Kaido and King’s first meeting parallels Zoro and Luffy’s in Orange Town, and both right hand men made near-identical vows to never lose again. However, unlike King, Zoro is still driven by his individual ambition and wishes to stand beside Luffy as a king in his own right. This suggests that Zoro will face Kaido again alongside his captain to earn Kaido’s and the samurai’s long-overdue respect.
Consecutive volumes of One Piece Magazine have also highlighted a repeat of the dragonslaying legend and the birth of a second Ryuma. And no, Zoro bisecting King’s magma dragon doesn’t count. The fact also remains that none of the samurai saw Zoro defeat King. They’re either unconscious or preoccupied with their own fights, meaning that Zoro will require another opportunity to prove himself and demonstrate his mastery of swordsmanship.
Shimotsuki Clan’s will
There is also a growing body of evidence that Zoro is related to the Shimotsuki clan in some way. The Shimotsuki lineage represents the last of the blue bloods of Wano, producing legendary swordsmen and swordsmiths like Ryuma, Kozaburo and Ushimaru. Zoro carries the will of the Shimotsuki clan, wielding Kozaburo’s masterwork Enma and a similar sword style to Ushimaru. Zoro becoming king of the samurai would demonstrate that the Shimotsuki clan has risen again, that a new God of the Blade would protect Wano as it moved into a new era.
In summary, Zoro may well have foreshadowed his ascent to becoming samurai royalty. Alongside Luffy, Zoro’s journey in Wano has received the greatest hype and spotlight from Oda, both in the manga and in secondary materials. Zoro has bonded the most with the people of Wano as demonstrated by his anger over the situation in Ebisu Town, and the fact that he and Luffy immediately attacked the Beasts Pirates who wasted valuable food. Zoro becoming the King of Samurai would be a fitting conclusion to his Wano character arc and would go a long way to fulfilling his promise to Kuina – to become so famous that his name would reach the heavens.
*Theory by Den_Den_Mushi
