Zoro's First Black Blade in Elbaf Explained

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

Key conclusions

• Zoro aspires to become the greatest swordsman and needs reinforcements.
• Zora can blacken her swords for a significant increase in power.
• Sandai Kitetsu could be Zoro's first blackened blade.

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

However, Zoro is far from his peak and still needs more power. While strength can be achieved by training the body, Zora can also strengthen not only herself, but also her swords. Interestingly, the concept of powering 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 blackening the blade in one piece

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

Black blades are quite special in the One Piece the world Fans were first introduced to the black blade when Dracula Mihawk debuted. During the Barati arc, Zoro fought against Mihawk, and although the latter did not use his master blade during the battle to deliver the final blow, he finally unleashed a blade he called the World's Greatest, Yoru. Yoru is completely black from top to bottom, and back then fans didn't pay attention to this detail. However, knowing Oda, fans weren't surprised when it became a major plot point somewhere around the Thriller Bark arc. During this arc, a legendary samurai zombie named Ryuma was introduced in the story, and it was clearly mentioned that Ryuma also carried a black blade like Mihawk.

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

This black blade was a Shuusui, one of the 21 Great Rank Swords. Shusui is said to be incredibly durable, in large part due to its blackening. This blade came into Zoro's possession in the Thriller Bark arc and lasted until the Land of Vano arc, where he returned it to the Earthlings in exchange for Enma. Of course, this was a personal loss for Zoro, but not so much in terms of strength, considering the fact that Zoro gained an even stronger blade that helped him tap into the powers of the Conqueror's Haki, and allowed him to access an advanced form of Haki weaponry as well. Enma ended up being a huge tool for Zoro's progress in One Piece.

While Enma herself was an upgrade, Oda also created a future augmentation for Zoro in the form of the Black Blades. According to Kazuki Sukiyaki, black blades are quite special One Piece and any blade can be turned into a black blade. This does not necessarily mean that the Khaki Imbument temporarily turns the blade black. The idea being talked about here is the permanent blackening of the blade. Constantly imbuing a weapon's Haki, and potentially even Conqueror's Haki, can turn your sword black. As soon as this happens, the blade becomes extremely strong, and what's more, its rank also increases. This was confirmed in the Wano Country arc, and it basically means that the blade becomes extremely powerful when blackening is achieved.

Why would Zoro blacken his swords soon

Zoro's swords need a serious power boost

One Piece is finally in its final saga, and that means all the Straw Hats are probably nearing their peak. Luffy has already become a Yonka, and while he's not at the peak of his powers yet, he's pretty close. The same can be said for the rest of the Strawhats. All of them should be close to their peaks right now, which means Zoro should also be close to reaching a level where he can beat Mihaka. Zoro had also already used the power of the Conqueror's advanced Haki, and he had very little left to reach the same level as the Admirals and eventually Yonko.

Any blade can become a black blade. – Mihawk

One of the great power ups Zora can get in the near future is the black blade. However, Zoro has three blades in One Piece instead of one. This means that these bonuses can come gradually, one after the other. Zora may blacken one of her swords soon. In Elbaf's arc, Zoro could blacken his first blade and it would be a huge boost for him. Blackening Zoro's blade would reveal quite a few interesting details to fans, such as how the process enhances the sword and how it even happens.

Fans also want to know how blackening improves a swordsman and if it can improve the overall power as well as the efficiency of the blade. There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point, and they will only be resolved when Zoro does blacken her first sword.

Which sword will Zoro blacken first?

Zoro could slander Sandai Kitetsu first

Zoro now has three incredibly powerful swords. His most prized blade is the Vado Itimondi, one of the 21 Great Rank Swords. Enma belongs to a similar rank and is his strongest sword to date. And then there's the Sandai Kitetsu, which is the weakest of all the blades Zora carries. Considering all of these swords are very powerful, it's likely that the blade Zoro blackens first is the weakest. This will save stronger bonuses for later. The Sandai Kitetsu could be the first blade that Zoro blackens, and if it does happen, then Zoro will have a very powerful blade at his disposal.

At this point, fans don't know how much the blade's rank increases when it is blackened. At the very least, fans should expect Sandai Kitetsu to be one of the 21 Great Horned Swords. If this actually happens, then all three of Zoro's blades will be of the same grade, guaranteeing an increase in his durability level. Perhaps blackening the blades would also allow Zoro to have better Haki and not waste as much of it as usual. This could be the boost Zoro needs to make the most of the Hell King style, and hopefully it will allow him to become even stronger than he already is.

To top it all off, the blackening of the blade means that Zoro's cutting power as a whole will increase dramatically, allowing him to deliver even more deadly blows. Hopefully, the challenges that Elbaf presents Zoro will be enough to push him to the extreme and blacken one of his powerful blades.

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 1131, is scheduled for release on November 11, 2024.