Summary
The title of World’s Strongest Swordsman is one of the most coveted throughoutOne Piece, perhaps second only to the elusive accolade of being the Pirate King. The first mention of it was through Zoro, who started his journey on the Grand Line specifically to become the person to hold this title in order to keep his promise to his best friend Kuina. However, with Mihawk’s debut, he realized just how difficult this would be.
In the current era, Mihawk is considered to be one of the most powerful pirates in the world and is the holder of thetitle of World’s Strongest Swordsman. However, despite his strength being equal to Shanks and Zoro’s astronomical rise in power throughoutOne Piece, there is someone else who is far stronger than either of them, so let’s go over the true holder of this title and why this is the case.
Affiliation
The Five Elders
Although Mihawk was introduced very early on in the series as the strongest swordsman in all ofOne Piece, fans had an inclination about why this may not be the case during the Jaya arc, where theGorosei made their first official appearance. Here, they were directly stated to be the highest authority in the world, which denoted just how powerful they were going to be. Among them, there was one who wore robes and had a sword with him.
Eventually, during the Egghead arc, this character was revealed to be St. Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance for the Holy Land of Marijoa. During these events, his true strength was teased as he was shown to have a mysterious Yokai transformation like the other Elders. His was the Bakotsu, which granted him incredible speed, strength, and ice powers, all of which greatly augmented his swordsmanship. He was seen in the hybrid Zoan form way more than the other Gorosei, which showed just how strong and creative his powers are.
So, you mean to make a grand sacrifice of yourself?
With his enhanced speed, he was able to gallop around Egghead Island at a blistering pace, slicing down everything he saw with ease. It was a swipe from his sword that cut apart the Labophase in half, showing his mastery of Haki and overall skill with a blade, which was further reinforced by how easily he managed to get behindand destroy the Pacifistas. Nusjuro even managed to clash with Zoro, though it’s clear that the Pirate Hunter was no match for him at the time.
Most impressive, however, is his weapon of choice. Though still not outright stated, Nusjuro is heavily implied to be the wielder of the Shodai Kitetsu, a cursed Supreme Grade Blade that is the first and strongest of the legendary Kitetsu line. Of course, only someone of his caliber can use a weapon of that sort, which easily puts him on a greater tier of power than both Mihawk and Zoro when taking his brief feats and Yokai powers into account as well.
What Role Will Nusjuro Play When The Final War Starts?
The Greatest Servant Of Imu
One Piece’sFinal War promises to be the greatest event that the world has ever seen, which will either usher in a new dawn for all the oppressed people of the world or will crush all dissidents for good, propagatingthe order of the Celestial Dragonsfor even longer. Due to the inevitable scale of the conflict involving every major and minor character of the series, it’s easy to see that Nusjuro will be one of the greatest enemies that the heroes will ever have to face.
Because of this, it’s a common sentiment among most fans that he will be Zoro’s ultimate opponent when the time comes. Of course, there is very little Zoro would be able to do against him at the current moment, since Nusjuro’s power is some of the greatest that we have ever seen due to his masterful use of the various forms of Haki and his incredible Yokai abilities, which may come from a Devil Fruit. Contrast this to Zoro, who is just beginning to get a grasp on his Conqueror’s Haki.
Although unconfirmed, many believe that each of the Five Elders is amaster at using Conqueror’s Haki, putting Zoro at a significant disadvantage at the current moment. However, it’s only natural for him to get a far greater power-up before the Final War officially commences, which would be the only way for Zoro to be able to play a significant role.
The most likely trajectory concerning Zoro is that he will need to get much stronger to defeat Mihawk, which he may end up doing before he faces off against Nusjuro. Their fight is inevitable because only after defeating a swordsman on the level of an Elder would Zoro be able to say that his promise to Kuina has been fulfilled, which is the main driving force behind his entire character arc in the first place. If Zoro wants to end the series as the World’s Strongest Swordsman, Nusjuro is the biggest obstacle that he must overcome.
