One Piece Chapter 1035: Zoro vs. King

00AI-written

The title page reads "Chapter 1035: Zoro vs. King." It is the start of the limited cover series, labeled "Limited Cover Series, No. 25, Vol. 1: 'Escape Whole Cake Island.'" The image shows Germa 66 ships moving across the sea with a large Germa 66 fortress-like vessel behind them. This is official cover-series material rather than the chapter's main narrative, so it is kept as useful extra material.

Germa 66

Sanji's final blow sends Queen flying through the pleasure hall with a huge impact. Queen's mechanical body cracks and snaps as he is launched backward, and the narration calls it "a heavy blow." Sanji lands among the wreckage, huffing from the effort after using Ifrit Jambe and the full weight of his altered body. The page shows the immediate aftermath of Sanji's finishing attack from the previous chapter: Queen is hurled away, the hall is smashed, and Sanji is left standing but exhausted. The victory is not announced yet, but Queen's body has clearly been overwhelmed by Sanji's upgraded speed, heat, and resolve.

SanjiQueen

Osome finds Chuji alive and safe in Sanji's hand. Chuji squeaks, and Osome cries, "Chuji!! Thank goodness!!" She thanks the unseen or barely visible rescuer, saying the fight was dangerous back there and that she did not want Chuji to get hurt. Sanji quietly thinks that Chuji is making food for that dirty mouse again, but he does not interrupt her relief. The setting is marked as the Skull Dome's left brain tower, battle of the pleasure district, and the result is declared: "Winner: Sanji." As the hall collapses, someone calls for first aid. The page confirms Sanji's victory over Queen while returning the emotional focus to Osome and her rescued mouse.

SanjiOsomeChujiQueenGeisha

The chapter cuts back outside to Zoro and King amid the burning wreckage of Onigashima. Zoro clashes with King and cuts at him, but watches carefully instead of attacking blindly. He notices the key pattern: King is faster than expected, but when the flame on his back goes out, his defenses get weaker. Zoro pants from the strain while King stands in front of him with his flame and wings, and the observation shifts the fight. Zoro now understands that King's near-invulnerability is not constant; it is tied to the state of the fire on his back. This gives Zoro a real opening, even though King remains physically overwhelming.

Roronoa ZoroKing

Zoro's attack damages King's mask, and Beast Pirates nearby panic: "No way... King-sama's mask!!" With the mask broken, King's face is exposed, and the rumors about his race are confirmed. Onlookers say, "So the rumors... were true!!" and identify the traits: "Black wings, white hair, and dark brown skin..." They also reveal that the World Government is offering 100 million berries for any information on people like him. King glares in fury while Zoro recognizes that King's defenses weaken when his flame goes out. The page makes King's Lunarian identity public and shows why he has hidden his face under the mask for so long.

Roronoa ZoroKingBeast PiratesWorld GovernmentLunarians

King stands fully revealed, with black wings, white hair, dark skin, and a flame burning on his back. The Beast Pirates panic that they did not mean anything, but King is enraged. He unleashes "Imperial Dragon... Fire!!" and burns the men around him, while they scream for mercy. His exposed face and the government bounty for information about Lunarians make the lower-ranking pirates a threat to him, even though they are supposedly on his side. King's attack shows the cost of knowing his secret: he would rather incinerate his own subordinates than risk them surviving with information about his race.

KingBeast PiratesLunariansWorld Government

As the burning men scream, King coldly says the castle was already burning enough as it was and that there is no way to treat his men, though they would be better off. Zoro focuses on the real issue and says King is more focused on him than on throwing a tantrum. He asks, "So the government is that interested in your kind, huh? Wanna tell me about your race?" King refuses, asking why he should bother, and says Zoro will be dead soon. He launches a rapid attack, but Zoro stays composed. The page turns King's exposed identity into a weapon in the psychological fight: Zoro needles him about his race while studying his speed and flame.

Roronoa ZoroKingBeast PiratesWorld GovernmentLunarians

King and Zoro tear across the ruined exterior of Onigashima in a high-speed exchange. King attacks from the air and Zoro counters with sword slashes, both fighters cutting through rubble and smoke. The panels are mostly motion, impact, and SFX, with King using his mobility and Zoro tracking him through the chaos. Zoro's earlier read on King's flame and speed now guides his defense: he waits for the moment when King's durability drops, while King tries to overwhelm him before Zoro can use that information. The page is a bridge of pure action, showing the tempo of the fight rising as both fighters commit to finishing it.

Roronoa ZoroKing

Zoro admits he does not have much time. If the fight drags on, Enma and the Haki it demands will kill him. King also feels close to his limit, but he remains confident. Zoro tells himself that King's race being special does not change anything for him, while a memory of Luffy echoes: "We're in the same boat then... but you've had your time on top! Now you've got to make room for us!!" King, remembering his loyalty to Kaido, says, "Kaido-san is going to be the next Pirate King!! Don't get ahead of yourself." Zoro prepares "King of Hell... Three-Sword Style..." as the clash becomes a fight between each man's captain and ambition.

Roronoa ZoroKingEnmaMonkey D. LuffyKaido

A flashback shows Kaido finding the imprisoned Lunarian Alber in a government research facility. Kaido says, "You're a Lunarian. The government will never let you go. I saw their experiments to test your endurance." He declares that he is leaving to form his own pirate crew, and when Alber asks whether he is in Guinea Pig, Kaido answers that he is the only one who can change the world. The test subjects have escaped, and Kaido asks Alber his name. After hearing it, Kaido gives him a new one: "From today onwards, you're my right-hand man!! You have the power worthy of a stronger name... call yourself King!! Stand by me and I'll never sell you out!!"

KaidoKingAlberWorld GovernmentLunarians

Back in the present, Zoro strikes with "Purgatory Onigiri!!" and cuts King, but the attack does not do lasting damage while King's flame is burning. Zoro immediately notes, "His flame is burning... That attack didn't do any damage." King answers with "Imperial Flaming Dragon!!" and releases a huge fire-dragon attack, which Zoro compares to magma. The page confirms the rule of King's power in action: when his flame is active, his defense is extraordinary, and Zoro must not waste his strongest attacks into that state. At the same time, King's offensive fire is so intense that Zoro has to respect it as a deadly finishing threat.

Roronoa ZoroKing

The clash continues through shattered stone and fire. Zoro sees King's sword and body coming at him again and mutters, "That sword again..." King attacks from above while Zoro refuses to back down. Zoro tells him, "You're not taking away... these named swords of mine!!" The line ties the fight back to the previous chapter's focus on Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Enma. King is not just trying to beat Zoro physically; he keeps attacking the weapons that define Zoro's identity as a swordsman. Zoro's answer is absolute: the swords he has chosen and been chosen by are not something King can strip from him.

Roronoa ZoroKingWado IchimonjiSandai KitetsuEnma

Zoro pants but keeps reading King's movements. He realizes, "He's fast!! In other words... I can cut him!!" King dives in with a move called "Bird Dance!!" and Zoro waits for the moment when King's flame state changes and his speed rises at the cost of defense. The page shows Zoro finally converting his observation into a tactical opening. King is still dangerous, fast, and powerful, but Zoro has found the trade-off in the Lunarian power: when King abandons his defensive flame for speed, Zoro's blade can reach him. This understanding turns King's terrifying mobility into the path Zoro needs to win.

Roronoa ZoroKing

King acknowledges that Zoro has figured out how his powers work and that Zoro has finally glimpsed his weakness. Zoro cuts him and asks whether King is blocking now because he is scared of Zoro's attacks, since earlier King claimed they were not supposed to work. Their swords collide at close range while Zoro presses the advantage. The page makes King's confidence waver for the first time. He is no longer an invincible wall with a hidden race and a masked face; he is a fighter whose mechanics Zoro can read, punish, and provoke. Zoro's taunts are not empty pride, but a way of forcing King into the timing Zoro needs.

Roronoa ZoroKing

King flies back and tells Zoro that a being like him cannot win against King. Zoro says that excuse came right back where it came from and answers that if he survives, King can show that excuse too. King replies that he will remember Zoro as a swordsman who held some skill if Zoro manages to survive, but King is the one who will beat that memory into Zoro's skull. He then releases "Imperial Guardian Flaming Dragon!!" a massive flaming dragon attack. The page sets up the final collision: King bets everything on his greatest fire technique and his Lunarian pride, while Zoro meets it as a swordsman fighting for his own named blades and promise.

Roronoa ZoroKing

The final wide page shows Zoro cutting through King's giant flaming dragon. Zoro uses "Underworld King's Three Bladed Dragons" and then "103 Emotions" before unleashing "Flying Dragon Hell Blaze" with one decisive swing. The narration states, "With one swing, even dragons are torn asunder!!" King's fire dragon splits apart, and King is slashed through the chest as his attack collapses around him. Kaido's chosen right-hand man is overwhelmed by Zoro's King of Hell style, Enma's demand, and Zoro's mastery of the timing behind King's defense. The chapter ends on the climax of Zoro vs. King, with Zoro's blade cutting through both the flame dragon and King's seeming invincibility.

Roronoa ZoroKingEnmaKaido

No description for this page.

End of chapter17 pages

Discussion