SUMMARY

During the Thriller Bark storyline, when Zoro made the decision to give up his dream and himself in order to save his captain, every fan fell in love with Zoro.
While Zoro did not lose his life, he experienced Luffy’s excruciating suffering and agony on Thriller Bark, and despite this, ‘nothing happened’ to him.
Many people believed that, like Zoro, Sanji could have endured Luffy’s suffering and survived.

The swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates has had many cold moments in One Piece, but every fan fell in love with him during the Thriller Bark arc when Zoro decided to sacrifice himself and his dream in order to save his captain’s life. This was the moment when fans understood Zoro’s loyalty to Luffy and what he was willing to do to make Luffy the Pirate King.
Zoro in One Piece | Toei Animation
While Zoro did not lose his life, he did get to experience Luffy’s extreme pain and agony that he suffered on Thriller Bark, and despite all that, ‘nothing happened’ to him. This exact moment led to Zoro becoming one of the most popular characters in One Piece, surpassing his long-term crewmate rival, Vinsmoke Sanji.

Many believed that, just like Zoro, Sanji could have also taken Luffy’s pain and survived. This became a topic of debate among One Piece fans, and Sanji’s recently awakened Germa 66 powers strengthened his side of the discourse. However, experiencing Luffy’s pain had nothing to do with the hardening of the body, and thus it would have killed Sanji.

The Most Epic Roronoa Zoro Moment in One Piece

During the Thriller Bark arc, when the Straw Hat Pirates were finally able to defeat the former Warlord Gecko Moria, they faced another challenge in the form of Kuma. Being exhausted from the battle against Moria, the Straw Hat Pirates could not face the wrath of another warlord who was even stronger than Moria.

Therefore, almost every member of the crew was defeated, and Kuma was about to take Luffy when Zoro tried to save his captain by launching an attack on the Warlord. While the attack didn’t have much effect on Kuma, it made Zoro realize that he wouldn’t be able to defeat him, and thus, the swordsman offered his life instead of his captain’s.

Zoro’s Coldest Moment | Toei Animation
Seeing Zoro’s loyalty to Luffy, Kuma offers Zoro a chance to save both his and his captain’s lives if he can bear the pain that Luffy has felt during his battle, but warns him that it might kill him. Zoro, who was already worn out from his own fight, agreed to Kuma’s offer and took on Luffy’s pain. When the rest of the Straw Hat crew woke up, Sanji found Zoro covered in blood from head to toe. He asked Zoro about what happened to him, and Zoro uttered his iconic ‘nothing happened’ dialogue.

Sanji Couldn’t Have Endured Luffy’s Pain

When Kuma decided to take Luffy, Zoro was not the only one who offered his life instead of his captain’s. Even Sanji was awake at the time, and just like Zoro, he offered his life too, but he was knocked out by the Straw Hat swordsman. This led many fans to believe that Sanji could also have endured Luffy’s pain.
Sanji from One Piece | Toei Animation
However, according to a discussion by thatonepiecetalk on Instagram, Sanji couldn’t have survived Luffy’s pain even with his Germa 66 powers because the ability that helped Zoro endure the pain was his Conqueror’s Haki, which Sanji doesn’t have. The pain that Kuma inflicted affected the inside of the body, which would have made Sanji vulnerable.

It is often seen in One Piece that the person with Conqueror’s Haki can survive the worst of the worst, just like Zoro did with Luffy’s pain. Sanji does not have Conqueror’s Haki, and even his Germa powers were not awakened at that time. Thus, it would have killed him easily.