6 Characters Zoro Has Already Surpassed In One Piece’s Elbaf Arc

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Roronoa Zoro, a key fighter for the Straw Hat Pirates, has become incredibly powerful in the current arc of One Piece. He’s demonstrated his strength in battles against formidable opponents, even facing off against one of the Five Elders on Egghead, proving he’s reached a truly elite level.

From the beginning of the Final Saga, all the way to Elbaf, Zoro has consistently proven he’s among the most powerful pirates and swordsmen of this generation. He’s traveled a great distance, overcoming numerous strong opponents along the way.

Kaku

  • Position: Cipher Pol Aegis 0
  • Devil Fruit: Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Giraffe
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

Kaku is a highly skilled and powerful member of the Cipher Pol, as demonstrated during the Egghead arc of One Piece. He was already a formidable opponent thanks to his Six Powers, strong Haki, and Giraffe Devil Fruit. However, after the two-year timeskip, Kaku gained an even greater ability by awakening his Devil Fruit powers.

Everyone agrees Kaku is powerful, but fans generally consider Zoro to be stronger. Their brief fight on Egghead confirmed this, as Zoro clearly had the advantage even after Kaku awakened his abilities. Zoro’s subsequent battle with Lucci proved he’s grown even stronger, capable of defeating opponents who are more powerful than Kaku. In a direct fight, Zoro would easily defeat Kaku.

Flower Sword Vista

  • Position: Fifth Division Commander Of The Straw Hat Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: No
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

Vista is a remarkably skilled swordsman in the world of One Piece. During the Paramount War, he fought Mihawk, widely considered the greatest swordsman, and the two were evenly matched. Despite Mihawk generally being more powerful, their battle ended without a clear winner.

Vista is a very skilled swordsman and many fans believe he’d be a challenging opponent for Zoro. However, Zoro has become stronger since the Wano arc, now possessing Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. This means Zoro has surpassed Vista, and would likely win in a fight.

Shiryu

  • Position: 2nd Ship Captain Of The Blackbeard Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: Suke Suke no Mi
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

Shiryu of the Rain is a remarkably powerful character in the world of One Piece. He leads one of Blackbeard’s ships and is considered one of the pirate captain’s most formidable crew members. Aside from Aokiji, Shiryu is likely the second strongest member of the Blackbeard Pirates.

Fans are aware that Shiryu is incredibly powerful. While he’s mainly known as a skilled swordsman with the blade Raiu, he also has the ability to become invisible thanks to the Suke Suke no Mi Devil Fruit. Currently, it seems Shiryu has developed Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, though he remains exceptionally strong overall. It’s expected that Shiryu will continue to grow stronger, and he’s predicted to have a significant battle against Zoro when the Straw Hat Pirates inevitably face off against the Blackbeard Pirates.

Charlotte Katakuri

  • Position: Sweet Commander of The Big Mom Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: Mochi Mochi no Mi
  • Haki: Armament, Observation, Conqueror’s

Charlotte Katakuri is Big Mom’s most powerful subordinate and one of the strongest pirates sailing the seas. He has a bounty of 1.057 billion berries and possesses an exceptionally advanced form of Observation Haki, allowing him to see into the future. He also has incredible control over his Devil Fruit powers. Considering Zoro defeated King, Katakuri is likely around the same strength level.

As a huge One Piece fan, I’m really excited thinking about Zoro facing Katakuri! Honestly, I think Katakuri would push Zoro even harder than King did – he’s just on another level of tricky! But I fully believe Zoro will overcome him, and that probably means Zoro has already gotten stronger than Katakuri by the time we get to the Elbaf arc. It’s a great sign of how much Zoro’s growing!

Rob Lucci

  • Position: CP-0 Member
  • Devil Fruit: Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

Rob Lucci is a formidable member of the Cipher Pol Aegis 0 organization. He recently demonstrated his incredible power on Egghead, where he awakened his leopard form and fought against Zoro. It’s clear that Lucci is an extremely powerful fighter.

Currently, Zoro has a slight edge over Lucci in terms of strength. This was made clear when they fought, and Zoro managed to inflict a serious, potentially fatal wound on him. Despite this, Lucci refused to give up, but Jinbe ultimately stopped the fight. Most fans agree that Zoro has now definitively surpassed Lucci in power.

Marco the Phoenix

  • Position: First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates
  • Devil Fruit: Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix
  • Haki: Armament, Observation

I’ve been watching the pirate world for a while now, and Marco the Phoenix is someone you definitely need to pay attention to. He used to be Whitebeard’s most trusted advisor and is still an incredibly powerful fighter. Honestly, I think he’d give Zoro a real run for his money – it would be a seriously close fight. With a bounty of 1.374 billion berries, the World Government clearly sees him as a major threat, and that really underlines just how strong he remains. I don’t think there’s a huge gap in power between him and Zoro, not at all.

Marco is significantly faster and has an incredible healing ability. It’s not certain Zoro could win, as his sword, Enma, quickly drains his energy, and he doesn’t have much time to use his powerful King of Hell: 3 Sword Style. Plus, Marco can recover from any attack Zoro throws at him, no matter how devastating. However, if Zoro can maintain a constant, rapid assault, he could eventually defeat Marco. Overall, they’re likely around the same strength level, and the outcome of a fight is unpredictable.

Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga, One Piece, follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they search for the legendary treasure, the One Piece. The story is currently in its final arc. A new chapter, number 1172, will be released in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump. It will be available on February 1, 2026, at 12 AM Japan Standard Time (11:00 AM Eastern Time, 8:00 AM Pacific Time). Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app, which helps support the creator.

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2026-01-26 00:36