One Piece Episode 914: Luffy VS Kaido - is Luffy strong enough to defeat an Emperor?

It is exciting to see Luffy’s reaction after Kaido blew up Oden’s castle in the previous episode. Knowing his friends were by the castle, Luffy’s initial thought would be that they are dead. But as we can see in One Piece episode 914, Luffy was still hopeful.

But despite the hope that his friends might survive somehow, Luffy cannot help but feel rage towards Kaido. We’ve seen just the first part of Luffy and Kaido’s first battle. But is Luffy strong enough to fight Kaido on equal terms?

Many fans are probably doubtful of Luffy’s ability to take down an Emperor, especially after his encounter with Big Mom in Whole Cake Island. The gap just seems too big. Even against Doflamingo, Luffy seemed to have a really hard time. But let us look back a little to answer the question.

Luffy’s power growth – East Blue

Luffy became infamous for taking down big shots in the sea. Most of the enemies he defeated were known for their strength and power. Many people including his enemies were so confident that they could not be beaten by a brat. But time and time again, Luffy proved that he can rise above them.

He first proved his worth and strength in East Blue. East Blue is considered the weakest among all four seas in One Piece world. It is because not so many known strong pirates come from this sea. The only most notable pirates from this sea are the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and Fire Fist Ace.

However, Luffy has proved to be among the few strong pirates coming from this weak sea. Luffy’s first bounty is unprecedented. He is said to be the first pirate who had 30 million berries as the first bounty. He got that much bounty by taking down, Morgan, Don Kreig, Captain Kuro, and Arlong, some of the infamous figures in East Blue.

Luffy’s power growth – Grandline

However great Luffy’s achievements were in East Blue, it was not impressive enough for the people in the Grandline. Most of the time, Luffy does not receive respect and acknowledgment from his enemies. To them, he is just another rookie.

The same thought is true with Crocodile, Luffy’s first major enemy in the Grandline. Their first battle was hopeless. But Luffy rose above him in will power, which seems to be fueling his strength. He found a way to defeat the Warlord, one of the seven strongest pirates who maintain a power balance in the world.

Next, Luffy rose victorious against Enel, an enemy considered in his world as a god. Then he defeated Lucci, the strongest member of CP-9, and then defeated another Warlord by the name of Moriah. Almost every time, Luffy seems to pale in comparison to his enemies. But he also increases in strength and power every time, allowing him to gain victory.

Luffy already defeated a Yonko-level enemy

Of course, Luffy has his limitations. His whole crew was trashed in Sabaody, and although he made a big scene in the Paramount war, he still lost in the end. Also, his devil fruit is considered to be among the weakest paramecia.

But what makes Luffy unique is his strong and powerful will. This alone made the admirals consider him a serious threat. The same will helped him defeat a Yonko-level enemy, Shiki, the Golden Lion. Yonko-level, I say? Yes!

We just recently learned that Shiki used to be a member of Rocks, the strongest pirate crew ever formed. Also, when he heard the news about Roger’s capture, he single-handedly destroyed half of Marineford in the presence of Sengoku and Garp. So far, the only other person who was able to accomplish this was Whitebeard, the strongest man in the world.

Conclusion

Yes, Luffy was not even able to scratch Big Mom. He may also be far from seriously injuring Kaido, the strongest creature in the world. But this is not the first time we saw Luffy almost helpless.

Every time he faces a strong enemy, he also grows in power. Eventually, Luffy has to be strong enough if he will take down Blackbeard, the admirals, Gorosie, and Im. He is not there yet, but among all people, he has the highest potential to do this.

What’s interesting is Garp believes this so. When the vice admirals pointed out to Garp that Luffy has become a big figure, Garp replied with a smile that he’s not big enough a figure yet. Garp surely believes that his grandson will be much stronger, and even have the capacity to defeat his former enemies.

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Image credits:Viz Media/ Funimation/ Onepiece.fandom

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