Bushido is the Way of Death

King falls after Zoro's final slash, with the narration saying that Zoro has clipped King's wings. The chapter title appears: "Chapter 1036: Bushido is the Way of Death," with a note that it references Hagakure, a guide to being a warrior. Zoro and King both huff from the decisive clash. As King falls, he remembers Kaido and asks, "Kaido-san... you still believe that, King?!" The page ties King's defeat directly to the promise he made with Kaido and to Zoro's own resolve. The battle is no longer only about strength; it is about whether King still believes in Kaido's dream even as he is cut down.

In King's memory, Kaido asks whether King thinks he is Joyboy and whether the world he is making is really the world King wanted. King answers that legends are legends and that it no longer matters what Kaido does, because King owes him his life. He tells Kaido to just keep being the strongest, and promises that he will make sure never to lose until Kaido is King of the Pirates. In parallel, Zoro remembers his promise to Luffy and Kuina: he will never lose again until he beats Mihawk and becomes the greatest swordsman. Luffy jokes that being the future King of the Pirates means he has a problem with that. The page mirrors King and Zoro as warriors bound to their captains by vows.

Zoro gathers himself after the clash and declares, "I'll become... the King of Hell!" King, defeated, falls away from the battle outside the right brain tower, and the result is announced: "Victor: Zoro." The panel shows Zoro still surrounded by Haki and smoke, panting but standing, while King's winged body drops into the wreckage below. This page closes Zoro vs. King with a formal victory marker, matching Sanji's earlier win over Queen. Zoro's victory also completes the fall of Kaido's top commanders, showing that the Straw Hat crew has now broken through the core of the Beast Pirates' hierarchy.

The news of King's defeat spreads. A Mary watches silently as King crashes down, and the announcement reaches the interior: "King... has lost!!" The listeners are shocked and say it cannot be, because the All-Stars and the Flying Six have been defeated. One voice says this is no joke, while another insists those wins are meaningless as long as Kaido and Big Mom are still standing. The page shifts the raid's momentum from individual victories to the larger war. Zoro and Sanji have toppled Kaido's top officers, but the alliance still faces the two Emperors whose presence alone can erase those gains.

Narration lays out the disaster still approaching. If Luffy manages to triumph over Kaido, the flame clouds holding Onigashima would dissipate and the island would crash down. That would ignite the gunpowder stores in the castle's basement and cause an explosion that would consume the Flower Capital, whose people remain unaware that their lives could be snuffed out at any moment while they enjoy the Fire Festival. Momonosuke vows, "I will stop this!!" and tries to hold the island back. Another crisis approaches as Kazenbo, the manifestation of Kanjuro's hatred, heads for the same basement, spurred on by Orochi's words. Fortunately, Yamato is in hot pursuit.

At the gate to the armory, Number Rokki blocks the way. Yamato realizes she does not have time to fight him because the key to the armory is at stake, so she asks Fuga to help. Fuga charges forward with a huge headbutt, smashing into Rokki and the gate while Yamato thanks him. She tells Fuga to keep Rokki busy, and Fuga answers in his own way. The impact cracks and snaps the door, and Yamato races ahead, telling Fuga he did nice work. The wide page shows Yamato relying on her old connection with the Numbers to clear the path toward the gunpowder store before Kazenbo can reach it.

In the attic between the first and second floor, Hamlet and Usopp are surrounded by flames and enemies. Someone screams about a skull-grass bomb and warns not to let up because the enemies have red scabbards and straw hats. Usopp panics that he is surrounded by fire and enemies and calls himself a goner. He tells Kiku and Kinemon to forget him and just take Kiku, but Kinemon says he is already too far gone and that Usopp should leave them both and escape. Usopp is horrified by the samurai attitude, asking what it is with samurai having death wishes. He says he does not understand their obsession with honor and committing seppuku, and that he knows it is their culture but cannot stand it.

Usopp shouts that he does not care if it looks pathetic to keep struggling with tears and snot running down his face. He says he will never stop clinging to life, and that Kiku and Kinemon have to keep going too. He argues that even if dying after coming this far would be disgraceful, it would be a waste, and that it is not enough to have simply fought in the raid. Kiku weakly calls out to him. Usopp's words cut through the fatalistic samurai logic, and nearby allies agree with him. The enemy rushes in, but Usopp keeps fighting, blasting them back while protecting the injured Scabbards and rejecting the idea that honorable death is the proper ending.

Izo appears and cuts down the enemies around Usopp, shocking the Beast Pirates, who recognize him as a former Whitebeard division leader. Usopp thanks him without knowing who he is. Kinemon recognizes him as Izo, and Izo kneels by him, calling him big brother and telling him not to strain himself because speaking will aggravate his wounds. Izo says there will be time to talk later, then addresses the fallen Kinemon: if he and Kiku truly believe in Straw Hat Luffy, then they have to live on. The page answers Usopp's survival speech with Izo's own resolve and places the wounded Scabbards' hope directly in Luffy's hands.

Izo entrusts Kiku and Kinemon to Usopp and Hamlet, telling them to keep the two safe. Hamlet is thrilled that the famous God Usopp has heard of him, and Usopp says he will leave the Scabbards to them and that they should go. The scene shifts to the third floor, where Raizo and Fukurokuju remain locked in their jutsu standoff while the flames rise around them. Fukurokuju tells Raizo to release his paralysis jutsu because the winner has already been decided. Raizo refuses, saying Fukurokuju should go first. Fukurokuju says that if this is what Raizo wants, so be it, but fate was not on Raizo's side. Raizo insists he is a loyal retainer to Oden-sama and that a mild fire cannot make him sweat.

In the treasure repository on the second floor, Orochi lounges with Komurasaki and wonders whether he is dreaming. Fukurokuju urgently thinks that they have to flee before the island blows up, but Orochi is oblivious, asking Komurasaki to play him the song he likes. Komurasaki calmly answers, "Right away!" The scene cuts to the second basement, where the remaining Numbers try to escape. Inbi says they are getting out of there and that the enemies mean business. The page contrasts Orochi's delusion and comfort with the panic elsewhere in the castle: while his own ninja burns in a life-or-death standoff, Orochi is still lost in Komurasaki's performance.

Apoo abandons the fight, telling Zanki he is sorry and saying that it was nice knowing Drake. Drake, left behind, has been a handful for him and for CP0. In the battlefield below, CP0 finishes its work: one agent notes that Apoo is running away, while another says Drake was quite a handful. The masked agents remain composed despite the fire and destruction around them. This page closes the Apoo and Drake side battle for now. Apoo survives by fleeing, Drake is left battered, and CP0 continues pursuing its mission inside a castle that is rapidly becoming too dangerous for everyone.

CP0 receives a report and asks whether Nico Robin has been captured. The answer is not yet; something came up, and the agents need to get out of the castle quickly. They are told that the All-Stars have been wiped out. CP0 calls the odds of the new generation winning a million to one, but says they still need to be ready if the new generation somehow pulls off an upset. News that Big Mom has been defeated would exacerbate everything happening around the world, and the fate of an era will be decided on Onigashima in the next few minutes. The page frames the raid as a global turning point, with CP0 watching for the political consequences beyond the battlefield itself.

The narration says humans cannot push themselves forever, even though the fighters have surely already reached their limit. The scene returns to the rooftop battle, where Luffy and Kaido are still trading blows. Luffy begins another "Gomu Gomu no..." attack, but Kaido smashes him aside with his kanabo. Luffy is slammed back, then rebounds into another exchange, grunting through the impact. The page highlights exhaustion without slowing the fight: both men have been pushed far past ordinary limits, but neither can stop while Onigashima, Wano, and the fate of the raid hang on the outcome.

Luffy pants and grins, saying, "This is getting good!!" Kaido laughs too, and the two continue enjoying the death match even as they are exhausted. Luffy attacks with "Roc Gun!!" and drives a massive Haki-coated fist into Kaido, sending him crashing back. Kaido roars, but after the impact both fighters are still laughing and breathing hard. Luffy says, "I was thinking the same thing!!" while a caption asks what the fallout of this death match will be. The chapter ends with Luffy and Kaido smiling through the pain, both treating the climactic duel as the kind of battle they have been waiting for.

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