Eiichiro Oda has always teased that the Straw Hat Pirates would go up against the Blackbeard Pirates before the end of the anime. The latter follows the exact opposite philosophy of the former. All the members of the Blackbeard Pirates are Devil Fruit users and are strong fighters. On the other hand, not every member of the Straw Hats can engage in deadly battles.
Apart from Monkey D. Luffy vs. Blackbeard, the fans are excited to see Roronoa Zoro vs. Shiryu of the Rain. The swordsmen have established themselves as some of the greatest. But the fandom thinks the latter would have an awakening before facing the One-Eyed Swordsman. The awakening would be similar to an ability from a rival franchise.
Shiryu Could Have An Obito-Like Awakening
Shiryu of the Rain’s true power is yet to be explored in One Piece. From whatever information is available on him, he seems to be pretty strong. But he could come up a bit short while facing Roronoa Zoro. The latter has grown exponentially and recently discovered Conqueror’s Haki. Even if Shiryu has the abilities of the Suke Suke no Mi, Zoro can use Observation Haki to sense him.
But a new fan theory claims that the ex-jailer of Impel Down could have an awakening. The awakening could grant him access to another dimension. It is similar to Obito Uchiha’s Kamui from Naruto. Obito was visible to the naked eye, but whenever someone attacked, they would go right through him. It happened because his body was in another dimension.
Shiryu’s Devil Fruit grants him the ability to be invisible. The awakening could not only make his body invisible but his presence, too. Someone with strong control over their Haki would have no problem facing him. Access to another dimension could grant him abilities to attack from any direction.
It could be used for attacking and defensive purposes as well. When the enemy detects his presence, he can teleport to another dimension. It could be the perfect setup for Roronoa Zoro to exercise his full potential. Moreover, winning this battle would ensure he faces Dracule Mihawk next.
Roronoa Zoro Could Continue The ‘Nothing’ Trend
Roronoa Zoro is the second Straw Hat Pirate to unlock the Conqueror’s Haki. After the Wano arc, he possesses Enma, the King of Hell. It may take some time before he fully masters Oden’s sword. Zoro has continuously proven that nothing is impossible to cut. But it might be finally time for him to cut nothing.
If Shiryu’s awakening grants him the ability to become nothing, Zoro will have to surpass himself. When the latter faced Daz Bones, he saw a flashback of his sensei Shimotsuki Koushirou. He mentioned to Zoro that there are swordsmen who can cut nothing. The ‘nothing’ might signify something invisible or not present. It might refer to Shiryu’s awakening.
‘Nothing’ seems to never leave the Straw Hat Swordsman. With Final War approaching, the swords might clash sooner than expected. Eiichiro Oda is busy designing the Elbaf arc. But if the theory on Suke Suke no Mi is confirmed to be true, the fans could be treated to one of the greatest fights in One Piece’s history.
One Piece can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on Viz Media.
