#that connect zoro and the shimotsuki clan

[east-blue-samurai-ii]

On Shimotsuki Village and Zoro's Heritage

I think there’s some really interesting implications to explore about Zoro being part of a diaspora without even knowing it. The first, and the one I wish to explore in this post, being his clear lack of knowledge about his ancestors’ country and culture despite his own culture and values being informed by it. The fact that Vivi immediately recognized his similarity to samurai who she’d likely only ever heard of through stories and called him Mr. Bushido, yet Zoro had absolutely no idea about his connection to Wanou is really interesting. It opens up a lot of questions that I don’t think Oda-san will ever give us answers to but would be very interesting to speculate on. 

It seems that the people of Shimotsuki Village hold their culture closely and value their heritage highly, and yet have kept much a secret from the younger generations. Perhaps these are things Zoro would have been told had he not left home at fifteen, and yet being that he grew up in a dojo under the tutelage of Kouzaburou’s son, and his own family line extends back to Shimotsuki Ryuma with his father being the nephew of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, you would think that he would know at least some things about their history from childhood, and yet he doesn’t. So that begs the question: why not?

There are a few things that I think could be at play here. First, Zoro’s grandmother married out of the Shimotsuki family so it’s very possible that Arashi was raised more in his father’s culture than his mother’s. Roronoa Pinzoro was a swordsman, though not of Wanou, and Zoro is named after him. Arashi may have been taught the art of swordsmanship from his father, not from his mother’s relatives. While Zoro’s sensei was raised by a man from Wanou who passed on his own teachings, that doesn’t mean Arashi learned under him. 

However, I’m not sure how well that theory holds up considering the village is named after the Shimotsuki Clan that settled there and though we’ve only seen the dojo, it seems pretty safe to assume that the culture of the village reflects the blending of the ten Wanou settlers and the townsfolk they saved from bandits being that we know of at least two of them who married local townspeople. Arashi may have learned from his father, but the cultural exchange blending between the settlers and the natives likely extended beyond simply clothing, values, and architecture and also included their swordsmanship. So even if Arashi was taught the blade by his father, I don’t think he would have been completely disconnected from his mother’s culture in that, and there was likely a lot of melding of techniques and philosophies that would have occurred. Not to mention the fact that I find it hard to believe that Furiko never taught her son anything about her culture and family. It's certainly possible, but unlikely considering Shimotsuki Village does not seem to hide the cultural heritage of its saviors at all.

And this explanation also doesn’t address why Zoro was never made aware of these things when he came into Koushirou’s care. He had to have been orphaned quite young for his parents’ deaths to not have had enough of an effect on him to be even mentioned in the manga, unlike the rest of his crew mates, so it’s very likely most of his schooling was recieved at Koushirou’s dojo. In a small community, there is no way Koushirou wouldn’t have known Zoro’s heritage so while he’s not in the Shimotsuki Clan, he is still very much part of the diaspora. It seems very odd that he wasn’t even taught the most basic things about Wanou and their history, despite their entire culture having evolved from it.

Which leads me to what I believe to be the real reason: safety. Shimotsuki village's ties to Wanou could make it a potential target. The East Blue may be the weakest Blue, and we know at least Koushirou is proficient in advanced armament haki so I would be unsurprised to learn there are at least a few haki users among their numbers, but if the Navy heard about samurai hiding out in the East Blue, it could spell serious trouble for them. Not to mention that pirates like Mihawk and Shanks also still find their way there every once-in-a-while. And when you are trying to live a quiet, peaceful existence away from the violence and politics of the New World, the last thing you want to do is attract the attention of powerful people. And considering Roronoa Arashi was killed by pirates, it’s very possible their village has attracted the wrong sort of attention before. 

Add to that the fact that Kaidou took over Wanou when Zoro was one year old. They had family, Zoro’s grand-uncle included, who opposed Kaidou. While it is not clear how much information they had, the fact that Koushirou has had contact with the Revolutionary Army in the past leads me to believe that he and the others as a whole have their connections to the Grand Line and ways of getting the information they need. It may very well simply be Zoro’s generation that was raised without knowledge of their history as a way to protect them in case information leaked from the village from the loose lips of a child and it reached the interest and ears of a violent Yonkou. Information can spread quickly and out-of-control and one can never be too safe with it. It’s very possible Zoro would have been told these things once he came of age, but he left home at fifteen and then got lost trying to find his way back for four years so we’ll never know. 

The third and final potential reason, however, is almost funnier: Zoro just never listened. Stories of Wanou were told around him, all the other kids knew about the history of their village and the Shimotsuki family and many of them are either members of the clan or descended from them, but Zoro was too focused on his training and always off on his own that he just never heard any of it. Just like neither Zoro nor Kuina witnessed the Revolutionaries visiting the dojo because they were both off training constantly. And either no one told him point blank because they all just assumed he had to know, or they knew he was clueless and were waiting it out to see just how long he could possibly go without hearing anything about their history. Then the boy leaves at fifteen promising to come back and Koushirou knows because he’s raised that boy that there was no way he was finding his way back home until he either defeated Mihawk or died trying and, if the former, he would find out about Wanou eventually, anyway. Just like he would figure out haki eventually. They could always have that conversation later when he came back, because if he did achieve his goal, there was no way he wouldn’t be returning to Kuina’s grave.

[hylianane]

The new Shimotsuki color spread looks so fucking sick but I can’t help but remember all the memes that came out after Oda confirmed Zoro’s connection to the clan in an SBS, and everyone started memeing and pitting him against Sanji and Luffy’s lineage. Putting pictures of the Vinsmokes, next to Garp and Dragon, next to-

[nururu]

Can I ask about your Kuina theory? Youve mentioned it once or twice but I havent seen it laid out in full

I have it laid out better in a post I'll have to find, and be warned there's lots of speculation but it's a theory for a reason(one i will die by) but basically I think she was killed by order of the 5 elders. The dawn and joy boys return was prophesied even before oden, when the kozuki clan made the poneglyphs and told zou to hide theirs until the "dawn"(meaning the prophecy of joy boys return(Luffy))

Anyways... ryuma as zoros ancestor, was a very famous and revered swordsman and dubbed a king to the ppl of wano. His existence is so important to them that hiyori gave Zoro the one precious momento she had from Oden in order to get shusui back. So ryuma holds a lot of importance in the world. And then them touching on ushimaru being locked up by kaido (seems like there was somewhat of an orchestrated suppression of the samurai)(also that odas making a point to tie in the shimotsukis)..

Lol gosh I know I explained this better in my other post but... okay, kuina is a shimotsuki. If this prophecy mentioned "great swordsman that is a descendant of ryuma shimotsuki" then, in the worst gen, if the World gov was trying to track these prophesized individuals down, then, observing kuina, with the last name shimotsuki, being an incredible swordsman with natural talent, they'd target her. I have a lot of speculation around this bc it seemed her father discouraging her swordsmanship mightve been a way to protect her from following this "fate" and being targeted. Also it'd make sense that Zoro wasn't targeted bc his parents are dead and he has no attachment to the shimotsuki name anymore and also? He's losing to this girl. So to them, It's obviously this girl who was prophesized, right? Her dad's energy throughout the whole thing was weird to me too. Somber and somewhat angry?

I feel it even more given, the only others who were specifically attacked &targeted by the military were Robin and Franky. Robin who has connections w the poneglyphs, Franky who has connections with Pluton. And then we have Luffy, who was purposefully hidden away from the world, in the mountains, with a grandpa that BEGGED him not to follow his destiny. A grandpa who knew Roger. Who knows more than we know he knows. These specific ppl being targeted, Franky and Robin, garp knowing things and hiding away Luffy, is what makes me believe kuina was targeted and was the only one successfully stamped out, even though they got the wrong guy. Chopper nami sanji and usopp probably didn't seem as much of a threat so they weren't targeted or maybe weren't even prophesized bc they have no super big connects to the void century. (Although I am suspicious of brook)

I also think this will be a great moment for zoro if it becomes reality bc he'll have a moment where he realizes it should've been him instead of kuina and I can only imagine the emotions the would stir in him.

ANYWAYS I know I have this written down better somewhere bc I took notes on it lol but this is my scatter brained answer trying to remember all my points. Sorry it isn't eloquent.

[metamelonisle]

straw hats ethnicity/birthplace/nationality headcanons

just a foreword. these are just my personal interpretations of these characters. also to define the difference between the three:

ethnicity is basically your heritage. (eg. mixed hispanic/black/white)

birthplace is just what it sounds like. country you are born in. does not necessarily indicate ethnicity. if I have a specific place in mind beyond the country i'll specify but it'll usually just be the country

nationality is the country or culture that you publicly associate with in this case. not always your birthplace.

excellent let's get into it then

Monkey D. Luffy

Canon Origin: Foosha Village, Goa Kingdom (East Blue) Oda's Pick: Brazil

Ethnicity: Latino Birthplace: Brazil Nationality: Brazilian

Other Notes: these headcanons were based on an SBS where Oda assigned nationalities to the straw hats, but very little detail was given beyond a location for each member. Luffy's chosen country of origin was Brazil, which I feel is a great fit for him, and I wouldn't change anything about it.

Roronoa Zoro

Canon Origin: Shimotsuki Village (East Blue) Oda's Pick: Japan

Ethnicity: Mixed (Hispanic/East Asian) Birthplace: Mexico Nationality: Japanese

Other Notes: Zoro was born in Mexico, but ended up in Japan through currently unknown means at a very, very young age. It's there that he ended up finding the Isshin Dojo and met Koushirou and his daughter, Kuina. It's unknown who his family is or if they're even still alive, much like in canon. He also has little to no memories of his early childhood due to the young age at which he ended up in Japan, nor any particular personal connection to his Mexican heritage due to this lack of memories.

EDIT IN LIGHT OF SBS VOL 105: After the Shimotsuki clan had settled in Japan, Roronoa Arashi, the son of Shimotsuki Furiko and Roronora Pinzoro, set off to Mexico to have adventures there, and instead met a woman there named Terra, and together, the two had the bouncing baby blade-loving moss ball who we all know and love.

That being said, while the circumstances of how exactly Zoro ended up in Shimotsuki Village again is unknown (it's thought that perhaps he crawled onto a departing boat as a toddler, but no one can be sure), perhaps it was fate that drew him back to the land of his father...

Nami

Canon Origin: Oykot Kingdom (East Blue) Oda's Pick: Sweden

Ethnicity: Gaelic Birthplace: Ireland Nationality: Indonesian

Other Notes: A lot (but not all) of the nationality picks are based on the geography of their hometown compared to real-life locations, and apparently Cocoyashi Village is based on the Bali town of Ubud.

I don't really see Nami as Swedish tbh. I think she's more Irish. I think it's mostly because she has red hair instead of blonde.

Usopp

Canon Origin: Syrup Village, Gecko Islands (East Blue) Oda's Pick: Africa (no specific nation given)

Ethnicity: Biracial (Black/White) Birthplace: England Nationality: English-Jamaican

Other Notes: first things first he was done SO dirty by Oda. hopefully this is a better interpretation. as such it's gonna be the longest entry here by far

Syrup Village highly resembles an archetypal rural English village, so it would make sense for it to just be in England's countryside.

Banchina was an Englishwoman who had lived there her entire life, and Yasopp is a Jamaican sailor who briefly settled down there before he left to become part of the Red-Hair Pirates.

Usopp considers himself both English and Jamaican, and takes great pride in being both, usually conveyed by his love of the Going Merry and fond memories of Kaya and the Usopp Pirates, and his immense respect for his father and his dreams of being a legendary warrior of the sea, although he has relatively little knowledge about Jamaica beyond his memories of his father due to lacking the proper resources to research it. He normally speaks with a country English accent, but as Sogeking, he speaks in a fake Jamaican accent pieced together from his memories of Yasopp, as his father is a source of both great pride and internal strength for him.

A year into the timeskip, Usopp left the Boin Archipelago after getting strong enough to and learning how to use the Pop Greens, and visited Jamaica for the remainder of it, mostly to finally learn about his heritage and his father's homeland straight from the source. By the time he returns to the Sabaody Archipelago, two years after being separated from everyone by Bartholomew Kuma, he now speaks in a genuine Jamaican accent, following his post-timeskip theme of truly becoming the tales he told, like Sogeking.

Sanji

Canon Origin: Germa Kingdom (North Blue) Oda's Pick: France

Ethnicity: Mixed (White/East Asian) Birthplace: Sealand (United Kingdom) Nationality: French

Other Notes: when you think about it, Germa is basically Sealand if Sealand was much bigger and recognized as a country because the only family there was a military superpower. I do not feel comfortable drawing any other parallels to Germa here for obvious reasons. Additionally, with the exception of Judge, every member of the Vinsmoke family has a Japanese name, including Sora, indicating to me that Sora is likely meant to be a Japanese woman and Judge a Sealander (Englishman).

Anyways, Sanji would then run away and end up on a The Orbit's kitchen before being attacked by the Cook Pirates, a powerful pirate crew from French waters, and then ending up on a barren rock with the crew's captain, Zeff. They survived the horrible ordeal of starvation, and he then took in Sanji as his own son and raised him on the Baratie.

Because Sanji is believed to be dead by the Vinsmokes, he is no longer legally considered a Sealander, and as such, he quite proudly considers himself French, like his mentor and father figure, Zeff.

Tony Tony Chopper

Canon Origin: Sakura Kingdom (Grand Line) Oda's Pick: Canada

Ethnicity: Mi’kmaw Birthplace: Canada Nationality: Canadian

Other Notes: I didn't really change much from Oda's original suggestion bc i think Chopper being from Canada is already pretty fitting. I did specify that he is Indigenous here bc reindeer are native to North America. Also, he reminds me of my best friend who is also Mi’kmaw, so that definitely played a part as well. : >

Nefertari Vivi

Canon Origin: Alburna, Arabasta Kingdom (Grand Line) Oda's Pick: Not Listed

Ethnicity: Arabic Birthplace: Baghdad, Iraq Nationality: Iraqi

Other Notes: Vivi is and will always be part of the Straw Hat Pirates, even if it will likely never be made publicly known for the sake of her country. If she ever desires to sail with them again, they'll all be more than happy to take her aboard once more.

Arabasta is based on a wide variety of places in and around the Arabian peninsula, but Alburna, where Vivi is from, appears to be based specifically on Baghdad.

Nico Robin

Canon Origin: Ohara (West Blue) Oda's Pick: Russia

Ethnicity: Biracial (Black/Hispanic) Birthplace: Alexandria, Egypt Nationality: Mexican

Other Notes: While Ohara is indeed based on typical rural English villages, like Foosha and Syrup, it being the famous center of a hub of knowledge and being known for a subsequent horrific destruction mirrors the famous tale of Egypt's Library of Alexandria. As such, I think of Robin as being Egyptian with Mexican heritage.

Robin was born to to Nico Olvia, an Egyptian scholar, and an unnamed scholar from Mexico who met her while they were both working on the same archeological project. After Alexandria's destruction, Robin journeyed to Mexico to get into contact with her father, only to learn he had already been killed by the World Government for his connection to Olvia. She then lived in Mexico for a while, bouncing from place to place, before eventually getting acquainted with pirates and ending up working for Crocodile, and eventually, following the events of Arabasta, becoming part of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Franky

Canon Origin: South Blue Oda's Pick: USA

Ethnicity: Mixed [White/Hispanic/Black] Birthplace: Santa Monica, USA Nationality: Italian

Other Notes: SUUUUUPERRRRR! Much like most of these entries, Oda's choice country is still present here in some way. Many of his most well-known character traits, such as his love of burgers and cola, bombastic personality, fondness of surf culture, and engineering talent link him heavily to the USA, particularly the U.S. state of California, which is famous for its beaches, technological innovation, and legendary film industry.

The Italian nationality is obvious, as Water 7 is heavily based on the Italian city of Venezia, with its gorgeous architecture and signature canals. While he does act like an American, he evidently loves Water 7 and considers it his true home, as it's where he really grew up as part of Tom's Workers.

there's no special reasoning behind making him mixed beyond that i'm also mixed and I think it's fun to add little bits of myself into characters I enjoy and respect. His parents were American pirates operating out of Santa Monica, and during a business trip to Italy, they abandoned him at Water 7. Oh well!

California Boys, No. 1 SUPER guys~! Cola, Steel, our ships are UNREAL~!

Brook

Canon Origin: West Blue Oda's Pick: Austria

Ethnicity: Black Birthplace: Salzburg, Austria-Hungary Nationality: Austrian

Other Notes: i think it would be funny if Brook went "hey let's go visit my home town! i sure do hope nothing weird has happened in the 50 years i've been gone!" and then learned his home country was shattered into a bunch of other countries while he was dead that's the entire reason i chose austria-hungary over just austria btw

also everyone jokes that brook must personally know Mozart because he's so old, unaware that Brook was literally also born in Salzburg, albeit about a decade after Mozart had already died.

Jinbei

Canon Origin: Fish-Man Island, Ryugu Kingom (Grand Line) Oda's Pick: India

Ethnicity: Polynesian Birthplace: Kingdom of Hawai'i Nationality: Hawaiian

Other Notes: Apparently a lot of people also feel that Jinbei is also from the Pacific, which is neat to know. As a whale-shark fishman, it would make sense for him to live there, after all!

(This blog does not recognize American ownership of Hawai'i as legitimate, and as such, I refer to it as a sovereign nation, rather than part of the United States.)

I don't really have any other notes to give since I haven’t gotten a good look at what Fish-Man Island looks like yet, as I’ve only just finished Marineford. When I see more, I’ll add more thoughts.

Thanks for listening!

(as I progress through the story, i might do one for the warlords once i learn more about one piece's worldbuilding! keep your eyes peeled for that)

[tashigys]

One Piece

Shigure, Shimotsuki and Tashigi They share the same prefix of :

Shi - シー = Sea

タシギ = Tashigi シモツキ = Shimotsuki シグレ = Shigure

In addition, that the sword Shigure and the Shimotsuki Clan both are parts of the 10th and 11th lunar month calendar.

(10) Tenth Lunar Month - Shigure = October (11) Eleventh lunar month- Shimotsuki = November

And guess who's birthday is in the month of October and November? Yes, Zoro -November- and Tashigi -October-.

Just like the last names:

Sakazuki Shimotsuki

Suki=スキ Zuki= ズキ

Why I name the surname Sakazuki, well is that Akainu's character is inspired by a character from Japan, and his surname also ends in (KI), which means "key". And Tashigi and Akainu, have the same sword: Tashigi when she was a child and Akainu tattooed on her arm. This may explain the theories that both Fujitora and Akainu are from Wano and perhaps belong to a clan called "Sakazuki". In addition, something that is curious is that Oda called chapter 793 "The dog and the tiger", and in that chapter is centered in Akainu and Fujitora, both are named Akainu "dog" and Fujitora "Tiger", in that same panel appears Tashigi, being the three focuses.

The most relevant of all this, is the coincidence of the "Shi - シー" = Sea".

By this he did not say that Tashigi is Akainu's daughter…. Only that she may have a connection with both clans or one of the two.

[zotash]

Some people are now convinced Kuina is Zoro's cousin and therefore Tashigi must be his cousin too. Make it make sense 😬

Not only there's zero indication Zoro and Tashigi are in any way related, but if you look at Zoro’s family tree, Zoro and Kuina aren't related either– unless you consider every single person on Earth who has the same surname as your grandma your relative, and in that case good luck at Spring Festival, Christmas, or any other holiday you celebrate!

They're two separate family trees, and we have no idea if and how they're connected. From what we know so far, they aren't, at least not closely:

When Zoro spoke of Kouzaburou, he spoke of him as Kuina's grandpa, with no relation to himself. Zoro didn't even know his name! The only relation they could possibly have was sharing a Shimotsuki ancestor centuries ago, something that neither of them was aware of and anyway doesn't make Zoro Kuina's cousin– or else we should call every single other human from our country our cousin.

Reading the SBS 105 it also looks like only Furiko (Zoro’s grandma) is a Shimotsuki from Ryuuma's lineage, while Kouzaburou is not descended from Ryuuma. Two different branches (families) of an ancient clan.

Since Ryuuma lived around 400 years ago, it means the Shimotsuki ancestor Zoro and Kuina might share is from even earlier. Which is so far back in time it makes any talk of familial relation even more pointless.

[fallensnowfan]

More Volume 105 SBS thoughts. Amazing how most of this can be gathered just from Acts One and Two, if you know what to focus on and are willing to connect the dots, with some things being touched on once more throughout Act Three. Shout out to a friend for sharing some ideas about this.

Zoro and Tama being unaware of their lineage adds depth to the history and people of Wano. Each being a descendant who managed to “free” themselves from the sorrows and entanglements of their clans. People who get define themselves by their own actions and desires, rather than the faults and ambitions of their ancestors.

Names are a big theme of Wano and it is a country with a lot of history, if everything were blatantly explained to the reader, the story would lose something. Zoro's and Tama's clans not really mattering to them makes for a nice contrast to Hiyori, who had to absolutely hide her familial connections for 20 years, merely to survive, and to Momo, who at times felt he was being crushed by the weight of having to live up to being the son and successor of Oden. Looking at the previous arc, grappling with the baggage and wishes of family who don’t have your best interests at heart was a huge point of focus, particularly for Sanji, Chiffon, and Pudding.

It potentially says a lot about the founders of Shimotsuki Village not teaching the history of Wano to the future generations born there. The founders weren’t looking to bring Wano’s culture to other parts of the world, they were just ordinary people looking for a new start. Or maybe Zoro was just a dumbass and didn’t learn anything. haha

For all we know, the Akazaya and Kozuki family(except Kin'emon and Momo, naturally lol,) have already figured out that Tama is a Kurozumi, same as they knew Hitetsu was Sukiyaki without him telling them, and are showing respect to Tama by not wanting her to feel weighed down by events of the past which she had nothing to do with. Those who do know and care about the history of the country, Hyogoro, Kawamatsu, Hiyori etc. all brought up Zoro’s resemblance to Ushimaru, though refrained from telling Zoro for the same reason I figure.

[crepes-suzette-373]

The World Government is "The Shogunate rule"

More samurai related parallel analysis.

There was a grand battle in Japanese history between two great clans, the Minamoto (sometimes called Genji) and the Taira (sometimes called Heike). It's called "Genpei War" for short.

The Taira had been the ruling clan for a while, where one of their ladies was even the emperor's mother. Complex history aside, the Minamoto eventually challenged and defeated them in the above war, and Minamoto no Yoritomo became the first shogun of Japan. Though the emperor continues to sit on the throne, the imperial court gradually loses authority until eventually it's the shogun that rules the nation.

So, speaking of Japan. In One Piece "Wano is Japan". Still, I think all the talk about Wano having to open its borders is both a camouflage and a "smaller scale representation" to a bigger picture.

Japan only finally opened its borders in full after the shogunate falls and the emperor once again holds full authority in the nation. In Wano, there is no emperor. The shogun is the sole supreme authority in Wano, and we do not have a lore about Wano where there was ever an emperor that got replaced by the shogun.

However, the history of the shogunate and the imperial court actually sounds similar to the World Government defeating the Ancient Kingdom.

The emperor of Japan was seen as "the bloodline of the sun goddess". As I said above, the Taira were the family of the emperor. The Minamoto, who defeated them, became the shogun. The World Government defeated the ancient kingdom with strong ties to the sun, making it the parallel of the shogunate rule.

"Opening up the borders" means taking down the "shogun", meaning taking down the WG. As many theorised, I think this also very strongly connects to the idea that the Red Line will be taken down.

"Taking down the Wano walls" is a small mirror of "taking down Red Line".

Sure, the stories of the Lunarians do imply that the red Line has been around for a very long time. But nobody said they've always been a solid wall like that, do they? Perhaps, the formation of the Red Line is exactly connected to the mountain walls of Wano.

I theorise that in the ancient days, when the Lunarians were considered gods, the Red Line was originally simply a line of mountains. Maybe it's a series of mountains that forms a "line" around the world, but it's more of a "broken line", with open seas in between the mountains/islands that allows for free passage of travel and not a solid wall like that.

It was only after the WG is formed that someone somehow connected those mountains together to form the Red Line "wall". Maybe it was done in similar manner to how the walls around Wano was made. Someone with fruit ability related to rocks and earth did it, maybe?

Here's one more connection beyond just vague themes:

The full name of "Venus" of the Gorousei is Ethanbaron V. Nusjuurou. "Nusjuurou" is written as "Nasujuurou".

This I believe is an allusion to the samurai called Senbon Tametaka, who was previously named Nasu Juurou.

The One Piece wiki thought this name might refer to two people, Nasu no Youichi and Juurou his brother, but I personally think it's just the one guy (Juurou/Tametaka).

The Nasu brothers were both warriors on the side of the Genji/Minamoto clan in this war, and Youichi later in life became someone of distinguished status for his feats. His brother Juurou split off and founded a new clan, the Senbon, and also became a prominent family in their own right. V. Nusjuurou is top brass of the World government.

Also incidentally, the Nasu family's main domain is in Shimotsuke Province. It vaguely sounds similar to "Shimotsuki". Plus the sword that Venus has is almost certain to be the Shodai Kitetsu, so he looks like a surefire future Zoro opponent.

Additionally, I'm not sure if this matters to the lore at all, but Nasu is written with katakana while the -juurou is in kanji. This is similar to how various names in Wano were writte, e.g Hyougorou ヒョウ五郎. Maybe he was Wano connections, maybe he does not.

I had previously analysed that Ryuuma's name is very similar to "Ryouma", a historical figure who is credited as being one of the heroes who helped open up Japan. Ryuuma seems to have lived in the time before the WG, but there might be more lore/importance to this that we'll find out later.

Final note:

Just an additional trivia, which I'm not sure matters anyway. Of the Nasu family, Nasu no Youichi is the most famous because of a legendary archery feat. The legend says that he shot down a hand fan from a distance of some 75 metres as a challenge from the enemy, the Taira.

However, the legends also said that Juurou is actually the better archer. He was just too injured to take up the archery challenge that fateful day, and had to recommend his brother to replace him.

I don't see how this is relevant in any way (unless Venus has a secret brother that we don't know about yet), but thought I'd mention it anyway.

[cienie-isengardu]

I’m not sure what shocked Zoro more:

to learn that Kuina’s Wado Ichimonji and Oden’s Enma were crafted by the same man and how, by some twist of fate, both swords belong to him now

or

the skilled blacksmith Shimotsuki Kozaburo is someone Zoro actually knew while living in the Shimotsuki Village. And this old man in fact was a father of Zoro’s sensei and Kuina’s granpa who also taught him the “samurai cry” apparently inappropriate for a child (or just for a young lord?). And now Zoro learns - or did he already knew that?? -  this geezer was both an awesome blacksmith and an outlaw for running away from Wano over 50 years ago.

Wano is seriously full of weird and unexpected connections between Zoro and the Shimotsuki clan (Ryuma, Yasuie, Toko, Kozaburo and Kuina & Koushiro) and though he does not mention it aloud, I think it’s not likely for Zoro to be oblivious to all of it.

[mugiwara-lucy]

Looking back on this I gotta know what was the point of this scene??

There was no real pay off so what was the point?

Was this just ANOTHER road to nowhere of the Wano arc? 😒

God knows this arc has plenty of them 😑

[one-piecee]

#ONEPIECE1033

The amount of spoilers I had to avoid this week because of this chapter... and I'm so happy I did. I have been waiting for a chapter like this, centred around Zoro where we see more of his past, and more of the swords for so long and Oda has delivered. Anyways, let's just,,, get into it but bear in mind it's too difficult to put into words what I felt reading this when all I wanted to do was scream--

The chapter title is 'Shimotsuki Kozaburo'

From the title alone we can guess what the chapter will be about, because Shimotsuki is the swordsmith who forged both Enma and Wado...

The chapter starts off where it cut off last time with Zoro vs King, and Enma is still draining Zoro's power...

He can't seem to gain control over it, and that gives him a disadvantage with King, who keeps his attacks coming one after one - whereas Zoro's attacks don't seem to faze him at all...

According to Queen, who at this point honestly should just narrate the show with the amount of talking he does, thanks for the info, Zoro doesn't stand a chance against King, who's a Lunarian and a monster who "could thrive in any inhospitable environment the world threw" at him. Meanwhile King is preparing an attack against Zoro, setting himself on fire again and before that - let's just take a moment to appreciate the parallels between Sanji vs Queen and Zoro vs King

Both amazing panels of the two wings of the pirate king.

Even Shishi Sonson, one of Zoro's most notorious attacks did absolutely nothing against King

Meanwhile Enma keeps draining Zoro's haki, and he can't seem to gain control over it. At this point Zoro is trying to control Enma, and evade King's attacks at the same time.

While trying to avoid King's attacks he drops his swords, and while collecting them-

which by the way is another ode to how important they are to Zoro, because even King says 'so you're risking your life to save the swords? have you lost it?'

-he reminisces about how he got all of them.

And then he thinks about an 'old geezer' who lived on his old village, Kuina's grandfather, and that's where he connects the dots that Enma and Wado's creator was none other than that person (which by the way, is hilarious. You're telling me Zoro heard all about Shimotsuki Kozubaro and the Shimotsuki clan but never once said, 'hold up, isn't my village called Shimotsuki Village?' but then again, of course he didn't.)

This chapter is one of my favorite chapters of Wano so far, because we got so much more lore for the swords and swordsmen in general, and much more into Zoro's character as well.

Before we dive into the more serious topics, let's just cry together over HOW ADORABLE BABY ZORO IS LOOK AT HIM I MISS HIM

Anyways, so Zoro is talking to this 'old geezer' who happens to be the forger of both Wado and Enma (of course, unknown to Zoro at the time) and Shimotsuki starts talking about swords, who are creating initially to 'cut down people' -

My favorite part about the whole conversation Shimotsuki had with Zoro, was when he was talking about the cursed swords in particular - there's no such thing. Swords "exist to cut people down" and a sword that does that, even without his 'master's' approval is just doing what it's supposed to do, only the weak believe that deadly swords are cursed.

Enma, the lord of the underworld, was testing Zoro. And he just didn't 'live up to it's standards'.

Zoro finally understands, Enma doesn't just drain your haki, if you learn to control it, it can flow Haki around it, and 'taming' Enma, or controlling it, is what helps Zoro coat his swords with his haki - but not just any Haki! The characters on the above panel who all passed out because of Zoro's power only elude to one thing - conquerors haki. Zoro's main power-up in this fight is conquerors coating.

The conqueror's haki is flowing out of Zoro, but he uses it to coat all three swords - and it is at this moment where we all knew... King is over with. It was nice while it lasted.

I mean, has a Zoro fight ever lasted long after he smiles like that? Plus the fact that he mentioned his dream, and Luffy along with Kuina (my oldest friend, tears on my face guys, tears).

.

.

.

No break next week, but I'm betting Oda is going to cut to another scene, seems like the appropriate place for him to focus on somebody else before coming back for the grand finale.

And like always...

[robinchan-hananomi]

So reading the new chapter… I’m in fucking awe!

So Queen confirmed to Sanji that if Zoro doesn’t figure out King’s weakness, he is going to die. But we know Zoro is working it out.

Zoro has always treasured his swords. Back when he met Luffy, one of the very first things he said was that he treasured Wado Ichimonji as much as his life and all through the series we have seen his relationship grow and develop with all his weapons.

As Zoro fights King, we see him put himself in danger to keep his weapons, and with each one he recalls how he got it and what he was told about them. Zoro finally draws the connections between his hometown and the sword smith that he’s been hearing about from the Shimotsuki Clan, Shimotsuki Kozaburo.

We learn Zoro first heard about samurai 13 years ago, back when he was 7. However it wasn’t something that made sense or was relevant so Zoro just forgot about it. Zoro had no idea who the old man was, didn’t even know his name and only found he was related to Kuina after he died. But the man in his own way did help Zoro.

Just like normal though, the teachings Zoro got as a child didn’t really sink in until he needed them as an adult. Through the words he received from both Shimotsuki and Ipoon-matsu, Zoro recalls that there is really no such thing as a ‘cursed blade’. In fact weapons each have their own personalities and souls. If a weirder didn’t meet their standards they will drain the life from them.

Zoro realized Enma is testing him. The only way he can reach the swords expectations is to use his haki at all times, but doing so could drain him and kill him. As we learn a severe haki drain can kill a person, so that is a drawback to Haki. And in order to meet Enma’s expectations Zoro, consciously or unconsciously activated emperors haki, shown by all the people around passing out.

And King asks if Zoro is intending to use it, Zoro says he made a promise to his captain and his oldest friend. Zoro’s entire mission in life since the moment he was introduced was keeping a promise to his longest friend, Shimotsuki Kuina, and later his Captain, Monkey D. Luffy. And now that Zoro has reaffirmed that King better watch out, because Zoro is going to obliterate him!

[nanamis-bigtie]

I don't kinda like the theories of Zoro coming from an ancient family of samurai and then say that's why he's so powerful, is like how they did Naruto with his 'clan' and the reincarnations, Where's all of his hard training? The one who would try harder than anyone? 🤔😫

Yeah, big mood.

I really don't like the turn Zoro's story seems to take lately, though I'm having big hopes it will still follow Oda's favorite inherited will plot rather than the family & clan one.

And even if Oda would get stubborn on the blood connections, there are still more interesting paths it could take. For example, no one said Zoro's connection to the Shimotsuki clan has to come from his father...

I love the "man from nowhere" simple story for Zoro, especially in contrast to Luffy's fate, destiny and other mysterious crap. They are both powerful, but each through different way, Zoro representing the sheer stubborn determination, opposing the impossible: authorities, powerhouses, gods, limits - from the position of a mere human. Big inspiration and source of comfort, not going to lie.

[everyroronoazoro]

what is your least favorite zoro moment? why?

not sure if this counts as a "zoro moment" but. whatever's going on in wano right now

((ch 1023(?) spoilers in the cut))

what i mean by that is, the whole "fate/destiny" kind of thing oda seems to be leading to? zoro truly should just be some guy with incredible ambition and skill, and the possible connection of him to the shimotsuki clan and his talent lying in his blood is not the backstory i was hoping for

[tashigys]

ONE PIECE 1060

Why did the navy want to go and invade Shimotsuki Village? Why was Kuina's grandfather waiting for their arrival? Who was the founding pirate of the village? Kuina's grandfather himself, Koshiburo Shitmosuki?

Did Kuina's father have anything to do with his sudden death? Why did Kuina's father abhor the idea of his daughter becoming strong? Why does Zoro claim screaming that Kuina is running away from his promise and him? And, is Kuina actually dead or is it that both her Grandfather and her are kept hidden from the Navy herself? Can Tashigi be Kuina after all?

This was a beautiful chapter, but once again, as is the beginning of One Piece, it leaves me with a dozen unanswered questions.

THE BEAUTIFUL CONNECTION OF KUINA AND ZORO IS UNMATCHED.

I still don't understand why it seems to me that Tashigi and Kuina's relationship is more instructive and mysterious than it seems, this chapter gave me a light that maybe Kuina is not dead, and no, I don't want her to be Tashigi, Tashigi belongs to another sword clan.

But if Kuina is alive, I don't think it would take away Zoro's importance as a character, it would give him more depth, after all, their promise is that one of them will become the best swordsman in the world, in a duel that they both have to participate, that's why Zoro shouts to a fallen Kuina "Why are you running away, Kuina".

I have many things that can be linked to this and one of them is the connection of the Revolutionary army with the Shimotsuki Clan.

Anyway, we just have to wait and see what Oda has in store for us and all this mystery.

[zotash]

What do the latest SBS mean for Zoro and Tashigi?

I don’t know. On the one hand, I’m surprised that the fact that Koushirou and Kuina are Shimotsukis was revealed in an SBS, and a little worried this means it won’t be explored in the main story.

On the other, the SBS not mentioning Tashigi in any way leaves a glimmer of hope that a connection between her and the Shimotsuki clan – that explains her resemblance to Kuina – will be a “surprise reveal”, and this SBS is just laying the groundwork for what’s to come. I still hope to see Tashigi in Wano and that she and Zoro will learn about the Shimotsuki clan together and talk about Kuina.

As for that ambiguous throwaway line about “Zoro’s lineage”, it could really mean anything. It could very well be just Oda trolling so that when the moment of the big reveal comes everybody expects it’s Zoro but it’s actually someone else. I’m not a fan of the “Zoro is Ushimaru’s son” theories that some fans like so much; I feel like adding a secret royal lineage for Zoro too would feel redundant at this point. Let him be connected to the Shimotsuki clan through Kuina, Yasuie (and hopefully Tashigi) and not through a family he doesn’t know. Also because I don’t think Oda intends to make him and Tashigi related, so either only one of them is a Shimosuki or neither of them is.