One Piece Just Proved Why Yamato Couldn’t Join the Straw Hats

Spectacular as One Piece‘s Wano Arc was in nearly every way, it did create one major point of contention among fans when it was revealed that Yamato would not be joining the Straw Hats. Though introduced fairly late into the arc during the raid on Onigashima, Yamato, despite the initial controversy and mild confusion surrounding his gender identity, quickly became a fan-favorite and a top contender for the next Straw Hat. Evidently, many fans were disappointed when Yamato ended up refusing Luffy’s invitation to join the crew, choosing instead to stay back and truly follow in Oden’s footsteps by traveling across the country first.

This journey across Wano has since been documented in the form of One Piece‘s ongoing cover story dubbed “Ogre Child Yamato’s Golden Harvest Surrogate Pilgrimage,” the latest chapter of which has just proved exactly why Yamato could not join the Straw Hats. The cover story of Chapter 1140 reveals Ulti and Page One are also still at Wano along with Who’s-Who and many other of Kaido’s former subordinates who have established a base in Udon and could still pose significant danger to Wano, proving that the country still very much needs someone as strong as Yamato to fend off threats.

One Piece’s Latest Cover Story Proves Wano Needs Yamato

Though not explicitly stated in Chapter 1057, Yamato’s reasons for not joining the Straw Hats are clear as day in One Piece, especially after the attack on Wano by Admiral Ryokugyu only a few chapters prior. Kaido’s presence served as a deterrent not only to other pirates but also to the World Government, and with him gone, Wano has been left in a precarious situation. This is especially true given that Momonosuke has only just taken over as the new shogun and much of the country is still being rebuilt from scratch, not only in terms of its landscape and infrastructure but also its leadership. Though Momonosuke has the Akazaya Nine at his side, someone as powerful as Yamato is very much needed to bolster Wano’s defenses during this sensitive time and One Piece‘s current cover story reiterates this very point.

Though the cover story starts out fairly uneventful, it has recently begun painting a picture of Wano’s continuing issues, which include mysterious kidnappings and disappearances. For one, in the cover story of Chapter 1124, Yamato helps prevent a woman from being kidnapped on the way to Kuri. The cover story of Chapter 1125 goes on to reveal that Franky’s former employer, the carpenter, Minatomo, has disappeared, while Chapter 1126 reveals several girls from the soba shop in Kuri have gone missing. Besides these worrisome occurrences, Yamato’s cover story also follows up on what happened to many of Kaido’s subordinates such as Holdem, who attempts to kidnap Otama yet again in the cover story of Chapter 1133, though the bewitching kunoichi in the making quickly teaches him a lesson.

[RELATED: One Piece’s Final Saga Might Not Expand On The Straw Hats’ Roster]

Who’s-Who Could Have Disastrous Effects on Wano in One Piece’s Future

One Piece’s Wano Arc ended without addressing pressing issues like the fate of Kaido and Big Mom, who many fans still doubt are really dead. Besides King, Queen, X Drake, Apoo, and Hawkins, the whereabouts of the rest of the Tobi Roppo were also left a mystery and Yamato’s cover story finally gives fans some answers in that regard. The cover story of Chapter 1138 reveals that Who’s-Who has established a base in his likeness deep in Udon along with many of the former Beast Pirates’ underlings, with the latest chapter revealing he has now captured Ulti and Page One as well.

Though the brother-sister duo appear to be held against their will for now, they could wreak unspeakable havoc on Wano together with Who’s-Who should they decide to form an alliance. The mysterious disappearances and kidnappings together with the presence of the former Tobi Roppo all only go to prove Wano is in dire need of a protector like Yamato, at least for the time being. While King could potentially grow to become Luffy’s ally owing to his ties to Joyboy, the same can hardly be said of Who’s-Who, Page One, and Ulti. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see what direction Yamato’s cover story takes as fans could soon see it animated when One Piece‘s anime returns in April.

One Piece is available from Manga Plus and Viz Media.