Zoro, not Luffy, could be Shanks' next opponent in One Piece, and the Straw Hat Swordsman may rise to new heights as a result

One Piece Final Saga's first arc, Egghead arc, is in its final stage and fans cannot wait for the next arc of this saga that would unveil more mysteries about the final treasure every pirate in this world seeks.

Currently, each Straw Hat Pirate is in a complicated situation with Nami's group's current whereabouts being unknown, Zoro and Jinbe fighting the overpowered Gorosei Saint Nusjuro, and Sanji and Luffy's group already on the ship of the giant fighting off the Gorosei that are trying to stop them.

But after reaching the next island, which is expected to be Elbaf Island, what adventures await the Straw Hat Pirates? As most fans already know, Shanks is already present there and where most fans think Luffy could face him, things may not turn out the same. Luffy's crew's swordsman, Zoro, would be a much logical answer considering how he needs to become the best swordsman.

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

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One Piece: Exploring Zoro's future as a potential opponent of Shanks

Zoro versus Mihawk (Image via Toei Animation)

Roronoa Zoro is the first crewmate of Monkey D. Luffy's Straw Hat Pirates in One Piece and a former bounty hunter. Everything in his life changed after he encountered the strongest swordsman in the world, Mihawk, during the Baratie arc. Although he was utterly defeated by Mihawk, the warlord praised his chivalrous behavior and wished him luck for the future.

After this, fans noticed that Zoro stopped smiling needlessly, and ever since the Straw Hat Pirates entered the Grand Line, he had been solely focused on becoming a better swordsman. Currently, in the manga series, Zoro is fighting Saint Nusjuro who wields a Kitetsu blade, just like him.

While most fans are confused about the outcome of this battle, the answer to it could already be in front of the eyes. After Zoro's defeat at the hands of Mihawk, he claimed that he would never lose, but this doesn't necessarily mean that he would always win.

Zoro versus Nusjuro (Image via Shueisha)

The same wordplay could be part of Zoro's current battle against Saint Nusjuro as the Gorosei could leave the battle on emergency notice, as Zoro defeating him in his current state would be too good of a truth. So, Zoro would enter Elbaf Island accompanied by his friends.

Now, after entering Elbaf Island, fans speculate that Luffy will face his mentor after a long time, but things could turn out differently. Although Shanks uses Haki as his main weapon in battle, he is still a swordsman. He wields the sword Gryphon, whose grade and everything else are unknown.

So, it would be better for him to face Roronoa Zoro, a swordsman, who Shanks can make even stronger than before. While Elbaf arc being more of a training arc, as speculated by fans, is not false, it would also be the most important arc for some characters including Zoro.

The Seraphim S-hawk (image via Toei Animation)

Zoro has perfected his three-sword style, so he needs to add more techniques to this style, which would be a perfect addition to his power. As indicated by Zoro's showdown with S-Hawk in Egghead Island, the swordsman claimed that the Seraphim looked more human than its inspiration, hinting that he could be aiming to become "inhuman" just like the person who defeated him, Mihawk.

The word "inhuman" in this perspective means a strength beyond a human's imagination. And how would Zoro achieve this? It could be achieved by mastering the sword style of the island he would be visiting, Elbaf Island, and fans already know about it.

During the Little Garden arc of One Piece, fans witnessed a miracle where Dory and Brogy sent off their pirate friends, the Straw Hat Pirates, by saving them from a sea beast. They used a move titled Hakoku Sovereignty, which consisted of two airwaves that could shatter anything. The power of this move is so immense that it broke both giants' weapons.

Shanks' Divine Departure (Image via Shueisha)

Other than the giants, Big Mom has also showcased this move, and not-so-surprisingly, Shanks also displayed a similar move. During his battle against Captain Kidd, fearing that the pirate might be a danger to his crew, Shanks didn't let Captain Kidd step onto Elbaf. He jumped towards the pirate and hit him with a move titled Divine Departure.

This move was previously used by Gol D Roger and was so high in magnitude that it caused Captain Kidd to faint. This move could be what Zoro needs to get stronger than he already is. So, after reaching Elbaf Island, Zoro could learn something similar to Hakoku Sovereignty by Shanks, which could make him inhuman and help him reach new heights.

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