One Piece could provide Zoro with a new powerup that might help him defeat the Gorosei.

SUMMARY

Zoro’s lesson from his sensei, who told him about real swordsmen who could cut nothing, might be crucial in the next chapters.
By learning this technique, Zoro can slice through the breathing or souls of the Gorosei.
However, Zoro still needs to be pushed to the point where he can calm down and listen.

The Gorosei have attacked with full force and the Straw Hats are having difficulty keeping the oldies at bay. Despite Luffy’s Gear 5 transformation, the battle is leaning towards the Five Elders in One Piece‘s Egghead Island arc.

In this dire situation, it is visible that another power-up is necessary to suppress the Gorosei. But since Luffy is already operating at Gear 5, a new transformation might be on its way from the swordsman of the group, Zoro.

Zoro’s Foreshadowed ‘Cutting Nothing’ Technique

Zoro could be the ultimate savior of the Straw Hats from the danger posed by the Gorosei. However, he would need to master a new ability if he wants his attacks to prove effective against such monsters.
Zoro’s sensei in One Piece | Viz Media
A theory suggests that Zoro’s new technique has already been foreshadowed in the Alabasta Saga. When Zoro fought against Mr. 1, he had a flashback of his sensei who told Zoro:

The pinnacle of swordsmanship is the power to protect what one wishes to protect and cut what one wishes to cut. A blade that injures all that it touches isn’t really a sword.

According to his sensei, swords can not only cut through steel but the essence of a target without damaging its physical state. When Zoro fought with Mr. 1, he could hear the breathing or unique rhythm of everything around him. Thus, even when he ran his blade through leaves, they didn’t get cut because Zoro never intended them to. But he sliced through a rock in a single motion.

Zoro Could Learn to Cut Through Souls in One Piece

Zoro slicing through leaves in One Piece | Viz Media
When Zoro defeated Mr. 1, he thought he heard the breathing of the objects around him. But it could be their rhythms that he could feel. Every object and organism that exists has its own rhythm. The rhythm of one person differs from another because it is connected to their souls and are unique in nature.

However, if Zoro learns to match this rhythm, it is easier to cut through a target. To simplify things, you can think of how some singers can break glasses by matching their resonant frequency. So if Zoro and Brook can learn how to listen to the rhythm of the living, they can easily cut through the Gorosei.

Other than physically cutting someone down, “cutting nothing” also has a deeper meaning. The Japanese word used in the anime for cutting nothing is ‘kokyu,’ which can be translated to ‘breath.’ In martial arts, it means connecting the body to its environment via breathing. It could mean the soul of a person or object.

This upcoming new technique could very well enable Zoro to cut through souls. However, he would be dragged through hell before learning it, similar to how close to defeat Zoro was before he could eliminate Mr. 1.

When Zoro battled against Monet, he cut through her and her insides looked a hollow black. This could be a reference that Zoro actually cut through her soul unintentionally.
Zoro Vs. Monet in One Piece | Viz Media
The physical prowess of the Gorosei would hold nothing over such strength. While both Zoro and Brook are swordsmen in the group, in all honesty, Zoro’s chance of discovering “cutting nothing” is more than Brook’s. This is especially stemming from the fact that Brook has barely been the main character is the fights so far. There’s also the fact that it was Zoro’s sensei who talked about the swordsmen’s power, and Brook might not have access to this vital piece of information.

But Eiichiro Oda could change his mind and treat Brook and Zoro equally. That would only leave out poor old Sanji, to the ire of his fans.