Zoro's first black blade in Elbaf explained

This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.

Key things

• Zoro wants to become the best swordsman and he needs strength.
• Zoro can blacken his swords for a great power boost.
• The Sandai Kitetsu could be Zoro's first blackened blade.

Zoro is one of the most skilled swordsmen in the world One piece. After setting out on a journey to find and defeat Dracula Mihawk to claim the title of World's Greatest Swordsman, Zoro has since made great strides for himself. Right now, Zoro is on Team Yonko, which means the standards are pretty high for him. And since he is the second strongest in the team after Luffy, it means that Zoro is among the strongest characters in the world.

This means that Zoro is far from his peak and still needs more energy. While strength can be gained by training the body, Zoro can not only strengthen himself but also his swords. Strangely enough, the concept of powering up swords was introduced in the Wano Country arc and fans know that there is a way for Zoro to power up even more if he can achieve the power of Blade Blackening.

The concept of blackening the blade in one piece

• Black blades are very rare in one piece
• Zoro could gain access to the black blades

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

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

This black blade was a Shuusui, one of the 21 great class swords. Shusui is said to be incredibly robust, which was largely due to his blackening. This blade came into Zoro's possession in the Thriller Bark arc and lasted all the way to the Wano Country arc, where he returned it to the people of the country in exchange for Enma. Of course it was a personal loss for Zoro, but not so much in terms of power considering the fact that Zoro was given an even stronger blade that helped him harness the power of the Conqueror's Haki while also giving him access. also an advanced form of Armament Haki. Enma ended up being a massive tool for Zoro to advance in One Piece.

While Enma herself was an upgrade, Oda also prepared 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 mean that the Haki Imbuement will temporarily blacken the blade. The idea being talked about here is a permanent blackening of the blade. Continuous penetration of Armament Haki, and potentially even Conqueror's Haki, can allow one to blacken a sword. Once this happens, the blade is greatly strengthened, and what's more, it also rises in rank. This was confirmed in the Wano Country arc and basically means that the blade is greatly enhanced when one attains Blackening.

Why Zoro will turn his swords black 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 now be nearing their peak. Luffy has already become a Yonk, and while he's not at the peak of his powers, he's pretty close. The same can be said for the rest of the Strawhats. They should all be close to their peaks now, which means Zoro should also be close to reaching a level where he can defeat Mihawk. Zoro has also already harnessed the power of the advanced Conqueror's Haki and doesn't have much left to catch up with the Admirals and eventually the Yonko.

Any blade can become a black blade. – Mihawk

One big upgrade that Zoro could get soon is getting a black blade. However, Zoro has three blades in One Piece and not just one. This means that these power-ups can come sequentially, one at a time. Zoro could potentially blacken one of his swords soon. In the Elbaf Arc, Zoro could continue to blacken his first blade, and that would be a great power for him. Blackening Zoro's blade would reveal a lot of exciting details to fans, such as how the process enhances the sword and how it even happens.

Fans are also eager to know how blackening improves swordsmen and whether or not it can improve the overall strength and effectiveness of the blade. There are many questions that are unanswered at this point and will only be resolved after Zoro starts blackening his first sword.

Which sword will Zoro turn black first?

Zoro was able to blacken the Sandai Kitetsu first

Right now, Zoro wields incredibly powerful swords. His most prized blade is the Wado Ichimonji, which is one of the 21 great class swords. Enma belongs to a similar rank and is his strongest sword by far. And then there's the Sandai Kitetsu, which is the weakest of all the blades Zoro carries. Since all of these swords are very powerful, it's likely that the blade that Zoro blackens first is the weakest. That would save the stronger power-ups for later. The Sandai Kitetsu could be the first blade that Zoro turns black, and if it actually happens, Zoro will have a very powerful blade at his disposal.

Right now, fans don't know how much of an upgrade the blade gets when it's Blackened. At the very least, fans should expect the Sandai Kitetsu to become one of the 21 great class swords. If this actually happens, all three of Zoro's blades would be of the same quality and would ensure that he has a higher power. Perhaps blackening the blades would also allow Zoro to control 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 stronger than he currently is.

Additionally, the blackening of the blade means that Zoro's cutting power will increase dramatically overall, and he would then be able to deliver even more deadly blows. Hopefully, the challenges Elbaf presents to Zoro will be enough to drive him to the extreme of blackening one of his mighty blades.

One Piece is available to read through Viz Media. Fans can officially read the series 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.