One Piece finally settles the long battle between Zoro and Lucci teasing that Zoro may have never taken his opponent seriously from the start.

One Piece‘s second most interesting battle on Egghead has finally concluded as Lucci suffers a humiliating defeat at Zoro‘s hands, who may not even be using his full strength. The latest chapter finally reveals the victor of the long battle between Lucci and Zoro and a subtle detail about Zoro’s appearance hints he may have been toying with Lucci all along.

In chapter #1110 of One Piece, Sanji calls Zoro a liability to the crew, which finally spurs him into defeating Lucci with a brand-new move that he calls “Three Sword Style: Huhuva Spot Hunt.” The simple fact that Zoro immediately put an end to the battle after the insult by Sanji and that he did so without putting on his bandana implies Zoro may have never seen Lucci as a serious opponent.

As shown from his first appearance in the series, Zoro putting on his bandana signifies that he means business and is about to take the fight seriously, but not once has he put it on during the battle against Lucci. To make matters worse, the fact that Lucci has suffered consecutive defeats first to Gear Five and now to Zoro, despite his initial confidence, further adds to his humiliation.

Zoro Defeats Lucci Without Wearing His Bandana

One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda, chapter #1110 “Starfall”

While Zoro’s outfits have changed numerous times across various arcs, the bandana that he ties over his head during the most serious fights has remained a constant accessory along with his signature gold earrings since the very beginning of One Piece. Zoro has sported it most notably against Mihawk at Baratie, Mr. 1 at Alabasta, Pica at Dressrosa, Kaku at Enies Lobby and Egghead, and against King at Wano. During their first fight at Enies Lobby, Kaku even asks Zoro whether the bandana makes him stronger and, while it logically does not make sense for this to be true, it is clear that Zoro only puts it on when he needs to be focused on the battle and is about to put an end to it.

That said, Zoro and Luci have been at it since chapter #1093, but it seems that Zoro has been in control of the fight and has let it drag on for as long as it has, possibly to stall Lucci while the rest of the crew make their getaway. Although it seemed as though Lucci had gotten stronger since awakening his devil fruit, it appears as though he was no match for even the Straw Hat’s second in command, much less their captain, despite being one of Luffy’s worst enemies before the time skip. This only goes to prove how far the Straw Hats have come since their first encounter with the Cipher Pol agents at Enies Lobby.

Zoro Has Become a Right-Hand Man Worthy of the Next Pirate King

Zoro’s victories at Wano and Egghead prove that he is quickly becoming a right-hand man of great caliber. Much like Roger who had the powerful “Dark King” Rayleigh at his side, Zoro is all but set to follow the same path, becoming the mighty “King of Hell” who will support the next King of the Pirates. Zoro has already proved his unquestionable loyalty to Luffy time and time again, and his ever-growing strength only proves Luffy made the right choice when he chose Zoro as his first-ever crew member.

In all, even though Zoro has defeated Lucci, the Straw Hats’ escape from Egghead is far from guaranteed now that the Five Elders have also arrived at the island. Knowing how unpredictable One Piece can be, Zoro will likely have plenty more fighting to do before the Egghead Arc concludes and his next opponent may even be one of the Five Elders.