One Piece: Unveiling the Epic Onigashima Project - All You Need to Know!

Highlights

The Wano Country Arc in One Piece is an ambitious narrative that spans nearly 150 manga chapters and over 100 anime episodes.

The arc revolves around the alliance between the Ninjas, Pirates, Minks, and Samurais as they strive to topple Kurozumi Orochi and Yonko Kaido's oppressive regime in Wano.

Kaido aims to build his stronghold in the heart of Wano, turning it into a chaotic and lawless land, where the people are forced into slavery to fuel industrialization.

Eiichiro Oda's One Piece recently concluded the Wano Country Arc, which can be considered the most ambitious storyline in the series to date. This arc spanned almost 150 chapters in the manga and over 100 episodes in the anime. It revolved around the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance's efforts to overthrow shogun Kurozumi Orochi and the Yonko Kaido's control over Wano. The arc followed a three-act format, with the climax being the Raid on Onigashima during the Fire Festival. This raid, which took place on Kaido's fortress located on the mountainous island of Onigashima, dominated the third and final act, lasting nearly 100 chapters.

The core of the conflict centered around Kaido's intention to break his alliance with Orochi and personally take control of Wano. His plan involved establishing his fortress on the mainland and renaming it "New Onigashima" to legitimize his rule. This would effectively turn Wano into a lawless pirate haven, with its citizens enslaved to further industrialization and weapons production. Kaido also joined forces with Big Mom to challenge the World Government and search for the One Piece. This ambitious endeavor, known as the "New Onigashima Project," had significant consequences not only for Wano but also for the entire world of One Piece.

A Deplorable State Of Affairs In Wano

Before Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates arrived, Wano was controlled by Kaido and Orochi for twenty years. They had devastated the once flourishing lands and turned them into a barren wasteland polluted by industrial waste. This contamination affected the water and food supplies, leaving the country unable to provide sufficient resources for its people. Orochi also implemented a system where wealth determined one's social standing. In the Flower Capital, those who fell into poverty faced the risk of being banished. Under Orochi's rule, there were two types of urban areas in Wano. The wealthier areas were inhabited by high-ranking officials, while the "leftover towns" subsisted on scraps discarded by other towns. Many residents in these towns lived in a constant state of hunger and extreme poverty, further exacerbating the dire situation in Wano.

Poorer citizens were also forced into servitude in the mines and weapons factories, receiving meager recompense for their toil. Corruption permeated every level of the administration, and any form of dissent against Orochi or Kaido was swiftly met with severe retribution — either enslavement or execution, extending to their entire kin. Consequently, those who possessed wealth were able to commit abhorrent offenses without consequence, as long as they refrained from disturbing Orochi or Kaido, contributing to the lawlessness that thrived beneath the facade of order in Orochi's regime.

Replacing The Flower Capital

In addition to the already somber circumstances, Kaido sought to extend his dominion over Wano, having collaboratively ruled with Orochi for a quarter century. His aim was to dethrone Orochi within the framework of the New Onigashima Project and appoint his own kin, Yamato, as the future shogun of Wano. This strategy would enable him to delegate administrative responsibilities to Yamato, permitting him to embark on a seafaring quest alongside Big Mom to discover the Ancient Weapons, ultimately leading to the overthrow of the World Government.

In addition to this, he planned to relocate the island of Onigashima - his current operational base - to the Flower Capital, resulting in the complete destruction of the entire city and the displacement, injury, or death of all its inhabitants. This heinous act would be made possible by Kaido's ability to generate flame clouds in his Azure Dragon form, which would lift the island into the air and transport it to the heart of Wano's mainland. His intention was to drop the landmass directly onto the shogun's castle in the Flower Capital, thereby eliminating any remnants of the previous regime. Not only would this establish his dominance over the country, but it would also signal the dawn of a new era in Wano's history.

Kaido initially revealed his plans for the New Onigashima Project during the Fire Festival, just before the scheduled execution of Kozuki Momonosuke. Naturally, Orochi and his followers opposed this proposal, as it violated their alliance with the Beasts Pirates. Upon noticing this resistance, Kaido swiftly executed Orochi, severing their partnership. He then coerced Orochi's subordinates into pledging their loyalty to him under the threat of death, ultimately successfully gaining their compliance without much opposition.

Legitimizing Kaido's Rule

Kaido held considerable authority in Wano due to his alliance with Orochi. However, the real power rested with Orochi, who managed the nation's affairs as the head of state. Kaido had to go through Orochi to get things done on the mainland, and his influence was mainly limited to Onigashima. Despite Wano becoming a weapons manufacturing hub after Oden's death, Orochi allowed some citizens to lead normal lives as long as they didn't rebel against him and Kaido.

If Orochi were eliminated, the Beasts Pirates, led by Kaido, would gain direct control over Wano's affairs and be able to mold the country as they pleased. For Kaido, this meant enslaving the entire population and worsening the already dire situation in the country. The political climate would become a dystopian nightmare, stripping away the rights of Wano's citizens and giving pirates free reign to commit any crimes they wished. Kaido also planned to exploit Wano's remaining natural resources without considering the environmental degradation his actions would cause, pushing the populace and the country's flora and fauna closer to extinction.

Fortunately for the citizens of Wano, Kaido's plans were thwarted during the Raid on Onigashima. The Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance emerged victorious, defeating the Beasts Pirates, Big Mom, Orochi, and their subordinates. Kaido's commanders were defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates, while Big Mom was taken down by Eustass Kid and Trafalgar Law using their Devil Fruit Awakenings.

Finally, Kaido himself was defeated by Monkey D. Luffy after a long and intense battle. Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit and unlocked Gear 5 to overcome Kaido. Additionally, Kozuki Momonosuke was able to control flame clouds in his dragon form and safely guide Onigashima away from the Flower Capital. This not only dealt a significant blow to Kaido and Big Mom's plans but also avenged the Kozuki family and the people of Wano, making the New Onigashima Project a complete failure.

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