How Elbaf Will Expose Zoro’s Weakness 

The Elbaf arc of One Piece is going to be extremely exciting for the Straw Hat Pirates, given that this is a place that they always wanted to visit, and at the same time, it was Usopp’s dream to soak in the culture of this land. But, at the same time, this arc is going to challenge the crew, as usual, because otherwise, they’re not going to be able to grow.

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Given that the Straw Hats are already on a very high level, yet nowhere close to accomplishing the tire liberation of the world, it can be said that they still have a long way to go. Every Straw Hat needs to be challenged in Elbaf, and they need to grow tremendously in terms of power. Zoro, the Combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates, is one of the strongest members of the crew and certainly one that absolutely needs to grow more in this arc. Given how Oda has handled Zoro so far, it is clear that he’s going to be pushed to the limit and forced to grow, meaning Zoro’s biggest weaknesses could be exposed.

Zoro’s Immense Strength In One Piece

• Zoro Is A Powerful Yonko Commander
• Zoro Holds All Three Haki Types

It goes without saying that Zoro is an incredibly powerful fighter and one who aims to reach a very high level. As the Combatant of the Straw Hat Pirates, this is expected of Zoro. Zoro is one of Luffy’s two wings, and that in itself means that he has a certain standard to maintain. Zoro’s responsibilities require him to reach a high level. For instance, in Wano, Zoro went from not being able to do anything against a Yonko Commander such as King, to overpowering him after awakening the power of Supreme King Haki.

Right now, Zoro is easily one of the strongest Yonko Commanders in One Piece, although he still has a lot of room to grow. To some fans, Zoro is already at an elite level, and while it cannot be denied that he’s a master swordsman, Zoro is still far from the elites of the world. Oda had Zoro fight Lucci in Egghead for a reason, and despite him being a rather easy opponent, Zoro struggled quite a bit to whittle him down. In the end, Zoro couldn’t even knock him off his feet and Lucci continued working even after taking Zoro’s blow, once again highlighting that Zoro’s power right now isn’t enough.

Undoubtedly, Zoro needs to grow and fulfill his potential, which is where the Elbaf arc comes in. So far, in Elbaf, Zoro has been incredibly cautious. It is almost as if Zoro knows that while he’s strong, he’s not strong enough to confidently say that he can handle what Elbaf has to offer.

Why Zoro Is Still Lacking In Elbaf

Zoro Is Bothered By Loki’s Strength

Zoro, despite being strong, isn’t at his peak and he knows his limits. Zoro is one character who rarely underestimates his opponents, and after his failure against Kaido, he knows that he must grow tremendously strong. In Elbaf, Zoro could immediately sense great danger from Loki. That is precisely why when Luffy wanted Loki freed, Zoro was not sure, because according to him, a Giant of his size with the immense strength he has cannot be contained easily at all, and could risk the whole of Elbaf. This goes to show that Zoro does indeed fear Loki’s potential, although that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have faith in his own abilities. It simply means that Zoro acknowledges his level and knows that he isn’t there yet, but must strive towards getting there.

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Even when Zoro freed Loki, he kept one of his feet shackled, knowing that anything could happen if Loki was fully freed. One thing is clear here, and that is Zoro acknowledging his own limits, which sometimes fans fail to acknowledge, not realizing that Zoro isn’t the monster they think he is, at least not yet.

But, although Zoro is treading carefully in Elbaf, it also means that he respects those he comes up against, and that approach can only lead to further growth. Zoro is far from being the finished product right now. He’s a master swordsman with the immensely powerful Three Sword Style, and the power to tap into all three Haki. Zoro can even use the Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, making him a strong fighter, but his rough usage of the ability, along with the fact that he cannot maintain its power for long simply means that there are bigger obstacles for him to conquer, and knowing Zoro, he most certainly will go on to do just that in the Elbaf arc.

How Zoro Will Overcome The Setbacks He Will Face In Elbaf

Zoro Will Finally Fully Tame Enma

If there’s one thing that Zoro is guaranteed to do in Elbaf, it is taking a step closer to Mihawk, the World’s Greatest Swordsman. Zoro vs Mihawk is fast approaching now, and that’s a fact. One Piece is already in the Final Saga, and by the time the Straw Hats get to Laugh Tale, Zoro must already be the World’s Greatest Swordsman. This essentially means that Zoro vs Mihawk will happen at some point before Luffy gets the fourth Road Poneglyph, and fans already know that is close. At the same time, that also means Elbaf should push Zoro closer to Mihawk than any other One Piece arc, and that means conquering bigger challenges.

Zoro knows he cannot rival the likes of Loki right now, but at the end of Elbaf, he should be, at the very least, strong enough to contend with him. That can be achieved by pushing Zoro through a grueling battle, which could be against Saint Sommers, a powerful Holy Knight. If Sommers is as strong as an Admiral, then, for Zoro to beat him will require him to face his weaknesses, improve his Haki, and potentially even risk his life itself. Hard as it may be for him, once the battle is over, Zoro will be stronger than ever before, and potentially even ready for taking down Dracule Mihawk, the World’s Greatest Swordsman.

Following Elbaf, Zoro vs Mihawk will likely happen soon, and fans should expect this fight to shake the whole world in one way or another. It is only a matter of time before the famed Hawkeye gets knocked down from his perch, potentially by Zoro himself, although the Straw Hat Swordsman will still have stronger enemies to fight and bigger obstacles to conquer, given that there are plenty more powerful than Mihawk in One Piece.

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 apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1141, is set to be March 2, 2025.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

• 

  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)