On March 28, 2022, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, One Piece Chapter 1044 dropped and officially made Luffy a God. In this chapter, Luffy’s Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, was officially awakened, and he was able to tap into the transformation called Gear 5.
Since then, Luffy has maintained his godly status and taken his overall powers to the next level. However, the final saga of One Piece, specifically the Elbaf Arc climax, has confirmed to us that there are many more Gods that exist alongside him in the world. Among them, one of them is going to be Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates. While Zoro does not hold any Devil Fruit ability, he is going to rise to Godly fame in terms of strength as well as his mastery of the sword, officially becoming the next “God of the Blade,” like Ryuma.
One Piece Is Set To Follow Luffy’s Ascension To Godhood By Making Zoro The Sword God
In One Piece Chapter 1044, released on March 28, 2026, Monkey D. Luffy awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and tapped into Gear 5. With the Awakening of this Devil Fruit, the Gorosei officially confirmed to us that Luffy had become the Warrior of Liberation and the Sun God. Up until this point in the story, the existence of Gods was largely brushed off by fans, even though One Piece Chapter 287 first mentioned their existence on August 11, 2003, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #37-38.
“God of the Sun, God of the Rain, God of the Forest, God of the Earth, please take this woman’s blood and save our village from disaster.” — One Piece Chapter #287 introduces the 4 main Gods
Following the events of Wano, Eiichiro Oda lined up many more Gods, such as One Piece chapter 1138, which showcased the Harley for the first time. Since then, fans have been waiting for figures like the Rain God, the Earth God, the Forest God, and even the Serpent of Hellfire to show up. One character that Eiichiro Oda has already earmarked to ascend to Godhood is Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Zoro is the man who aims to become the Strongest Swordsman in the World, and to do this, he has to defeat Dracule Mihawk, the man who currently holds the title. Zoro’s desire to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman comes from his promise that he made to Kuina before she died, and the desire to make Luffy the Pirate King. For both of these reasons, Zoro wants to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman, and by the end of One Piece, he will have fulfilled this goal as well as his ambition.
There is another plotline surrounding the character of Roronoa Zoro that Eiichiro Oda will explore in the future, and this one links him directly to Shimotsuki Ryuma, his direct ancestor from Shimotsuki Furiko, his grandmother. For the One Piece fans who do not know, Shimotsuki Ryuma was officially confirmed to be the Sword God, or God of the Blade, in One Piece Chapter 937, released officially on March 25, 2019, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, by none other than Gyukimaru of the Oihagi Bridge, or, in other words, Onimaru, the pet dog of Shimotsuki Ushimaru.
“After his death, he was bestowed the title of Sword God and buried alongside his beloved sword Shusui. Those two are the national treasures of the country!” — Onimaru explains how Ryuma became a God, One Piece Chapter #937
It is said that Ryuma once stood alongside and was once revered and respected in Wano, and his achievements were such that his famed blade, Shusui, was named the national treasure of Wano itself. According to Onimaru, the feat of Ryuma slaying a dragon above the flower capital is only one of his many feats. It was through his strength alone that Wano was able to fend off any invaders long ago, when Wano was still known as the Land of Gold. Ryuma’s status as the God of the Blade must be passed down to Roronoa Zoro before the end of One Piece. By passing down this status to his direct descendant, Eiichiro Oda will officially make Zoro a God after Luffy.
Why Roronoa Zoro Must Rival The Legacy Of Shimotsuki Ryuma
Roronoa Zoro needs to rival the legacy of Shimotsuki Ryuma due to the direct connection between them. For one, Zoro and Ryuma look the same, but more importantly, they share a blood connection. It is unclear as to what time period Ryuma existed in, but what we know is that the Shimotsuki family still existed in Wano, with Ushimaru its last known Daimyo. Shimotsuki Ushimaru’s sister, Shimotsuki Furiko, was also a direct descendant of Ryuma, and she moved from Wano 55 years ago and settled in the East Blue. In the East Blue, she married Roronoa Pinzoro, and together with him, she had a child named Roronoa Arashi, who then married Tera and had Zoro with her. This Zoro family tree was officially explained by Eiichiro Oda in One Piece Volume 105, and it links Roronoa Zoro directly to Ryuma.
“Ushimaru was a fantastic swordsman and a direct descendant of the Sword God, Shimotsuki Ryuma. And this man was the one to finally return Shusui to Wano. It must be fate, as Ryuma was also a one-eyed Samurai.” — Kawamatsu explains the Shimotsuki bloodline linked to Zoro, One Piece Chapter #1023
In One Piece Chapter 1023, Hyogoro the Flower also confirmed that Zoro and Ryuma are like two peas in a pod, and in other words, Zoro is destined to carve out a similar legacy for himself like Ryuma. For Zoro, surpassing Dracule Mihawk and becoming the strongest swordsman in the world is a great dream, but he must go beyond that if he wants to reach a completely unexplored level. He can only do this by doing what Ryuma did in the past and becoming the ‘God of the Blade.’ By mastering his swordsmanship to a godly level, Zoro will become the strongest swordsman to exist in the world of One Piece, and at the same time, be renowned throughout the world, which is a development that we absolutely cannot wait to see.
Zoro’s Endgame Status In The One Piece World
In the endgame of One Piece, Zoro is destined to rank among the strongest in the world. While Luffy is likely to be the mightiest that exists due to his potential to surpass even Joy Boy in terms of strength, Zoro is not going to be far behind. By having surpassed figures such as Dracule Mihawk, Zoro will already rank among the strongest characters in the entire world. Alongside Zoro is going to be the Cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji. These two are always portrayed by Eiichiro Oda to be equals, and this status will continue to be maintained right up until the very end. As such, the endgame top three of the One Piece world are lining up to be Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
“A first-rate Chef who takes care of the crew’s stomach, and at the same time, he’s also a combatant who fights with magnificent footwork. Though his bounty is lower than Zoro’s, their strength is evenly matched, worthy of being called Wings.” — Eiichiro Oda confirms Zoro and Sanji are equal in One Piece Mini Magazine
While it might have been impossible to imagine at one point, Elbaf Arc has specifically lined up Conqueror’s Haki for Luffy’s Wings and established equivalency between them. With all Straw Hat Monster Trio being Kings in their own right, holding on to tremendous powers, they are destined for greatness and achieving the powers of God in the final saga.
The latest One Piece manga chapters by creator Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
