Summary

Although Luffy is usually regarded as the strongest member ofOne Piece’sStraw Hat Crew, the swordsman Zoro deserves recognition as being consistently in second place. While his overall utility outside a fight is fairly low, during a fight, Zoro is one of the most menacing characters with one of the highest amounts of potential. Gearing up to fight the strongest swordsman inOne Piece, Zoro will most likely be one of the most powerful characters by the end of the series.

When looking at Zoro’s immense strength in the world ofOne Piece, it’s easy to claim that Zoro seems like a naturally gifted swordsman. While this is most likely true, with Zoro being born with at least a fairly decent level of aptitude for fighting, more than any other character, Zoro has become one ofthe strongestOne Piececharactersthrough ridiculous amounts of hard work and training. Without this unprecedented amount of training, Zoro would be far from the swordsman he is in the most recent chapters ofOne Piece.

One Piece Zoro Three Swords Style

Zoro Trains Everyday In One Piece

Even beforeOne Piece, during Zoro’s childhood, the swordsman had always been far from the best. While he possessed an intense drive as a child that pushed him to become better, on his own, he was nothing more than a hot-headed kid who wanted to become the best swordsman, who was easily bested byhis childhood friend, Kuina. However, even as a child, Zoro underwent intense and disciplined training, honing his swordsman skills with inhuman amounts of training that eventually made him strong enough to become the pirate hunter he is today.

You need to accept the fact that you’re not the best and have all the will to strive to be better than anyone you face. - Zoro

Zoro With Weights

At the same time, whilethe swordsman of the Straw Hat Crewdoesn’t have a lot to do on a day-to-day basis on the ship, during most of his free time, when he isn’t sleeping or drinking, Zoro is training to a ridiculous degree. Usually with cartoonishly oversized weights, Zoro seems to be the only person on the crew who consistently trains to improve himself. As for his family, although Zoro is distantly related to the Sword God Ryuma of the Shimotsuki Clan, his direct parents and upbringing were nothing special.

Zoro Has A Lot Of Talent As A Swordsman

The Straw Hat Member Unlocks This Talent Through Hard Work

Firstly, Zoro does have a fair amount of talent for being a swordsman. Being a somewhat distant relative tothe Shimotsuki Clan and the people of Wano, it seems like being a swordsman is the perfect calling for Zoro. Additionally, Zoro has a bit of talent, or luck for that matter, when it comes to handling and stumbling upon ancient and powerful swords, like Enma, though this may also be attributed to his high levels of work with the weapon type. Although he does have a bit of talent to become a strong swordsman inOne Piece, most of Zoro’s strength comes from an entirely different source.

It seems like an overwhelming majority ofZoro’s power inOne Piececomes from hard work and training. Rather than relying on a distant lineage, Zoro’s continued work to hone his craft, with him spending every day of his life training in some capacity, is what makes him such an excellent swordsman. While Zoro may still be a decent swordsman without the amount of training he puts in, he would be nowhere near the level he is without constantly honing his craft.

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Zoro Is Arguably The Hardest Working Straw Hat

Zoro Trains Every Day Working On Perfecting His Sword Skills

At the same time, it’s interesting to note that, out of most ofthe Straw Hat Crew, Zoro seems to be the only one who uses his free time to train. At the same time, it seems that most of the other Straw Hats grow with Zoro at an equal rate, despite not investing hours every day into working out. Strong characters like Sanji and Luffy, who consistently keep up with Zoro with way less training, may have a bit more natural talent than the swordsman has.

I swear to never lose again! Any problem with that, Pirate King? - Zoro

However, in the end, this is just a testament toZoro’s amazing character inOne Piece. Through hard work and determination, Zoro has become one of the strongest characters in the series. Although his connection to Wano does suggest he should have some natural talent with a sword, Zoro’s endless training throughoutOne Pieceis the reason he is the second-strongest member of the Straw Hat Crew.