Part of the One Piece fan base has been busy recently with a big debate over Kaido, the powerful villain who was defeated by Luffy after a long and hard-fought battle. The discussion, which has taken vitriolic tones at times, focused on the fact that, according to some fans, Kaido has not shown his "awakening", a powerful ultimate form connected to the powers of his Devil Fruit. However, the debate makes very little sense in the context of One Piece and the way that the story in the manga has developed.
Many fans believe that someone as strong as Kaido, who was one of the Yonko, the four most powerful pirates in the world, should have awakened his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit a long time ago, leading to speculation and debate on why he did not use this power against Luffy. The most popular explanations are two: either Eiichiro Oda, One Piece's author, rushed through the finale of the Wano Arc, leaving out some important moments, or Kaido is not actually dead, and he will soon make an unexpected comeback, showing his awakened form. The community has split over this topic, as is often the case with these kinds of debates, leading to some toxic behavior among fans. However, fans who argue that the manga should have shown Kaido's awakened form, or that it will do so in the near future, are avoiding looking at the bigger picture.
The recent One Piece special Road to Laugh Tale vol. 2 begins with a page declaring loudly that "two Emperors have fallen", and that "Kaido and Big Mom have been defeated", which should clear all doubts about a possible comeback. Part of the special is dedicated to the new generation of pirates and describes how the balance of the world has shifted forever, so it's safe to assume that Kaido has played his role in the story.
Kaido was the mountain to climb before the heroes could start on the final part of their journey, and also a symbol of the status quo that had to be destroyed to open the way for a new era. For these reasons, Kaido will not return in One Piece. Fans claiming that Oda had to rush the finale of the Wano Arc, and thus "cut" Kaido's awakening, should remember that he is a master of the craft, and no one can tell him how to tell his story, not even his publisher. He showed readers exactly what he wanted to, meaning that Kaido's awakened form, if it ever existed, was simply not important to the story.
Fans who are still talking about this issue are focusing on a small, insignificant detail in one of the best and most epic sagas to appear in a manga in recent years. Wano has been one of the best arcs in One Piece, and the fight that ended the battle represented much more than a way to show who was stronger. It was a clash between different ways of intending freedom: Kaido wanted freedom through violence and war; Luffy through peace and friendship. It's a powerful message, and it's definitively more important for One Piece than the "mystery" of Kaido's awakening.