Chapters · Four Emperors (Yonko) › Wano Country

Chapter 1026: The Pivotal Clash

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2021-10-03

Summary

In the Flower Capital, oblivious revelers carry on the festival while a transponder-snail reporter relays the battle raging on Onigashima: “two dragons, face-to-face” — Kaido’s azure dragon and an unknown pink dragon ridden by Straw Hat Luffy — with a bruised, bloodied Yamato keeping Kaido busy on the roof. The pink dragon is Momonosuke, grown but paralyzed with fear: he refuses to fight, dodging Kaido’s Blast Breath, while Luffy strikes Kaido with a Gum-Gum Elephant Gun and yells at Momo to “bite Kaido and hold on!” A memory-flash of the night his parents died — “Run, Lady Toki!!”, Kaido’s assault, “your father… is a fool of a lord!” — and Yamato’s shout “Get away from him, Momonosuke!!” break Momo’s paralysis: he sinks his fangs into Kaido. The dragons’ brawl drags storm clouds over the island, smothering the moon (“the last we see of the moon tonight”), and Cat Viper’s Sulong form wears off mid-duel with Perospero. Luffy rallies Momo — “that’s an emperor of the sea you just took a bite out of… is there a single thing left in the world for you to be scared of?!” — and sends him to “go and stop Onigashima,” guaranteeing he’ll beat Kaido (“I have infinite chances, as long as I’m alive!!”). The Flower Capital cheers “Luffytaro” and “Lord Momonosuke.” On the lower floors, both Mink kings turn Oden’s blade-art on their enemies: Cat Viper, his Sulong gone, drops Perospero with Oden One-Sword Style: Feline Frenzy, and Dog Storm cuts down Jack with Canine Cleaver — leaving Big Mom’s eldest son and Kaido’s drought-calamity both down and out.

New reveals

• The raid is being broadcast to the Flower Capital. A reporter narrates the rooftop in real time: the two dragons, the unknown pink dragon ridden by “Straw Hat Luffy,” and “Young Master Yamato, bruised and bloodied” (pp. 3–4).
• Momonosuke overcomes his fear of Kaido — the chapter’s emotional pivot. A memory of his parents’ death and Yamato’s intervention let him bite Kaido and discover he can fly (pp. 5–11).
• The Mink kings inherited Oden’s swordsmanship. Both finishers are explicitly Oden One-Sword Style — Cat Viper’s “Feline Frenzy” (pp. 15–16) and Dog Storm’s “Canine Cleaver” (p. 17).
• Sulong’s moon-dependency is load-bearing. Storm clouds from the dragons obscure the moon and Cat Viper’s Sulong wears off (“His Sulong wore off!!”), yet he still wins (pp. 9–11, 15–16).
• Perospero and Jack are both defeated — “Eldest son of the Big Mom Pirates, Perospero…” and “Jack the Drought… down and out!!” (pp. 16–17).

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Threads advanced

• Destruction of Zou — Jack the Drought, the calamity who razed Zou, is cut down by the Mink king Dog Storm (Inuarashi) with “Canine Cleaver” (p. 17) — the Minks’ retribution against their Zou-aggressor lands on-page.
• Why Is Kaidos Son Yamato Aiding Luffy — Yamato keeps Kaido busy (“bruised and bloodied”) and shouts “Get away from him, Momonosuke!!” to shield Oden’s son (pp. 3–4, 8).

Mentions / appearances

Luffy · Momonosuke · Kaido · Yamato · Nekomamushi (Cat Viper) · Inuarashi (Dog Storm) · Charlotte Perospero · Jack · Kozuki Oden (via “Oden One-Sword Style” and “your father”) · Kozuki Toki (memory: “Run, Lady Toki!!”) · Big Mom Pirates · Animal Kingdom Pirates · Minks · Dragons · Flower Capital · Onigashima · Skull Dome · Wano Country

Notable panels

• Page 1 — Title page: reader-request illustration, “Nami and Leo fashioning cute clothes for a lion cub” by Ebi (“HAUTE COUTURE NAMI”). One-shot reader request, not a serialized cover story.
• Pages 3–4 — The Flower Capital broadcast: “TWO DRAGONS, FACE-TO-FACE!!!”, Kaido’s azure dragon vs the pink dragon ridden by Luffy (“The dragon’s identity is unknown!!”).
• Page 5 — Kaido’s “BLAST BREATH!!!” as Momonosuke dodges, pleading “I am not here to fight!!”
• Pages 7–8 — Momonosuke’s memory of his parents’ death (“Run, Lady Toki!!”; “your father… is a fool of a lord!”) into Yamato’s “Get away from him, Momonosuke!!”
• Page 9 — “WAY TO GO, MOMO!!” — Momonosuke bites Kaido.
• Page 14 — Full spread: storm clouds tearing over Onigashima’s skull figurehead, lightning; reporter: “…the clouds are splitting…”
• Pages 15–16 — Cat Viper, Sulong gone, “Oden One-Sword Style… Feline Frenzy!!!” downs Perospero.
• Page 17 — Dog Storm’s “Canine Cleaver!!!” downs Jack; both calamity-tier foes “down and out.” “To be continued!”

Open questions raised

• Will the parting storm clouds restore the moon — and the Minks’ Sulong — later in the battle?
• Can Momonosuke, now able to fly, actually stop the descent/relocation of Onigashima toward the Flower Capital?
• Where exactly did the Minks learn Oden’s One-Sword Style — during the Oden voyage, or in Wano afterward?