As a kid, Zoro grew up in a village in the East Blue, obsessed with defeating his childhood friend Kuina. After she passed away, he inherited her sword, Wado Ichimonji, and swore to become the strongest swordsman in the world. During his travels he acquired two more powerful swords, first the Sandai Kitetsu and, more recently, the masterpiece Enma, which formerly belonged to Kozuki Oden.

In chapter 1033 of One Piece it was revealed that, while obviously all of Zoro’s katana comes from Wano, they were also forged by the same legendary swordsmith, Shimotsuki Kotzaburo. More importantly, readers found out that Kotzaburo fled from Wano fifty years before the current events in the manga, ending up in the East Blue and hiding in the same village Zoro grew up in, which was actually named after him, Shimotsuki. A short flashback revealed Zoro’s early encounter with the man he believed to be just an “old geezer”, but who actually gave him his first real swords. Shimotsuki was also Kuina’s grandfather, cementing Zoro’s relationship with Wano even more. The strongest tie, however, involves Enma. Zoro has been having trouble wielding the sword properly because Enma drains his holder’s haki.

Shimotsuki mentioned Enma in his conversation with Zoro, calling her his “magnum opus”, his masterpiece. He cautioned the kid about blades each having a unique disposition, and described a real swordsman as one who can bend the sword’s wild nature to his will. This led Zoro to give up to Enma’s vampiric attitude during his fight with King, which in turn helped the Pirate Hunter to unlock his Conqueror Haki.

Considering Zoro’s ties with Shimotsuki and Wano, he seems destined to wield Enma to its full effectiveness. The sword will likely be his iconic weapon in the future, so this connection to Zoro’s past adds an intimate dimension to their relationship. This is especially true considering how much Zoro’s tie with Kuina has shaped his life, giving him the motivation to be the strongest in the world. That he now wields not only the girl’s sword but also her grandfather’s masterpiece is a natural fit.

Until now, Zoro has been unable to put even a scratch on King. Mastering Enma is a necessary step for him to proceed towards his goal and to stand side by side with the Straw Hats’ captain, Luffy. But first, he will have to get rid of Kaidou’s strongest underling, the surviving member of a race that was considered as gods in the distant past. Fans can only hope Zoro won’t let down the rest of his crew in the next chapter of One Piece.