This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
One Piece is currently in its final saga, and it is here that Oda is revealing some of the most powerful characters whom the fans have waited to see for decades now, such as red-haired Shanks and the likes of the Five Elders, among others. Naturally, these mighty monsters of the One Piece world often rely on special abilities.
In One Piece, two powers reign supreme that are used by the vast majority of powerful characters, and they are Devil Fruit and Haki. While Devil Fruits have been introduced and have been prevalent in One Piece since the very first chapter, fans know that Haki was properly introduced around the midpoint. Both Devil Fruits and Haki are equally important in the world of One Piece. However, it can be said that one is more destructive, while the other is far more versatile.
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Often, fans tend to think that Haki is the strongest power that exists in the world of One Piece. However, in the recent chapters Oda has once again confirmed that, in some cases, Devil Fruits can offer what Haki can't and actually go far beyond what any Haki user can muster with their raw powers.
Haki and Devil Fruits Are The Two Main One Piece Power Systems
- Devil Fruits were introduced in One Piece Chapter 1
- Haki was properly explained in One Piece Chapter 597
Devil Fruits were first introduced in One Piece chapter 1, when Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. At that moment, Luffy's Devil Fruit was said to be a mystical power that would turn anyone who eats it into rubber and take away their ability to swim. As the story went forward, fans saw the introduction of many other powerful Devil Fruit abilities as well. Buggy with his Chop-Chop Fruit appeared next, and shortly after, other powerful abilities showed up too.
Luffy, did you eat the fruit that we had? You fool, it'll turn you into rubber and you won't be able to swim again! — Shanks to Luffy
Then Oda elaborated upon the concept of Devil Fruits and told the fans that there exist three types in the One Piece world, those being:
- Paramecia
- Logia
- Zoan
Then, slowly but steadily, Oda built on these Devil Fruit types greatly, especially in the Grand Line where monsters are crawling with all sorts of powers up their sleeve.
When it comes to Haki, this ability, although first teased long ago in the story, was properly introduced only at the midpoint, around the time of the two-year time skip of One Piece. It was Silvers Rayleigh who trained Luffy in the ways of Haki, and since then, this power has become integral to the overall power system of the One Piece world. In many cases, fans even believe that Haki is the stronger of the two. While Devil Fruits offer mystical abilities to those who eat them, Haki is a spiritual power that everyone is born with, but only a handful manage to awaken.
Simply put, Haki allows the user to utilize their spiritual energy to gain either a sixth sense or use it for offensive and defensive purposes to counter even Devil Fruit abilities and, in its strongest form, overwhelm just about everyone with tremendous power, as well as counter demonic powers like regeneration and immortality. Just by looking at what Haki allows the users to do, it can be said that it is one of the most dangerous abilities that exists in the One Piece world, and that it is the most reliable one. A Devil Fruit user will most certainly die in the New World without Haki, but a Haki user will easily survive if their powers are trained to a certain extent.
Haki Isn't Necessarily The Strongest Power In One Piece
- Devil Fruits can offer more raw power than Haki
It goes without saying that Haki is more reliable than Devil Fruit abilities and is easier to train as well. However, that still doesn't make it the strongest power in the One Piece world. Some Devil Fruits that exist in the world of One Piece have a much higher power output than what one can generate with just Haki. The perfect example of this is Loki's Devil Fruit.
Haki is a power that is dormant in everyone everywhere. The ability to sense spiritual energy and overwhelm enemies is something everyone has to some degree. But most people never discover it. To never doubt, that is true power. Now watch! Most Haki can be divided into two types or colors. — Silvers Rayleigh to Luffy in Ruskaina
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In One Piece chapters 1170 and 1171, fans saw a glimpse of Loki's legendary Devil Fruit powers, and it goes without saying that it far exceeds what one can do with Haki. Loki's Devil Fruit remains unknown to this day, but what fans know is that it possesses tremendous powers that allow one to counter monsters such as Harald. When Loki fought Harald, the latter was even stronger than the likes of Rocks and the Pirate King, yet Loki was able to defeat him with the powers of the legendary Devil Fruit.
For comparison, Scopper Gaban and Shanks utilized Supreme King Haki of the highest level on him time and again but were unable to stop him from regenerating. Meanwhile, Loki's Devil Fruit powers turned out to be so strong that Harald could not sustain it and died.
Some Legendary Devil Fruits Are Unmatched
Quite clearly, there exist a select few abilities in the One Piece world that go beyond what Haki can offer, and these powers are truly special. Loki's Devil Fruit most certainly falls in this category, and fans know that Imu's Devil Fruit ability most likely does as well. In fact, Imu's Devil Fruit ability is so tremendously overpowered that 5 mighty Haki users could not even put a dent in their defenses.
Luffy's Nika fruit most certainly also falls in this category, but he has not trained his powers enough to reach a high level yet. It will still take some time for Luffy to reach his peak, which is why he cannot be compared to the likes of Imu at the moment.
Haki Is More Reliable Than Devil Fruits Overall
- Haki isn't the strongest, but it is more reliable
- Devil Fruits can destroy the world
Fans need to understand that, in terms of power output, Devil Fruits can most certainly trump Haki. For instance, Whitebeard can go on to destroy the world with his Devil Fruit, while Haki users most likely cannot do it as easily as Whitebeard. Similarly, Imu can easily ravage the whole world with their powers if they wanted to, but a Haki user would struggle to do the same. Loki can kill someone as strong as Harald with his Devil Fruit, but Scopper Gaban and Shanks could not do the same with Haki alone. Luffy can do just about anything with his imagination, but with just Haki, he will be limited in some ways.
However, there is more to a power system than just raw strength output. In just about every other sphere, Haki is far more reliable than Devil Fruit powers. Users of Haki can still swim across the ocean, and more than that, they can still fight and defeat Devil Fruit users rather easily. Haki users, especially those who wield Supreme King Haki, can even counter Immortals of the One Piece world, aside from a select few individuals like Harald. Overall, Haki is the better power of the two because it has fewer disadvantages and is far more versatile and reliable. But in terms of overall power output, it is clear that Devil Fruits are superior.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.