One Piece confirms the Lunarian King's fate in chapter 1121

Formerly called Alber, King was a major antagonist in One Piece's Wano Arc. The seemingly last Lunarian survivor, King, could use the inborn powers of this race to withstand an insane amount of damage without suffering any injury. Impressed by these god-like abilities, Kaido recruited Alber and renamed him "King". In the years to come, King would serve Kaido as his strongest and most loyal subordinate.

King earned the moniker of "Wildfire" for his fearsome ability to manipulate flames as powerful as magma, which in the One Piece world is even stronger than fire. During the Wano Arc, King ended up fighting against Roronoa Zoro, the second-in-command of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, when Zoro unleashed his real powers, the battle became one-sided.

Zoro merged Conqueror's Haki and Armament Haki to create a new Haki-based mode, which he used to defeat King overwhelmingly. One week later, still weakened by the injuries that Zoro had inflicted on him, King stood no chance against Marine Admiral Ryokugyu, who gave him a beating. Since then, King never appeared again. For the joy of fans, however, his fate was finally revealed in One Piece chapter 1121.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1121.

Kaido’s former right-hand man King returns with a cameo in One Piece chapter 1121

An unexpected reappearance in the latest One Piece chapter

King during the fight against Zoro (Image via Toei Animation)

Looking forward to the official release of One Piece chapter 1121, which is scheduled for July 22, 2024, fans can look at the new installment's content through the first leaks and raw scans. The narration allegedly picks up from where the previous chapter left off, with the broadcast conveying the final part of Dr Vegapunk's message to the world.

Vegapunk declares that it's only a matter of time before the secrets of the Void Century are uncovered. The Ancient Weapons that brought the world's downfall are still around, meaning that a day of reckoning is inevitable. The scientist continues by explaining that the World Government relentlessly persecutes the heirs of certain races as they are inherently tied to the events of the past.

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As per the scans of One Piece chapter 1121, the races concerned are Buccaneers, Three-Eyed, and Lunarians. There's a shot of Bartholomew Kuma remembering when Vegapunk told him that his blood was special due to his Buccaneer lineage. Another panel shows Marco thinking about Whitebeard's words about a certain "Kingdom of Gods" existing in the distant past.

Still held captive by the Blackbeard Pirates, Charlotte Pudding remembers how people messed with her for being a member of the Three-Eyed race. However, the most impactful moment is the unexpected appearance of King.

The former right-hand man of Kaido reminisces the moment he was told that the World Government would offer 100 million Berries for any information on a surviving Lunarian. King is silent and has a stern expression on his face. As it's well known, the Lunarian race, of which King is the only survivor, became extinct for unknown reasons.

King's final attack in the fight against Zoro (Image via Toei Animation)

The only available information is that the Lunarians once dwelled on the Red Line, now the venue of the World Government's domain, the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. This may suggest that the World Government is responsible for the near-complete extermination of the Lunarian race.

Of course, this would also explain why King reacted to Vegapunk's message with a frowning face. With his speech, the scientist delved into the schemes of the World Government and how they began with the suppression of Joy Boy, all subjects to which King can't be indifferent.

King is alive, but what is his current condition?

King being defeated by Zoro (Image via Toei Animation)

As someone who has been jailed, experimented on, and persecuted by the World Government, King probably bears more of a grudge against the tyrannical establishment rather than towards Roronoa Zoro, the person who brutally defeated him during the Onigashima Raid.

Nevertheless, the battle with Zoro definitely left a mark on King. As a result of the green-haired swordsman Conqueror's Haki-amped attack, King suffered a grievous wound to the chest and even had one of his limbs torn off. Judging by the fact that One Piece chapter 1121 shows King still covered in bandages, these wounds have not yet healed.

King's conditions against Ryokugyu (Image via Toei Animation)

During the brief fight in which Ryokugyu quickly outclassed him, King was in such a poor condition that he didn't even have enough energy to activate his Lunarian powers or transform himself into Devil Fruit. Although he is still clearly recovering from his wounds, he should be better off now than he was at that time.

One Piece chapter 1121 shows King in what appears to be a generic dark room, making his actual whereabouts and status unclear. It should be noted that, after subduing him and Queen, Ryokugyu left the scene, but not without requesting a Marine battleship to be sent to Wano. Perhaps he wanted the ship to detain King and the others in order to carry them to jail.

King as seen in chapter 1121 (Image via King Da Wildfire/X)

Pending further information about King's current predicament, it was nice to see him being featured again in One Piece. He had already been mentioned in the previous chapters, which revealed that the World Government used his Lunarian DNA to empower the Seraphim cyborgs, granting them unparalleled resilience. However, this is the first time he was openly shown after the end of the Wano Arc.

The secrets of the Lunarian race have yet to be fully explored, and they are probably linked with the lore of Joy Boy. Interestingly, King was depicted as a faithful follower of the same legendary hero. As such, the Lunarian survivor may still have a part to play in the series.

This time, however, not as an antagonist but as someone who supports the Straw Hats and their allies against the World Government. Granted, that's going by the assumption that he is not their prisoner once again.