In the world of One Piece, there exist various abilities that aid individuals, both pirates and Marines, greatly to counter the perils of the high seas. Most strong individuals who sail the Grand Line make use of the power of Devil Fruits, but in the second half of the Grand Line, that is, the New World, Devil Fruits are far from reliable. One needs even greater strength, and that's where Haki comes in. Haki is a spiritual form of energy that exists within everyone in the world of One Piece. However, not all manage to awaken it.
Usually, Haki can only be divided into two types, those being the Color of Observation and the Color of Arms. However, a rare type can be found in one in a million people, and this Haki is called Conqueror's Haki, also known as the Color of the Supreme King. Given its rarity, this Haki type is absolutely essential in the Final Saga of the One Piece world and it's quite easily the most reliable ability one can hold.
What Is Conqueror's Haki?
The Power To Overwhelm And Intimidate
Conqueror's Haki is quite different from the other two types of Haki that exist in the One Piece world. This Haki type is something one is born with, and then, just like other Haki types, it needs to be awakened. Usually, it is found in individuals who have the qualities of a King and are fit to conquer, hence the name Conqueror's Haki.
Simply put, Conqueror's Haki is the power to overwhelm and intimidate the enemy with immense spiritual energy and willpower. Those with Conqueror's Haki can knock out weaker enemies or intimidate them, giving them a huge edge in any battle. With this Haki, one can also tame animals by establishing dominance and superiority. A prime example of that would be Luffy taming Motobaro by accident in the Sabaody Archipelago arc, and in Fishman Island, managing to tame Tsurume easily.
Unlike regular Haki, Conqueror's Haki cannot be directly trained to make it stronger. Instead, to make one's Conqueror's Haki stronger, the overall strength of the user must increase. In other words, when the user grows stronger, the Haki grows stronger with it. That said, Conqueror's Haki can still be refined to a great degree and it also has many advanced applications.
In the Wano Country Arc, Oda introduced readers to the concept of Advanced Conqueror's Haki, which is quite easily one of the most powerful abilities on the seas. All the top-tier pirates, such as the Four Emperors, make use of it, and Luffy tapped into its powers in the battle against Kaido. After being hit by Kaido's Thunder Bagua and Conqueror of Three Worlds: Ragnaraku, Luffy was able to finally grasp the secret behind the usage of advanced Conqueror's Haki. Essentially, Conqueror's Haki can be used like Armament Haki, in the sense that one can coat their bodies in it to improve their overall power. This power is commonly referred to as Advanced Conqueror's Haki.
The Powers Of Advanced Conqueror's Haki
Offense, Defense, Observation Killing, Shockwaves
The most basic usage of Conqueror's Haki sees the user coat their bodies in it. Just like the Color of Arms, Advanced Conqueror's Haki can be used to increase both the offensive and the defensive powers of the user. It can grant a very powerful armor that stops attacks, and it also greatly boosts the offensive output of the attacks by adding spiritual energy and an overwhelming power to them.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki is so powerful that even the strongest of characters can be incapacitated by a single hit. For instance, when Luffy fought Kaido in Kuri, the latter knocked him out in a single Conqueror's Haki-coated attack. Luffy also managed to knock down and paralyze Kizaru by a single Conqueror's Haki-coated attack, called White Star Gun.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki Grants Immortality Counter
On top of increasing the powers of the user, advanced Conqueror's Haki can also offer other advantages, and they shine especially in the Final Saga of the story, where the powers of immortality and regeneration shine. To counter the Immortality of the likes of the Holy Knights and Five Elders, and even Imu, one needs advanced Conqueror's Haki. By coating attacks in this powerful Haki, one can slow down the regeneration and counter the immortality of these beings. On top of that, when hit repeatedly with such powerful attacks coated with Conqueror's Haki, these immortals can be fully incapacitated, as confirmed by Scopper Gaban in Elbaf. When Haki is strong enough, the power of regeneration is completely nullified and the enemy can even be killed.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki Can Kill Observation Haki
Another advanced power of the Advanced Conqueror's Haki is that it can allow some individuals to kill the Observation Haki of the enemy. Usually, Observation Haki allows a person to read attacks and, in some cases, even see the future. However, characters like Shanks can use their overwhelmingly powerful Haki to prevent the enemy from focusing their Haki, and even hide their own presence completely. By doing so, they can become impossible to read and thus, the enemy can't counter any attacks. This is an extremely overpowered ability that only Shanks has showcased in the story so far.
Advanced Conqueror's Haki Application: Haki Shockwaves
Advanced Conqueror's Haki can also be used in a very special manner by a few individuals like Roger, Rocks, Shanks, and Garp. By concentrating high amounts of Conqueror's Haki and using overwhelmingly powerful force, a strong Haki shockwave can be generated that tears through all enemies. Rocks D. Xebec was specifically known for this power, and later, Roger learned it as well. His signature technique, called Kamusari, is based on this application of advanced Conqueror's Haki. Now, Shanks makes great use of this Haki in One Piece, and he might have even surpassed his predecessors, Roger and Rocks. At this point in time, it can be said that this form of Haki has the highest offensive output, and that makes it a terrifying weapon to wield. Rocks was able to kill a Marine Admiral easily with this power, and Shanks knocked out both Kid and Killer in a single swing of his sword.
The Masters Of Advanced Conqueror's Haki
Shanks, Roger, Rocks Have Mastered Advanced Supreme King Haki
When it comes to the masters of Advanced Conqueror's Haki, Oda has shown quite a few in One Piece already. The likes of Rocks, Roger, Garp, and Shanks stand out on top as the strongest users of Advanced Conqueror's Haki so far. From the old generation, it was Joy Boy who held the strongest Conqueror's Haki, given that he could even knock out Vice Admirals with this power, and easily counter Imu's powers of immortality and regeneration.
In the current timeline, Shanks stands tall as the strongest user of Haki in One Piece, and that goes without saying. His overall mastery of Haki is such that even without a Devil Fruit, he was able to beat Loki, the man who killed King Harald, Rocks's equal. Shanks also has the most diverse Haki arsenal in One Piece, and when it comes to the overall usage of advanced Conqueror's Haki, Oda has established him to stand tall above all.