Seeing as some of them have massively overshot every matchup expectation for Zoro since then, I’d say yes. Zoro fans haven’t been able to reach that same high for years now, and they probably won’t until Zoro defeats a top-tier opponent. So, some of them seem to be in a perpetual state of misplaced anticipation, believing that this is the arc where they’ll finally feel that same high again. Because of that, they overplay their hand: Zoro vs. Kizaru, Zoro vs. Shamrock, Zoro vs. Loki, etc. Then it all crashes down when he’s given a Super Sommers or a Lucci instead.
The rooftop fight made them forget Zoro’s actual place in the story, both as a character and as a fighter. Now they’re being reminded of that every arc. He isn’t part of some “Conqueror monster duo” dynamic with Luffy where they’re neck and neck. He isn’t the “vice-captain” who ranks above the rest of the crew, and he isn’t going to be given opponents on the caliber of Luffy’s foes. He’s a Wing, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the other Wing against the top subordinates of the enemy captain so they can pave the way for Luffy to win and ultimately become King.
Yes, both Zoro and Sanji get their “duo moments” with Luffy. Whether it’s blocking an attack from Big Mom, standing up to Kizaru, battling Kaido, or confronting Gaban, they also have their trio moments, like we’ve recently seen throughout Elbaph. But at the end of the day, Luffy fights Lucci (4k), while Zoro and Sanji fight Kaku (2k) and Jabra (2k).
Never forget what separates Luffy from the other Straw Hats. All the way back in Cocoyashi Village, Luffy tells Arlong: “Of course I don’t know anything about swords. I can’t navigate, I can’t cook, I can’t even lie, I know I need friends to help me if I want to get ahead in life. But there’s one thing I can do, I can beat you”.
Luffy is the only one who can consistently stand up to the strongest foes, and if he doesn’t win, then his crew loses. That’s always been the story.
