D: “In Whereupon We Ask Odacchi A Question”. [The letter writer is sounding like Sweet Pea, so this is my approximation of how Sweet Pea would sound like in English. It goes on through the letter. -N] Inside Sunny-go, there’s a splendid bookshelf, isn’t there? And in that bookshelf are “everyone except Luffy’s books”! But! There’s one person in the crew that I simply cannot imagine reading. And that is… Zoro. What sort of books could he possibly be reading? Please tell me!

O: It certainly does seem like books don’t suit Zoro very well. But rather than reading books, you could say that he views them. Diagrams from books on martial arts, illustrations of weapons, collections of high-level bounties and so on. He looks at them.

I know that there have been alot of theories on Zoro and how Wano will be the big stage for him, so I wanted to talk about my ideas of how Zoro will grow and the general theme of his Santoryu. I generally do short theories, but this might turn out to a good length. So sit tight, and I’ll try to throw in some pictures!

So first off, I wanted to talk about Santoryu in general and where Oda might have drew inspiration from. I think that the three swords Zoro uses were inspired by the legendary sword smith battle of Masamune vs Muramasa. It’s a folklore and not a real event, for fun trivia.

For a short summary, Muramasa challenged the great master smith Masamune to a contest of sword crafting. The test was to lower their new masterpieces into a creek with the cutting edge faced against the current. Muramasa’s blade cut everything that touched it, leaves, fish, even the very air. Then he begin to scoff at Masamune, for Masamune’s blade did not cut anything. But the judge bowed to Masamune, declaring him the winner. For Muramasa’s blade was deemed evil for cutting indiscriminately. Whereas Masamune’s blade show mercy and spare the innocent.

So here’s why I think it’s related. I think that Zoro will always use the Wado Ichimonji, the true finest sword in One Piece, a neutral blade, and a cursed sword. For now I want to talk about the neutral blade and the cursed sword, saving the Wado for last.

So here we have the Sandai Kitetsu, the cursed blade. As we can see, it has a wicked curve and is described a sharp sword, willing and able to cut indiscriminately. I think that Oda may have based Kitetsu on Muramasa. Many have speculated what it really means to be cursed, and I have my own theories, but that’s for another time. For now, let’s just accept that this blade is designed to cut anything and everything.

Zoro has commented on occasion that the Kitetsu is a problem child, being innately bloodthirsty. However I think that during the first part of the story, Zoro has slowly overcome this issue. He does not use lethal force by the time of the Water 7 arc, showing restraint and control over this blade. I think that for the most part, Zoro mastered this particular blade, the key being overcoming its bloodlust.

Then we have the neutral blades, Yubashiri and Shusui. The reason that I call them neutral is that neither is designed to be evil or righteous. The Yubashiri is described as a swift sword, its main trait being extremely light in weight. The Shusui is the opposite, being heavy and durable. Unfortunately the Yubashiri did not survive pre-time skip, so mastery of this particular blade is hard to say. However it is clear that Zoro has completely mastered Shusui, its key being its weight.

Over the time skip, it has become Zoro’s go to blade, being used in his Iaido techniques. He has turned the heaviness of Shusui into an advantage and use it to increase his cutting and vacuum powers.

Then we finally come back to the beginning, the Wado Ichimonji. The very sword by which Zoro swore twice to become the greatest. I think that this is the one sword in One Piece that was modeled after the great sword smith Masamune. I think the white color theme, the name, and Koshiro’s peaceful demeanor all contribute to this idea. I think that the Wado is a righteous blade in stark contrast to Kitetsu.

Ironically, I believe that this is the one sword which Zoro has mastered the least. What I mean by this is that I believe each Blade that is good enough to be named has an unique property or trait that is the essence of the blade. For Kitetsu, it’s bloodlust. For Yubashiri, it’s light weight. For Shusui, it’s heavy weight. What then pray tell, is the essence of Wado? The Wado is a peaceful blade that cuts nothing, instead the target willingly gives way to the blade.

In the world of One Piece, I believe that there are two ways to cut things. One way is to overpower the target with force. You swing against the target with enough power and durability, then the target will be sliced apart. This is the way of the Kitetsu. But there is a superior way to cut, cutting nothing.

The first hint of this is the Zoro vs Mr.1 fight, where Zoro recall Koshiro saying that there are swordsmen out there who cuts nothing. He then turns on rudimentary CoO, following the voice of steel and cut Mr.1 with the Wado. I think this is the first hint at the true power of Wado, which Zoro has barely tapped into. Wado Ichimonji, the Kanji of this blade means, the One Path of the Way of Harmony. Way of Harmony, I think this is the key to its power. The Wado does not use destructive power against the target, instead it works with the target to the point that the target does not offer any resistance, thus allowing the Wado to slice it like paper.

So now with all that out of the way, what does that whole spiel have to do with Wano? Well I think that alot of people imagine Wano to be full of warriors, and samurai, and ninjas, and I’m not saying that they won’t be there. But my idea of Wano has always been a very peaceful country, with sakura leaves and tea flowers and peaceful waves, which would mean it’s the perfect place for Zoro to see a side of swordsmenship he hasn’t encountered alot. I think that Zoro has beefed up his physical prowess with Shusui, and it’s time to get some of spiritual development to understand how to cut peacefully with the Wado Ichimonji.

*Theory by Cloudastic

The Straw Hat Pirates continue riding Kanjuro’s dragon up Zou’s leg, and Usopp complains that his arms are tiring yet there is still no sight of the peak.

Luffy then asks Kin’emon and Kanjuro what business they have on Zou, and Kanjuro reveals that they wanted to check on Momonosuke and to see whether their last comrade has landed here: a ninja named Raizo. The Straw Hats and Law react in shock to the news that he is a ninja, when suddenly Robin notices something falling toward them from above.

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