoro attacked Hawkins with a flying slash to the face, but the damage was redirected to one of his men. After explaining about his Wara Wara no Mi, Hawkins conjured a giant straw entity. After he drew a card that made his men attack each other, Komachiyo dragged Luffy and Zoro away from the battle. Hawkins' straw figure pursued them until Zoro sliced it in two. After getting away from Hawkins, the woman that Zoro saved earlier introduced herself as Tsuru. Upon seeing Tama in critical condition, she asked the two Straw Hats to bring Tama to her tea shop so she could help her. They later arrived at Okobore Town.

While Tama was healed by Tsuru's medicine, Luffy ate some food. After Luffy heard Tsuru's story about Okobore Town, Tsuru was attacked by the gifter Batman. During the confusion, Tama was abducted by Gazelleman. Luffy, Zoro, Kiku, and Komachiyo quickly pursued the Gifter and they headed for Bakura Town.

At the town's gates, Luffy yelled out Tama's name and the group were confronted by swordsmen, but Luffy knocked them out with Haoshoku Haki. While traveling through the town, Kiku told Luffy and Zoro about the town's history. A defeated sumo wrestler was suddenly hurled towards them, but Luffy caught him with one hand. They then came across a sumo wrestling tournament where Urashima was winning matches. As Urashima's men were taking Kiku to Urashima, Luffy was amazed when Kiku sliced off Urashima's top knot with her sword.



When Urashima tried to attack Kiku in a fit of rage, Luffy intercepted him and engaged him in a sumo match. Luffy dodged his opponent's attacks and sent him flying out of the ring and crashing into a building. Many enemies then came to confront the group. Luffy fought back, demanding the boss of the town to show up. Holed'em later arrived at the scene while holding Tama hostage.



As Holed'em accused the group of being part of a group of thieves, Kiku warned Luffy not to anger Holed'em carelessly. She also informed Luffy and Zoro that Jack was the ruler of the Kuri region and attacking Holed'em would have serious repercussions. When the headliner Speed arrived with a wagon of food, Luffy and Zoro decided to steal it. Luffy quickly attacked Holed'em and grabbed Tama while Zoro struck down the Beasts Pirates escorting the wagon. Once he heard how Holed'em harmed Tama, Luffy dropped Tama in mid-air and turned around to attack Holed'em and struck him in the face with a powerful Red Hawk punch. With Holed'em taken down, Luffy then grabbed Tama again and tried to ride on the back of Speed, thinking she was a horse. Speed got angry, but when Tama offered some kibi dango made from her body, she ate it and became subservient to Luffy and Tama, carrying them out of Bakura Town as they made their way to Okobore Town. They picked up Law along the way and once they arrived at Okobore Town, they delivered the food to the citizens and Luffy crushed three gifters who tried to stop them. As Tama ate an apple, Luffy promised her that she would not be hungry again. After scolding Luffy and Zoro for their reckless behavior, Law decided to take them to the ruins of Oden's castle.

Luffy then parted ways with Tama but decided to keep the sword he took from Hitetsu. Luffy, Zoro, Law, and Kiku rode on Komachiyo as they traveled to the castle ruins. As they approached the castle, Zoro wandered off somewhere and Kiku ran away in tears. When they reached the top of the mountain, Law showed Luffy the gravestones for the Kozuki Family, including Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Kanjuro, and Raizo. Luffy was surprised and initially thought they were dead, but Kin'emon and Momonosuke then came out to meet him and Kiku returned to embrace Kin'emon. The group that had sailed to Wano with Luffy arrived at the ruins as well, and Law took them inside to talk. There, Kin'emon revealed that he, Momonosuke, Kanjuro, and Raizo had escaped from Orochi's takeover by traveling 20 years forward in time.

Luffy then listened as Kin'emon explained more about the past such as the story of Oden, the time of his execution, the rumor about Toki, and what Kin'emon's group did right after arriving at present time. Kin'emon then went over a plan to attack Onigashima, the island where Kaidou resided, in two weeks. Kin'emon explained about the Fire Festival and how the decisive battle would play out. After giving the group specific tasks to do, Kin'emon gave them new clothes and summoned Shinobu to guide them. When Kaidou arrived at the Kuri region, Law alerted Luffy to his presence.



Seeing Kaidou above Okobore Town, Luffy rushed off with Law following him. After Kaidou destroyed Oden Castle, Luffy responded by attacking Kaidou with a Gear 3 attack. The attack knocked Kaidou to the ground with an enormous crash. Luffy then proceeded to run towards Oden Castle to check on his friends, but he came across a badly injured Speed, who told him that she tried to get Tama to safety, but Kaidou intercepted and attacked them, leaving Tama's fate unknown. Law tried to tell Luffy to flee, but an enraged Luffy decided to once again engage the Emperor. Kaidou unleashed his fire breath at him, but Luffy dodged and struck Kaidou with Elephant Gatling. This dropped Kaidou to the ground again, and he entered his human form while laying down. Luffy activated Gear 4 and unleashed an aggressive barrage of attacks on him. The attacks were ineffective and Kaidou retaliated with Raimei Hakke, rendering Luffy unconscious with a single blow.



Kaidou then ordered his men to imprison Luffy, deciding to break his spirit and turn him into a subordinate. As Kaidou's men surrounded Luffy, he instinctively knocked out some of them with Haoshoku Haki. On the next day, Luffy was taken to a prison at Udon and thrown into a cell next to Kid. Both Luffy and Kid swore payback against Kaidou before Luffy noticed Kid next to him.

Second Act


A few days later, both of them were competing over who could do more work at the prisoner mine. Dobon then confronted the two over the amount of kibi dango rations they acquired. He prepared to discipline them as he had his hippo put them into its mouth. However, Luffy and Kid quickly knocked out Dobon and his hippo. Luffy also picked up an injured old man and carried him on his shoulder.

On the next day, the old man that Luffy helped expressed his gratitude to Luffy, who then gave Hyo some of his meal tickets in an act of kindness. While Luffy was working, Raizo appeared beside him and informed him that he located the keys to Luffy's Seastone handcuffs, but it was heavily guarded. Raizo then asked Luffy to wait a little longer before vanishing. Caribou approached Luffy and tried to talk to him with the intention of allying and escaping from the prison, but Luffy rejected him, telling Caribou to go ally with Kid. Caribou began to tell Luffy about the rumors of how Kid lost an arm, until Kid appeared and interrupted him. After Kid explained his side of the story, Luffy and Kid began arguing over who would defeat Kaidou.

After news of Kid's escape from the Prisoner Mines was announced, Alpacaman tormented Luffy by spitting on him and questioned if he had helped Kid escape. When Luffy saw one of the guards attacking Hyogoro, he rushed to attack the guard. Luffy then kicked the guard in the face and knocked him down, causing an uproar in the prison. The warden stepped in and attacked Luffy. Afterwards, Luffy continued with his defiance by trying to escape. Luffy and Hyogoro were then caught and brought before Queen, who attempted to convince Luffy to join the Beasts Pirates, only for Luffy to reject the offer.



Luffy and Hyogoro were sentenced to fight in death matches called the Sumo Inferno. Both of them were forced to wear collars that will behead them if they step out of the ring, but they were allowed to have their handcuffs removed for combat. As the first group of opponents attacked them, Luffy instantly knocked them out with Haoshoku Haki. As he defeated more opponents, Luffy tried to learn an advanced application of Busoshoku that would allow him to emit the armament to a short distance. Luffy and Hyogoro were eventually confronted by Alpacaman and Madilloman. During the fight, Luffy told Hyogoro how to dodge their attacks. When Luffy told Hyogoro about trying to learn an advanced Busoshoku Haki technique, hoping to use it to break through Kaidou's scales, Hyogoro demonstrated this technique and defeated Alpacaman with it. Luffy affirmed that this was the exact technique he wanted to learn and asked Hyogoro to teach it to him.

Hyogoro tried to teach Luffy, but he continued defeating opponents without making any progress. The Sumo Inferno was put on hold when night came, but Luffy and Hyogoro were left in the ring as the Beasts Pirates retired for the rest of the day. After knocking out the nearby guards with Haoshoku Haki, Luffy told Hyogoro his reason for wanting to defeat Kaidou. Afterwards, Raizo and Caribou approached the ring. Caribou told Luffy that he wanted to become his subordinate, and Luffy decided to accept his help. When Hyogoro revealed the potential allies within the prison, Luffy became eager to rally them.

During the night, Luffy and Hyogoro ate oshiruko that were stolen from Queen but overate and grew fat. On the next day as the Beasts Pirates gathered around the ring, Luffy and Hyogoro prepared for the next set of matches, but Queen went to turn on the Filming Pond Tanishi. Luffy then witnessed the execution of Shimotsuki Yasuie. When Luffy commented that no one should laugh when someone dies, Hyogoro explained about a side effect of the SMILE fruits. As his crewmates were causing chaos at the execution site, Luffy cheered for them. He was then surprised to see that Kid had been recaptured while attempting to rescue Kamazo, who was revealed to be Killer. After Queen subjugated Kid and Killer to water torture and threatened to leave them submerged until Luffy and Hyogoro die, Luffy attempted to attack Queen, but he easily caught his punch and threw it aside. As tensions between Luffy and Queen began to heat up, they heard a loud noise coming from outside the gate.



Luffy was then surprised to see an amnesiac Big Mom breaking into the prison. As Big Mom and Queen argued about oshiruko, Luffy told them to pull Kid and Killer out of the water. Luffy was then surprised to see Big Mom overpowering Queen. He was relieved to see Kid and Killer saved from drowning after Queen crashed into the contraption holding them. When Big Mom did not find any oshiruko, Luffy unwittingly admitted that he ate the oshiruko that Big Mom was looking for. Big Mom directed her anger towards Luffy and pushed him and Hyogoro out of the ring. Fortunately, Luffy managed to remove the collars. Hyogoro stayed in Big Mom's path, hoping that Luffy could become stronger by fighting her. To protect Hyogoro, Luffy prepared to face Big Mom head on.

Luffy realized that what he did to remove his and Hyogoro's death collars was the same technique that he saw Rayleigh used to remove Camie's exploding collar on Sabaody Archipelago two years ago. However, since he used it in the heat of the moment, Luffy was not sure how to activate it at will. Luffy attempted to have his Haki flow through his hands, but Big Mom instantly sent him and Hyogoro crashing into a wall. Luffy worriedly apologized to Hyogoro as he pulled him out of the wall, and Hyogoro revealed that he used Haki just in case. Hyogoro told Luffy more about the advanced usage of Busoshoku Haki before he and Luffy were separated by Big Mom, who pursued Luffy into the neighboring Prisoner Iron Factory. After running through the Prisoner Mines, he led Big Mom back to where he started, and Queen attempted another attack on Big Mom. Afterwards, Big Mom regained her memories and fell asleep. Queen and most of his subordinates quickly took Big Mom on a ship heading for Onigashima, leaving Babanuki to lead the small remainder of the crew in the prison. With communications cut off, Luffy decided to take down Babanuki and his forces and take over the prison.



Luffy excitedly took on the Beasts Pirates rushing to attack him as he worked to advance his Busoshoku Haki at will. Babanuki then ordered the prisoners to help subdue Luffy and they obeyed his command. Luffy wondered why they were following Babanuki's orders, and they replied that they had no hope in overcoming Kaidou and Orochi, having tried and failed to rebel against them 20 years ago and losing everything in the process. Kawamatsu shouted out from inside his cell, encouraging Luffy to tell the prisoners about their hope. After Raizo freed Kawamatsu, Kiku came and forced the prisoners off of Luffy. Having reunited with Chopper and Kiku (who was revealed to have been born a boy), Luffy prepared to fight once more.

Luffy and his group fought against the Beasts Pirates, but they were soon cornered by prisoners who were infected by the Mummy virus. Luffy fearlessly made contact with the infected carriers and ignited the prisoners' spirit by showing that their agonizing infected situation was no different from their life as slaves in Udon and he promised them that he and his group would liberate Wano Country from Kaidou's oppression. Babanuki prepared to use an Excitement shell, but Luffy's advanced Kenbunshoku Haki enabled him to stop Babanuki in time by tangling the trunk of his elephant, causing the shell to explode inside Babanuki's body.



After the prison takeover, Luffy's condition worsened. As Chopper worked to treat him, Luffy reunited with Tama and Momonosuke. Luffy made Momonosuke angry by calling him useless. Chopper successfully developed a cure and treated Luffy and all those infected. Upon meeting the four yakuza bosses, they threatened Luffy for speaking casually to Hyogoro, but Hyogoro vouched for him.

As the day of the Fire Festival drew closer, Luffy continued training his Busoshoku Haki with Hyogoro supervising him. Luffy eventually learned how to use advanced Busoshoku Haki, and he returned to Amigasa Village with Tama and Chopper two days before the decisive battle.

Luffy was excited to be given a new armor by Hitetsu. He then wondered about Jinbe's fate, but he was certain that Jinbe would eventually arrive at Wano Country.

On the day before the raid on Onigashima, Luffy spoke with Kin'emon before the latter head out with his group. Luffy later practiced his advanced Busoshoku Haki on a tree as he expressed eagerness to fight Kaidou again.

Third Act
On the day of the Fire Festival, the Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, and Kid Pirates arrived at Port Tokage and entered the battle with the Beasts Pirates. After rescuing Kin'emon's group, the Straw Hats were informed by the Beasts Pirates of how the rebels were prevented from gathering at Port Tokage and that Kaidou formed an alliance with Big Mom. Undeterred, Luffy, Law, and Kid then destroyed a Beasts Pirates' ship together. Afterwards, Luffy was excited to see that Denjiro arrived along with all of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance allies.

While Kanjuro fled to Onigashima with Momonosuke, Luffy was shocked to learn that Kanjuro was a spy working for Orochi. After Momonosuke ordered the alliance to press forward without worrying about him, Luffy was impressed and promised to rescue Momonosuke. As the alliance was attacked by a Beasts Pirates ship with long ranged cannons, Luffy was overjoyed to see Jinbe arriving and joining the battle. With Jinbe officially part of the crew, the Straw Hats proceeded to take over the port in front of Onigashima. The crew then arrived at Onigashima with the rebels. After disembarking, Luffy received a Beasts Pirates disguise from Kin'emon.



When the Kid Pirates went ahead into Onigashima, Luffy tried to follow them. While searching for Kid, Luffy became enraged when some Beasts Pirates members callously wasted some oshiruko, remembering how happy Tama was to receive some. In a fit of rage, Luffy struck them with a Gear 3 attack. Zoro then found Luffy and berated him for causing a scene, but when Luffy explained his reasons, Zoro went along with him. During the ensuing chaos, the two Straw Hats were confronted by the surrounding Beasts Pirates. Apoo attacked and injured the duo with his Devil Fruit powers, forcing them to retreat. They were saved from Apoo when Kid landed a surprise attack on his former ally.



The situation became more chaotic as a Number entered the fray. As Luffy, Zoro, Kid, and Killer ran to the castle, they were able to defend against Apoo's next attack by covering their ears. As Luffy fought his way through inside Kaidou's castle, he ran into Ulti and Page One. When Luffy said he was going to become the Pirate King, Ulti angrily responded that Kaidou would take that title as she headbutted him. After a brief clash, Ulti managed to send Luffy crashing into the floor, but she sensed that he was unharmed and so transformed into her pachycephalosaurs hybrid form. Luffy emerged from his crater and rushed toward Ulti and Page One, and before they could react, he grabbed hold of Ulti's horns and used them to slam her into the ground before defeating Page One with Elephant Gun. Ulti then grabbed Luffy's arms and prepared to headbutt him in her hybrid form while Luffy prepared to transform into his Gear 4, but Yamato rushed in and struck Ulti with his kanabo. Yamato then picked Luffy up and ran away as the Beasts Pirates began chasing after them, and he introduced himself to Luffy while trying to take him to a private spot.



Luffy had no desire to meet with Yamato and so attacked him, but Yamato managed to counter his attacks before the duo engaged in a powerful and destructive clash. In the immediate aftermath of the clash, Yamato took Luffy to the attic and was able to get him to stay and talk for five minutes. As Yamato took off his mask and revealed his real appearance, he told Luffy about his devotion to Oden and asked him to fight with him to achieve the legendary samurai's dream of opening Wano's borders. During their conversation, Yamato revealed to Luffy not only why he never left Onigashima (despite him wanting to do so) but also his desire to sail with Luffy's crew. They then listened to Kaidou's speech, but they fell out of the attic when the floor below them collapsed. Luffy urged Yamato to show him the way to Momonosuke before he could be executed.

As they fought through the Beasts Pirates, Luffy informed Yamato that Momonosuke and his retainers were alive the whole time. Luffy then removed Yamato's handcuffs and tossed them away before they detonated and caused a huge explosion that sent them flying to the Performance Stage. Even though Kaidou and Momonosuke were in sight, Luffy waited for the Scabbards to start the all-out attack. During the raid, Big Mom saw Luffy and confronted him again.

When Big Mom mocked Luffy of his mission to bring down Kaidou, Luffy stated his actual goal was to bring down both of them along with their followers in this all-out war. After Kaidou transformed into his dragon form and took the Scabbards with him to the roof of Skull Dome, Luffy stated to Kin'emon that he would catch up with them later. After Luffy watched Sanji assist Shinobu in freeing Momonosuke, he became worried when King drove Sanji through a wall. Luffy decided to have Yamato assist Shinobu in protecting Momonosuke. Big Mom then resumed her attack on Luffy, further enraged that Luffy had interfered too much lately with all the festivities she had tried to enjoy. Luffy realized he had to deal with Big Mom first before he could deal with Kaidou.



As the battle at the Live Stage unfolded, Luffy told Shinobu to trust Yamato. He then attempted to jump to the roof of the Skull Dome along with Zoro, but Queen prevented their advance. When the other Straw Hats arrived, the crew assembled on the Live Stage. The samurai fought to open a path for the Straw Hats, but they struggled to bring one of the Numbers down, so Zoro sliced its club and Jinbe saved some samurai from the falling piece while Luffy went on to attack the Number with Gear 4. At this moment, he encountered X Drake, who struck down another of the Numbers. Afterwards, Drake offered to join forces with him.

Unlike Zoro, Franky, and Jinbe, Luffy immediately accepted Drake's help. As Luffy and Sanji rushed to reach Kaidou, Apoo tried to attack them, but they quickly covered their ears. When Hatcha arrived, Sanji told Luffy to ignore him, so they do not waste time with a pointless fight. As they continued on, Sanji had to constantly keep Luffy from engaging in pointless fights. They were confronted by Briscola, but Jinbe arrived to aid them. After defeating Briscola, Jinbe offered to escort Luffy and Sanji to the roof. The trio reached the first level of the castle, and they got past two Shinuchis along the way. As they went through the third level, Sanji separated from Luffy and Jinbe. The two ran into rebels from Udon, and they built a ladder to the fourth level. At the fourth level, Luffy separated from Jinbe, who decided to remain on the floor to hold back Who's-Who and his subordinates.



At the fifth level, Luffy found that the Mink Tribe had cleared his way to the roof. Once he arrived there, he joined up with Zoro, Law, Kid, and Killer as they prepared to fight Kaidou and Big Mom. Luffy briefly ignored the two Emperors to check up on Kin'emon and his group, who were wounded but still alive. Luffy agreed to take Wano's fate upon his shoulders and asked Law to send the Scabbards somewhere safe. After Law did so, Luffy dodged an attack by Kaidou and struck back with a new and powerful Gear 3 attack called Gomu Gomu no Red Roc that made Kaidou bleed, shocking both Emperors.

Kaidou then struck back by attacking with his club. Luffy managed to avoid the full brunt of the attack, but he was still grazed by Kaidou. Big Mom attempted to attack Luffy with Prometheus, but Zoro stepped in and cut the sun homie in two. Kaidou tried attacking Luffy again, but Law teleported Luffy to another spot. After Law berated Luffy for making it look like Law was taking orders from him, Luffy then challenged Law and Kid to a game of chicken when Big Mom launched an attack at the three captains. Not moving an inch, the three captains took the attack head on. They quickly recovered and attacked Kaidou together, but the Emperor transformed and joined Big Mom in the sky, ready to launch a counterattack.



Kaidou then used a roar to unleash several wind blades on the five members of the Worst Generation. Luffy dodged them and struck Kaidou with Gomu Gomu no Kong Rifle, which injured him. Right after Killer got struck by Big Mom's Indra, Kaidou tried to chomp on Killer, but Luffy kicked Kaidou away with Rhino Schneider. Kaidou prepared to use Bolo Breath on Luffy, but Zoro had Law teleport him to in front of Kaidou so he could defend Luffy by cutting Kaidou's flames. Big Mom unleashed Tenman Daijizai Tenjin on Luffy and his allies. Luffy got struck but was unharmed due to his body being rubber. He then got hit by Kaidou's Bolo Breath, but to Kaidou's surprise, Luffy came out unscathed, claiming that it was his guts that protected him. He then struck Kaidou with Gomu Gomu no Kong Gatling. Eventually, Luffy got exhausted from the stress of using Gear 4 and reverted back, forcing Zoro to protect him from both Kaidou and Big Mom's attacks. Luffy then watched as Kaidou transformed into his Human-Beast form.

Luffy eventually recovered from the effects of Gear 4 and resumed fighting. Insisting that their attacks so far were being effective, Luffy kept stubbornly assaulting Kaidou and Big Mom, who repeatedly struck him away as the other Supernovas discussed a way to separate the two Emperors. When Kaidou and Big Mom prepared a devastating combined attack, Luffy was able to see into the future the range and scope of the shockwave, alerting the others about it. After Zoro managed to delay the attack for an instant and Law teleported everybody to safety, Luffy attempted to punch Kaidou once more, giddily noticing that the Emperor was weakened enough to start dodging attacks instead of enduring them, thus confirming his suspicions from before. Kaidou countered Luffy's punch with a series of attacks of his own, managing to knock the Straw Hat captain out.



Like their prior confrontation at Kuri, Luffy kept "glaring" at Kaidou even while unconscious, something that Kaidou noted. Luffy did not stay down for long and, in fact, was able to deduce the secret behind Kaidou's immense power and defenses after observing the Emperor's latest attack and reminiscing his own training with Hyogoro. Telling Kaidou that he was fighting for his Wano friends and would refuse to submit to him, Luffy learned how to coat his own body with Haoshoku Haki, allowing himself to defend and counterattack Kaidou's strikes without even making contact with the Emperor. Confident that he now had a reliable way to hurt Kaidou, Luffy declared to Law and an unconscious Zoro that he would defeat him. After Law left the battlefield with Zoro and Zeus, Kaidou got up and, admitting that both he and Luffy were enjoying this fight, clashed once more with the Straw Hat captain.



However, Luffy lacked skill in the use of Haoshoku coating and was soon overpowered and defeated by Kaidou. The unconscious Luffy was thrown off the flying Onigashima and fell towards the sea. As he sunk into the depths, the Kaidou disappointedly noted that Luffy was not able to become Joy Boy.

However, as Luffy sunk into the sea, he used the Voice of All Things to transmit a message to Momonosuke, to tell his crew that he will be back and that he will win against Kaidou. He also used it to call the Heart Pirates who were aboard the Polar Tang to come and rescue him. After they brought him into the ship and pushed the water out of his lungs, he awoke and began demanding meat.



Having reached Tokage Port, even after Luffy ate the Heart Pirates' entire stock of food, he demanded more, which they fortunately managed to procure thanks to Caribou being nearby, with months worth of provisions stored within his swamp. As he ate, he reunited with a sobbing Momonosuke, who just recently landed on the mainland thanks to Shinobu's kite, and had not long ago witnessed Kiku and Kin'emon fall before his eyes. Luffy told the boy to stop crying and to transform into his dragon form and fly him back to Onigashima. Thanks to Caribou's provisions, Luffy regained his strength back and was later amazed to see Momonosuke in his adult dragon form, thanks to Shinobu's Devil Fruit powers, asking Momonosuke to fly to Onigashima and get another chance at beating Kaidou.



Still, Luffy was angry at Momonosuke's fear of heights, which in his eyes should be over now that he has become an adult dragon. Momonosuke then gradually overcame his fear, descending towards Onigashima, with Luffy barely hanging onto his horn. They would both pass through several parts of the castle while leaving everybody in shock about a second dragon on Onigashima. When they finally reached the roof and spotted Kaidou, Luffy was quick to transform into his Gear 4: Snakeman and attack Kaidou with Jet Culverin, unknowingly striking simultaneously with Yamato, who had been stalling Kaidou the whole time; upon noticing each other, the two were happy to see each other again at last. Shortly thereafter, Kaidou transformed into his Dragon-Form, preparing to face all three of them at once, with Luffy standing above Momonosuke, confirming his name and dream of becoming Pirate King when asked by Kaidou.

After Momonosuke barely dodged Kaidou's attack, Luffy would then take over the first strike at Kaidou, but not before telling Momonosuke to bite Kaidou, hitting Kaidou with Elephant Gun and sending him headfirst into the ground. When Kaidou was preparing to attack Momonosuke after being bitten by the latter, Luffy came to Momonosuke's rescue, punching Kaidou while using Haoshoku infusion and sending him into the ground headfirst once again. Thanks to a hidden Mary on the roof, Luffy was able to transmit his message to all of Onigashima to declare that he would defeat Kaidou, boosting the morale of his allies and crew. As Kaidou transformed into his Human-Beast Form, the Emperor swung his kanabo and Luffy met it with his punch, both of them infusing their attacks with Haoshoku Haki and clashing with enough force to split the sky above Onigashima, revealing the full moon previously hidden above it.

Soon after the sky-splitting clash, Luffy told Yamato to take Momonosuke and flee, wanting a chance at defeating Kaidou 1v1. When Kaidou attempted to stop them from retreating, Luffy restrained the Emperor by wrapping his legs around Kaidou's neck. Both Luffy and Kaidou then resumed their fight, once again using Haoshoku infusion, trading blows with each other before Luffy send Kaidou back with his Gomu Gomu no Roc Gun, simultaneously falling back. However, both quickly got up, started laughing and commented on the fight finally becoming fun. To Luffy's annoyance, Kaidou would then starting to drink alcohol, although he stated that he has to become stronger as he finally acknowledged Luffy's power.



When Luffy attempted to strike at Kaidou, the latter went through several stages of a special state called Shuron Hakke due to his alcohol consumption. In his Warai Jogo state, he dealt a severe blow to Luffy with Ragnaraku that created a large crack in the roof of Onigashima. Kaidou entered the Ochikomi Jogo mode in his dragon form and lamented over not being able to protect Onigashima and the time it would take to rebuild it, before using Tatsumaki Kaifu on an approaching Luffy. He then shifted to his Naki Jogo state and return to hybrid form, crying as he prepared to use Raimei Hakke on Luffy. However, Luffy was successful in dodging this attack and landed a reverse Haoshoku-infused kick on Kaidou's chin. The Emperor, still crying profusely, grabbed Luffy's leg with his tail and attempted to headbutt him. The two combatants had a headbutt clash powered by Haoshoku Haki, with their foreheads not touching. Kaidou won out the clash as Luffy remarked that Kaidou's haki was growing stronger as he was sent reeling. Kaidou then entered the final stage of Shuron Hakke, Okori Jogo and angrily fired off two Boro Breaths before he met Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Roc Gatling with Gundari Ryuseigun. However, during the flurry of attacks, Luffy blocked a swing of Kaidou's Hassaikai with Haoshoku Haki and managed to strike the Emperor's abdomen with a Haoshoku-infused kick bolstered by Gear 2 and Gear 3, seemingly damaging Kaidou significantly.

When Big Mom was defeated, the two pirates were in the midst of a clash of haki-infused attacks, with Luffy being pushed back. Sensing that Linlin lost her battle, Kaidou emitted his Haoshoku Haki in rage, though Luffy expressed how impressed he was that Law and Kid managed to win. Kaidou then recalled how the two first met, before entering his Naki Jogo mode and bursting into tears, though Luffy responded by entering Gear 4: Snakeman, and barraging Kaidou with Gomu Gomu no Hydra, stating that Kaidou's ambition meant nothing to him, how this was his final Gear 4, and how he wasn't stopping till he drove the King of Beasts out of Wano.



Kaidou was seemingly unable to respond to the omni-directional Hydra attack, and contemplated how such an attack should be impossible due to the innate nature of rubber, as he slowly transitioned to his Amae Jogo mode. Kaidou manages to escape the attack, using Nusubito Jogo and advanced Kenbunshoku, before transforming into his full beast form, grabbing Luffy in his mouth and flying high into the sky. He then let go of Luffy before firing a point-blank Bolo Breath straight down, which blasted the Straw Hat captain all the way through Onigashima. Thankfully, Luffy managed to only escape the attack by transitioning into his Boundman form and flying back to the top of the island. He then got above Kaidou and landed a Gomu Gomu no Over Kong Gun on the Emperor, which disrupted the Bolo Breath the dragon was preparing to fire. However, Kaidou quickly recovered, entering his hybrid form and using Satsuriku Jogo mode to floor Luffy with Hourai Hakke. With Luffy resolving to end this with one final hit, he quickly bounced back and charged at the Emperor with another Over Kong Gun, with Kaidou dashing at him whilst preparing another Hourai Hakke. However, CP0 agent Guernica suddenly appeared and locked Luffy's attacking arm by grabbing on to it and using Tekkai, allowing Kaidou to knock the Straw Hat captain down. Guernica escaped the strike, releasing just before the Emperor hit, whilst Kaidou could only attack in despair, as he relived another exciting battle being sabotaged by outside influence, just like during his duel against Oden, leading to Luffy passing out and laying on ground as Kaidou descended towards the Live Floor after dealing with the Guernica. However, shortly afterwards, Luffy's body seemed to transform as he was seen smiling during the transformation.



Luffy was then monologuing about how he could hear his heartbeat and still stand despite being defeated by Kaidou. He then jumped into the air, being transformed into a new form, awakening his Devil Fruit while calling the new form, Gear 5. In this form, he emitted a huge blast of Haoshoku Haki, taking out several Beasts Pirates on the Live Floor, before he enlarged his arm and grabbed Kaidou in his entire dragon form, dragging him onto the rooftop. He then tightly wrapped his arm around Kaidou, swinging him around before slamming him back and forth on the surface. Kaidou then retaliated, shooting a Bolo Breath at Luffy, Luffy however grapped the ground beneath him, turning it into rubber and thus reflected Kaidou's attack at him while constantly laughing due to his Devil Fruit being awakened. Kaidou then recovered and apologized for the CP0-Agent's intervention, with Luffy accepting the apology and wanting to finish his fight with Kaidou properly.

While watching Luffy bouncing up and down, Kaidou told him he awakened his Devil Fruit since he was turning the ground into rubber like himself, yet he felt like the transformation was akin to that of a Zoan fruit, which confused him. Nevertheless, he bit down on Luffy and swallowed him, only for Luffy to bounce around in his insides before using Gomu Gomu no Fusen to inflate both his and Kaidou's body, causing him discomfort as the two floated up into the sky. Kaidou tried to figure out how Luffy was able to make his body being like rubber just as Luffy was about to stretch his arms through Kaidou's eyes to launch himself out of Kaidou's body using Gomu Gomu no Dasshutsu Rocket which caused additional discomfort to Kaidou. Luffy then launched himself higher into the air and made himself a giant to step on Kaidou, but Kaidou evaded and chomped down on Luffy's torso, but Luffy grabbed his head and tail and started using him like a jump rope until Kaidou used Bolo Breath to blast him far away. As Luffy recovered and ran back to him, Kaidou changed into his hybrid form and struck Luffy with Kosanze Ragnaraku, slamming his head through the roof. As Luffy pulled his head back, Kaidou remarked that their fight looked like something out of a picture book, but believed Luffy is at the end of his rope, which was confirmed when his awakened state wore off. Though Kaidou himself fell to one knee, he told Luffy that after he died, he will tell everyone how valiantly he fought, but Luffy rejected this notion and changed back, assuring Kaidou that he was not afraid of dying. Kaidou managed to slam Luffy with Hassaikai a few times before Luffy bounced off a rock at Kaidou while spinning his arms like a propeller. Kaidou tried to block his attack while also trying to figure out what Luffy's power was, claiming no one is capable of taking him down, only to get punched straight through the face by Luffy and knocked onto his back.

Kaidou picked himself back up and asked Luffy who he was to which Luffy answered that he is the one who will surpass him and become the Pirate King. Kaidou acknowledged that Luffy still hasn't lost his spirit and how ridiculous his power was. He admitted he has lost a lot in this war, but believed Luffy has too, only for Luffy to retort that he will take it all back. He used Gundari Ryuseigun on Luffy but got hit multiple times by Luffy as well, whose punches stretched through him again. He then noticed smoke coming from the bottom of the roof and believed that the whole castle is on fire, and everyone will burn to death, but Luffy responded that he trusts his friends to handle the problem as Kaidou fired a Kaifu attack that Luffy dodged. He then watched as Luffy grabbed a bolt of lightning with a smile on Luffy's face.

Luffy used Gomu Gomu no Kaminari to throw the bolt of lightning at Kaidou, but he sidestepped and slammed Luffy from the side, sending him flying far away again. Luffy used another lightning bolt to propel himself back to attack Kaidou again, but he quickly dodged the attack and struck Luffy on the head. As he did so, he told Luffy that having a strong Devil Fruit isn't enough to conquer the seas; Roger himself didn't have one yet he still became the Pirate King, and Kaidou said that such hurdles can only be overcome with Haki as he hit Luffy with Daiitoku Raimei Hakke, knocking him into the air again. However, Luffy grabbed Kaidou while being past the storm clouds and Kaidou tried to shake Luffy off, first by hitting his arm with Hassaikai, then changing into his full dragon form to hit him with Tatsumaki Kaifu and Bolo Breath. His efforts were futile, as not only did Luffy hang on, but inflated his other fist to a humongous size to finish Kaidou off with.



Seeing Luffy's giant fist, Kaidou decided to take it head on as he enveloped himself in fire, which finally caused Luffy to let go of him, a move Kaidou said was the right call. He told Luffy that Oden was burned to death and ever since then, the people of Wano desperately clinged onto the hope their "savior" would come. He also told Luffy that his fist would never hit him because his fire would vaporize it. However, Luffy only retorted at Kaidou that he now knew how to actually hurt him, thanks to Hygoro's teaching at Udon, replying to Kaidou he would send him to the bottom of hell before Kaidou met Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun with his Shoryu: Kaen Hakke. As they clashed, Kaidou commended Luffy for coming so far but believed he couldn't change the world. He did ask, though, what kind of world Luffy wanted to create, and he answered that he wanted to make a world where his friends could eat as much as they want, as his fist tore through Kaidou's attack and punched Kaidou so hard in the face he got hurled deep into the ground in front of the Flower Capital before Luffy himself passed out mid-air from exhaustion due to the fight.

As Kaidou sank deeper into the ground and fell into a lava pit, Luffy exited out of Gear 5 and dropped from the sky, where he was caught by Yamato, who smiled and congratulated him and Momonosuke on their incredible feats. The impact from Kaidou landing in the pit destabilized an underwater volcano which caused it to erupt catching Kaidou and Big Mom, who had also fallen into the pit, in the resulting explosion. A bandaged Luffy smiled as he was finally declared the winner of the final battle in the skies over Wano.

Yamato caught Luffy as he fell, and both he and Zoro were tended to by Chopper later on, but not before he told Momonosuke to not reveal his name to the people of Wano, as he would then be treated as a hero for defeating Kaidou. A week later, both Luffy and Zoro woke up and immediately demanded meat and booze respectively. As the crew celebrated their recovery, Luffy was shocked to see Momonosuke in his adult form for the first time, after initially not recognizing him. After the crew learned that there was going to be a massive festival to celebrate Wano's liberation, Luffy became excited to hear of it and decided to go to the baths first with his friends before partying.



As promised Momonosuke did not reveal his name to Wano, so the citizens came to know him as Joy Boy but believed he had already left the country. Luffy proceeded to enjoy the festival with his crew and the rest of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai alliance, along with Law and Kid's crews as well. Luffy then called for a toast celebrating the end of the long fight and the festival, when suddenly Kid barged in trying to attack him. Luffy did not acknowledge his attack however, and simply wrapped his arm around his fellow Supernova as he continued to celebrate. Kid quickly shook Luffy off and showed him the day's newspaper, which contained the formal declaration of the new Four Emperors of the Sea - Shanks, Blackbeard, Luffy, and Buggy, much to Luffy's shock.

After Admiral Ryokugyu retreated from Wano when Shanks intimidated him with his Haoshoku Haki, we see Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Jinbe sitting and acknowledging the Admiral's departure, Momonosuke's braveness and the strong Haki they felt. Sanji says that they didn't need to lend a hand after all, and Zoro asks about who's Haki that was. Luffy then says that a familiar face just popped up in his head. Yamato then approached them and stated his intention of not leaving with the Straw Hats but staying on the island for their peace of mind, since, with Kaidou now gone, threats like Ryokugyu may appear more often. Luffy reluctantly agreed, when Marco flew up to say goodbye, having found a ship close by (the Red Hair Pirates) who were willing to take him home. Luffy tried to give his thanks for helping him during the Summit War of Marineford, though Marco coolly shrugged it off, instead stating how proud Ace would be if he could see Luffy now, with the Straw Hat captain grinning proudly at the praise.



Later, Robin revealed that the Ancient Weapon, Pluton, was on the island, but Luffy had no interest in acquiring it. Tama then appeared with Shinobu, having become the kunoichi's apprentice, with the girl requesting to join the crew if she was strong enough next time they met, with Luffy happily agreeing. A few days later at Tokage port, the Straw Hats decided to depart, with Luffy, Kid and Law deciding to sail to separate islands as indicated by the three Log Pose needles. Law chose to go to northeast, with Luffy and Kid drawing lots to go east, which Luffy lost, setting the Straw Hats heading to the southeast. Kid, while expressing his annoyance at the Emperors, started talking about Buggy's new crew, Cross Guild, which now has Crocodile and Dracule Mihawk supposedly "under" him, though Luffy heavily doubting this claim. Kid goes on to explain how Cross Guild was putting out bounties for Marines, now making them the hunted. After Kid received Poneglyph markings from Law, he and Killer started talking about looking for "the man with the burn mark", which got Luffy's attention.

As the Straw Hats prepared to depart, Momonosuke charged at them in his dragon form before tackling Luffy as a human, and though Kin'emon started scolding the Straw Hat captain, the young shogun broke down in tears, begging Luffy to stay. Luffy then had Usopp pass him a flag, which he in turn passed on to Momonosuke. He then stated that they were waiting for Momonosuke, and knowing how childish he was on the inside, granted the shogun his Jolly Roger, telling him that in times of strife to think on their adventure and if anyone came to pick a fight, to show them the flag, as it indicates that they are also picking a fight with the Straw Hat Pirates. They then set sail, but not before Luffy gave Kin'emon, Momonosuke and Yamato an open invitation to join his crew, should they ever wish to become pirates. The Sunny and the Polar Tang set course to Mogura port, where there is a gondola which could safely transport them to the sea. However, after Kid taunted the other two captains for taking the safe route, Luffy and Law took control of their respective ships and, despite their crews' protests, sailed it over the Koi-climbing Waterfall with the Kid Pirates, with the resulting fall breaking one of the Sunny's looms.