According to a One Piece theory, Zoro can honor Kuina’s memory after becoming the Strongest Swordsman with the help of one character.

SUMMARY

Ever since One Piece started, Roronoa Zoro has been working hard to achieve his goal of becoming the strongest swordsman.
However, once he does fulfill his goal, he will have to honor Kuina’s memory in some way.
A One Piece theory explains the perfect way for Zoro to honor Kuina’s memory.

Ever since Roronoa Zoro’s character was introduced in One Piece, he has been working hard towards his goal of becoming the Strongest Swordsman in the world. He has trained and fought with some of the greatest swordsmen in the world, including Dracule Mihawk, who is the current holder of the Strongest Swordsman title.

As fans know, Zoro’s reason behind pursuing his dream so relentlessly is the promise that he made to his cousin and his first friend, Kuina. Kuina had a natural talent for swordsmanship, and she was one of the few characters who could beat Zoro. However, she didn’t have any confidence in herself because she was forced to believe that women could never become swordsmen in One Piece.

After her death, Zoro vowed to follow their combined dream and hasn’t stopped since. But once he does obtain the title of the Strongest Swordsman, he will have to honor Kuina’s legacy. According to a One Piece theory, Zoro will do so by taking in Mocha and training her to retain the title after him.

Zoro’s promise to Kuina has been his biggest motivation

While there is not much information about Zoro’s past, there are still a few details that Eiichiro Oda has revealed about him. One of those details points out that Zoro was a decent swordsman ever since he was a kid, as he was able to beat every student in his dojo except Kuina. Kuina was a natural-born talent, and no matter what Zoro tried, he was never able to take her down.

In fact, she is the reason why Zoro developed the three-sword style. While Zoro was envious of Kuina’s talent, he was also quite empathetic because despite being a great swordswoman, Kuina struggled with the idea of actually becoming one. Thus, when Zoro heard about it, he asked Kuina to make a promise along with him that the two would work hard to achieve their goal.

Kuina and Zoro’s Promise | Credit: Toei Animation

But things were not in the favor of Kuina, as just after they made a promise to each other, Kuina succumbed to death. This broke Zoro’s heart, and he vowed that he would fulfill his promise to Kuina no matter what, and ever since then he has not stopped at all and is hellbent on fulfilling his goal in One Piece.

One Piece theory claims Zoro will pass on his legacy

According to a One Piece theory posted by u/ecass305 on Reddit, once Zoro becomes the Strongest Swordsman in the world, he will take in a female student and train her to become his successor. The theory states that this character will most likely be Mocha, the girl who was held captive and experimented on at Punk Hazard.

Mocha in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation

Mocha has been in the custody of Tashigi, who is a swordswoman herself and a spitting image of Kuina. Not only that, she also has a dream to become a master swordswoman, and she will most likely inspire Mocha to become one herself. Thus, when Zoro fulfills his promise, she will teach his skills to Mocha and help her go on the journey to become the Strongest Swordsman

While this theory has a lot of plot holes, it seems like the perfect way for Zoro to actually honor Kuina’s legacy. But in order to do that, Zoro has to attain the title of the Strongest Swordsman, and it is still miles away as he has to face many powerful One Piece characters in the future.