One Piece Chapter 1091 describes the confrontation between Zoro and Rob Lucci, one of the Straw Hats’ strongest enemies from the Cipher Pol organization.
With One Piece’s current popularity, everyone’s eyes are on the long-awaited conclusion of the manga series. The Onigashima attack saw the emergence of the Straw Hats as true candidates for One Piece, as they defeated a Yonko and his pirate crew. However, while Monkey D. Luffy’s victory over Kaido was a major milestone, the events of the Egg Island Arc were shaping up to have an even greater impact.
Chapter 1091 of One Piece appears to be the final battle of the Egg Island Arc, pitting Luffy against Admiral Kizaru in the final arc. However, besides that expected clash, another battle is also teased in this chapter that could be much more interesting – Rob Lucci fighting Roronoa Zoro. This is one of the first instances of a Straw Hat crew facing off against a main enemy from a previous arc, so this is a big opportunity for Roronoa Zoro to differentiate himself from his teammates against one of Luffy’s toughest enemies.
Rob Lucci’s history of confrontation with the Straw Hats
Rob Lucci, one of the most dangerous villains the Straw Hats have ever faced, is a member of CP9. Since childhood, Lucci was trained to become an assassin for the World Government’s Cipher Pol branch. With his cold killing ability, he attracted the attention of his superiors and joined CP9, the World Government’s best assassin team.
Lucci and CP9’s mission was to capture Nico Robin, causing the events of Saga Water 7. During the climactic clash with Monkey D. Luffy, Lucci and Luffy fought fiercely, with Luffy eventually winning. However, the battle caused severe damage to Luffy, nearly dying. After a two-year hiatus, Lucci returned with new strength, becoming a member of CP0 – the most senior branch of Cipher Pol.
CP0 does not directly serve the World Government, but reports directly to the celestial dragon people. Lucci and CP0 were tasked with assassinating the Straw Hats and their allies on Egg Island. During his first encounter with the Straw Hats after the timeskip, Lucci revealed that he had harnessed the evolutionary power of his Zoan Devil Fruit. However, Luffy’s evolutionary power is superior. Although the match was inconclusive due to Dr. Vegapunk’s intervention, it opened the door for Lucci to attack when the Straw Hats were weak a few days later. Roronoa Zoro is forced to stand up and stop Lucci.
The meaning of the confrontation between Roronoa Zoro and Lucci
Chapter 1091 of One Piece ends by revealing two battles: Admiral Kizaru vs. Monkey D. Luffy and Rob Lucci vs. Roronoa Zoro. Both matches were important to the series’ story, and both represented important milestones for each character. However, while defeating an Admiral would be impressive, Luffy’s defeat of Kaido proves that he is capable of doing so. It is unexpected that Roronoa Zoro will defeat a strong and experienced warrior like Rob Lucci. Assessing Rob Lucci’s strength isn’t easy, but considering his awakened devil fruit, impressive Haki, and ability to fight Luffy on equal terms in Gear 5, he’s clearly close to the same level of strength. An Admiral is stronger than any opponent Zoro has ever faced. Although Zoro’s three-sword fighting style learned to control Armament Haki during his battle with King the Conflagration, it is unclear whether that is enough to elevate him to the level of an opponent like Rob Lucci.
From a plot perspective, the match between Roronoa Zoro and Rob Lucci makes even more sense. No one in the Straw Hats has ever defeated a major villain like Rob Lucci, not to mention he has previously been the biggest challenge to the Straw Hats. If Zoro were to defeat Lucci, his victory would symbolize the swordsman’s ability to protect his teammates in his captain’s absence, even against the toughest enemies the World Government could offer.
As important as the events of the Wano Country Arc are, the Egghead Island Arc is the first narrative arc in One Piece that truly feels like it’s setting up for the series’ end. Each member of the Straw Hat Pirates has grown to the point where they are almost unrecognizable from how they looked when the adventure began. It’s fitting, then, that characters like Luffy and Roronoa Zoro are fighting some of the Grand Line’s most important figures.
The World Government will no doubt have some tricks up their sleeves, but with Dr. Vegapunk’s help, the Straw Hats have a chance to survive their all-out attack. The fight between Roronoa Zoro and Rob Lucci will be crucial to this endeavor, so if the One Piece protagonist wants to escape Egghead Island with his life, he will need to defeat the best assassin that the Prime Minister has. World Government has.
