Chapter 1046

As Luffy fights on, Kaidou demands to know who he is, and Zunesha, soothed by the familiar drumbeat of Luffy's heart, urges him to place his trust in the young man. Luffy declares his name and his intent to surpass the Emperor and become Pirate King. Kaidou credits the cheek to his Awakening and admits how much this war has cost him, though he reckons Luffy has lost plenty too; Luffy vows to take it all back. The Emperor then notices smoke rising and realizes the entire castle is alight, meaning the alliance could burn to death, but Luffy trusts his comrades to handle it as he dodges the attacks.

On the Live Floor the fire spreads beyond control. Chopper reunites with Nami but cannot find the rest of the crew, and even Zeus cannot douse the blaze. Bepo faints from the heat, Brook and Robin are trapped with samurai in the basement, Sanji cannot free the geishas from the Pleasure Hall, and Usopp's Pop Green sprinkler is simply swallowed by the flames. Up on the fourth floor, Raizo and Jinbe complete their work: while on Zou, Raizo had sealed away the seawater Zunesha used to bathe, driven by guilt over failing to save Oden Castle twenty years earlier. He unleashes the stored water, and Jinbe hurls it through the whole castle to extinguish every fire.

Yamato then warns a stunned Momonosuke that Kaidou is nearing his limit and can no longer hold the flame clouds keeping Onigashima aloft. Unless Momonosuke produces clouds as large as the Emperor's, the island will crash into the Flower Capital. As the warning lands, Luffy seizes a bolt of lightning above Kaidou, who eggs him on to strike. The chapter notes that Gear 5 lets Luffy grip lightning, and that, by Kaidou's account, Awakening occurs once a user's mind and body catch up to their power.