This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
Summary
Zoro is one of the strongest charactersinOne Pieceand, quite easily, one of the most beloved characters as well. Fans absolutely love Zoro, especially because he drives action in the series quite a bit. Zoro aims to become the world’s greatest swordsman, and at the same time, he also wants to make Luffy the Pirate King. His strength is absolutely magnificent, and while he certainly is not the strongest in the Strawhat Crew, Zoro aims to reach even higher heights.
Even now, when Zoro has acquired a bounty of 1.111 billion berries, he’s far from satisfied and knows that he needs to get even stronger if he is to ever beat Mihawk. As Zoro is now, he isn’t a threat to Mihawk at all. That is precisely why he needs to strengthen even further, which he will do in the Elbaf arc ofOne Piecethrough various interesting ways.
Zoro’s Biggest Weakness Right Now Is His Haki Control
Zoro is already quite powerful right now. In fact, it is safe to assume that Zoro has acquired all the skills that he could possibly need to defeat Mihawk. But, he still cannot beat Mihawk and while that might be confusing to some fans, the answer to why that is the case is quite simple. Zoro cannot defeat Mihawk right now because even though he has the tools to defeat him, he hasn’t improved his grasp over these tools as much as he needs to. Essentially, Zoro has a problem with efficiency more than anything. Zoro possesses a tremendous amount of physical strength, and at the same time, his techniques with his blades are also top-notch. Zoro possesses all three types of Haki, as fans know already.
If I use it for too long, I’ll die! – Zoro
After the timeskip, Zoro showcased the usage of Observation Haki quite early, in the Fishman Island arc. He showcased Armament Haki in Dressrosa, and the Wano arc was absolutely magnificent for Zoro, given that he tapped into the power of his Conqueror’s Haki unknowingly in the battle against Kaido. When he fought against King, this power truly awakened and it allowed Zoro to finally best the right-hand man of Kaido, King. All this was thanks to Zoro’s mystical sword, Enma, which allowed him to harness the Haki that was latent deep inside of him. Curiously enough, even though he already defeated King, his weakness was highlighted very well in this fight. It was clear that Zoro could not manifest the King of Hell form, which is essentially him tapping into his Conqueror’s Haki at full power, for long.
Zoro clearly mentioned that he would essentially die if he were to ever utilize Conqueror’s Haki at its maximum potential for long. This is precisely why Zoro only lasts in battle while using Conqueror’s Haki for a handful of minutes. Right now, this is Zoro’s biggest weakness, and if he does overcome this, then, it is safe to say that Zoro will gain even bigger strength, and that is where his focus should be at this point in time.
How Zoro Will Learn To Master Conqueror’s Haki
Elbaf’s Challenges Can Strengthen Zoro
The Elbaf arc is going to be absolutely massive for Zoro. This shouldn’t be a surprise to any fan, given that Elbaf is a major arc. Fans recently sawthe Straw Hat Piratesfight in Egghead, but they knew that the Egghead Island arc was more of a transitional arc than anything. All the Monster Trio had important moments in Egghead, but Zoro was certainly the most underwhelming of all three. Even though he did fight against Lucci, fans did not get to see him do anything significant other than give Lucci a devious wound on his chest. Even in this fight, Zoro was seen utilizing his Conqueror’s Haki through the King of Hell form, but he did so in spurts. In various instances, Zoro did not tap into the power of Conqueror’s Haki. However, when the moment to strike came, Zoro tapped into the full power of his blade and unleashed Conqueror’s Haki.
So you’re telling Oden used Enna as if it were as light as a feather? – Zoro
When Zoro struck down Lucci with his ultimate move, he clearly utilized Conqueror’s Haki and dealt deadly damage to the CP0 agent. But, this isn’t sustainable in a proper fight and Zoro knows that as well. That is precisely where Elbaf comes in, and fans know that Zoro will have to strengthen himself even further here.
Zoro can strengthen his HakiItself in the Elbaf arc through training. For one, Elbaf is the warland, which essentially means that there are likely plenty of powerful Giants here. At the same time, there are also quite a lot of powerful beasts on the land of Elbaf. Zoro was recently seen fighting against some of them, and if he does continue to do that, he’s sure to strengthen himself even further. But, the real challenge is going to come through the Giants, which fans have not seen yet.
At some point, Zoro will most likely confront some of these Giants, who will help him bring out the next level of his power. While the Giants might be underestimated by some fans, they should remember that the Giants are the strongest in the world, and their strength is such that they could even have made Big Mom the King of the Pirates, which is absolutely essential for readers to keep in mind. If Zoro goes into combat with them, then, he can finally figure out how to stabilize his Haki properly while not reducing the cutting edge that it offers him.
Furthermore,if the Straw Hat Pirates cross paths with the Red Hair Pirates, then Zoro will most likely fight against Ben Beckman, Shanks’s very own right-hand man. In this battle, Beckman will also showcase his Conqueror’s Haki, given that Shanks’s crew is Haki-based. In fact, Beckmann will only utilize Haki in this battle, which essentially implies that there will be extra care shown to this particular power in the battle.
Perhaps, it is Ben Beckman who will help Zoro stabilize his Haki all the while ensuring that he doesn’t reduce his output and doesn’t lose his life and stamina while utilizing Enma. After this fight, Zoro will most likely have learned how to utilize Supreme King Haki to the best of its abilities and become even stronger.
Zoro’s Strength After The Elbaf Arc
Zoro Will Be On The Level Of Admirals After Elbaf
It is clear for the fans to see that Zoro is quite powerful right now, but he’s clearly not anywhere near the top tiers of the One Piece world. Zoro still needs to train relentlessly if he intends to defeat the strongest characters, such as Mihawk, and right now, he isn’t even as strong as an Admiral. But, after the Elbaf arc, Zoro likely learn how to utilize his Haki properly without dying and improve the efficiency overall in battle. He will surely be on the same level as the Admirals of the Marines. Once Zoro attains that level, he should be ready to fight Mihawk, which could come anywherearound the end of the Elbaf, or shortly after it.
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 theManga Plusapp. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1129, is set to be Jul 17, 2025.
