One Piece: The saddest fact about Zoro’s sacrifice in Thriller Bark

Zoro’s sacrifice in Thriller Bark remains his best moment in One Piece to this day. However, there’s a really sad fact associated with the entire ordeal.

One Piece’s Straw Hat members are the central pirate crew of the series. As Luffy’s first mate, Zoro is the most crucial member of the Straw Hat pirates. He is the glue that holds the crew together and also looks out for their reckless Captain. 

He is always there to make the best decisions for the crew and even encourages Luffy to act more like a Captain. In the “Thriller Bark Saga,” Zoro faces off against Bartholomew Kuma all on his own. Although Sanji tried to step forward, Zoro knocked him out and took the hit for himself.

Zoro’s reply to Sanji, “Nothing happened,” is still a monumental moment in the entire One Piece series. Although fans love this moment where Zoro’s sacrifice in Thriller Bark proves his loyalty to Luffy, one part about the entire ordeal is just too sad to ignore.

Luffy will never find out about Zoro’s sacrifice in Thriller Bark

Crunchyroll

Sanji is the only person in the Straw Hat crew who knows about this ordeal. Zoro took all of Luffy’s pain despite having several injuries himself. The swordsman was barely alive when Kuma was done with him but still kept standing.

All this happened when Sanji was out cold. Therefore, when the Straw Hats’ chef woke up, he was shocked by all the blood and Zoro’s condition. However, after seeing Zoro’s determination, Sanji promised to keep this from the entire crew, even Luffy.

The situation in Thriller Bark was dire, and Luffy was barely rescued after his fight with the Warlord Gecko Moria. To make matters worse, Kuma was ordered to kill Luffy, but Zoro stepped forward to save his Captain.

The saddest part is Luffy still doesn’t know anything about it and will probably never find it out. Luffy cherishes his crew more than anything. Even when he was in despair after his brother Ace’s death, it was the memories of his crew that kept him going. 

If Luffy were to find out about Zoro’s sacrifice in Thriller Bark, he would surely be disheartened. Therefore, although it’s sad for Luffy to be in the dark, it might actually be a good decision on Zoro’s and Sanji’s part. 

One Piece can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll. In the meantime, check out our other anime coverage below:

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