On March 28, 2022, in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, One Piece Chapter 1044 was 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 take part in the transformation called Gear 5.
Since then, Luffy has maintained his godlike status and taken his overall powers to the next level. But the last story about One Piecespecifically the climax of the Elbaf arc, has confirmed to us that there are many more gods who exist beside him in the world. Among them, one of them will be Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates. Although Zoro has no Devil Fruit ability, he will rise to godlike 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 God of Swords
IN One Piece Chapter 1044, released on March 28, 2026, Monkey D. Luffy awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and entered Gear 5. With the awakening of this Devil Fruit, 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 gods' existence was largely brushed off by fans, although 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, take this woman's blood and save our village from disaster.” — One Piece Chapter #287 introduces the four main gods
After the events of Wano, Eiichiro Oda lined up many more gods, such as One Piece chapter 1138, which featured the Harley for the first time. Since then, fans have been waiting for figures such as the Rain God, the Earth God, the Forest God, and even the Serpent of Hellfire to appear. One character that Eiichiro Oda has already earmarked to ascend to godhood is Roronoa Zoro, the Straw Hat Pirates' swordsman.
Zoro is the man aiming to become the strongest swordsman in the world, and to do this he must defeat Dracule Mihawk, the man who currently holds the title. Zoro's desire to become the world's strongest swordsman comes from his promise 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 storyline surrounding the character of Roronoa Zoro that Eiichiro Oda will explore in the future, and this one directly links him to Shimotsuki Ryuma, his direct ancestor from Shimotsuki Furiko, his grandmother. For it One Piece fans who don't know, Shimotsuki Ryuma was officially confirmed to be the Sword God, or God of the Blade, in One Piece Chapter 937, officially released on March 25, 2019, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, by none other than Gyukimaru of the Oihagi, or the dog of the Oihagi, or in other words of the Oihagi. Shimotsuki Ushimaru.
“After his death, he was awarded the title of Sword God and was buried together with his beloved sword Shusui. These two are the country's national treasures!” — Onimaru explains how Ryuma became a God, One Piece Chapter #937
It is said that Ryuma once stood by and was once revered and respected in Wano, and his achievements were such that his famous blade, Shusui, was named Wano's national treasure. According to Onimaru, the feat of Ryuma slaying a dragon above the Flower Capital is just one of his many feats. It was only through his strength that Wano was able to fend off all invaders long ago, when Wano was still known as the Land of Gold. Ryuma's status as the God of Blades must be transferred to Roronoa Zoro before the end of One Piece. By passing this status to his direct descendant, Eiichiro Oda will officially make Zoro a god after Luffy.
Why Roronoa Zoro must compete with the legacy of Shimotsuki Ryuma
Roronoa Zoro has to compete with the legacy of Shimotsuki Ryuma due to the direct connection between them. First, Zoro and Ryuma look alike, but more importantly, they share a blood connection. It is unclear what time period Ryuma existed in, but what we do know is that the Shimotsuki family still existed in Wano, with Ushimaru as 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 East Blue. In East Blue, she married Roronoa Pinzoro, and with him 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 great swordsman and a direct descendant of the sword god, Shimotsuki Ryuma. And this man was the one who finally returned 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, Blomman Hyogoro also confirmed that Zoro and Ryuma are like two peas in a pod, and in other words, Zoro is destined to create a similar legacy for himself as Ryuma. For Zoro, it is a big dream to surpass Dracule Mihawk and become the strongest swordsman in the world, 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 before and become the 'God of the Blade'. By mastering his swordsmanship to a godlike level, Zoro will become the strongest swordsman in the world of One Piece, while also becoming famous throughout the world, which is a development we absolutely cannot wait to see.
Zoro's endgame status in One Piece World
In the endgame of One Piece, Zoro is destined to rank among the strongest in the world. While Luffy will likely be the most powerful around due to his potential to surpass even Joy Boy in terms of strength, Zoro won't be far behind. Having surpassed figures like Dracule Mihawk, Zoro will already rank among the strongest characters in the entire world. Next to Zoro will be the chef of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji. These two are always portrayed by Eiichiro Oda as equals, and this status will continue to be maintained until the end. As such the playoffs top three of One Piece the world is lining up to be Luffy, Zoro and Sanji.
“A first-class chef who takes care of the crew's stomach, and at the same time, he is also a combatant who fights with magnificent footwork. Although his reward is lower than Zoro's, their strength is evenly matched, worthy of being called Wings.” — Eiichiro Oda confirms that Zoro and Sanji are the same in One Piece Mini Magazine
Although it might have been impossible to imagine at one point, the Elbaf Arc specifically lined up the Conqueror's Haki for Luffy's Wings and established parity between them. As all of the Straw Hat Monster Trio are kings in their own right and hold immense powers, they are destined for greatness and achieving God's powers in the final saga.
The latest One Piece manga chapters by creator Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
