Zoro Takes Control of Conqueror’s Haki
Even though Conqueror’s Haki is the enemy’s weakness and he couldn’t fully control it yet, Zoro had zero hesitation stabbing Somers through the heart from behind or slicing off limbs and head. Zoro really is a beast.
Near the end, when he finally grasped the knack of Conqueror’s Haki and sliced off Somers’ right hand — could that moment have also been a nod to Gyaban, who appeared in the flashback?
What caught my attention was Somers’ line: “You coated it!! Conqueror’s Haki!! Fear not — Omen is a power that stands equal to it!”
Omen, gifted by Im, already lets you power up massively, summon weapons, and coat them in haki. It’s already ridiculously versatile — and Somers is saying its power can match Conqueror’s Haki?
On top of that, Im supposedly has their own Conqueror’s Haki too. If Im possesses both Conqueror’s Haki and the Omen’s counterpart force — would using both simultaneously cause them to cancel each other out?
Or would they fuse into something even more terrifying?
Very intriguing.
Conqueror’s Haki Is the “Self” So Powerful the Weak Cannot Stand Before It
According to Mihawk: “Conqueror’s Haki is the ‘self’ so overwhelming that the weak cannot even stand in its presence.”
Which means Nami — who showed a presence so overwhelming that Usopp literally couldn’t stand — does have Conqueror’s Haki, doesn’t she?
Cover Page Theory
The cover request was: “Teach having a monkey calligrapher rewrite things for him over and over.”
I think this cover uses Chapter 481’s cover as its base, layers on the situation from Chapter 997 (Sanji being struck by the tanuki monk), and swaps the characters out for Teach.
Right now both of Luffy’s wings are in the middle of mastering Conqueror’s Haki through training — which makes the mood of those two covers a perfect fit. ↓
Speaking of Chapter 997 — the main story of that chapter had a Sanji line that mirrors Mihawk’s words here.
“Sexual harassment in the Land of Wano!! Oh my, oh my~”!!
“A woman in the hands of the powerful — stripped of her sash with nowhere to turn, spinning round and round. What she loses with every turn isn’t ‘fabric’!!”
“It’s yourself.”
Mihawk’s advice — “your self” — paired against Sanji’s “it’s yourself!!”
And the connection between Chapter 997 and this chapter doesn’t stop there — there was also foreshadowing of Zoro’s Conqueror’s Haki.
So there’s no doubt that Chapter 997 was intentionally called back in this cover page.
So then why was Teach chosen as the focus?
The answer lies in the usual word-association chain.
Zoro’s rage sparking Conqueror’s Haki? The same Zoro who said “That’d never be me” — his Conqueror’s Haki actually awakened.
→ Conqueror’s Haki is the “self” so powerful the weak cannot stand before it
Cannot stand → earthquake / self → “My era has come”
→ “My era has come now that I have the Gura Gura no Mi!!”
That’s how I believe Teach ended up as the star of this cover.
