'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The latest One Piece chapter centered fan interest around Roronoa Zoro. The master swordsman, serving as Luffy’s right-hand man since One Piece's beginning, was confirmed to be a Conqueror’s Haki user. A spiritual energy reserved for a select few who are born with its potential, the Color of Conqueror is considered the rarest, most mysterious, and arguably most powerful Haki type.
In One Piece, Haki appears to be the strongest ability, surpassing even Devil Fruits, and Conqueror’s Haki maximizes this aspect. It enables users to overwhelm others with their superior willpower, intimidating the weak to the point of unconsciousness and submission. The strongest fighters can coat their attacks with Conqueror’s Haki, which grants them an immense power boost.
Zoro is able to use this advanced version of Conqueror’s Haki and can even combine it with his Armament Haki to unleash a whole new Haki mode, the King of Hell Style. That said, One Piece chapter 1152 revealed that Zoro is still unaware of being a Conqueror’s Haki user. This revelation is unexpected, but there’s a compelling explanation for how Zoro has been wielding his Haki unconsciously yet at such a high level.
Trending
Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1153.
Everything to know about Zoro's Conqueror's Haki as of One Piece chapter 1153
Zoro's path is that of a Conqueror
Haki dominates One Piece battles, standing out as the deciding factor in most situations. When combatants have comparable skills, those who wield Conqueror’s Haki often have a decisive edge. This Haki embodies the user’s spirit, allowing the most determined fighters to confront insurmountable odds and emerge victorious through willpower.
The second strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro, has always been depicted as a pillar of formidable might and unbreakable determination. Zoro never gives up, even in the direst circumstances, and is often shown to intimidate others with his overwhelming aura, his commanding presence akin to that of a demon in human form.
So, it came as no surprise when One Piece officially revealed Zoro to be among the few characters born with the rare Conqueror’s Haki. After unleashing the Color of Conqueror that was lying dormant within him, Zoro even learned to use it to coat his body, weapons, and attacks.
This uncommon feat gave Zoro an astonishing boost, granting him a power output that only the absolute strongest One Piece characters can replicate. His subsequent creation of the King of Hell Style was just the icing on the cake.
Yet, in chapter 1152, when Scopper Gaban noted that Zoro's body bore Conqueror’s Haki, the swordsman replied that he wasn’t aware of that. Baffled that Zoro could use the Color or Conqueror to such a degree without even knowing what it was, Gaban then told Zoro to comprehend and hone his Haki in order to assist Luffy to the best of his ability.
The only possible explanation
The issue is that Zoro has already demonstrated an impressive level of Conqueror's Haki mastery in One Piece. Even in the battle against King during the Wano Arc, Zoro was able to activate and deactivate his Color of Conqueror at will, or even stack this Haki type on top of the Color of Armament.
Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki emerged when he willingly decided to unleash his Haki without restraints to satisfy the demands of his sword Enma. For someone using an ability for the first time, Zoro’s mastery was stunning, as he showcased both immense raw power and the finesse to calibrate the amount of Conqueror’s Haki he wanted to use.
He combined Advanced Conqueror’s Haki with Advanced Armament Haki to create the powerful King of Hell Style. He showed great control by using Conqueror’s Haki alone—either focusing it into one sword for a fast, sharp attack or projecting it to form a barrier that pushed enemies back. He also used no-contact Haki slashes to hit opponents from a distance without touching them.
Zoro’s Haki was strong enough to annihilate King, the right-hand man of Kaido, a Yonko. In the following arc, Zoro fought valiantly against Saint V. Nusjuro, a top-tier fighter who can be considered among the strongest Gorosei, equally matching him in a fierce Haki clash.
The notion that Zoro could accomplish such feats while using his Haki unconsciously is perplexing. It becomes even more difficult to grasp given that, when King questioned whether Zoro possessed the “ambition of a king” – a veiled but clear euphemism for Conqueror’s Haki – the green-haired swordsman firmly confirmed that he indeed possessed such ambition.
Gaban’s disappointment in Zoro was in his surprising lack of awareness. Having witnessed Zoro’s prowess firsthand, Gaban expected the swordsman to have fully understood his own Haki powers. In fact, Gaban, even called Zoro as someone “quite at ease” with Conqueror’s Haki.
The likely explanation for how Zoro can use the Color of Conqueror at high level, unleashing great power and modulating his techniques at will, and yet not realize that he has this ability, lies in a comedic twist. Zoro instinctively commands his Haki, but is oblivious to the true nature of the power he is wielding.
This echoes how Zoro analyzed and understood the mechanics of King’s Lunarian body, yet missed the strikingly obvious resemblance between the Seraphim and King, a far simpler deduction. In any case, though not yet fully aware of the nature of his power, Zoro has an evident aptitude for Conqueror’s Haki.
Zoro lacks awareness, but his power is already top-tier
In retrospect, Zoro’s defiant refusal to join Baroque Works unless he was made the group’s leader, and his decision to join Luffy – a partnership built on comparable strength and mutual trust, rather than a need for protection – are moments that foreshadow his Conqueror’s Haki. Zoro unleashed and evolved this Haki to its advanced version during the Wano Arc, but had been using it long before.
For Conqueror’s Haki users, their Haki equates to their willpower, and Zoro's Asura technique uses sheer willpower to project the illusion of his body multiplying like a demon’s. When Zoro first used Asura against Kaku, the latter was visibly intimidated, showing fear in his eyes.
Zoro’s untapped Conqueror’s Haki also manifested when he left Monet paralyzed in terror and intimidated the Queen. A striking parallel to how Shanks dominated Ryokugyu, Zoro stopped Monet from using her Devil Fruit abilities through an overwhelming aura. After being struck by Zoro’s Asura, Kaido himself acknowledged Zoro as a Conqueror’s Haki user.
The swordsman fully unleashed his natural-born power during the fight with King. Zoro knocked out King's henchmen with a burst of Conqueror’s Haki, then displayed all his talent by coating himself with the Color of Conqueror, a feat that only the absolute strongest can accomplish.
Zoro’s new strength showed when he injured King’s tough Lunarian body with just a Haki-powered slash. The fight quickly turned in Zoro’s favor—he blocked King with a Haki barrier and only needed three strong attacks to win, even though King was Kaido’s strongest fighter.
King’s tough body and magma-like flames couldn’t match Zoro’s powerful Haki. Zoro used an intense move to break King’s Haki-covered sword and destroy his huge dragon-shaped fire attack, defeating him completely.
In the subsequent arc, Zoro brutally defeated Rob Lucci. Zoro incapacitated Lucci with a single named attack, leaving him critically injured and unable to move, and didn’t even need to use Asura or the King of Hell Style to achieve this result. This is impressive, considering that even Luffy in his Gear 5 transformation needed multiple attacks to subdue Lucci.
Zoro also fought Saint V. Nusjuro, one of the strongest members of the Five Elders, to a stalemate. Impressively, Zoro matched the Gorosei in an intense Haki clash, their power struggle ending in a draw as both fighters blasted each other backward while black lightning crackled all around.
What’s more, before their clash, Zoro forced Nusjuro to actively defend against his attack, instead of enduring it passively as he and his fellow Gorosei did in almost every circumstance during the Egghead Arc. Exploiting their immortality, the Elders fought like zombies, not bothering to defend.
Yet, when Zoro targeted him, Nusjuro didn’t let the swordsman hit him the way he did with the others. The Elder abandoned his passive behavior to block Zoro’s incoming strike, which shows that he acknowledged the latter as a threat. This is probably because Nusjuro sensed that Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki could vanquish his regeneration.
Zoro has already achieved remarkable power, and obtaining full awareness of his status as a Conqueror’s Haki user will only propel him toward even greater heights. After all, the challenging dream to surpass Dracule Mihawk and become the World’s Strongest Swordsman comes from Zoro’s “kingly ambitions”, which emphasize his boundless potential and unyielding resolve.
Related Links
- One Piece chapter 1152 raw scans: Straw Hats split up as Harald's flashback begins
- One Piece: Is Killingham a Fish-Man? Explored
- One Piece chapter 1153: Release date and time, where to read, and more
- One Piece: 7 Devil Fruits that are useless in combat
- One Piece: Did Oda retcon the Gorosei? Explored
