Chapter 966 raised a lot of questions with the apparent portrayal of Roger as a swordsman. What does this mean for Zoro's endgame? Will Zoro surpass Roger? If he fails to do so, would that equal a failure to fulfil his dream? I'd like to argue that these debates are ill-informed and based on a misunderstanding of the characters. Zoro's dream has never been Roger, nor has it ever been to be the best swordsman of all time. To shed some light on the situation, we need to revisit his promise to Kuina:
Neither Kuina nor Zoro expressed any desire to be the 'strongest of all time'. They merely wanted to be acknowledged as the WSS. Putting that aside, comparing oneself to dead people is a futile endeavour. Roger died before Zoro was born, and no one alive remembers exactly how strong individuals such as Ryuma were. Maybe there was even an Ancient Kingdom swordsman stronger than Ryuma and Roger? We'll never know.
As an adult, Zoro once again reiterates that his goal is to be so famous that his name will be known worldwide. To that end, he initially cast away his morals and threatened anyone who interfered with his goal. Through his encounters with Luffy and Mihawk, Zoro realised the error of his ways and came to place Luffy's ambition and goals before his own. This is not to say that Zoro no longer cares about being a famous master swordsman, rather that his path to becoming one will look very different from Mihawk's.
Very early in the series, Mihawk emphasised the idea of gaining worldly experience in order to grow strong. This has recently returned to the spotlight through Oden's adventure, with Oda constantly emphasising how much Oden was changed by his travels outside Wano.
Even in a chapter about Roger, Oden continues to focus on the marvels of the OP world. Although he considered WB a great man, Roger's lust for adventure was far more admirable to Oden, who constantly chafed at the restrictive society of Wano. Yet for all his adventures and experience, Oden did not manage to open the borders and expose Wano natives to everything the world had to offer. In this arc, Zoro has developed his relationships with Momo and Hiyori, with himself and Momo inheriting Oden's twin blades. Kawamatsu's backstory reveals that in Wano culture, swords represent inherited will; in other words Zoro and Momo will be the ones to bring Oden's will to fruition. This would go a long way to etching Zoro's name in history as the swordsman who helped open Wano's borders.
We also know that Luffy will succeed where Roger failed; he will bring down the corrupt Celestial Dragons and reveal the true history to the world. Luffy established very early on that the Pirate King needs the WSS by his side. Oda even titled a chapter 'Pirate King and Master Swordsman'. Chapter 966 re-established that the central theme of One Piece is not strength, but freedom and a love for adventure. While Mihawk is a strong individual in his own right, he broke off his bond with Shanks, and neither men surpassed the achievements of previous generations. Mihawk represents the pinnacle of an individual swordsman's strength; Zoro will surpass him many times over in fame as a member of the Pirate King's crew, a man who helped bring freedom to the world. Zoro will become the WSS by proving Mihawk's philosophy wrong, demonstrating that individual strength is not the only thing that matters as a swordsman - the strongest swordsman uses his strength to protect what he needs to.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. For a more concrete theory about what Zoro's dream truly entails, check out my other thread: https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...will-why-there-are-no-perfect-parallels.1719/
Edit: Just as a clarification, I recognise that Oda has made strong comparisons between Zoro and Ryuma as a historically significant swordsman. However, this only strengthens the argument that he lacks a connection to Roger. Oda has established clear milestones for Zoro to surpass Oden and Ryuma, and has even had Zoro clash with a weaker version of Ryuma and inherit his will. Given that Oda is extremely blatant with parallels, Zoro and Roger's connection remains almost entirely a fanmade connection.
We also know that Luffy will succeed where Roger failed; he will bring down the corrupt Celestial Dragons and reveal the true history to the world. Luffy established very early on that the Pirate King needs the WSS by his side. Oda even titled a chapter 'Pirate King and Master Swordsman'. Chapter 966 re-established that the central theme of One Piece is not strength, but freedom and a love for adventure. While Mihawk is a strong individual in his own right, he broke off his bond with Shanks, and neither men surpassed the achievements of previous generations. Mihawk represents the pinnacle of an individual swordsman's strength; Zoro will surpass him many times over in fame as a member of the Pirate King's crew, a man who helped bring freedom to the world. Zoro will become the WSS by proving Mihawk's philosophy wrong, demonstrating that individual strength is not the only thing that matters as a swordsman - the strongest swordsman uses his strength to protect what he needs to.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. For a more concrete theory about what Zoro's dream truly entails, check out my other thread: https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...will-why-there-are-no-perfect-parallels.1719/
Edit: Just as a clarification, I recognise that Oda has made strong comparisons between Zoro and Ryuma as a historically significant swordsman. However, this only strengthens the argument that he lacks a connection to Roger. Oda has established clear milestones for Zoro to surpass Oden and Ryuma, and has even had Zoro clash with a weaker version of Ryuma and inherit his will. Given that Oda is extremely blatant with parallels, Zoro and Roger's connection remains almost entirely a fanmade connection.
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