Chapters · Four Emperors (Yonko) › Wano Country

Chapter 1035: Zolo vs. King

Arc: Wano Country · Saga: Four Emperors (Yonko) · Released: 2021-12-19

Summary

The Sanji-vs-Queen bout closes on the Live Floor: a final blast hurls Queen away and the caption reads “Winner: Sanji. Battle of the Pleasure Hall, Leftbrain Tower.” Sanji rescues the quarter’s dancers and a pet mouse (Chuji), but as he says “…all… right…” the women recoil — something is visibly off about his body. The chapter then becomes the Zoro vs King duel. Pressing his advantage, Zoro deciphers the rules of King’s body: while the flame on King’s back is lit, his defense is magma-hard; when it goes out, his defensive ability drops. King tears his mask off, revealing he is a Lunarian — black wings, white hair, dark skin — and the watching Beasts Pirates confirm “the rumors were true,” recalling the 100-million-berry government reward for ratting out a Lunarian. A flashback shows young Kaido freeing Alber (King’s true name) from a government facility that held Lunarian test subjects, naming him “King” and his right-hand man. The fight escalates through King’s “Imperial Flaming Wings” and Zoro’s Enma-borne “King of Hell, Three-Sword Style,” ending with Zoro cutting up through King’s flame form as King’s eyes go wide. To be continued.

New reveals

• King’s real name is Alber. A flashback (p. 10) shows a young Kaido breaking him out of a World-Government research facility that held Lunarians as test subjects; Kaido renames him King, declares him his right-hand man — “Stay under my wing! I won’t let anyone else have you!!”
• King is a Lunarian (p. 5–6): mask off, his racial features are confirmed — black wings, white hair, brown/dark skin. The Beasts Pirates: “So the rumors… were true…!!!”
• Lunarian body mechanic (p. 4–5, 11, 14): when the flame on King’s back is lit, his defense is extreme (“like magma” / near-invulnerable); when the flame goes out, his defensive ability drops — his sole opening, which Zoro identifies.
• A 100-million-berry reward is paid by the government for tipping it off to a Lunarian’s whereabouts (p. 5, 10) — the race is hunted/coveted and the WG “wouldn’t give him up.”
• Sanji defeats Queen (p. 2–3) — “Winner: Sanji. Battle of the Pleasure Hall, Leftbrain Tower” — but his body is visibly wrong afterward; the rescued women react with alarm (“…but are you…?”).
• Enma’s drain is acknowledged on-page (p. 9): a combatant’s line — “If this drags on, the sword will suck the life from me!! I don’t have much time…” — reads as Zoro recognizing Enma will drain him, so he must finish quickly.

Foreshadowing seeds planted

Payoffs (seeds from earlier chapters that resolve here)

Mentions / appearances

• Characters: Zoro, King (true name Alber), Kaido (flashback), Sanji, Queen (blasted away, off-page after p. 2)
• Races / groups: Lunarians (named on-page, p. 10), Animal Kingdom Pirates (Beasts Pirates rank-and-file)
• Fruits / weapons: Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model Pteranodon (King’s zoan form), Enma (Zoro’s drained blade, referenced)
• Locations: Onigashima, Skull Dome (Live Floor / Leftbrain Tower of the Pleasure Hall), Wano Country
• Minor: Chuji (a pet mouse Sanji sheltered — flavor, no note)

Notable panels

• p. 1 — Title page “Chapter 1035: ZOLO VS. KING” + Limited Cover Series No. 25: “Escape Whole Cake Island!” — a fleet of Germa 66 castle-ships (66 flags) sails away from Whole Cake Island. (Cover B-plot — defer to cover-tracker.)
• p. 2–3 — Sanji-vs-Queen close-out: Queen hurled off (“KABOOM!!”); caption “Winner: Sanji — Battle of the Pleasure Hall, Leftbrain Tower.” Rescued dancers + mouse Chuji; Sanji “…all… right…” while the women recoil (“…but are you…?”).
• p. 5–6 — King removes his mask → full Lunarian reveal (black wings, white hair, dark skin); Beasts Pirates: “the rumors were true.” First clear on-page showing of King’s racial features.
• p. 10 — Flashback: young Kaido frees Alber from a government facility (“the subjects have escaped!!”), names him King, makes him his right-hand: “Stay under my wing!”
• p. 11 — Zoro’s “Purgatory Oni Giri”; King’s “Imperial Flaming Wings” re-ignite — “That flame is like magma!!”
• p. 13 — King’s zoan attack “Bird Dance!!!”
• p. 15–16 — dense technique clash spanning both pages: King’s “Extra Large Imperial Flaming Wings” (banner at p. 15 bottom) vs Zoro’s “King of Hell, Three-Sword Style” (p. 16: “Serpent” / “103 Mercies” / “Dragon Damnation”).
• p. 17 — Splash: Zoro cuts up through King’s flaming form; King’s eyes go wide (”!!!”). “To be continued.”

Open questions raised

• Where is the Lunarians’ homeland, and why does the World Government so aggressively research/covet a near-extinct race (a 100M reward for a single tip-off)?
• What is the full extent of King/Alber’s Lunarian abilities beyond the flame-on/flame-off defense?
• What exactly happened to Sanji’s body in the Queen fight — is the change permanent, and what did the rescued women see that alarmed them?
• Can Zoro finish King before Enma drains too much of his life?