One Piece: The Return of Jimbei and Zoro: A New Battle Strategy for the Straw Hats

In the last few chapters of the One Piece manga series, Zoro and Jimbei are seen making their way back to the Thousand Sunny. Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hats on the Thousand Sunny attempt to escape after Edison’s sacrifice to stretch the clouds underneath Punk Records.

With new developments, V. Nusjuro attempts to prevent the Straw Hat pirates from leaving the island, and with Luffy tied up with the other Five Elders, Zoro and Jimbei’s return to the Thousand Sunny could be a major lifeline for the Straw Hat pirates to escape the onslaught of the marines and the Five Elders in One Piece.

What Have Zoro And Jimbei Been Up To?

Zoro Battles An Awakened Rob Lucci

Before the arrival of the Five Elders, Zoro was caught up battling Rob Lucci, who is now more powerful than ever with his awakened zoan. Jimbei, on the other hand, played a spectative role as he awaited Zoro’s duel without interrupting it. While Lucci has undoubtedly grown since the last time he and Luffy fought in Enies Lobby, Zoro being able to battle Lucci on equal footing despite Lucci already awakening his zoan shows how far the swordsman has come. Moreover, realizing that he didn’t have time to dilly-dally in his battle against Rob Lucci, Zoro cut him down, defeating the agent. After defeating Lucci, Zoro, and Jimbei rush toward the ship but meet one of the Five Elders on his way to destroy it.

The Monster’s heading right for you!! Look sharp!! There’s something special about his presence!!

How Zoro And Jimbei’s Re-Appearance Could Be The Key To The Straw Hat Escape

Zoro And Jimbei Protect The Thousand Sunny

While the Straw Hat pirates are on their way to escape from Egghead, having even one of the Five Elders in their path is sure to make escaping that much harder. Although Luffy and Bonney face off against the Five Elders, having V. Nusjuro attack the Thousand Sunny is sure to come with unprecedented casualties, which is where Zoro and Jimbei come in. On their way to the ship, they encounter V. Nusjuro, who is about to attack. Luckily, Jimbei uses his fishman karate to throw Zoro, and the Straw Hat swordsman gets there in time to protect his fellow crewmates. And interestingly, V. Nusjuro seems surprised by Zoro’s Kitetsu blade.

Against V. Nusjuro, it is highly unlikely that Zoro possesses the capabilities to defeat him, and with the current state of Egghead, a prolonged battle is highly unlikely. Thankfully, for now, at least, Zoro seems to be able to defend against V. Nusjuro’s attacks and protect the Thousand Sunny. With Zoro and Jimbei’s capabilities in mind, he and Zoro will likely stall V. Nusjuro for a limited but sufficient time to allow the Thousand Sunny to escape and then jump onto the ship. With Jimbei’s capabilities, they could navigate the tumultuous waters down below to join their fellow cremate.

A more advantageous situation for the Straw Hat crew would be Zoro and Jimbei joining the ship before it takes off. From there, the crew could jointly protect the ship from V. Nusjuro’s attacks, with Zoro at the center of their defense. However, while it’ll be more advantageous for the Straw Hats, particularly Zoro and Jimbei, it’ll be that much harder to pull off except Luffy, Bonney, and possibly the ancient robot get the attention of all Five Elders. However, the more determined V. Nusjuro is to prevent the Straw Hats’ escape, the greater the role Zoro and Jimbei would play to ensure the Straw Hats’ escape, even if at their expense.

Zoro’s Potential Battle Against V. Nusjuro

The Battle Fans Dream Off

Many fans hope for a battle between Zoro and V. Nusjuro; however, as a prolonged battle is highly unlikely, the most Oda would allow fans to witness would be a snippet, and Zoro would likely be on the losing end of said snippet. With his 1.11 billion bounty, Zoro is undoubtedly one of the strongest pirates in the world; however, he is still far off from facing the likes of an elder of the World Government who has lived through various generations and had that much time to hone his swordplay. The potential difference in swordplay aside, so far, no character on Egghead has devised a way to damage any of the Five Elders. As conquerors Haki has been unable to put a stop to the Five Elders’ regeneration, Zoro would be left with no way to damage V. Nusjuro. While some fans speculate about the usage of ‘Ancient Energy’ to damage the Five Elders, the closest people to using said ancient energy are the Ancient Robot and, by extension, Luffy, whose gear fifth form awakens the ancient robot.

All in all, regardless of what direction the Straw Hats escape and the battle against the Five Elders goes, Zoro and Jimbei are expected to play key roles in the escape of their crew members, but fans can only wait for new chapters in One Piece to find out what specific roles they’ll play.