ZoRona

ZoRona is the het ship between Roronoa Zoro and Perona from the One Piece fandom.

Canon
Zoro and Perona are both pirates who were once enemies but became somewhat allies. They first crossed paths for the first time when Perona used her ghostly hollows to impair Zoro with negativity and demoralisation. They finally met face to face when Zoro, along with Sanji and Usopp, barged into her bedroom on Thriller Bark. However, because Usopp had a natural advantage against her, whilst he, himself, was vulnerable to her devil fruit, he decided to leave. They reunited again on the mysterious island, Kuraigana, after they were both sent there by Bartholomew Kuma. Here, they developed a more friendly relationship and spent two years together, along with Dracule Mihawk, before Zoro left to reunite with his crew.

Their personalities strongly clash. Perona is a lot more sassy, volatile and emotional. Zoro, however, is stoic, quickly annoyed and prefers to be alone. Thus when they first met friction quickly developed between them. The bad experience Perona had with the Straw Hats on Thriller Bark left her initially inclined to abandon an unconscious Zoro when he arrived on Kuraigana. However, feeling alone and seeing how seriously wounded he was, she decides to help him, but not before taking his swords as she feared he might attack her. Whilst Zoro was initially annoyed, the two were able to develop a degree of trust, as not only did Perona eventually return his swords, but they also explored the apparently abandoned island together.

Eventually, the pair discovered that the island they are on is actually a hideout for Dracule Mihawk, the World’s Strongest Swordsman, who Zoro wishes to defeat to claim his title. The three of them spent the next two years together, as Zoro recieved Luffy’s message to train for two years before they reunite. Perona was kind enough to actually hold the newspaper up, showing Luffy’s message, as Zoro was still gravely injured, even though her arms began to ache. Whilst they still did not get on perfectly, due to Perona’s, at times, bratty attitude, they found themselves on more amicable terms. Perona still took pleasure in Zoro’s light misfortune, however, as she laughed at him when Mihawk forbade him from consuming alcohol until he mastered Armament Haki. It can be assumed that during Zoro’s intense training with Mihawk, she would tend to his wounds, as at one point Mihawk had ordered her to do so after Zoro wished to be trained by him.

Ultimately, when their time together came to an end, Perona chose to escort Zoro back to Sabaody so he could be with his crew again. She still bemoaned him for his helplessness with directions, and she can be assumed to have been responsible for how Zoro was the first of the Straw Hats to reach the island, something Zoro bragged many times about. It would appear that Perona has come to like Zoro enough to be a supportive ally to the Straw Hats, despite initially taking a great dislike towards them after the events on Thriller Bark. She even aided Zoro and his crew’s escape, using her Devil Fruit powers to stop the Marines from pursuing them, and warned them about an incoming warship heading towards the island. Once Zoro left with his crew, Perona returned to Mihawk on Kuraigana.

Fanon
ZoRona gained a sizeable popularity. This was due to the fact that Perona is the first girl Zoro has had a notable relationship with since his childhood friend, Kuina. Even Tashigi, who Zoro has developed a unique relationship with, has only had passing and brief encounters, whereas Zoro and Perona spent two years together. Furthermore, their personalities make them an endearing pair, as Zoro comes off as the annoyed husband and Perona the nagging wife.

The ship developed to more of a poly ship when included with Dracule Mihawk. As many fans view the idea that the three of them living alone together is a recipe for romance or sexual tension at some point. Nonetheless, their ship has ultimately remained platonic, with fans hoping it will gain more traction in the future.

Beyond the aforementioned poly ship, there is plenty of rival pairings to ZoRona. The pairing between Zoro and Nami (ZoNami), and the pairing between Zoro and Robin (ZoRobin) are some. Some fans also prefer ZoKu, the pairing between Zoro and Kuina, or ZoTash, the ship between Zoro and Tashigi. Recently, Zoro’s ship with Kozuki Hiyori, Zoyori, has become a very strong rival, whilst the ship between Mihawk and Perona (MihRona) has also gained some traction.

Fandom

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Trivia

 * After two years, Perona is the girl Zoro has spent the most time with, even longer than his childhood friend Kuina, and even longer than the time he has spent with his crew.
 * Sanji, who has an intense rivalry and dislike for Zoro, has shown great interest in Perona, as he does with all women, and she is the third girl he has shown interest in that Zoro has personally befriended.