You thought Zoro wank was already too much? Sit back and enjoy the new level of Mosshead wank! The greatest name under the Heavens!
The true greatest of the previous era was no other than Whitebeard himself, a great man who shares several parallels with the swordmaster Roronoa Zoro.
I will go over several of those parallels which is why I think that Zoro will be the actual greatest character of this era despite not being the main character.
First off, let's address the "underling" argument, which I have seen being used to say that WB and Zoro are different. Zoro is not an underling, he is Luffy's partner, unlike Whitebeard who actually was an underling of Rocks D xebec. Zoro only respects Luffy as long as he meets the values that a captain represents, made clear in Water 7 that he would abandon him not because of his strength but because of staining the values Zoro expects from a man who calls himself his captain.
Even as an underling, there are no limits, proven by the great Whitebeard himself who became the greatest Pirate the sun has shined upon, so far. Zoro is helping Luffy to become the Pirate King and eventually will reach his own dream of being the World's Strongest Swordsman but as the Marshall D Teach said himself, A man's dreams never end! Luffy becoming the Pirate King is not the end of One Piece. Where do we go from there? Maybe Zoro becoming the WSS is the true end, who knows...
What if Zoro achieves his dream before the end? Where does he go from there? Will he be satisfied with what he finds at the top?
I think when he helps Luffy achieve his dream, Zoro will go his own way eventually. Wano seems his natural habitat and perhaps he will return there.
Who knows, maybe even start his family in Wano. Becoming the military leader(Shogun) is also a possibility while Momo becomes a political leader(Emperor).
Now to the parallels the two great names share. The obvious similarity is the way they live their lives, proudly and honorable, something that Luffy doesnt quite fully grasp and needs to be told and reminded. They also dont run away from their battles so they have no coward's wounds on their backs, which they consider a mark of shame.
Both are tied with strength related titles which in the end Zoro might hold both, WSM and WSS in one.
Zoro and Whitebeard, the two individuals who hold the two most badass panels in the One Piece, quite similar to each other:
Oda, also, has drawn them similarly and they share a trait of loving sake. Both individuals also wear a black bandana on their head.
In no way is this an attempt to make Zoro a copy of Whitebeard, they both are unique characters on their own but they do share traits of the greatest one in their own eras. Luffy's dream is like Roger's, childish as per words of Whitebeard himself, they lack the badassery to be the greatest of their eras. Zoro already is set up to be one of the greatest if not the greatest combatant of all times and the only real challenge is Whitebeard himself. With the unique Santoryu style and abilities like Asura, I think he has the potential to surpass the great Shirohige as well.
Considering Oda's home country and the culture he has been raised in, I think Odachi will make swordmaster Zoro the greatest ever, no contest.
The anti-wankers are doing a futile job, Mosshead hype train is going full speed ahead!