Highlights
- Zoro is on his way to becoming the World’s Strongest Swordsman, with new powers and skills emerging.
- Fans can expect Zoro to face even stronger opponents, potentially reaching Yonko level strength.
- Zoro’s growth is tied to mastering new abilities like Conqueror’s Haki and blackening his swords.
Zoro is one of the main characters in One Piece and certainly one that fans hold incredibly close to their hearts. Being the first person that Luffy recruited on his crew, Zoro has always been pivotal for the main story to move forward. Of course, Zoro being a combatant meant that strength was an important part of his character, and he has only gotten stronger over time. This is expected of him, given that he wants to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman.
Right now, Zoro has reached quite high levels of strength. However, he’s still not at his very strongest. Zoro still has a lot of room to grow and potential left to fulfill. Come the end of the series, Zoro will most definitely be around the same level the Yonko, and that is what the fans are incredibly excited to see.
Zoro’s Current Level Of Strength
Zoro Has Acquired Great Power Heading Into Egghead
Zoro has only gone from strength to strength over the years. It can be said that the biggest jump that Zoro took came during the timeskip. He was a completely different person and his skill with the sword had improved greatly. After the timeskip of One Piece, Zoro showcased his mastery over different arts of swordplay, as well as Haki, which he picked up during the timeskip as well. For instance, in Dressrosa, Zoro was able to defeat Pica, a high-ranking officer of the Donquixote Pirates, with rather ease. In Wano, Zoro’s skills were tested to the next level. He was made to fight against strong characters such as Kamazo, and, in the Onigashima section of the arc, even Kaido. Zoro lost his battle against Kaido, as was expected, however, later down the line, when he fought against King, he received yet another power-up.
This power-up of Zoro might just be the most significant of all and it came through the blade that he was offered in the land of Wano, Enma. Enma is an incredibly powerful blade that has the ability to draw out Haki from one’s body. When Zoro allowed this blade to suck up as much Haki as it wanted unregulated, it brought out his latent Conqueror’s Haki and allowed him to use an advanced version of this technique straight away. With this power, Zoro was able to topple even King, who was the strongest of the three right-hand men of Kaido.
Having the ability to utilize Conqueror’s Haki Infusion automatically makes Zoro one of the strongest individuals in One Piece. However, in his case, he can only utilize this power for a very short period of time, or else it can end up consuming his life. That said, it appears Zoro has maintained decent control over this skill ever since, as, in Egghead, he has actually shown enough skill to fight against the likes of Lucci and beat him in combat.
Zoro’s Future Opponents
Zoro Still Has Powerful Enemies Left To Topple
In the future of One Piece, fans will most definitely get to see Zoro fight against many powerful opponents. It is expected of Zoro to fight strong individuals and there are many that will stand in his path from here onwards. In fact, given that One Piece is in the Final Saga, from here onwards, Zoro will only fight against the strongest of opponents. Having already defeated King, all the other major opponents that Zoro will face from here onwards are going to be stronger than a Yonko first mate. For instance, later down the line, Zoro might and the trading blows with an Admiral of the Marines and this might be his next big step towards reaching the level of the World’s Strongest Swordsman. From there onward, Zoro will have to fight against Dracule Mihawk, who fans know to be the world’s strongest swordsman and Zoro’s ultimate goal.
Defeating Mihawk would automatically put Zoro at a very high level of strength. If Zoro gains the title of the World’s Strongest Swordsman, then he will be an individual to be feared. Anyone who can defeat Mihawk is most definitely an individual worthy of being compared to the Yonko themselves, and, as such, it is absolutely beyond any doubt that Zoro will end up reaching the same level as that of the Emperors of the Sea.
Yonko Level Zoro
Zoro Will Be As Strong As En Emperor Eventually
While it is inevitable for Zoro to reach the level of the Yonko, fans might still wonder as to how Zoro will attain this power. After all, Zoro has recently received the ability to utilize Conqueror’s Haki Infusion and he still doesn’t appear to be anywhere close to that level. The answer to this question isn’t all that complicated. For one, Zoro needs to improve his control over Conqueror’s Haki. By his own admission, Oden could utilize the power of Enma like it were a feather. To Zoro, this is too much of a burden and he might actually die if you use it for more than a few minutes.
Once Zoro stabilizes his control over Enma, he will automatically be stronger. However, there is more to him than just that. Zoro still has one power up to achieve, and that is, the blackening of his swords. By the end of One Piece, Zoro will have to make significant progress in that regard. Once Zoro blackens his swords, they will upgrade in rank and increase his power as well. At that point, Zoro will be at his strongest and this will allow him to bring out the best of his other skills as well, such as utilizing the King of Hell form, or, even utilizing the Ashura form. These powers, when put together, should be enough for Zoro to face off against Mihawk and potentially even defeat him. When he attains these abilities, then, it goes without saying that Zoro will be Yonko level.
Of course, Zoro won’t be the strongest individual in One Piece, as there are still those who will rank above him, however, he would still be at a similar level to those of the Emperors and that is certainly something that he has worked incredibly hard towards. With his newfound powers, Zoro will go on to uphold the title of the World’s Strongest Swordsman. But, above all, he will have fulfilled his promise to Kuina, and, at the same time, he will then be in the best position to help Luffy become the Pirate King. The path for Zoro to reach the same tier of strength as the Yonko is certainly not going to be easy, but it is certainly one that he can traverse and fans can rest assured that Zoro will deliver come the end of One Piece. All that the readers need to do is sit back patiently and watch his growth in the upcoming arcs of the story as he edges closer to the throne that Mihawk is currently warming for him.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1112, is set to be April 21, 2024.