Zoro's first black blade in Elbaf, explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Important takeaways

• Zoro aims to become the best swordsman and needs power.
• Zoro can blacken his swords for real strength.
• Sandai Kitetsu may be Zoro's first blackened blade.

Zoro is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the world One Piece. After embarking on the journey to find and defeat Dracule Mihawk to claim the title of the world's greatest swordsman, Zoro has made great strides for himself since then. Right now, Zoro is on a Yonko team, which means the standard is pretty high for him. And considering that he is the second strongest in the crew behind Luffy, it implies that Zoro is among the strongest characters in the world.

That said, Zoro is far from his peak, and still requires more power. Although strength can be gained by training the body, Zoro can also strengthen not only himself but also his swords. Curiously, the concept of strengthening his swords was introduced in the Wano Country arc, and fans know that there is a way for Zoro to become even stronger if he manages to achieve the power of Blade Blackening.

The concept of Leaf blackening in one piece

• Black leaves are very rare in a piece
• Zoro can access black blades

Black Blades are quite special in One Piece world. Fans were introduced to a black blade for the very first time when Dracule Mihawk made his debut. During the Baratie arc, Zoro battled Mihawk, and although the latter did not use his main blade during the battle to deliver the final blow, he eventually unleashed the blade he called the World's Greatest, Yoru. Yoru is jet black from top to bottom, and at the time fans didn't pay attention to this detail. However, knowing Oda, fans weren't surprised when this became a major plot point, somewhere around the Thriller Bark arc. During this arc, the zombie of a legendary samurai named Ryuma was introduced into the story, and it was clearly mentioned that Ryuma also carried a black blade, just like Mihawk.

As an honor, I will use this black blade to deliver the final blow. – Mihawk

This black blade was Shuusui, one of the 21 Great Swords. Shusui is said to be incredibly robust, much of which was due to it becoming blackened. This blade came into Zoro's possession in the Thriller Bark arc and stayed all the way up to the Wano Country arc, where he returned it to the people of the country in exchange for Enma. Of course, this was a personal loss for Zoro, but not so much in terms of power, considering the fact that Zoro was given an even stronger blade and one that helped him harness the powers of the Conqueror's Haki, along with allowing him to access it advanced form of Armament Haki as well. Enma ended up being a huge tool for Zoro to evolve in One Piece.

While Enma itself was an upgrade, Oda also set up a future power-up for Zoro in the form of Black Blades. According to Kozuki Sukiyaki, black leaves are quite special in One Piece and any blade can turn into a black blade. This does not necessarily mean that Haki Imbuement turns a blade black temporarily. The idea being talked about here is the permanent blackening of a blade. Constantly imbued with Armament Haki, and potentially also Conqueror's Haki, can allow one to turn one's sword black. Once that happens, the blade is immensely strengthened, and more than that, it rises in rank as well. This was confirmed in the Wano Country arc, and it essentially means that a blade is massively strengthened when Blackening is achieved.

Why Zoro will blacken his swords soon

Zoro's sword needs a big power boost

One Piece is finally in its final saga, and that means all the Straw Hats must be nearing their peak now. Luffy has already become a Yonko, and while he's not at the peak of his powers, he's pretty close. The same can be said for the remaining Strawhats. Everyone should be close to their peaks right now, which means Zoro should also be close to reaching a level where he can defeat Mihawk. Zoro has already harnessed the power of advanced Conqueror's Haki as well, and there isn't much left for him to reach the level of the Admirals and, eventually, the Yonko.

Any leaf can become a black leaf. – Mihawk

A big power-up that Zoro can get soon is getting a black blade. However, Zoro has three blades in One Piece and not just one. This means that these power-ups can come gradually, one by one. Zoro could potentially blacken one of his swords soon. In the Elbaf arc, Zoro was able to continue blackening his first blade, and this would be a great power-up for him. Zoro blackening a blade would reveal a lot of exciting details to fans, like how this process enhances the sword and how it even happens in the first place.

Fans are also eager to know how blackening improves a Swordsman, and if it can improve the overall power and effectiveness of the blade. There are many questions that are unanswered at this point, and they will only be resolved as Zoro continues to blacken his first sword.

Which sword will Zoro blacken first?

Zoro was able to blacken Sandai Kitetsu first

Right now, Zoro wields three incredibly powerful swords. His most valuable blade is the Wado Ichimonji, which is one of the 21 Great Swords. Enma is of a similar rank and is by far his strongest sword. And then there is the Sandai Kitetsu, which is the weakest of all the blades that Zoro carries. Considering that all of these swords are very powerful, it is likely that the blade that Zoro will proceed to blacken first is the weakest. This would save the stronger power-ups for later. The Sandai Kitetsu could be the first blade that Zoro blackens, and if that were to really happen, Zoro would have a very powerful blade at his disposal.

Right now, fans don't know how much of an upgrade a blade gets in rank when Blackened. At the very least, fans should expect the Sandai Kitetsu to become one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. If that really happens, then all three of Zoro's blades would be of the same class and that would ensure that he levels up in terms of strength. Perhaps blackening the blades would also allow Zoro to handle Haki better and not waste it as much as he usually does. This could be the boost Zoro needs to maximize the use of the King of Hell style, and hopefully will allow him to grow even stronger than he currently is.

Blackening a blade also means that Zoro's cutting power increases dramatically overall, and he would then be able to deliver even more deadly blows. Hopefully, the challenges Elbaf poses to Zoro will be enough to push him to the limit and blacken one of his mighty blades.

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 1131, is set for November 11, 2024.