WARNING: The following contains spoilers for One Piece Episode 956, "Ticking Down to the Great Battle! The Straw Hats Go into Combat Mode!," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.
In the final episode of One Piece's Land Of Wano Arc: Act Two, the Straw Hats and their allies are finally ready to take action. As the Nine Red Scabbards put their plan into motion to avenge Kozuki Oden, The Straw Hats are not to be outdone, recognizing that what they plan to go up against will require the best of the very best that they have to offer. As the forces of the Wano Rebellion grow, certain Straw Hats take to training in order to hone their strength and skills, plainly hinting at a much more powerful Straw Hat crew to come in Act Three of the Land of Wano Arc.
Of course, with preparations being finalized and their allies ready to finally ignite a rebellion twenty years in the making, it wouldn't be very "Straw Hat" of the series' protagonists to not come ready to give things their all. While Episode 956 shows fans a lot of preparation, some of the Straw Hats are particularly focused on honing their skills for the inevitable challenges ahead. This makes for exciting speculation about what the Straw Hats could end up facing and the tools and techniques they'll need to be able to overcome these obstacles.
Luffy & Zoro Are Focused on Growing Stronger
While in the Udon Prisoner Mine, Luffy learned about Ryuo, Wano's version of Armament Haki, and has been training to master an advanced form under Boss Hyogoro's tutelage. In this episode, fans get to see Luffy running a drill involving iron walls. Luffy's strikes are already powerful. In his Gear Four Bounce-Man, he's able to punch the wall to pieces. Still, Luffy is striving for perfection, and both he and Hyogoro are dissatisfied, working hard to perfect the finer points of Luffy's form even as Chopper urges them to head out to regroup with the others. By the time they finally do leave Udon to convene with their allies, Luffy has trained himself to exhaustion.
Not one to be outdone, Zoro is also hard at work training during this episode. In Episode 954, Hiyori agreed to give Zoro her Father's legendary sword, Enma, in exchange for Zoro's sword, Shusui. This deal finally came to fruition and Zoro obtained Enma - a blade that only the very strongest can wield. With every swing of the blade, it seems to draw out Zoro's own Haki to a point where he actually has to resist the blade from it drawing out too much of his energy and potentially damaging his body. It seems a daunting task, but one that Zoro is clearly excited by, along with the prospect of becoming stronger.
The Straw Hats Are Heading Towards Their Most Difficult Challenge Yet
Episode 956 marks the end of Wano Country's Act Two, and as fans prepare to move into the next chapter of this story, the promise of more powerful Straw Hats suggests quite a bit about what's to come. Wano just so happens to be home to some of the most dangerous foes the Straw Hats have encountered on their journey, from two of the Emperors of the Sea to a massive fighting force. Fans can expect a newer and even more improved version of the crew - different from how they may have been on Whole Cake Island or any prior destination.
From Zoro's battle against Kamazo to Sanji's duels against opponents like Page One and X Drake to Luffy's securing of the Prison Mine, viewers have been treated to bits and pieces of the Straw Hat's growing strength, but as they prepare to set sail into the third act, one thing is clear: the Straw Hats aren't done improving. Regardless of what they're up against on Onigashima, the crew and their allies will be at their absolute strongest to face it.
