Momo’s introduction and powers in One Piece have always been underwhelming. However, he may prove to be the strongest ally of the Straw Hats.
The “Wano Country” arc of One Piece showed one of Luffy’s allies, Kozuki Momonosuke, becoming stronger by the end of the battle. He is the son of the late Kozuki Oden and the new Shogun of Wano, entrusted by his people to revive the former glory of the Kozuki clan. He inherits Oden’s abilities, natural talent, legendary sword named Ame no Habakiri and the power of Voice of All Things.
In the series, he is introduced as an eight-year-old kid who’s later revealed to have time-traveled from 20 years ago. What’s more, he has the powers of an artificial devil fruit, which is later revealed to be as strong as a Mythical Zoan devil fruit. The position of Shogun is something that not just anyone can claim, and Momonosuke has the strength and abilities to deserve that position. Here’s a look at his powers and abilities, proving why he’s a worthy ally to the Straw Hats.
Momonosuke’s Voice of All Things Allows Telepathic Communication
Like his father, Roger and Luffy, Momonosuke can hear the Voice of All Things. As shown in the “Wano Country” saga, this power creates a telepathic link between Luffy and Momo. When Luffy is drowning in the ocean after getting beaten up by Kaido, he subconsciously informs Momo via telepathy that he will come back and defeat the Yonko no matter what. Furthermore, in the “Zou” arc, he is able to communicate with Zunesha, see through its eyes and give it orders to fight against its attackers from the Beast Pirates.
At the time of the attack, Momo and Luffy are both able to hear its voice, but the former not only communicates with it but also makes it an ally. The range of telepathy is unknown, but it’s extremely wide judging by how Zunesha is able to communicate with Momonosuke in Wano. To lend support in the ongoing battle, Zunesha travels across miles to come to Wano and encounters a large fleet of World Government ships. It also talks about its desire to have the borders of Wano “open up” for unknown reasons. After the battle, Momonosuke informs Zunesha that it’s not the right time to open the borders, further proving that these two are allies.
Momonosuke’s Devil Fruit Is the Artificial Version of Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu
When Momonosuke is first introduced in the “Punk Hazard” arc in Zoan form, his presence and abilities are extremely underwhelming. Although he is in the form of a dragon, he is unable to fly or even change back to his original form. Under Luffy’s constant pressure and the anxiety of being stuck in the basement for days, Momo subconsciously makes his way to the top with Luffy on his back. Instead of flying, he manifests mysterious orange-colored clouds and climbs to the top by grabbing them. These clouds are later known to be one of his techniques called Flame Clouds. Because he is not familiar with the devil fruit, Momo has trouble controlling it and transforms subconsciously whenever he is scared.
Not only that, but the series has also yet to show the devastating potential of Vegapunk’s artificial devil fruits. Therefore, no one would have expected that Momo’s devil fruit would turn out to be as strong as Kaido’s Mythical Zoan, Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu. The only difference is that the artificial fruit user transforms into a pink dragon instead of a blue one, which is why Vegapunk considers it to be a failure. However, the artificial devil fruit is far from a disappointment. After Momonosuke is transformed into his actual age with Shinobu’s Juku Juku no Mi, his dragon is almost identical in size and appearance except for size, horns and skin color. The gigantic dragon has massive strength and durability, with the ability to easily hurt Kaido with a bite, who is also in his dragon form.
After gaining a grown-up body, Momo now has better control over his ability to create Flame Clouds and is capable of flying at high speeds with their help. Initially, Momonosuke faces some lingering acrophobia, but he soon gets over it after confronting Kaido and now has no weakness in terms of using his devil fruit abilities. Furthermore, Momonosuke shows his might in his battle against Admiral Ryokugyu, where the former uses Kaido’s Bolo Breaths and succeeds in damaging the admiral’s wooden form. This is only the tip of the iceberg, as with this much potential and extensive training, Momo is bound to become several times stronger the next time he meets Luffy.
Momonosuke’s Other Skills and Future Potential in One Piece
As a child, Momo learns basic swordsmanship from Oden before the latter meets his tragedy. Although Momo inherits Oden’s Ame no Habakiri, he has yet to use it in an actual battle, making it difficult to truly comprehend his skills. In his child form, Momo trains relentlessly using a wooden sword, as he believes himself to be unworthy of his father’s Ame no Habakiri. Later on, he receives guidance and advice from Zoro during the three-day period before the raid on Onigashima. However, even in his grown-up form, Momo is only seen carrying the sword, but he mostly relies on his devil fruit in battle. Nonetheless, as much as he admires his father, Momo is bound to train more in swordsmanship and become truly worthy of the legendary sword.
Ame no Habakiri is one of the 21 Great Grade Meto, personally forged by his grandfather Kozuki Sukiyaki. Additionally, Momo can use Observation Haki, as shown in the “Wano Country” saga when Momo easily figures out how Luffy is faring against Kaido and Big Mom. The amount of detail behind it surprises Shinobu and Yamato, suggesting Momo’s natural talent in Haki. Lastly, the heirs to the Kozuki Clan are taught by their fathers the ancient language of the Poneglyphs before inheriting the official title of Shogun.
Unfortunately, before Oden can teach his son, he tragically passes away. Everyone believes for a long time that the legacy of the Kozuki Clan is gone with Oden until the series reveals that Oden’s father, Kozuki Sukiyaki, is still alive. He is more than capable of teaching Momonosuke considering that he is the former Shogun. Although the series has yet to specify it, the fact that the Kozuki Clan values their legacy is proof that Momo will learn the ancient language at some point.
