Questions & Mysteries Who is Zoro's final opponent?

Who's the strongest swordsman who will get slashed by Zoro at series end?

  • Shanks

    Votes: 6 11.3%
  • Kizaru

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • Fujitora

    Votes: 8 15.1%
  • Big mom

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Samurai Ghandi (Gorosei)

    Votes: 23 43.4%
  • Imu (Coz he has that sword)

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Vista

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • Jack

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Law

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Shiriyu

    Votes: 12 22.6%
  • King

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Jack

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Ashura Douji

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Kin'emon

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Smoothie

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Cracker

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Who's who

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Brook

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • Whitebeard's corpse with his Bisento with Shank's shadow

    Votes: 2 3.8%
  • Tashigi

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Commander Shu (the one who rusted his sword)

    Votes: 5 9.4%
  • Orochi

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • That one other Red hair pirate with a sword

    Votes: 1 1.9%
  • Rayleigh and Scooper Gaban team up and together they are the WSS

    Votes: 3 5.7%
  • Killer

    Votes: 2 3.8%

  • Total voters
    53
The other way to look at it would be:

The narrator is describing what Mihawk is regarded as in the OP world. Mihawk's status in the OP world is the World's Greatest Swordsman. Roger's was the pirate king, hence narrator called him the Pirate King. Rayleigh regarded as the Dark King, hence called the Dark King. The narrator simply describes what they're regarded as within the world of one piece.
Mihawk was stated to be the strongest swordsman both in title and in actuality. Meaning, there is no swordsman alive that is above Mihawk right now.
If we were told he is only the strongest in title, then a possibility exists that there are unknown swordsmen stronger than him. However, he is stated to be the stronges in actuality. This leave no room for any swordsman alive to be stronger than him esp the top tier swordsmen.
New up and coming swordsmen like Zoro, Shiryuu etc who are still growing have the possibility of surpassing Mihawk. However, until Mihawk is defeated, no swordsman is stronger than him.
 
Yes, it is logical that Luffy fights Blackbeard at the end

It's not logical that at the same time Zoro is fighting a positive figure in his life that has nothing to do with Blackbeard or his aims
Well yes, the question here is who Zoro's last fight is. Not "will Zoro and Mihawk fight again", but "who is Zoro's final opponent?"

His last fight, presumably being, in the final war. Where it makes no sense for Mihawk being an opponent. And the idea that there's going to be "epilogue" fights after Luffy's already defeated his greatest foe doesn't make much sense to me.
Look at the Baratei arc. Luffy and co were busy fighting against the Don Kreig pirates, while Zoro went and fought against Mihawk.
Mihawk vs Zoro had no bearing on SH vs Don Kreig pirates.
It made no sense for Zoro to go and decide to fight against Mihawk whilst SH were busy dealing with Don Kreig pirates. However, this still happened
Anyway, since Oda already did it in the past, nothing stops him from doing it in the future.
 
Look at the Baratei arc. Luffy and co were busy fighting against the Don Kreig pirates, while Zoro went and fought against Mihawk.
Mihawk vs Zoro had no bearing on SH vs Don Kreig pirates.
It made no sense for Zoro to go and decide to fight against Mihawk whilst SH were busy dealing with Don Kreig pirates. However, this still happened
Anyway, since Oda already did it in the past, nothing stops him from doing it in the future.
This doesn't even slightly compare to the Baratie arc.

Krieg was a small time pirate that Luffy was perfectly capable of dealing with entirely by himself. This was also pre-character development Zoro we're talking about- the Mihawk fight is literally what changes his character around and sets him on the path of putting Luffy's dream above his own, leading to the Thriller Bark sacrifice and him begging Mihawk for training.

We're talking about the final war here. Everything that One Piece has led up to. In-series, nine hundred years of history leading up to this moment. Out-series, thirty years worth of writing.

And you guys are suggesting that Zoro abandons his crew in the middle of it for a fight against a man that has literally nothing to this great war. A guy who's been a positive influence on Zoro's life, trained him for two years.

Absolutely no chance.

It would be like having the walk to Arlong Park... then Zoro bolts halfway to fight someone with nothing to do with Arlong or Nami. Or him leaving Robin to her fate in EL cause there was a better swordsman than Kaku out there for him to fight. It's antithetical to everything Zoro has become as the series developed.
 
Can I offer a slightly different approach? Before I get crucified: Mihawk is the world's strongest swordsman.

Nothing is impossible with Oda, if he made an unlikely team of pirates fall from the sky to Marineford, he can make Mihawk theoretically fall in Zoro's lap from a cloud. Times are uncertain as we don't know what Mihawk's next move is, and he has to make some sort of move - or forever roam on his little boat alone.

Now listen why this fight is unlikely:
1) Zoro and Mihawk spent two years training together. So, safe to assume they fought together every day. They know each other's strength levels perfectly. Zoro, THE PUPIL, is probably still weaker than his master, as not a lot of time went by and he had 0 challenges since then. So it makes no sense to turn around now or in three months and fight Mihawk when he made no progress since then. It would be very anti-climatic. Further along the story, in a few years OP time, sure.

2) Mihawk himself noted that he found a cause greater than his own ambition. Which is true because Zoro gave up even his pride for Luffy and Luffy's dream. IF you think about it, none of the Straw Hats really talk about their dreams anymore past time skip, they all decided to give their all to their captain. So Zoro also decided this was what he was going to do, he's not going to go on about his ambition anymore now. Maybe in the far future they do crash, but again it makes no sense now. You don't have to fight sameone to surpass them in skill.

3) People keep mentioning chapter 51, yes, that is where the ambition got fired up, as well as the setting for their future crash. But why is it impossible that between this and chapter 597 (not bothered to check) when he became his teacher, which is 13 YEARS apart (not even Oda could have predicted the manga would last more than a few years!!!!!), Oda might have changed his mind and decided to have Zoro cast his ambition aside to learn from the world's strongest swordsman? Thus making it kinda pointless to fight now as there is very little tension between these characters and mutual respect instead?

Now, if Mihawk does by some plot twist end up being his opponent, it will be interesting. Just don't see it happening, especially as final.

Disclaimer: please don't repeat like a parrot about him achieving his dream. I just spent five minutes talking about him postponing his ambition for the time being.
 
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2. Again, Mihawk became renowned as the World's Greatest Swordsman, after beating dozens of strong people (we simply don't know about them), then he became bored and became a warlord. The proof of his greatness to the world is the people he beat and the things he showcased with his swordsmanship. Did Roger become the Pirate King because the narrator said he was or was it because the world started calling him the Pirate King?

Zoro's dream doesn't rely on the narrator's statement, it relies on the acknowledgement of the One Piece world.
Never agreed with anything more. It's the people gossip that creates the legend.
But Zoro is already famous. He has a bounty.
Hahaha I just realised pirate hunter is still tied to his name. It'll be pretty sweet when that gets ditched for world's greatest swordsman.
I hope Oda tosses that statement in the can. Zoro got a free ride through the New World because Oda's too afraid to let Zoro get roughed up. It's boring.
Yes, it's really a free ride for him now...
 
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