This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
Important takeaways
- Zoro is stronger than most Yonko commanders, but still needs one last push to beat Mihawk.
- Oda has teased Zoro's left eye as a potential key to unlocking his full power.
- Zoro's final power-up may come when he opens his left eye and unleashes demonic powers to defeat Mihawk.
One Piece have already entered the Arc of Elbaf in the Final Saga and from here on out the Straw Hat Pirates will make great strides towards their respective goals. Their overall goal is to make Luffy the Pirate King, but at the same time, each Straw Hat has their own independent goals as well. For example, Sanji wants to find the all-blue one, Nami wants to draw a map of the whole world, Robin wants to find out the true history of the world, Usopp wants to become a brave warrior of the sea, and just like them, Zoro also has his own dreams.

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In the case of Zoro, fans know that he wants to become the world's greatest swordsman, but it is not easy for him to accomplish this task. In order to become the world's greatest swordsman, Zoro must defeat none other than Dracule Mihawk, the current greatest in the world. Having already fought Mihawk once and getting a taste of what true strength feels like, Zoro knows he has to go far. The good thing is that Zoro has since improved tremendously in battle and developed a unique strength that will see him hold his own against Mihawk. But he still needs that final push, and it could come in the form of his left eye, which has been closed since the time jump.
Zoro's current level and the difference in power compared to Mihawk
- Zoro is stronger than most Yonko commanders
- Zoro's strength will only improve
Currently, Zoro is certainly stronger than most Yonko first mates. In the Wano Country Arc, Zoro took big strikes and gained several power-ups. His first power-up and bow came through Enma, which he took a week to learn the basics of. It can be said that when the Onigashima War Arc began, Zoro did not have perfect control over Enma. But, he managed to use it well enough to say the least. It was only in the battle against King that Zoro was finally able to harness his true powers and use it to unleash his latent Haki. Enma's power to pull Ryuo from the user's body meant that Zoro's latent Conqueror's Haki was tapped and eventually awakened. He could channel it through his blades.
Are you telling me that Odin could swing you like you were light as a feather? – Zoro
Zoro finally gained access to advanced Conqueror's Haki, and was able to infuse it incredibly well, albeit only for a very short period of time. In this battle, Zoro was able to make quick work of King and then save his powers for another day.
After the events of the Wano Country arc, Zoro likely further strengthened his control over Enma. This is especially true since fans know that Zoro is always training and making sure he reaches the next level with each passing day. In Egghead, Zoro was seen fighting the likes of Lucci, and while this fight was short-lived and couldn't be properly concluded, Zoro certainly had the upper hand.
You could say that at this point One PieceZoro is easily among the strongest characters, having beaten the likes of King. The only characters above him are the likes of the admirals, Yonko, and of course a few individuals, like Ben Beckman, Rayleigh, and Loki, among other characters. There are certainly many characters in One Piece who are still stronger than Zoro, which means he still has a ways to go. Despite having powerful abilities like Conqueror's Haki Infusion and being a master swordsman, Zoro is not yet on Mihawk's level. He still needs to improve in some way or form, and his next power-up may come through his left eye.
Why Zoro's Eye will be the key to beating Mihawk
Oda has teased Zoro's eye as his major power-up
The mystery of Zoro's left eye has been absolutely huge ever since the time skip. The most bizarre thing is that Oda didn't even bring up Zoro's eye injury when he came back from the type ship and that's quite strange, considering that Oda always pays attention to details. This simply means that there is something bigger about Zoro's eye that fans don't know about. This becomes even more believable when you consider that Oda had planned for Zoro to close his left eye around 1997 to 1999. For those who don't know, that's the same time that One Piece actually started serialization and was in early stages. By then, Oda had already told Watsuki, his mentor, that Zoro would continue to close his eyes. In 2021, Watsuki asked Oda about Zoro's eye again, but Oda refused to give him the answer. This goes on to suggest that there is a great secret surrounding Zoro's eye that could potentially directly relate to his strength.
Learn more about the world and become stronger, Roronoa Zoro. I will wait on this throne for you. – Mihawk
Naturally, fans would wonder how Zoro's eye could help him beat Mihawk. As it stands, Zoro needs two superpowers. The first major ability that Zoro needs to acquire is to be able to improve his control over Conqueror's Haki. Right now, Zoro can't maintain his Conqueror's Haki for long.
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After a few minutes his body will run out of Haki and he will die. This is something that Zoro himself explicitly confirmed in Wano. This basically means that Zoro has to improve his strength dramatically and learn to secrete Haki in just an instant, or at least improve his Haki pool to be able to last in long battles.
That aside, Zoro would still need something to push him to the level of the Four Emperors and be strong enough to defeat the likes of Mihawk. This is where his left eye could come into play, and fans know that his left eye could be tied to his demonic powers, which Zoro has already manifested on several occasions, such as when he showed Ashura in One Piece.
Zoro's last power-up might be enough to beat Mihawk
Zoro vs Mihawk will happen soon
It is likely that Zoro's last power-up in One Piece comes when he opens his left eye. This could be in the battle against Mihawk, and after opening the eye, Zoro was able to unleash the true demonic powers within him. It's no surprise to know that Zoro has a demonic aura. There were people in Enie's Lobby Arc who could sense Zoro's demonic aura, and even Kaku could actually see Zoro manifesting a demon-like being with his willpower alone. Fans know that Asura exists as an extension of Zoro's demonic willpower, and they've already seen it used in battle on numerous occasions, most recently against Kaido.
Perhaps Zoro's left eye and the full power of this form will only be unleashed when he opens his left eye, potentially giving him the chance to beat Dracule Mihawk and declare himself the greatest swordsman in One Piece.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free in the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1134, is set for December 22, 2024.

- Studio
- Toei animation
- Number of episodes
- 1122