The most successful comics in the world, one pieceIt's been going on for almost 30 years now. The story was created by Eiichiro Oda and has since grown so much that it features a cast of thousands of characters, many of whom have the power to tell and showcase their own unique stories. With that said, one piecefocuses mostly on Luffy and his Straw Hat Crew. Among the Straw Hat Pirates, swordsman Roronoa Zoro is loved by fans.
However, despite his popularity, Zoro's backstory in the comics is short and has been considered underwhelming by many so far, but a new novel is coming soon that will explore his days before becoming a pirate and the history of Wado Ichimonji. On July 3, 2026, the legend of Zoro's beloved sword Wado Ichimonji and Luffy's difficult life before will finally be revealed.
The new One Piece novel will officially expand on Zoro's past on July 3, 2026
one piece It debuted in the 34th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump on July 22, 1997. Years later, this story by Eiichiro Oda is still ongoing, dropping almost every week except for a few breaks every now and then. protagonist of one pieceLuffy appeared in the first chapter of the story. His first companion, Zoro, appeared shortly after. one piece Chapter 3 was released in the 36th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump on August 4, 1997. While Zoro joined in Chapter 6, we first got to know his character through a brief backstory in Chapter 5 in Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 39 on August 25, 1997.
Zoro's backstory tells of his past in Shimotsuki Village. There, he decided to challenge a girl named Kuina, who had instilled in him the goal of becoming the world's greatest swordsman through an unbreakable promise. Kuina's death was tragic, and in large part it is what made him the person he is today. Oda also revealed his family tree in One Piece SBS Volume 105 and expanded a bit more on his past in One Piece Chapter 1033, which was officially released on November 21, 2021 in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 52, but this is the gist of what we know about Zoro's past.
“We must keep our promise. I will become a great swordsman whose name will be heard in heaven!!” — Zoro after Kuina's death, One Piece Chapter 5
Now, 29 years later, a new Zorro novel will be published on July 3, 2026, through which we will learn more about his past. The story will not focus on Zoro's life as a child, but on his years before joining the Straw Hat Pirates of East Blue. We have already published three chapters of this novel. one piece Magazine in 2024 and 2025, but now a new chapter is coming.
From the short summary revealed to us, we know that this new chapter will tell the story of how Zoro met Johnny and Yosaku, two interesting characters he met in the East Blue Saga. Zoro will also fight against a new criminal worth 300,000 Berries. This bounty may seem low today, but it wasn't too shabby back in the East Blue days.
One Piece, Immu's new demon form officially confirmed for the first time in 3 years
One Piece writer Eiichiro Oda is preparing to reveal Imu's demon form in the Elbaf arc, which was first teased three years ago in episode 1085.
The story of One Piece's most iconic sword, Wado Ichimonji, will be explored in a new Zoro backstory release.
Zoro is set to be the highlight of the novel written by Jun Esaka, but a brief summary of the new chapter will also reveal new information about his most precious sword, Wado Ichimonji. Wado Ichimonji is not Zoro's strongest sword, but it is the most important sword to his character. After the previous owner Kuina died, Shimotsuki Koshiro passed it on to him. It was revealed that it was produced by Kozaburo Shimotsuki in Wano. This sword has followed Zoro all his life, and its power will soon be revealed in this new battle. I look forward to more stories being revealed centered around Wado Ichimonji. Because this is a sword that Zoro will never give up, even if given a more powerful replacement.
“The reason it feels familiar is probably a twist of fate. As you can see, that white sword, Wado Ichimonji, and Enma were all made by the same person!! Kozaburo Shimotsuki, the blacksmith. He broke the law and left this land 50 years ago.” — Hitetsu Tenguyama, One Piece Episode 955
Although the Zorro novel is not canon, it provides interesting content despite the lack of manga backstory.
The new Zorro novel will be an exciting read for fans of the character, but as previously mentioned, it was written by Jun Esaka, not Zorro's creator, Eiichiro Oda. one piece. In that sense, this novel is non-canonical, especially in the sense that it wasn't even directed by Oda. The One Piece website previously claimed that it was directed by Eiichiro Oda, but that statement was retracted on April 30, 2024, confirming that Oda had no involvement in creating the story. Oda's most extensive involvement with the novel was through a very recent work dated June 23, 2026. In this picture, Oda is shown briefly joking with Zoro and advertising his new novel.
Oda: “Take a look in advance!!”
Zoro: “Who told you to talk?”
There is no involvement from the author other than a brief blurb, so while this is an interesting story, it is still non-canon in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless, Zorro's entire backstory in the comics is half a chapter long, and additional information is only added via SBS, so this novel is still a good addition to his character. However, this should not be treated as canonical material or as reflecting actual One Piece events and details. Often, fans confuse supplementary content with the comics and confuse these details with the actual events of Oda's story. Unless otherwise specified, most One Piece novels are non-canon. The Ace novel, officially supervised by Eiichiro Oda, is one of the few novels that covers the overall story of the One Piece universe.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media. Meanwhile, the new Zorro novel will be available in Japan on July 3, 2026. Unfortunately, localization via Viz Media will likely take more than a year.
