One Piece's current Clear-Clear Fruit user may be the one swordsman Zoro can't beat

One Piece final saga has been full of reveals and nerve-wracking moments, which has left fans asking for more. With the current ongoing battle between the Straw Hats and the Five Elders, no one knows what the future holds.

However, it is speculated that, after the battle against the Gorosei, the Straw Hats could go against the ultimate evil of the Grand Line, Marshall D. Teech, more commonly referred to as Blackbeard, and his crew.

This has brought fans to the question—what battles will take place between these pirate crews after they face off? Many speculate that the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro, could go against one of the Ten Titanic captains of the Blackbeard Pirates, Shiryu. Some fans also believe that Zoro could face a hard time against him because of his devil fruit abilities.

Disclaimer: This article contains potential spoilers from the One Piece manga series and reflects the author's opinion.

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One Piece: Discovering the reason why Zoro could face a hard time against Shiryu

Roronoa Zoro as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Roronoa Zoro is the first member of the Straw Hat Pirates who wields the Three Sword Style. His three swords are Sandau Kitetsu, Wado Ichimonji, and Enma, all of which are some of the best swords present on the Grand Line.

Zoro is also one of the only few characters in the series who possess all three kinds of Haki: Armament, Observation, and Conqueror's Haki. However, he hasn't awakened his Future Sight yet, which could be considered an advanced form of Observation Haki. Zoro has no devil fruit powers, and he aims to become the strongest swordsman of Grand Line.

Shiryu as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Shiryu is the former Head Jailer of Impel Down, who was recruited as a Blackbeard Pirate during their raid on this place. He willingly betrayed his companions at Impel Down and helped Blackbeard escape this place, thus becoming one of the Ten Titanic Commanders of his crew, the Blackbeard Pirates.

Just like Roronoa, Shirya also excels in swordplay, but instead of three sword styles, he uses a single sword named Raiu. Raiu is an unknown grade sword, which is a nodachi, similar to Law's Kikochi. After being released from jail, Teech handed him his sword, which was taken from him before he was jailed. After receiving his weapon, he displayed his skills by killing some of his companions.

Moreover, Shiryu also has the power of Clear-Clear devil fruit, which makes him invisible. This devil fruit belonged to Absalom, a Thriller Bark Pirate, but he was killed sometime around the Paramount War arc of One Piece, after the Blackbeard Pirates abducted him. After killing him, Blackbeard could have used his unknown technique to give his powers to Shiryu before they went into circulation.

Shiryu displaying his Clear-Clear fruit powers (Image via Toei Animation)

Shiryu displayed his devil fruit expertise against Garp during the battle on Beehive Island. He managed to gravely injure the Marine Hero, which became one of the reasons for the latter's defeat.

In case there is a possibility of a showdown between the Blackbeard Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates during the final saga, the two swordsmen of these crews could go against one another. Most fans would say that Roronoa could beat Shiryu in the blink of an eye because his Three-Sword Style has managed to slay some strong pirates in the past.

However, that could not be the case, as Shiryu has a very annoying devil fruit ability, which gives him the ability to become invisible. There is only one way to sense his presence and that is through Observation Haki. Where Zoro does possess this kind of Haki, Vinsmoke Sanji excels at it, as compared to the swordsman. So, he could face a hard time against Shiryu.

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Final thoughts

Roronoa Zoro facing a hard time against Shiryu doesn't mean that he could lose against the Blackbeard Pirate. There could still be chances of him winning against Shiryu with his Three Sword Style alone.

Moreover, the battle also depends on the mastery of Shiryu over his Clear-Clear devil fruit. The move he displayed against Garp was the basic use of his fruit, so there could be a chance that he hadn't achieved mastery over the control of this devil fruit.

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