Did You Know this place existed? This is Elephant Rock in Iceland.

Anyone who’s seen the works of Michelangelo or visited Mount Rushmore knows that rock can be sculpted to look like anything or anyone. But this was done by nature.

Water and wind dug away hard stone in manner that looks unbelievably real, right down to mimicking the skin patterns of an elephant.

Hello once again everyone and welcome back to another theory for your constipation. This time I shall be diving into the path to purification of Roronoa Zoro.

Luffy, Zoro and Sanji; the defiance, the demon and the devil; the monkey, the dragon and the phoenix; Sun Wukong, Ao Guang and Yama.

You all are probably wondering what I mean when I say “dragon Buddha” and half of it is just Zoro’s future animal spirit. I believe Zoro is becoming a dragon and is on a path to Buddhahood. From Shark, to tiger, to Dragon, to Buddha.

Hold on….isn’t Sengoku already a Buddha? Yes, but he’s not a real one. The real Buddha is skinny.

Sengoku is the fat laughing Buddha; one of the 7 Lucky Gods of Fortune.

In the popular Chinese novel Journey To The West(plan on doing a topic on Sun Wukong-OP connection soon), Sun Wukong, The Monkey King was on a rampage on the only one who was able to keep him in line was Buddha. Luffy is obviously based off Sun Wukong(like DBZ Goku) and Zoro acts as Luffy’s “Buddha.”

Okay then….Zoro is crossing the ten paths of Buddhahood and he is waling multiple paths at once. The following paths(also known as worlds) are as follows:
(1) hell
(2) hungry spirits
(3) animals
(4) asuras
(5) human beings
(6) heavenly beings
(7) voice-hearers
(8) cause-awakened ones
(9) bodhisattvas
(10) Buddhas

Paths 1 through 4 are known as the evil paths and for most of pre-TS, Zoro was a shark(keep this in mind).

(1)Hell indicates a condition in which living itself is misery and suffering, and in which, devoid of all freedom, one’s anger and rage become a source of further self-destruction.

Zoro has yet to be consumed by his rage(I believe he will in Wano) but he does get really angry when it comes to Sanji….and Nami…..and Luffy……and Usopp…..

(2) The world of hungry spirits. Also called the world of hunger. A condition governed by endless desire for such things as food, profit, pleasure, power, recognition, or fame, in which one is never truly satisfied. The above work reads, “Greed is the world of hungry spirits.”

Zoro wants power to be able to achieve his dream. Eevn when he makes a breakthrough, he is still unsatisfied with himself cause he believes do better.

Remember when I said Zoro was a shark? All sharks do is eat and lets not forget the most important thing; Zoro loves booze.

(3) The world of animals. Also called the world of animality. It is a condition driven by instinct and lacking in reason, morality, or wisdom with which to control oneself. In this condition, one is ruled by the “law of the jungle,” standing in fear of the strong, but despising and preying upon those weaker than oneself. The same work states, “Foolishness is the world of animals.”

Zoro became infamous in East Blue by hunting pirates weaker than him and referred to as a blood-thirsty demon. Zoro was also very foolish in challenging the WSS at the Baratie.

(4) The world of asuras. Also called the world of animosity or the world of anger. In Indian mythology, asuras are arrogant and belligerent demons. This condition is called the world of animosity because it is characterized by persistent, though not necessarily overt, aggressiveness. The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind states, “Perversity is the world of asuras.” It is a condition dominated by ego, in which excessive pride prevents one from revealing one’s true self or seeing others as they really are. Compelled by the need to be superior to others or surpass them at any cost, one may feign politeness and even flatter others while inwardly despising them. The worlds of hell, hungry spirits, animals, and asuras are collectively called the four evil paths.

Arrogance, pride, aggressiveness, ego. a fraking asura….do I even need to explain? I mean Zoro is SOOOO arrogant that….

I’ll now have to talk about the swords Zoro had during his travels of the 4 evil paths.

Zoro’s first sword was the Wado Ichimonji which means “Straight Path of Harmony.” Its pure white sheath represents purity, enlightenment and good.

Zoro’s 2nd sword was the Yubashiri which means “Song of My Skin.” It is a very sharp, light and easy to manage sword that it symbolized with its golden pattern.

Zoro’s 3rd sword is one that symbolizes the evil paths; The cursed Sandai Kitetsu which means “Third Generation Demon Cutter.” The grip and scabbard of the sword is almost completely red which symbolizes rage, anger and blood( Off topic but Shiliew’s sword sheath is white but is red at the bottom with a few red spots. It symbolizes tainted purity).

From the get go, Zoro knew the sandai was a cursed sword and liked it.

Lastly, as for the evil paths, did you know that Zoro actually feared death? That’s right. Zoro was afraid to die at one point because he wanted to achieve his dream that badly.

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Paths 5 and 6 goes along with paths 1 to 4 and make the 6 paths of uncertainty. More on this later.

(5) The world of human beings. Also called the world of humanity. The same work reads, “Calmness is the world of human beings.” In this state, one tries to control one’s desires and impulses with reason and act in harmony with one’s surroundings and other people, while also aspiring for a higher state of life.

Zoro constantly scolds Luffy on remaining focused and curses himself when he ‘loses his cool” during his fights like with square Kaku and high-pitch Pica. Zoro knows he has to stay focus or his dream of being WSM will bite the dust.

(6) The world of heavenly beings. Also called the world of heaven. The same work states, “Joy is the world of heaven.” This is a condition of contentment and joy that one feels when released from suffering or upon satisfaction of some desire. It is a temporary joy that is dependent upon and may easily change with circumstances. The six worlds from hell through the world of heavenly beings are called the six paths. Beings in the six paths, or those who tend toward these states of life, are largely controlled by the restrictions of their surroundings and are therefore extremely vulnerable to changing circumstances.

All of Zoro’s victories and joy is short lived. He defeated Mr 1 but his joy of victory didn’t last long and he did not know what his path led from there; He managed to defeat Kaku and save Robin in EL but his sowrd Yubashiri was destroyed; Moriah was defeated and Zoro got a new sword, but Kuma appeared and Zoro almost died.

By the time Thriller Bark came along, Zoro became a tiger.

A tiger is actually very passive and only gets aggressive when its on the hunt or is protecting its cubs. If it doesn’t see you as a threat, it’ll let you go. Living up to the paths of humanity and now being a tiger, Zoro tried to sacrifice himself to protect Luffy.

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Paths 7 to 10 are known as the 4 noble paths.

(7) The world of voice-hearers, a condition in which one awakens to the impermanence of all things and the instability of the six paths. Also called the world of learning. In this state, one dedicates oneself to creating a better life through self-reformation and self-development by learning from the ideas, knowledge, and experience of one’s predecessors and contemporaries. “Voice-hearers” (shrāvaka) originally meant those who listen to the Buddha preach the four noble truths and practice the eightfold path in order to acquire emancipation from earthly desires.

For starters, Zoro can hear the breath of all things(needs work though).

Zoro completely swallowed his pride to beg Mihawk to train him. He decided to better himself for the sake of his captain more so than his own dreams.

As you know, after the TS, Zoro overcame the uncertainties of the six paths; thanks to his 2 year training, he has crossed the six paths and is now on his path to becoming a dragon. Overcoming the 6 paths has been symbolizes with this panel.

Zoro has crossed the six paths of uncertainty; his path is clear. Zoro aims to be the WSS and knows that if he cant help his captain become the Pirate King, then he isn’t worthy of becoming the WSS. Zoro is now a full fledged tiger and is one his journey to becoming a dragon.

Zoro’s 4th sword, Shusui symbolizes his clear path. Shusui means “Clear Autumn Water” and autumn is the season of change. Shusui is the national treasure of Wano and Wano seems to follow Shinto and Buddhist religion and dragons are viewed as snake-like water serpents that should be slain.

The crossguard is also shaped like a lotus; a chrysanthemum lotus to be exact which is the Imperial Seal of Japan.

Ryuuma, the previous owner of the Shusui, slayed a dragon using the blade. In Punk Hazard, Zoro used the Shusui to slay a dragon.

Also in Punk Hazard, Zoro “slayed” another creature from Shintoism with a move called “Great Dragon Movement,” calling himself a beast.

Lastly, Shusui is heavy and destructive, symbolizing the burden Zoro willingly carries on his back toward his dream as well as his captain’s. Have you noticed that it has become Zoro’s favorite blade for itoryu techniques over the TS? Shusui is also a black blade with a flowing red pattern.

Black represents power, fear, mystery, evil, death, authority, elegance, formality, strength, rebellion and sophistication. The color black surrounding the flowing red pattern symbolizes Zoro’s control over his bloodlust and the Sandai Kitetsu.
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Paths 8 and 9 will be Zoro’s complete transformation into a dragon(in Wano).

(8) The world of cause-awakened ones, a condition in which one perceives the impermanence of all phenomena and strives to free oneself from the sufferings of the six paths by seeing some lasting truth through one’s own observations and effort. Also called the world of realization. “Cause-awakened ones,” also known as “self-awakened ones” (pratyekabuddha), originally meant those who attain a form of emancipation by perceiving the twelve-linked chain of causation or by observing natural phenomena. Persons in the worlds of voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, which are together called persons of the two vehicles, are given more to the pursuit of self-perfection than to altruism. They are also willing to look squarely at the reality of death and seek the eternal, in contrast to those in the world of heaven, who are distracted from life’s harsh realities.

(9) The world of bodhisattvas, a state of compassion in which one thinks of and works for others’ happiness even before becoming happy oneself. Bodhisattva, which consists of bodhi (enlightenment) and sattva (beings), means a person who seeks enlightenment while leading others to enlightenment. Bodhisattvas find that the way to self-perfection lies only in altruism, working for the enlightenment of others even before their own enlightenment. Nichiren states in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind: “Even a heartless villain loves his wife and children. He too has a portion of the bodhisattva world within him”.

(10) The world of Buddhas, or Buddhahood. This is a state of perfect and absolute freedom in which one realizes the true aspect of all phenomena or the true nature of life. One can achieve this state by manifesting the Buddha nature inherent in one’s life. From the standpoint of the philosophy of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, Buddhahood should not be viewed as a state removed from the sufferings and imperfections of ordinary persons. Attaining Buddhahood does not mean becoming a special being. In this state, one still continues to work against and defeat the negative functions of life and transform any and all difficulty into causes for further development. It is a state of complete access to the boundless wisdom, compassion, courage, and other qualities inherent in life; with these one can create harmony with and among others and between human life and nature. In the above work, Nichiren states, “Buddhahood is the most difficult to demonstrate”, but he also says, “That ordinary people born in the latter age can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the human world”.

This is reserved for when Zoro achieves his dream and is relieved of all burdens.

*Theory by Vandenreich

***SPOILER ALERT***

This chapter was pretty epic and brought in two major surprises.

The first was the real structure of the Zuo Island and the second was the revelation of Whitebeard Edward Newgate’s alleged son.

1-ZUO ISLAND

We discover Zou, the island… Except it’s not an island. Well, firstly… it moves. And secondly … It’s an ancient elephant that walks the see’s, never stopping in one place and he’s covered in fog and Zou just happens to be on top of him, an inhabitable land on top of this 1000 year old elephant.

2-THE SON OF WHITEBEARD?? 

This guy actually believes he is Whitebeard’s son and he’s even got a little shrivelled up mom with him who claims to be Whitebeard’s lover. 

WHAT THE F*CK??? O.o

Other than that though, I loved the rest of the chapter on the ship. Gambia’s grandma, Franky continuing his jealousy and Barto continuing to snub Law.
Nice to see Kizaru, it’s been a while.
Hopefully with the mention of Marco we will see him and some of the other commanders again (especially Vista!). I’m excited for the Minkmen.

Can’t wait to see what happens this arc hopefully we see Sanji and co soon as well since they should be on Zou now.

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