Zoro has had tremendous growth in One Piece since the Wano arc and he might be able to take down Blackbeard in an individual battle.
SUMMARY
One Piece has entered the final saga and the Straw Hat Pirates are growing exponentially in terms of strength.
Within the crew the most amount of growth is experienced by Zoro aside from Luffy.
In fact, he has become strong enough to take down Blackbeard.
The heavy league players of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece are slowly getting ready for the final war that is not only going to decide who becomes the Pirate King but will also determine the fate of the One Piece world. Among these heavy league players, the one pirate who is going to play the antagonistic role is Blackbeard, also known as Marshall D. Teach.
Blackbeard from One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation
Blackbeard is currently one of the strongest pirates in the world, possessing not one but two Devil Fruits. While he may not be properly versed in the Haki abilities, his Devil Fruit powers more than compensate for it. However, this might not work in the final war, as fans know that Haki exceeds Devil Fruit in the New World.
Thus, Blackbeard is nowhere near the level of Luffy, who has taken his Haki abilities to the next level. This is why there is a notion going around the internet that Blackbeard might not even win against Zoro, much less Luffy. It is believed that in a 1-v-1, Zoro might be able to take down Blackbeard quite easily, and there are several pieces of evidence within the One Piece narrative that support this argument.
Zoro’s Growth In The Last Few Arcs
Ever since the Wano arc, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates has seen next-level growth in his abilities as a swordsman. This growth has come from the increase in his Haki abilities, as he not only completely unlocked Conqueror’s Haki but also ended up using the advanced version of it by infusing it in his sword, Enma.
This power-up is quite rare in One Piece, and thus, it puts Zoro among the ranks of some of the strongest One Piece characters. However, Zoro has not only grown in terms of Haki, as his swordsmanship has also gained an increase in power, with him getting Enma, one of the 21 Great Grade Swords. As seen during the Wano arc, Enma requires a great level of strength, and Zoro has been maintaining it for over two arcs.
Roronoa Zoro from One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation
Zoro’s character development has been tremendous ever since the time skip, and he still has a lot of potential that Eiichiro Oda will most likely explore during the Elbaph arc. Thus, Zoro is definitely going to be a significant addition to the final One Piece war and will most likely help in shifting the tides in the favor of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Zoro Might Be Able To Defeat Blackbeard
The next level of growth of the Straw Hat’s swordsman has led to him being compared with other characters who, just like him, will be a part of the final war. Among those comparisons, the one name that might shock fans is Blackbeard, the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and an Emperor of the Sea in One Piece. Blackbeard’s name only pops up because he has not shown any kind of growth since he acquired Whitebeard’s fruit.
Blackbeard in One Piece | Credit: Toei Animation
As a pirate, Blackbeard has become much more powerful, but as an individual, he has not experienced any substantial changes. His entire power structure relies on his two Devil Fruits, which, according to the narrative, might not help him much in the future as Haki is already confirmed to be the higher power. And in terms of Haki, Blackbeard can only use Armament and Observation.
In fact, he can’t even use the advanced versions of these Haki abilities. Therefore, if Zoro fights Blackbeard in a 1-on-1 battle, he might face some difficulties, but he will be able to take him down one way or the other. Zoro’s durability, speed, and overall strength might not be at Mihawk’s level but it exceeds Blackbeard’s, which makes him a stronger character than the One Piece Emperor until he uses some cheap tricks for which he is quite famous.
