Ch. 1010 revealed what many Zoro fans, myself included, have been predicting for years now, that Zoro, like his parallels in Oden and Rayleigh, has Conqueror's Haki. Some people have expressed concerns that COC detracts from Luffy and Zoro's underdog status and risks them becoming messianic figures like Naruto and Sasuke. I'm here to explain that since COC's introduction, Oda has used it as a tool to compliment and enhance Luffy and Zoro's characters, hinting that it is compassion, not might, that makes a true king.
The first time Luffy officially uses COC is against the Boa sisters to protect the Kuja women who saved him. Once she sees this, Hancock and her sisters begin taking him seriously, and force him to choose between personal gain (his boat) and self-sacrifice (saving the girls). Luffy makes the selfless choice and this is what ends up turning Hancock to his side. Having known only selfish and greedy men, Hancock fell in love with Luffy's humility, awed by the realisation that a fellow Conqueror might throw his pride away without a moment's hesitation to save others.
Similarly, Mihawk implicitly notes that Zoro is a proud, capable and honourable man, but is impressed by his willingness to relinquish his pride for the sake of becoming stronger for Luffy and his nakama:
Oda has emphasised over and over that a true Conqueror desires freedom for themselves and others. The greatest Conquerors, Whitebeard, Roger, Oden, Rayleigh and Shanks placed their faith in the next generation, making personal sacrifices to protect those weaker than them. This fits with Eastern philosophy that emphasises collectivism over individualism, valuing student/master and senior/junior relationships that mentor and raise future generations. When elderly Japanese people volunteered to clean up nuclear waste after the Fukushima reactor meltdown, many Westerners reacted with surprise, not realising that this philosophy is deeply baked into Japanese history and culture.
Similarly, Luffy and Zoro have inspired many other characters to pursue their dreams, including Coby, Momonosuke, O-Tama and Chopper. Luffy and Zoro also consistently place the group's welfare over their own, with Zoro holding back the full brunt of Hakai to preserve the Supernova group's strength and Luffy isolating himself in Mirror World to keep Katakuri away from his friends.
Although Luffy does have some indicators that signal his chosen one status such as his parallels with JoyBoy and Whitebeard's prediction that one day Luffy will reveal the truth about the world, all of these, in context, have nothing to do with his COC. Oda goes out of his way to reinforce that COC is actually quite common in the New World, and that anyone can be born with the willpower of kings. With the exception of Doflamingo, most COC users are common-born, with Hancock, Linlin and Rayleigh earning their 'king' or empress titles through deeds rather than circumstances of birth.
Zoro's theme has always been that of an ordinary man who, through sheer force of will, becomes capable of extraordinary feats. He was never as talented as Kuina and is constantly shown training and trying to improve himself. Haki translates roughly to willpower or ambition, with Sanji unable to even use haki against Black Maria as he completely lacks the will to fight women. Conqueror's haki thus is less a sign of being The Chosen One but rather signifies an individual with extraordinary will to rise above their circumstances.
Overall, COC enhances both Luffy and Zoro's characters by depicting them as ambitious and charismatic individuals who nonetheless are willing to act selflessly and seek freedom above all. Zoro is not a Chosen One and never has been. Mihawk, Ryuma and now Kaido have recognised his incredible force of will, with the World's Strongest creature finally beginning to acknowledge the loser of 2000 duels with a little girl in the East Blue. This is Oda's philosophy on COC and one of the main strengths of One Piece as a story.
The first time Luffy officially uses COC is against the Boa sisters to protect the Kuja women who saved him. Once she sees this, Hancock and her sisters begin taking him seriously, and force him to choose between personal gain (his boat) and self-sacrifice (saving the girls). Luffy makes the selfless choice and this is what ends up turning Hancock to his side. Having known only selfish and greedy men, Hancock fell in love with Luffy's humility, awed by the realisation that a fellow Conqueror might throw his pride away without a moment's hesitation to save others.
Similarly, Mihawk implicitly notes that Zoro is a proud, capable and honourable man, but is impressed by his willingness to relinquish his pride for the sake of becoming stronger for Luffy and his nakama:
Oda has emphasised over and over that a true Conqueror desires freedom for themselves and others. The greatest Conquerors, Whitebeard, Roger, Oden, Rayleigh and Shanks placed their faith in the next generation, making personal sacrifices to protect those weaker than them. This fits with Eastern philosophy that emphasises collectivism over individualism, valuing student/master and senior/junior relationships that mentor and raise future generations. When elderly Japanese people volunteered to clean up nuclear waste after the Fukushima reactor meltdown, many Westerners reacted with surprise, not realising that this philosophy is deeply baked into Japanese history and culture.
Similarly, Luffy and Zoro have inspired many other characters to pursue their dreams, including Coby, Momonosuke, O-Tama and Chopper. Luffy and Zoro also consistently place the group's welfare over their own, with Zoro holding back the full brunt of Hakai to preserve the Supernova group's strength and Luffy isolating himself in Mirror World to keep Katakuri away from his friends.
Although Luffy does have some indicators that signal his chosen one status such as his parallels with JoyBoy and Whitebeard's prediction that one day Luffy will reveal the truth about the world, all of these, in context, have nothing to do with his COC. Oda goes out of his way to reinforce that COC is actually quite common in the New World, and that anyone can be born with the willpower of kings. With the exception of Doflamingo, most COC users are common-born, with Hancock, Linlin and Rayleigh earning their 'king' or empress titles through deeds rather than circumstances of birth.
Zoro's theme has always been that of an ordinary man who, through sheer force of will, becomes capable of extraordinary feats. He was never as talented as Kuina and is constantly shown training and trying to improve himself. Haki translates roughly to willpower or ambition, with Sanji unable to even use haki against Black Maria as he completely lacks the will to fight women. Conqueror's haki thus is less a sign of being The Chosen One but rather signifies an individual with extraordinary will to rise above their circumstances.
Overall, COC enhances both Luffy and Zoro's characters by depicting them as ambitious and charismatic individuals who nonetheless are willing to act selflessly and seek freedom above all. Zoro is not a Chosen One and never has been. Mihawk, Ryuma and now Kaido have recognised his incredible force of will, with the World's Strongest creature finally beginning to acknowledge the loser of 2000 duels with a little girl in the East Blue. This is Oda's philosophy on COC and one of the main strengths of One Piece as a story.
