Disclaimer: This is a theory that is only semi-serious.
A part of me just wants Zoro to be some guy who trains hard, but given what’s going on with the rest of the Straw Hats, he's probably special in some form.
This is a wild guess, with some interesting evidence. Let's go.
Let's recap what we know about Zoro - there's very little.
He grew up in Shimotsuki Village. He trained under Koushirou and had a rivalry against Kuina who died.
He then left to fulfill his goal of becoming the World's Strongest Swordsman and fulfill his promise with Kuina.
We know nothing about his parents. There was rampant speculation, based on the silhouette that it might have been Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the daimyo of Ringo.
This has been denied by Oda in an SBS. So what's going on here?
"Two peas in a pod" - those were the expression used to describe they're likeness.
A similar comparison had actually been made by Franky - in reference to Kuma and the pacafistas thy met in Sabaody.
Would it be possible that Zoro is another type of pacafista?
Speaking of Franky (a definite cyborg) ...Zoro shares two notable traits with him.
#1 They run on a beverage; cola for Franky and sake for Zoro.
#2 They don't like getting wounded on the back too much.
They've also had quite a close relationship ever since the timeskip, especially in Wano .
Speculation: Could Franky be looking out for Zoro, who he knows is a cyborg too...but Zoro doesn't know it himself?
Let's move away from the Franky bit, and head over to the Germa kingdom.
The Germa Kingdom, in Chapter 840, revealed that they were able to build humans...humans who don't have a clue they're not quite humans.
(An aside: Yonji looks like Zoro. Coincidence? Maybe.)
However, they do have features like being...
1) Mighty 2) Subservient (Zoro's not exactly subservient, but he is hellbent on fulfilling his promises) 3) Programmed to be fearless in the face of death and utterly faithful
Sounds like Zoro, huh?
Germa's soldiers were copies of a few superior fighters. I believe that Zoro is a copy of the Legendary Samurai, Ryuma, one of history's most formidable fighters.
This'll explains they're extreme likeness.
Zoro being a modified human might also explain his lack of belief in God - he, just like Sanji, is a soldier of Science.
It'll also explain the Jesus imagery as well - he was "immaculately conceived".
There's also the very interesting case of Ashura where he seems to grow new arms and legs.
I have a possible explanation: if the pacafistas were able to replicate Kizaru's Devil Fruit, maybe the Zoro pacafistas are able to replicate Nico Robin's Devil Fruit???
Now let me move on to some speculations: who made Zoro? I have three speculations.
#1 He was made by Dr Tsukimi, the old man featured in Enel's cover story who made automatas.
Dr. Tsukimi might have a connection with either Wano or the Shimotsuki clan which is how Zoro ended up at the village.
#2 Zoro was built by Vegapunk and Judge, and they got to Ryuma's remains before Moria. Yonji did say that Judge participated in a research team which skirted the law in a foreign territory.
Could this have been Wano? Actually, could this have been the Shomotsuki Village?
#3 During the Void Century, modified humans were already being used to wage war.
Ryuma was the original Kuma, and there were armies of Zoro fighting the war.
The Zoro we have is one that had either been sent from the past (like Toki) or preserved. 👀
(This is my favourite idea. The pacafista of the past meeting the pacafista of the present. The parallels between Ryuma and Kuma. Armies of Zoros running around the Void Century. It's so poetic.)
So there you go - Zoro, a modified human. With this, we might finally be able to explain some of his wild feats.
(ZKK might still happen.)
If you think this is a bit too wild, let me share one last thing.
In Wano, Zoro wears a kimono with gears on them. Do you know where we've seen gears before?
In the throne rooms of Germa Kingdom, and in the speech bubbles of the automata.
Do like, RT, and all that fun stuff if you enjoy this theory. Thank you for reading!
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Obviously, this thread is going to be full of spoilers. If you think knowing what the One Piece could be will ruin your experience, turn back. 🔙
That said, it's been 25 years and more than a thousand episodes and chapters. I think it's about time we learn what it is.
I'll structure this thread like this:
#1 My criteria for the One Piece
#2 My foundational assumption
#3 What the treasure is and why it makes complete sense
#4 What it means for the bigger story
#5 Some concluding words