Hello all, today I’d like to talk about a theory I came up with after chapter 1080. I believe that against Shiryu of the Rain and Avalo Pizarro respectively, Zoro and Sanji will both awaken future sight to win. Many others have already predicted that Shiryu’s abilities will force Zoro to improve his observation haki, but I wouldn’t count out the observation haki specialist of the crew either.
Disclaimer: this post has nothing to do with powerscaling, Zoro vs Sanji, or the monster trio gap debate so if you came here for that please leave as that will not be entertained.
Part 1: The same powerup for both of them?
Firstly, I think I should explain why two characters getting the same powerup is not boring or redundant. In Wano, we saw that Luffy and Zoro’s powerups were heavily paralleled. Zoro was given Enma (a blade that takes excess ryuo) for saving Toko and Hiyori, and Luffy was taught ryuo by Hyogoro for saving him. These power ups focused on armament haki, as Luffy and Zoro have the strongest wills on the crew with dreams that require toppling even the strongest individuals. These powerups were actually a precursor to the real powerups for them, which was to have both of them awaken AdvCoC. This was because the battle of Onigashima had Luffy taking one step closer to becoming the king of the pirates, having his will tested in becoming an emperor, and Zoro being tested as the dark king, a man with his own ambitions that are intertwined with his captains. Chapter 1010 was titled: “The Colour of the Supreme King.” Wouldn’t it be interesting if we got something similar for Zoro and Sanji called “The Colour of Observation”?
Part 2: The sword and the shield
Zoro and Sanji are known as the wings of the pirate king, and a great way to describe them is as the sword and the shield. This is primarily due to the roles they take on the crew, with Zoro usually fighting alongside his captain separated from the rest of the crew, and Sanji being the man who protects and often saves the entire crew from sticky situations. These roles tie into their abilities as well. Zoro is a good representation of the indomitable human spirit, and willpower is his main source of strength ever since his debut. This is why he was given the sword enma, which is representative of his role and required all of his willpower to subdue. In contrast, Sanji was given the raidsuit due to his kindness towards the family he hates, and this was a power that he initially used as a way to protect others, such as Momonosuke. It brought forth his dormant exoskeleton, which makes him both a literal and figurative shield for the Straw Hat crew. Like how Enma brought out Zoro’s greatest strength in willpower, the exoskeleton allowed Sanji to use his greatest strength being his passion. This allowed Sanji to increase the temperature of his Diable Jambe to form Ifrit Jambe.
So, The power of the sword is willpower, whereas the power of the shield is love. It’s also interesting that now Sanji’s exoskeleton turns on and off (his eyebrow reversing indicates this), and it turned on to protect Nami, one of his beloved crewmates. This is when he says to the seraphim incapable of free will, “What would you know about the power of love?”
It’s interesting to me that Zoro and Sanji each show one eye, with Zoro only having his right, and Sanji only showing his left. Observation haki is perception based, and to become the perfect sword and shield capable of protecting both Luffy and the crew, they would need to see threats before they even happen. Thus, future sight should be an ability they eventually attain alongside Luffy.
Part 3: Zoro and Sanji’s enemy patterns
Ever since Alabasta, it’s been clear that Zoro and Sanji’s opponents follow a certain pattern: they are unable to be harmed.
Pre timeskip:
Daz Bones was made of steel and Zoro was incapable of harming him, and had to learn the breath of all things (armament haki) to defeat him. Bon Clay was able to mimic the identities of women Sanji knew, and Sanji had to learn his pattern of being unable to attack when switched to defeat him.
Ohm and Satori both used the power of mantra (observation haki), and Zoro had to use flying slashes to defeat him while Luffy and Sanji figured out the trick behind Satori’s attacks.
Kaku used yontoryu, an overwhelming sword style that made Zoro incapable of landing a hit. This forced him to create an illusion through sheer will, which allowed him to break through this perfect defense. Jabra used moving tekkai, making it impossible for Sanji to harm him with his kicks. This forced Sanji to develop Diable Jambe to melt through his hardened body.
Post timeskip:
Zoro showed off both observation and armament haki against Pica, but it wasn’t much of a fight. He also likely used conquerors haki to defeat monet. Sanji didn’t really have a real fight until Wano either, as his fight with Vergo was interrupted.
Moving onto their first real challenges in the new world, King and Queen. King was from the lunarian race, making it impossible to harm him. Sound familiar? Zoro had to push past his limits of willpower awakening advCoC to harm him, while also figuring out the trick behind his invincibility. Sanji was unable to break through Queen’s tough cyborg and ancient zoan skin, and through awakening his exoskeleton and pushing the limits of his passion, he was able to break through Queen’s tough skin. This also involved a mental challenge for Sanji, as he thought that he had hit a woman.
This leads me to my next point. The battles on Onigashima were the Alabasta and Enies Lobby fights combined. Zoro had to push past his current understanding of his own willpower to cut something impossible to harm (Alabasta), and figure out how to land a hit in the first place (Enies Lobby). Sanji had to deal with the mental struggle of harming a woman (Alabasta), and how to break through an incredibly tough defense (Enies Lobby).
Part 4: Why Pizarro?
Shiryu is locked in, but Sanji’s opponent has been the subject of debate for years now. First off, Sanji’s opponent needs to be someone that he is unable to harm. That cuts out pretty much everyone besides Pizarro, who can transform into the island itself. Burgess has the buff buff fruit, but that does nothing for his durability or capability to avoid being hit by someone fast like Sanji. Vasco uses fire and alcohol, and again, he fails to meet this requirement that has remained the same for the past 25 years.
Thematically, Pizarro is a selfish, greedy glutton that goes against Sanji’s ideals. He is the corrupt king, and is loud and obnoxious. If you read my thread about Big Mom and Queen and how they connect to Sanji, you’d see that he continues this thematic pattern. I also said that the titanic captains have to be an antithesis to each Straw Hat to make their best qualities shine, and this one seems to be the most likely. A corrupt king from the North Blue? Sounds like a certain someone that our love cook really, really despises. Sanji is a man who even cooks for his own enemies. He gives his life for his crew members despite telling them not to give up their own.
The island-island fruit symbolizes control, a desire that definitely fits a greedy king.
Part 5: The inversion
Roger asked Rayleigh if he’d like to turn the world “upside down” with him, and Oda uses this theme of having two sides of the same coin throughout the post timeskip in contrast to the pre timeskip. Certain plot points in the post timeskip, are just opposites of what we learned in the pre timeskip. For example, when Ace died in the pre timeskip, Sabo was found to be alive in post timeskip. Roger embodied wealth, fame and power, and so in the post timeskip we see Cross Guild embody these three traits (Crocodile being wealth, Buggy being fame, and Mihawk being power). Crocodile was the leader in the shadows, and was punched into the sky. Doffy was the heavenly demon who became the king of Dressrosa, and Luffy punched him into the ground stripping him of his godhood. Even recently, we had Kid and Law’s crews destroyed, as an inversion of Luffy in Sabaody. It’s no coincidence that Kizaru, Sentomaru, and the Pacifista are all in Egghead.
So what is my point with this? Well, we just had Zoro and Sanji get an insane attack power buff, defeating commanders with monstrous durability. Logically, their next opponents should be one that they can’t hit, despite having the means to do incredible damage. That’s right, their opponents will have a state of intangibility. Shiryu has the invisible fruit, and Pizarro has the island fruit. Zoro will have to be able to hit an opponent that he can’t see coming. Pizarro has the potential to morph into literally any part of the island, and even though Sanji is fast, he needs to be able to see where Pizarro will come from to actually harm him. We might even get to see Zoro cut nothingness itself.
Shiryu and Pizarro will be inversions of Enel’s priests. Rather than Zoro and Sanji having to overcome observation haki with new attacks and trickery, they will need to overcome trickery and invulnerability through observation haki! If these guys even want a shot at fighting admirals or Mihawk in the future, they need to be complete fighters in all aspects.
While Enel’s priests worshiped him, Enel had 0 attachment to his men. How do the titanic captains invert this? In chapter 1081, Blackbeard said that his crew is not a bunch of friends sailing around, but rather people who all have their own agenda. I’m not sure about Blackbeard's original men, but his new Impel Down members are in it for themselves. In the end, Blackbeard’s downfall will be that unlike Luffy, his crewmates have no regard for his dream. Even if Blackbeard thinks that his men are nothing more than tools, he can’t achieve his goals without them. He will have a change of heart as soon as they start to step on him and his dreams.
Enel was a false god, and his priests were nothing more than those who worshiped a faker. Pizarro was once a real king, something that even Blackbeard desires. I think that given this information, Shiryu will also be from nobility. His blade is even called Raiu or thunderstorm, which directly relates to the power enel wielded. If Ohm was a false priest, then perhaps Shiryu even worked for the celestials in the past.
This post has gotten pretty lengthy so I’m going to end it here. Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Please let me know what you think.
Tags: @Franosuke @Blexus @ConquistadoR @Jailer @kratosś @MangoSenpai @mly90 @Shimotsuki Ghostly @Shiroyru @Warchief Sanji D Goat @zenox @BleakAsh @Admiral Maynard @Jaguark101 @Natalija @Kerkovian @Kurozumi Bepo @NikaInParis @Mr. Reloaded @AL sama @RoronoaZorro @Salah WG @Rej @Monster Luffy @MonsterZoro @Hades @Devilbat @nik87 @MangoSenpai @Blazing Lion @Sir Yasheen
Disclaimer: this post has nothing to do with powerscaling, Zoro vs Sanji, or the monster trio gap debate so if you came here for that please leave as that will not be entertained.
Part 1: The same powerup for both of them?
Firstly, I think I should explain why two characters getting the same powerup is not boring or redundant. In Wano, we saw that Luffy and Zoro’s powerups were heavily paralleled. Zoro was given Enma (a blade that takes excess ryuo) for saving Toko and Hiyori, and Luffy was taught ryuo by Hyogoro for saving him. These power ups focused on armament haki, as Luffy and Zoro have the strongest wills on the crew with dreams that require toppling even the strongest individuals. These powerups were actually a precursor to the real powerups for them, which was to have both of them awaken AdvCoC. This was because the battle of Onigashima had Luffy taking one step closer to becoming the king of the pirates, having his will tested in becoming an emperor, and Zoro being tested as the dark king, a man with his own ambitions that are intertwined with his captains. Chapter 1010 was titled: “The Colour of the Supreme King.” Wouldn’t it be interesting if we got something similar for Zoro and Sanji called “The Colour of Observation”?
Part 2: The sword and the shield
Zoro and Sanji are known as the wings of the pirate king, and a great way to describe them is as the sword and the shield. This is primarily due to the roles they take on the crew, with Zoro usually fighting alongside his captain separated from the rest of the crew, and Sanji being the man who protects and often saves the entire crew from sticky situations. These roles tie into their abilities as well. Zoro is a good representation of the indomitable human spirit, and willpower is his main source of strength ever since his debut. This is why he was given the sword enma, which is representative of his role and required all of his willpower to subdue. In contrast, Sanji was given the raidsuit due to his kindness towards the family he hates, and this was a power that he initially used as a way to protect others, such as Momonosuke. It brought forth his dormant exoskeleton, which makes him both a literal and figurative shield for the Straw Hat crew. Like how Enma brought out Zoro’s greatest strength in willpower, the exoskeleton allowed Sanji to use his greatest strength being his passion. This allowed Sanji to increase the temperature of his Diable Jambe to form Ifrit Jambe.
So, The power of the sword is willpower, whereas the power of the shield is love. It’s also interesting that now Sanji’s exoskeleton turns on and off (his eyebrow reversing indicates this), and it turned on to protect Nami, one of his beloved crewmates. This is when he says to the seraphim incapable of free will, “What would you know about the power of love?”
It’s interesting to me that Zoro and Sanji each show one eye, with Zoro only having his right, and Sanji only showing his left. Observation haki is perception based, and to become the perfect sword and shield capable of protecting both Luffy and the crew, they would need to see threats before they even happen. Thus, future sight should be an ability they eventually attain alongside Luffy.
Part 3: Zoro and Sanji’s enemy patterns
Ever since Alabasta, it’s been clear that Zoro and Sanji’s opponents follow a certain pattern: they are unable to be harmed.
Pre timeskip:
Daz Bones was made of steel and Zoro was incapable of harming him, and had to learn the breath of all things (armament haki) to defeat him. Bon Clay was able to mimic the identities of women Sanji knew, and Sanji had to learn his pattern of being unable to attack when switched to defeat him.
Ohm and Satori both used the power of mantra (observation haki), and Zoro had to use flying slashes to defeat him while Luffy and Sanji figured out the trick behind Satori’s attacks.
Kaku used yontoryu, an overwhelming sword style that made Zoro incapable of landing a hit. This forced him to create an illusion through sheer will, which allowed him to break through this perfect defense. Jabra used moving tekkai, making it impossible for Sanji to harm him with his kicks. This forced Sanji to develop Diable Jambe to melt through his hardened body.
Post timeskip:
Zoro showed off both observation and armament haki against Pica, but it wasn’t much of a fight. He also likely used conquerors haki to defeat monet. Sanji didn’t really have a real fight until Wano either, as his fight with Vergo was interrupted.
Moving onto their first real challenges in the new world, King and Queen. King was from the lunarian race, making it impossible to harm him. Sound familiar? Zoro had to push past his limits of willpower awakening advCoC to harm him, while also figuring out the trick behind his invincibility. Sanji was unable to break through Queen’s tough cyborg and ancient zoan skin, and through awakening his exoskeleton and pushing the limits of his passion, he was able to break through Queen’s tough skin. This also involved a mental challenge for Sanji, as he thought that he had hit a woman.
This leads me to my next point. The battles on Onigashima were the Alabasta and Enies Lobby fights combined. Zoro had to push past his current understanding of his own willpower to cut something impossible to harm (Alabasta), and figure out how to land a hit in the first place (Enies Lobby). Sanji had to deal with the mental struggle of harming a woman (Alabasta), and how to break through an incredibly tough defense (Enies Lobby).
Part 4: Why Pizarro?
Shiryu is locked in, but Sanji’s opponent has been the subject of debate for years now. First off, Sanji’s opponent needs to be someone that he is unable to harm. That cuts out pretty much everyone besides Pizarro, who can transform into the island itself. Burgess has the buff buff fruit, but that does nothing for his durability or capability to avoid being hit by someone fast like Sanji. Vasco uses fire and alcohol, and again, he fails to meet this requirement that has remained the same for the past 25 years.
Thematically, Pizarro is a selfish, greedy glutton that goes against Sanji’s ideals. He is the corrupt king, and is loud and obnoxious. If you read my thread about Big Mom and Queen and how they connect to Sanji, you’d see that he continues this thematic pattern. I also said that the titanic captains have to be an antithesis to each Straw Hat to make their best qualities shine, and this one seems to be the most likely. A corrupt king from the North Blue? Sounds like a certain someone that our love cook really, really despises. Sanji is a man who even cooks for his own enemies. He gives his life for his crew members despite telling them not to give up their own.
The island-island fruit symbolizes control, a desire that definitely fits a greedy king.
Part 5: The inversion
Roger asked Rayleigh if he’d like to turn the world “upside down” with him, and Oda uses this theme of having two sides of the same coin throughout the post timeskip in contrast to the pre timeskip. Certain plot points in the post timeskip, are just opposites of what we learned in the pre timeskip. For example, when Ace died in the pre timeskip, Sabo was found to be alive in post timeskip. Roger embodied wealth, fame and power, and so in the post timeskip we see Cross Guild embody these three traits (Crocodile being wealth, Buggy being fame, and Mihawk being power). Crocodile was the leader in the shadows, and was punched into the sky. Doffy was the heavenly demon who became the king of Dressrosa, and Luffy punched him into the ground stripping him of his godhood. Even recently, we had Kid and Law’s crews destroyed, as an inversion of Luffy in Sabaody. It’s no coincidence that Kizaru, Sentomaru, and the Pacifista are all in Egghead.
So what is my point with this? Well, we just had Zoro and Sanji get an insane attack power buff, defeating commanders with monstrous durability. Logically, their next opponents should be one that they can’t hit, despite having the means to do incredible damage. That’s right, their opponents will have a state of intangibility. Shiryu has the invisible fruit, and Pizarro has the island fruit. Zoro will have to be able to hit an opponent that he can’t see coming. Pizarro has the potential to morph into literally any part of the island, and even though Sanji is fast, he needs to be able to see where Pizarro will come from to actually harm him. We might even get to see Zoro cut nothingness itself.
Shiryu and Pizarro will be inversions of Enel’s priests. Rather than Zoro and Sanji having to overcome observation haki with new attacks and trickery, they will need to overcome trickery and invulnerability through observation haki! If these guys even want a shot at fighting admirals or Mihawk in the future, they need to be complete fighters in all aspects.
While Enel’s priests worshiped him, Enel had 0 attachment to his men. How do the titanic captains invert this? In chapter 1081, Blackbeard said that his crew is not a bunch of friends sailing around, but rather people who all have their own agenda. I’m not sure about Blackbeard's original men, but his new Impel Down members are in it for themselves. In the end, Blackbeard’s downfall will be that unlike Luffy, his crewmates have no regard for his dream. Even if Blackbeard thinks that his men are nothing more than tools, he can’t achieve his goals without them. He will have a change of heart as soon as they start to step on him and his dreams.
Enel was a false god, and his priests were nothing more than those who worshiped a faker. Pizarro was once a real king, something that even Blackbeard desires. I think that given this information, Shiryu will also be from nobility. His blade is even called Raiu or thunderstorm, which directly relates to the power enel wielded. If Ohm was a false priest, then perhaps Shiryu even worked for the celestials in the past.
This post has gotten pretty lengthy so I’m going to end it here. Thanks for reading if you made it this far! Please let me know what you think.
Tags: @Franosuke @Blexus @ConquistadoR @Jailer @kratosś @MangoSenpai @mly90 @Shimotsuki Ghostly @Shiroyru @Warchief Sanji D Goat @zenox @BleakAsh @Admiral Maynard @Jaguark101 @Natalija @Kerkovian @Kurozumi Bepo @NikaInParis @Mr. Reloaded @AL sama @RoronoaZorro @Salah WG @Rej @Monster Luffy @MonsterZoro @Hades @Devilbat @nik87 @MangoSenpai @Blazing Lion @Sir Yasheen
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