One Piece: 7 Most Powerful Swordsmen Zoro Will Lose to

Warning: This article contains spoilers from the One Piece manga! One Piece‘s Roronoa Zoro is the first crew member to join Luffy in his journey and becomes his right-hand man. However, in the beginning, Zoro’s goal wasn’t to become a pirate, but rather to claim the title of the world’s strongest swordsman. He uses the unique three-sword style that doesn’t leave his opponents any chance to run. However, the world is full of all kinds of people, and Zoro isn’t the strongest one of them yet. In order to accomplish his goal, he set out to sea to track down and challenge Dracule Mihawk, the one who currently holds the title. However, before Zoro could accomplish his goal, he ran into trouble with the Marines and ended up meeting Luffy.

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Although Zoro eventually fought Mihawk in the Baratie Arc, the difference in their power was greater than he ever imagined. That humiliating defeat further steeled his resolve to never lose any other fight again, because the future King of the Pirates deserved nothing less than the world’s strongest swordsman in his crew. Zoro has come a long way since then, training relentlessly to surpass every swordsman in the world. During the time skip, he even mastered Haki, and in the Wano Country Saga, he unlocked Conqueror’s Haki as well. However, despite all his strength, these seven swordsmen are still stronger than he is.

7) Dracule Mihawk

One Piece Mihawk — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

Obviously, Mihawk is still more powerful than Zoro, and while the gap in their power has closed considerably, it’s not enough for the former bounty hunter to get the upper hand. The true extent of Mihawk’s strength is still unknown, but no doubt the Final Saga will reveal what makes him the world’s strongest swordsman. Zoro won’t be able to claim the title for himself unless he defeats Mihawk, so a match between them is all but inevitable.

6) Issho

One Piece Fujitora — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

Ishho, commonly known as Admiral Fujitora, relies primarily on his Devil Fruit abilities, but he is also a skilled swordsman. Thanks to the power of his Press-Press Fruit, he can not only create and manipulate gravitational force, but also rain down meteors with just a swing of his sword. His swordsmanship, Haki, and his overpowered Devil Fruit made him an unstoppable force in Dressrosa.

5) Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro

One Piece Nusjuro — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

The Straw Hat Pirates, the Giants, Emet, and everyone else in Egghead gave everything they had just to send the Five Elders away. Each one of them possesses mysterious abilities and a power that allows them to heal from any wound. As one of Imu’s most loyal servants, Nusjuro has been granted the same ability along with the power to transform into a horse bone. He also wields a gigantic sword, making him even more terrifying as he is capable enough to slice through the entire Egghead island in one strike.

4) Figarland Garling

Garling from One Piece — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

As the Supreme Commander of the Holy Knights and a new member of the Five Elders after replacing Saturn, Garling is one of the most powerful characters in One Piece. While the series hasn’t revealed what he’s truly capable of, the God Valley Flashback gave readers a glimpse at his powers. Garling also happens to be Shanks’ father, and someone of his rank has to be a lot more powerful than any pirate.

3) Figarland Shamrock

One Piece Shamrock Gunko — Image Courtesy of Shueisha

Shanks’ evil twin brother makes his debut in the Elbaph Arc and shocks everyone with only a brief glimpse at his abilities. He isn’t just any ordinary swordsman, but his sword has the power of a devil fruit and can transform into Cerberus, a mythical creature with three heads. As the Commander of the Holy Knights, Shamrock is also likely to possess the ability to regenerate from almost any wounds.

2) Silvers Rayleigh

One Piece Rayleigh — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

As the right-hand man of the Pirate King, Rayleigh traveled the entire world and faced several challenges along the way. Without any Devil Fruit, Rayleigh made a name for himself thanks to his exceptional Haki and swordsmanship skills. Even now, his name is enough to send shivers down the spine of his opponents. Rayleigh is a master of all forms of Haki and even trained Luffy during the timeskip.

1) Shanks

Shanks Laughing — Image Courtesy of Toei Animation

Just like Rayleigh, Shanks also doesn’t possess the power of a Devil Fruit, but his terrifying Haki makes him unstoppable. As one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, Shanks’ powers are known far and wide, but even then, no one knows what will happen if he decides to go all out. Among all the characters that are alive right now, Shanks has demonstrated the most powerful Haki, enough to overwhelm an Admiral from several miles away. His Divine Departure, a technique he picked up from Roger, is devastating enough to destroy the Kidd Pirates in one strike.

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