One Piece Just Teased Zoro's Next Major Power Up, And It's Massive

Published Jul 21, 2026, 8:00 PM EDT Joshua Edward Ryan Fox is a freelance writer for Screen Rant with a passion for pop culture. Joshua grew up in Connecticut where he developed an appreciation for writing and entertainment and has earned a Master's degree in professional writing and technical writing. His writing has been quoted by both the anime streaming site Crunchyroll and the anime YouTuber Gigguk. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Warning: Contains spoilers for One Piece chapters #1187-#1188.Even with One Piece almost 30 years old at this point, the series never stops finding ways to give the Straw Hats massive power-ups whenever the need may arise. Whether it’s through new weapons or techniques, a greater understanding of how to use their Devil Fruits, or, in most cases, increasing mastery of Haki, there’s rarely a time when the Straw Hats aren’t improving themselves, and that always helps to make the series more exciting, even after so many years. It’s always great to see how the Straw Hats improve themselves in One Piece, and the Elbaph arc is shaping up to be no different. As the arc heads into its climax with the final fights against Imu and the Holy Knights of God, there’s already plenty of setup for some of the Straw Hats to get even stronger as they deal with some of their strongest opponents in the entire series, and for one Straw Hat in particular, they’re about to become a god-tier fighter the likes of which has never been seen. Why One Piece Is About To Make Zoro Even Stronger Than Ever With One Piece’s Elbaph arc in its climax, it’s now time for the final fights of the arc, and the stage is set for Zoro to get a massive power-up. Earlier in the arc, Gaban lambasted Zoro for having such poor control over his Conqueror’s Haki, as it was a major point that Conqueror’s Haki was the only way to hurt the Holy Knights of God. Because of that, now that Zoro is about to fight Sommers, it’s likely that Zoro will gain full control of his Conqueror’s Haki, which will make his King of Hell style even more menacing. That idea makes even more sense when looking at Sanji’s current arc. With the reveal that Sanji can use Conqueror’s Haki, a point was made that Sanji needed to become a king to master Conqueror’s Haki, but more importantly, the entire process was necessary if he had any intention of making Luffy the Pirate King. Naturally, it makes sense for Zoro and Sanji’s training to parallel each other, but if the need to be strong enough to support Luffy is also a factor, then there’s no reason someone like Zoro wouldn’t do everything in his power to make it happen. As it stands, the Straw Hats are facing their strongest opponents yet in Imu and the Holy Knights of God, and if it wasn’t clear before, then Imu destroying Luffy in their fight should make it clear that they all need to put even more work into being strong to deal with the latest threats. There’s no telling what Luffy will do to go along with that, but when it comes to Zoro, it’s clear that the answer is him getting even better at Conqueror’s Haki, and there’s no telling how far that could go. One Piece’s Elbaph Arc Is Heading Toward An Amazing Finale Zoro getting a massive power-up is all but a certainty, and it highlights just how amazing the finale of the Elbaph arc will be. Between the massive lore drops and how much it has constantly topped itself in action and spectacle, One Piece’s Elbaph arc has been an amazing read at every turn, and it hasn’t slowed down in the slightest. Now, with the promise of Zoro and other characters getting even stronger on top of that, there’s even more reason to be excited for the finale, and it’s going to be great to watch play out. The Ultimate · Straw Hat Challenge Set Sail for Trivia “I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!” ⚕CrewNakama! 🌊SeasEast Blue 🍋Devil FruitsGomu Gomu! ☠VillainsFear the sea 🏆DreamsOne Piece! SET SAIL → 01 Monkey D. Luffy accidentally ate a Devil Fruit as a child, giving him rubber-like abilities. What is the name of that fruit? AFlame-Flame Fruit BChop-Chop Fruit CGum-Gum Fruit DSmoke-Smoke Fruit ✓ Correct! The Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu Gomu no Mi) turned Luffy’s body into rubber. He ate it from Shanks’ treasure chest as a kid, gaining stretchy powers but losing the ability to swim forever. ✗ Overboard! The answer is the Gum-Gum Fruit. The Chop-Chop Fruit belongs to Buggy, the Flame-Flame Fruit to Ace, and the Smoke-Smoke Fruit to Captain Smoker — but Luffy’s rubber powers come from the Gomu Gomu no Mi. NEXT → 02 Luffy’s iconic straw hat was given to him as a child by a famous pirate who inspired his dream. Who gave Luffy the hat? AGold Roger BMonkey D. Garp CDracule Mihawk DRed-Haired Shanks ✓ Correct! Red-Haired Shanks entrusted his straw hat to young Luffy in Foosha Village, telling him to return it when he becomes a great pirate. That promise drives Luffy’s entire journey. ✗ Overboard! The answer is Red-Haired Shanks. While Gold Roger originally wore the hat, it was Shanks who passed it down to Luffy after saving his life from a Sea King — a defining moment in the series. NEXT → 03 Before joining the Straw Hats, Sanji works as a sous chef at a floating restaurant on the ocean. What is the name of this restaurant? AThe Galley-La BThe Baratie CThe Sea Rat DMakino’s Tavern ✓ Correct! The Baratie is the ocean-going restaurant run by Chef Zeff, Sanji’s mentor. In the live-action series, it’s one of the most stunning sets — a fully realized ship-restaurant on the open sea. ✗ Overboard! The answer is The Baratie. Run by the legendary pirate-turned-chef “Red Leg” Zeff, this floating restaurant is where Luffy recruits Sanji as the Straw Hats’ cook. NEXT → 04 Roronoa Zoro is famous for his unique sword-fighting technique. How many swords does he wield in his signature style? AOne BTwo CThree DFour ✓ Correct! Zoro uses Three-Sword Style (Santoryu), wielding one sword in each hand and a third in his mouth. His dream is to become the world’s greatest swordsman by defeating Dracule Mihawk. ✗ Overboard! The answer is three. Zoro’s iconic Three-Sword Style places one blade in each hand and a third clenched between his teeth — a fighting technique unique to him in the One Piece world. NEXT → 05 Each Straw Hat crew member has a personal dream. What is Nami’s ultimate goal that drives her journey? ATo find the One Piece treasure BTo become the greatest navigator CTo draw a complete map of the world DTo defeat every pirate on the Grand Line ✓ Correct! Nami’s dream is to draw a map of the entire world. Her cartography skills and navigation talent make her indispensable to the crew, and her passion for mapmaking was nurtured by her adoptive mother Bell-mère. ✗ Overboard! The answer is to draw a complete map of the world. Nami is a gifted cartographer whose dream goes beyond just sailing — she wants to chart every sea and island so no one is ever lost again. NEXT → 06 A powerful Marine Vice Admiral is revealed to have a surprising family connection to Luffy. Who is this high-ranking Marine? ACaptain Smoker BAdmiral Akainu CCaptain Morgan DVice Admiral Garp ✓ Correct! Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather. Known as “Garp the Fist,” he’s a Marine hero who wanted Luffy to become a Marine — not a pirate. Their family dynamic is a major subplot in the live-action series. ✗ Overboard! The answer is Vice Admiral Garp. Monkey D. Garp is Luffy’s grandfather and one of the most legendary Marines alive. Despite being on opposite sides of the law, their bond runs deep. NEXT → 07 Usopp is recruited into the Straw Hat crew after the pirates help defend his home village from Captain Kuro’s Black Cat Pirates. What is the name of Usopp’s village? AFoosha Village BShells Town CSyrup Village DCoco Village ✓ Correct! Syrup Village is Usopp’s peaceful hometown where he was known for telling tall tales. It’s also where Kaya lives, and where the crew acquires the Going Merry from her estate. ✗ Overboard! The answer is Syrup Village. Foosha Village is Luffy’s hometown, Shells Town is where Zoro was held captive, and Coco Village (Cocoyasi) is Nami’s home — but Usopp hails from Syrup Village. NEXT → 08 The Netflix live-action adaptation was praised for its casting. Which actor plays Monkey D. Luffy? AMackenyu BTaz Skylar CIñaki Godoy DJacob Romero Gibson ✓ Correct! Mexican actor Iñaki Godoy won fans over with his infectious energy and earnest portrayal of Luffy. Mackenyu plays Zoro, Taz Skylar is Sanji, and Jacob Romero Gibson plays Usopp. ✗ Overboard! The answer is Iñaki Godoy. The young Mexican actor perfectly captured Luffy’s boundless enthusiasm. The other actors all play Straw Hat crew members — but Luffy is all Iñaki. REVEAL MY SCORE → Voyage Complete Your Pirate Record ⚕ / 8 Are you King of the Pirates — or lost at sea? ↻ SET SAIL AGAIN With everything that’s happened in the Elbaph arc so far, it would only be fitting to end it with one big battle after another, and Zoro becoming even stronger by fully mastering Conqueror’s Haki would be the perfect way to make that happen. Even with the Elbaph arc nearing its end, there’s still plenty to be excited about, and hopefully, One Piece will make sure it lives up to the hype in every regard. Video Game(s) One Piece: Unlimited World Red, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, One Piece: World Seeker, One Piece Odyssey First Film One Piece: The Movie First TV Show One Piece Cast Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Ikue Ôtani, Yuriko Yamaguchi Created by Eiichiro Oda Character(s) Monkey D. Luffy, Roronora Zoro, Nami (One Piece), Nico Robin, Usopp (One Piece), Vinsmoke Sanji, Tony Tony Chopper, Franky (One Piece), Jimbei (One Piece)