Zoro's First Black Blade in Elbaf Explained

This article contains spoilers from the Elbaf Arc of One Piece.

Key recommendations

• Zoro aims to be the greatest swordsman and needs power.
• Zoro can blacken his swords for a major power boost.
• Sandai Kitetsu could be Zoro's first blackened blade.

Zoro is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the world One piece. After embarking on his journey to find and defeat Dracula Mihawk to claim the title of World's Greatest Swordsman, Zoro has made great strides for himself since then. At this point, Zoro is part of a Yonko crew, which means the standards are pretty high for him. And considering that he is the second strongest of the crew behind Luffy, it means that Zoro is among the strongest characters in the world.

That said, Zoro is far from his prime and still needs more power. While strength can be gained by training the body, Zoro can strengthen not only himself, but also swords. Curiously enough, the concept of powering up one's swords was introduced in the Wano Country arc, and fans know that there is a way for Zoro to become even more powerful if he manages to attain the power of Blade Blackening.

One-piece blade blackening concept

• Black blades are very rare in one piece
• Zoro could have access to the Black Blades

Black Blades are quite special in One piece world. Fans were introduced to a black blade for the first time when Dracule Mihawk made his debut. During the Baratie arc, Zoro fought against Mihawk, and while the latter did not use his main blade during the battle to deliver the final blow, he eventually unleashed the blade he called the biggest in the world, Yoru. Yoru is black from top to bottom, and at the time, fans didn't pay attention to this detail. However, knowing Oda, fans weren't surprised when he became a major plot point somewhere around the Thriller Bark arc. During this arc, the zombie of a legendary samurai named Ryuma was introduced into the story, and it was clearly mentioned that Ryuma also wielded a black blade, just like Mihawk.

As an honor, I will use this black blade to deliver the final blow. – Michael

This black blade was Shuusui, one of the 21 great swords. Shusui is said to be incredibly robust, much of which was due to his blackness. This blade came into Zoro's possession in the Thriller Bark arc and lasted until the Wano Country arc, where he returned it to the people of the country in exchange for Enma. Of course, this was a personal loss for Zoro, but not so much in terms of power, considering that Zoro was given an even stronger blade and one that helped him tap into the powers of the Conqueror's Haki, along with with letting him access the advanced form of Armament Haki as well. Enma ended up becoming a massive tool for Zoro to progress in One Piece.

While Enma itself was an upgrade, Oda also created a future power-up for Zoro in the form of Black Blades. According to Kozuki Sukiyaki, black blades are quite special One piece and any blade can be turned into a black blade. This does not necessarily imply that Haki Imbuement will temporarily turn a blade black. The idea being talked about here is the permanent blackening of a blade. Constantly improving with Armament Haki, and possibly even Conqueror's Haki, could allow one to turn their sword black. Once this happens, the blade is strengthened immensely, and what's more, it also increases in rank. This was confirmed in the Wano Country arc and essentially means that a blade is massively strengthened when Blackening is performed.

Why Zoro will blacken his swords soon

Zoro's swords need a major power boost

One Piece is finally in its final saga, and that means all the Straw Hats must be nearing their peak now. Luffy has already become a Yonko, and while he's not at the peak of his powers, he's pretty close. The same can be said about the remaining straw. They should all be close to their peaks right now, which means Zoro should also be close to reaching a level where he can defeat Mihawk. Zoro had already tapped into the power of the Conqueror's advanced Haki as well, and he didn't have much left to reach the same level as the Admirals and eventually the Yonko.

Any blade can become a black blade. – Michael

A great power that Zoro can receive soon is gaining a black blade. However, Zoro has three blades in One Piece and not just one. This means that these power-ups can come gradually, one after the other. Zoro might blacken one of his swords soon. In the Elbaf arc, Zoro could continue to blacken his first blade, and this would be a major power for him. Zoro blackening a blade would reveal a lot of interesting details to fans, such as how this process enhances the sword and even how it happens in the first place.

Fans are also eager to know how blackening improves a Swordsman and whether or not it can improve overall strength as well as blade efficiency. There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point and will only be addressed once Zoro blackens his first sword.

Which sword will blacken Zoro first?

Zoro could blacken Sandai Kitetsu first

Right now, Zoro wields three incredibly powerful swords. His most precious blade is the Wado Ichimonji, which is one of the 21 Great Swords. Enma belongs to a similar rank and is by far his strongest sword. And then there's the Sandai Kitetsu, which is the weakest of all the blades that Zoro carries. Considering all of these swords are very powerful, it's likely that the blade that Zoro will blacken first will be the weakest. This would save the stronger powers for later. The Sandai Kitetsu could be the first blade that Zoro blackens, and if that really happens, then Zoro would have a very powerful blade at his disposal.

At this time, fans don't know how much of a rank upgrade a blade gets when Blackened. At the very least, fans should expect the Sandai Kitetsu to become one of the 21 Great Swords. If this is indeed the case, then all three of Zoro's blades would be of the same rank and would ensure that he would level up in terms of power. Perhaps blackening the blades would allow Zoro to wield Haki better and not waste it as much as he usually does. This could be the boost Zoro needs to maximize his use of the King of Hell style and hopefully allow him to become even more powerful than he currently is.

Additionally, blackening a blade means that Zoro's cutting power will increase dramatically overall, and he will then be able to deliver even more deadly blows. Hopefully, the challenges Elbaf throws at Zoro will be enough to push him to the limit and blacken one of his powerful blades.

One Piece can be read through Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next One Piece chapter, One Piece 1131, is set for November 11, 2024.