How Zora's left eye will be the key to defeating Mihawk

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.

Key conclusions

• Zoro is stronger than most Yonko commanders, but he still needs a final push to defeat Mihawk.
• Oda teased Zoro's left eye as a potential key to unlocking his full power.
• Zoro's final power-up can occur when he opens his left eye, releasing demonic powers to defeat Mihawk.

One Piece has already entered the Elbaf Arch in the Final Saga, and from this point on the Straw Hat Pirates will take important steps towards their goals. Their main goal is to make Luffy king of the pirates, but at the same time, each Straw Hat has their own independent goals. For example, Sanji wants to find All Blue, Nami wants to draw a map of the whole world, Robin wants to know 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.

In Zoro's case, fans know that he wants to become the greatest swordsman in the world, but it's not an easy task for him to accomplish. To become the world's greatest swordsman, Zoro will have to defeat none other than Dracula Mihawk, the world's greatest. Having already fought Blink once and experienced what true power is, Zoro knows he has a long way to go. The good thing is that Zoro has improved a lot in battle since then and has developed a unique power that will help him hold his own against Mihawk. But he still needs one last push, and that might come in the form of his left eye, which has been closed since the time lapse.

Zoro's current level and power difference compared to Mihawk

• Zoro is stronger than most Yonko commanders
• Zoro's power will only improve

Currently, Zoro is definitely stronger than most of Yonko's first mates. In the Wano Country Arch, Zoro took some serious hits and got a few bonuses. His first boost and arc came through Enma, which took him a week to learn the basics. It can be said that after the Onigashima War Arc began, Zoro didn't have perfect control over Enma. But he managed, to say the least, to use it well enough. It wasn't until the battle against King that Zoro was finally able to harness his true powers and use them to release his hidden Haki. Enma's ability to pull Ryuō out of the user's body meant that Zoro the Conqueror's hidden haki was engaged and finally awakened. He was able to channel it through his blades.

Are you telling me that Auden can wield you like you're light as a feather? – Zora

Zoro finally gained access to advanced Conqueror Haki and was able to use it incredibly well, albeit only for a very short period of time. In this battle, Zoro was able to quickly deal with King and then save his powers for another day.

After the events of the Vano Country arc, Zoro probably tightened his control over Enma even more. This is especially true as fans know that Zora is always training and making sure to take herself to the next level every day. In Egghead, Zoro was seen fighting against the likes of the Rays, and while the fight was short-lived and didn't end well, Zoro definitely had the upper hand.

We can say that at the moment Art One PieceZora is easily one of the strongest characters, having already defeated the likes of King. The only characters above him are the likes of the Admirals, Yonka, and of course some standouts like Ben Beckman, Reilly, and Loki among other characters. There are definitely a lot of characters in One Piece that are still stronger than Zoro, which means he still has a ways to go. Although Zoro possesses powerful abilities such as Conqueror's Haki Infusion and is a master swordsman, he is still not on Mihawk's level. He still needs to improve his form in some way and his next boost could come through his left eye.

Why the Eye of Zoro will be the key to defeating Mihawk

Oda teased Zoro's eye as it was his great power

The mystery of Zoro's left eye has become huge since the post-timeskip. The strangest thing is that Oda didn't even touch on Zoro's eye injury once he got back from the printing shop, which is pretty amazing considering Oda always pays attention to detail. It just means there's something more going on around Zoro's eyes that fans don't know. This becomes even more convincing when you consider that Oda planned to have Zoro close his left eye sometime around 1997-1999. For those who don't know, this is the same time when One Piece actually started serialization and was in the early stages. By then, Oda had already told Watsuki, his teacher, that Zoro would continue to close his eyes. In 2021, Watsuki asked Oda again about Zoro's eye, but Oda refused to answer him. This further suggests that there is a great mystery surrounding Zoro's eyes that could potentially directly correlate to his power.

Learn more about the world and become stronger, Roronoa Zoro. I will wait for you on top of this throne. – Mihawk

Naturally, fans wondered how Zoro's eye could have helped him defeat Mihawk. Currently, Zoro needs two main powers. The first major ability that Zoro should gain is the ability to improve his control over the Conqueror's Haki. Now Zoro can't keep her Conqueror Haki for long.

After a few minutes, his body will run out of Haki and he will die. This is something Zoro clearly confirmed in Wano. Essentially, this means that Zoro will have to drastically improve his strength and learn to emit Haki only in moments, or at the very least improve his Haki pool to be able to last in extended battles.

Besides that, Zoro would still need something to raise him to the level of the four emperors and be strong enough to defeat the likes of Mihawk. This is where his left eye may come into play, and fans know that his left eye may be related to his demonic powers, which Zoro has already displayed several times, such as when he portrayed Ashura in One Piece.

Zoro's latest power-up might be enough to defeat Mihaka

Zoro vs Mihawk is coming soon

It's likely that Zoro's latest power-up in the One Piece will come when he opens his left eye. This could have happened in the battle against Mihawk, and by opening his eyes, Zoro could have unleashed the true demonic powers within him. It's no surprise to know that Zoro has a demonic aura. In the Enies Lobby arch, there were people who could sense Zoro's demonic aura, and even Kaku could actually see Zoro manifesting a demonic essence by willpower alone. Fans know that Asura exists as an extension of Zoro's demonic willpower, and they've seen her used in battle many times before, 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 a chance to defeat Mihaka's Dracula and declare himself the greatest swordsman in One Piece.

One Piece is available to read through Viz Media. Fans can read the series officially and for free on Shonen Jump and Manga Plus. The next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1134, is scheduled for release on December 22, 2024.