One Piece's old scene explains Zoro's visions in Wano and makes perfect sense

The worldbuilding of One Piece is as great as it is, but the fantasy element of this series makes the worldbuilding pop out even more as this gives the author, Eiichiro Oda, more ideas to diversify the lore of One Piece.

One such element is the Klabautermann sea spirit, which played a main role in the series when it was introduced and could become a key part of the final saga of the series. However, another spirit could exist similar to the Klubautermann in the fantasy world of One Piece, and that could be associated with swords instead of ships.

Near the climax of the Wano arc, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates is seen in an eerie dilemma. He saw himself in an open field, lying on the floor as he couldn't move, while a grim reaper stood before him. Fans speculate that this could be the Klubautermann's equal of the sword spirit.

Disclaimer: This article contains the author's opinions which do not belong to Sportskeeda.

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One Piece: Discovering the reason why Zoro faced a grim reaper at the climax of the Wano arc

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

In episode 167, during the Skypiea, the Straw Hat Pirates rest at night as Usopp wakes up hearing a banging sound. As he looked around, he witnessed a strange shadow fixing the Going Merry. After a while, the shadow looked behind and smiled at Usopp. The Straw Hat got scared and went back to sleep.

The next day, the Straw Hat Pirates woke up to a repaired Going Merry. No one paid any attention to this, but the memory of a storage shadow was engraved in Usopp's mind. Later, during the Water 7 arc, Franky revealed that the shadow Usopp saw was a Klabautermann.

He described it as a manifestation of a ship's soul, which emerges when its owners love it. At the next arc, the Klabautermann of Going Merry requested Iceberg to let him go as it wanted to help her owners in a difficult time. Although Merry saved the day, it was her last journey with the Straw Hats, and the captain of this crew, Luffy, burned it, bidding farewell with big tears.

The Grim Reaper as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation)

In episode 1065, during the Wano arc, after Zoro defeated King in a heated battle, his consciousness was transported into a world where he lay on the ground as he couldn't move one muscle.

As he looked above him, a grim reaper arose as if it was going to take his life away. As the end of the arc arrived, Zoro was confirmed to be alive as he woke up from his deep sleep.

Sandai Kitetsu (left) and Enma (right) (Image via Toei Animation)

Ships and swords have a lot of things in common. First, they are both constructed by people, ships by shipwrights, and swords by swordsmiths. Second, both have the feelings of the person who constructed it, thus giving rise to a spirit of its own.

Zoro had three swords when he fought King Wado Ichimonji, Sandai Kitetsu, and Enma. Out of these, Sandai Kitetsu and Enma stand out as the 'odd' swords. The former is a simple-grade sword but is cursed, while the latter is a great-grade sword, and its potential remains unknown.

It is speculated that either one of these swords appeared as a reaper in front of Roronoa after he defeated King, just like how the Klabautermann appeared before Usopp. But like the Klabautermann, the Grim Reaper isn't as kind because it could come to haunt its user.

It could also be interpreted like the Klabautermann, as the reaper could have appeared when the sword reached its breaking point. So, the grim reaper that Roronoa Zoro faced after his fight with King could be a Klabautermann for either Sandai Kitetsu or Enma.

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