The last time we saw Luffy in the manga was in chapter 959 on October 21, 2019, with chapter 960 kicking off the flashback that would tell the story of Kouzuki Oden.
As this story was completed only in chapter 972 two weeks ago, there are 12 consecutive chapters in which our dear protagonist does not show up, something that had never happened in these more than two decades of serialization.
As much as Kouzuki Oden has already died, chapter 973 is likely to be partially focused on the past, showing that it happened to O-Toki after Oden's death, with Orochi and Kaidou's henchmen setting fire to the castle and she seeing herself forced to send some samurai and Momonosuke for the future.
However, chapter 971 made everything that Oden endured with the sole purpose of saving his people even clearer. While being boiled alive and carrying his 9 Red Sheaths, Shinobu finally decided to tell the people of Wano the reason for all the humiliations that Oden chose to endure.
As we saw in the previous chapters of the manga, after confronting Orochi and Kaido, and after a mysterious conversation, Oden left the castle and started dancing practically naked weekly on the streets of the Capital of Flores, causing a good part of the population to lose hope him and call him “Lord foolish”.
But as revealed by Shinobu, how Orochi has the sole aim of revenge on the people of Wano for the persecution against his family, he had hundreds of people captured in the country and used them to blackmail Oden. Thus, for each week that Oden danced, 100 people would be released over 5 years, when Orochi and Kaido promised to leave Wano.
Unfortunately, even though Oden endured the burden of being hated by his own people that he was trying to protect, the deal was not fulfilled by Orochi, and in his battle with Kaido, Oden was eventually defeated by a dirty trick.
What is coming next? Zoro and luffy will beat Kaido? this story is becoming better and better.