WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1038, "Kid & Law vs. Big Mom," by Eiichiro Oda, Stephen Paul, and Vanessa Satone, available in English from Viz Media.
In Chapter 1037 of One Piece, the citizens of the Flower Capital continued their celebration unaware of the dangers looming above. On the Skull Dome's roof, Kaido was drinking himself into a stupor and even offered Luffy some, who was aggravated at his opponent's antics. Kaido explained that the raid had ruined a banquet the island was supposed to host, and he surprised Luffy by bursting into a laughing fit. Luffy charged at him, but his drunkenness did nothing to slow Kaido down. They went back and forth trading blows with each other, with Kaido going through a wave of emotions in the process. He went from laughing to crying to angry while Luffy continued his assault. Luffy launched a powerful Roc Gatling Gun while Kaido countered with a Kundali Dragon Swarm. Meanwhile, the five elders of Marijoa were discussing the state of Wano and how one of the Devil Fruit had a different name from what has been written down in history. The final panel showed the World Government ships heading towards Wano as the large silhouette of Zunesha loomed over them.
Chapter 1038 opens on the Third Floor of the castle, Raizo and Fukurokuju are still holding each other in place despite the intensity of the fire. Both have started burning and Fukurokuju begs him to release the jutsu, but Raizo says nothing in response before we pan to the floor below where many are struggling to escape the blaze. The ceiling begins to creak, with one of the men saying it's going to collapse. As it falls, Jimbei stands strong and is able to keep the rubble from crushing those around him. He urges them to hurry and escape while also wondering why the fire is spreading so quickly. At the rate it is going, many of the unconscious will burn to death.
On the Performance Floor, many of the stragglers are trying to stay out of the crossfire between Big Mom, Law, and Kid. Watching from the sidelines, Chopper finally returns to his normal form after being stuck in the Old Man-Baby form. He's relieved to be back to normal, but he begins worrying about Zoro since the medicine he took allowed him to heal quickly, but will also cause him to suffer even more later. We cut away to Zoro, who is staring down a grim reaper-like being readying to swing a scythe down on him. Zoro's body won't move. Meanwhile, Franky is in the Right-Brain Tower desperately looking for the swordsman.
A panel shows the First Floor Crawlspace after Izo defeated the group of pirates that had been attacking Usopp, Kikunojo, and Kin'emon, one of the pirates wondering why Whitebeard's Division Leader helped the Straw Hats. Izo, meanwhile, has managed to escape to the first level of the basement. While they weren't physically strong, their numbers are what caused the most damage against him.
Suddenly, he pulls out a gun and points it at someone, who is revealed to be the two masked CP0 members pursuing Robin and Brook. One of them states that Izo's presence is surprising, but that they should just act as though they never ran into each other because the Straw Hats are more important at that moment. As they go to walk away, Izo tells them to stop.
Down in the Armory, Yamato is still rushing to beat the Spirit to the explosives, and the two meet just as the Spirit phases through the ceiling. Yamato freezes the bombs with a Namuji Glacier Fang attack, using the ice as a shield to protect them. He then begins attacking the strange creature, which calls out to Orochi as a hand comes out from it.
While this is going on, Kid and Law have been pummeled into the ground by Big Mom. She laughs as their crews beg for her to spare the two. The crews try to go to their aid, but Big Mom blasts them back, shocking them. With everyone around her on the ground, she turns her attention to Kaido's fight, noting how long it's taking him. As she and Hera begin to head towards the roof, Law uses his Anesthesia power on the blade of his sword, the blade extending and stabbing it through Big Mom's arm and chin, shocking everyone. He then activates his Shock Wille attack, completely bypassing her defenses and sending her falling to the ground.
As the metal homies go to attack Law in retaliation, Kid uses his power to draw them towards him instead. Big Mom stands against him, but he feels renewed with new motivation. He attacks Big Mom with a Punk Corna Dio attack, forming a large, metal bull and ramming her with it. He and Law then declare that she will never make it to the roof.
The next chapter of One Piece will be available on Sunday, February 7th.
