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The recent One Piece chapters have revealed that the situation on Egghead has become more complicated, as a massive fleet sent by the World Government has laid siege on the island, leaving the Straw Hat Pirates cornered. Pending to the official release of One Piece chapter 1091, which is scheduled for September 4, 2023, fans were left eager and excited by the chapter's spoilers.
The leaks, in fact, revealed that powerful enemies await the two strongest Straw Hats, the captain Monkey D. Luffy and his right-hand man, Roronoa Zoro. Luffy will allegedly clash with Marine Admiral Kizaru, while Zoro's opponent is set to be Rob Lucci, the strongest CP0 agent.
Two years before One Piece's present narration, Lucci gave Luffy a very hard time. After the timeskip, he returned much more powerful than before, and is now standing in the Straw Hats' way once again.
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Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1091.
A lethal showdown between Zoro and Lucci starts in One Piece 1091, as per the chapter's early spoilers
A brief overview about the ongoing events
With Egghead having become a chaotic battlefield, the Straw Hats eventually learned that the mayhem was all because of Vegapunk York, one of the scientist's six satellite bodies. As such, they took her hostage.
Meanwhile, a huge fleet, on board of which were Five Elders member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Marine Admiral Kizaru, several Navy officers, and countless soldiers, surrounded Egghead. Thus, the Straw Hats started planning to reach their ship, and use it to flee to Elbaf.
Unbeknownst to them, Rob Lucci, who, together with Kaku, had offered Luffy and Zoro a temporary partnership, had been leaking their plans to Kizaru and Saturn. With Kaku possibly being unaware of the thing, Lucci deceived the Straw Hats, putting up a "triple play."
Kaku, who was resting from the wounds he suffered after taking on two Seraphim alone by himself, noticed that Lucci was murmuring something. As Kaku asked him what he was doing, Lucci answered that he was merely talking to himself. However, in reality, he was sending information to the World Government fleet.
Shortly after, Lucci made his move. As described in One Piece chapter 1091's first spoilers, the CP0 assassin, aiming to accomplish his original mission, suddenly tried to kill Vegapunk. Luckily, Zoro stepped in, blocking Lucci's ruthless attempt and challenging him to a fight.
Roronoa Zoro vs Rob Lucci, a fierce rematch two years later
The upcoming battle between the number two of the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro, and the most powerful CP0 agent, Rob Lucci, is a very hyped rematch, as the two have already fought once.
Back then, Lucci brutally beat Luffy and Zoro, single-handedly crushing both of them. He easily overpowered their efforts, but it must be noted that the two pirates were weaker than they should have been, as, being shocked by Nico Robin's apparent treachery, they had their will broken.
Upon learning that Robin didn't really betray the crew, the Straw Hats regained their determination, which made them stronger. As such, Luffy challenged Lucci again, with the two starting a tremendous battle. Despite using his Gear 2 and Gear 3 forms, Luffy still struggled to take Lucci down.
To beat him, he was pushed to his limits, and needed every bit of might that his body had. After the time skip, Lucci came back much stronger than he was before. Like Kaku, he became a skilled Armament Haki user, and evolved his Leopard Zoan Fruit to the superior stage of Awakening.
The only two former CP9 members to become masked agents of the CP0, Lucci and Kaku, together with Stussy, were sent on Egghead, tasked with killing Vegapunk. However, Luffy stood in Lucci's way once again.
As the two started fighting, Lucci was initially able to fight on equal grounds with Luffy, despite the latter using his Gear 5 transformation. In a short time, however, Luffy overwhelmed Lucci, even knocking him down with a mighty blow.
Zoro vs Lucci has the potential to be a great fight
As the second strongest member of the Straw Hats after Luffy, and the only one among the crew who, at least to a certain extent, possesses combat prowess comparable to the captain's, Zoro is an exceptional fighter. He usually takes on the second mightiest individual from the enemy side.
Aiming to surpass "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk and become the World's Strongest Swordsman, Zoro is always eager to fight the toughest opponents. A testament to his potential, Zoro, like Luffy, is reckoned among the Worst Generation's Eleven Supernovas, and owns the natural-born Conqueror's Haki.
Zoro is the only Straw Hat who has ever been able to fight valiantly against Luffy's foes. He easily brutalized Hyozo and Monet, who Luffy had a certain degree of trouble with, and totally overwhelmed Hody Jones, despite fighting the fish-man underwater, in his especially favorable environment.
In Dressrosa, Luffy and Zoro were the only two crew members who clashed with Marine Admiral Fujitora. Impressively, Zoro was able to defend himself from an attack launched by Fujitora, even pushing the Admiral back. During the Wano Arc, the two Straw Hats fought together against Kaido and Big Mom.
Zoro's combat prowess was such that he threatened Kaido's incolumity. Upon noticing the green-haired swordsman's attack, Big Mom, worried for her fellow Emperor's safety, yelled at him to dodge the incoming strike at any cost. Zoro later blocked Kaido and Big Mom's combined blow, saving his comrades, but suffering grievous injuries.
To protect Luffy, who had been knocked out, Zoro gathered the last of his strength to fight the Emperor. Using his Nine Sword Style: Ashura, Zoro won the clash with Kaido, inflicting a large cut on Kaido's chest, which left him with a scar. Still, this wasn't enough to beat the Emperor, while the swordsman collapsed shortly after.
Luffy would only overcome Kaido after obtaining two huge power ups, the Advanced Conqueror's Haki, and the Gear 5 transformation. Thus, the upcoming Zoro vs Lucci battle will allow the community to rate how Zoro and Luffy compare to each other, as the latter already fought the ruthless CP0 assassin.
Both Zoro and Lucci have great Haki mastery, and stand out as particularly fast and tough fighters. They possess deadly moves as well as outstanding endurance. Admittedly, Zoro distinguishes himself even more, as he is one of the very few Conqueror's Haki users who are strong enough to develop the advanced version of this power.
As an Advanced Conqueror's Haki user, Zoro can coat his body, weapons, and attacks with Conqueror's Haki, achieving a whole new level of might. Truly a game-changing resource, this ability was stated to be the signature power of the strongest One Piece characters, separating the best from the mere good.
Zoro even created a new sword style, the "King of Hell Style," which involves him going all-out with the advanced versions of Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki simultaneously. Using this insane peak of strength, Zoro overpowered and defeated King, a fearsome Lunarian who Kaido personally chose to be his right-hand man.
Granted, Lucci is no slouch now. Given the feats he showed so far in One Piece, he notably surpasses the average Commander-tier fighters, possibly reaching a level comparable to Marco, King, and Katakuri's.
In his Awakened form, Lucci's physical strength and Armament Haki equally matched with Gear 5 Luffy's, which is a commendable feat, given the insane boost which this transformation grants Luffy.
Lucci was able to endure a named move from Gear 5 Luffy, immediately recovering from the hit without suffering any meaningful damage. In a flash, Lucci used his speed to blitz Sentomaru, breaking through his defense, despite the latter's attempt to defend with Armament Haki, of which he is a master.
Lucci beat Sentomaru in a few instants, with the utmost ease, leaving him severely injured with a single strike of his Hand Pistol, an upgraded and Armament Haki-enhanced version of his previous Finger Pistol. This is a significant accomplishment, as the latter is a highly-skilled Haki user.
Admittedly, however, even though he used Gear 5, which is his strongest form, Luffy didn't need to go all-out to beat Lucci. Against the CP0 agent, Luffy refrained himself from using his Advanced Conqueror's Haki, as well as the same powerful moves he used in the final phase of the battle against Kaido.
Even with Luffy holding back his mightiest capabilities, the outcome was rather distinct, with Lucci being overpowered as soon as the captain of the Straw Hats started putting more force in his attacks.
Still, it must be said that Lucci was relatively fine shortly after the confrontation, while Luffy suffered notable tiredness, as after effects of having used the Gear 5 transformation, which left his body nearly exhausted for a certain amount of time.
Looking forward to further details being revealed via One Piece chapter 1091's spoiler summary and raw scans, fans can already predict the battle between Zoro and Lucci to be a deadly fight with no holds barred. Based on the feats and abilities they have shown so far, however, Zoro should emerge victorious pretty assuredly.
Be sure to keep up with One Piece's manga, anime, and live-action, as 2023 progresses.
