This article contains spoilers from the Elbaf arc of One Piece.
One Piece is currently in the Final Saga, and fans know that this is the part of the story where the Straw Hat Pirates will go on to achieve their biggest dreams and reach the Final Island, where the One Piece itself lies.
To accomplish their goals, the Straw Hat Pirates need to crush all the enemies that they come across, and that certainly is not going to be easy, given that they're in the New World, and the vast majority of the enemies they face here are going to be on a completely different level.
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While some members of the Straw Hat Pirates are strong enough to hold their own against the elites of the world, such as Luffy, other members still need to get stronger and require many power-ups. Before they can go on to fulfill their dreams, a thorough training arc for the vast majority of the Straw Hats is needed. It seems that Elbaf is where the Straw Hats will get stronger, and Oda is using it as a training arc for the crew.
The Straw Hat Pirates Need To Get Stronger In One Piece
- Luffy is A Yonko Right Now
- His Underlings Need To Get Stronger
It is no surprise to know that the Straw Hat Pirates need to get stronger in the Final Saga of One Piece. When one thinks of the Straw Hat Pirates, they often get fooled by the Yonko title they hold. Of course, the Straw Hats are worthy of being a Yonko crew, but that only applies to the top brass of the group. Luffy is most certainly a Yonko, and is more than worthy of holding the title. After all, he's the man who defeated Kaido, and on Egghead, he was able to hold off Kizaru rather easily. Luffy will only grow stronger, and fans know that he has a very high ceiling.
The same logic can also be applied to Zoro and Sanji. Both Zoro and Sanji are incredibly powerful, and they did go on to beat two of Kaido's right-hand men. Queen and King fell to these two monsters, which meant that both of them were above the required level of being a Yonko Commander already. They are still getting stronger, and fans know that they have a bright future ahead of themselves as well.
Jinbei is another member of the Straw Hat Pirates who holds commendable strength, but the strongest enemy he has fought is Who's Who, and he isn't a significant threat in the New World. On Elbaf, Jinbei was utterly demolished by Gunko in a matter of seconds, and that goes to show that he needs bigger power-ups.
Nico Robin and Franky fall in the same category. Even though they went on to defeat members of the Tobi Roppo in the Wano arc, they are quite clearly not strong enough to face the threat of the likes of the Holy Knights or the powerful Yonko crews that exist in One Piece. The remaining members of the Straw Hats are incredibly weak and need protection from others at almost all times. Oda needs to fix this by giving them different power-ups, and that is why this training arc in Elbaf is so important.
Elbaf's Second Part Is The New Training Arc For The Straw Hat Pirates
- Zoro and Sanji Will Gain Major Power Ups
- Usopp Is In Contention For A Power Up As Well
The first part of the Elbaf Arc gave the fans a ton of lore and, more importantly, it dove deep into Loki's past, revealing some of the most important details of the ancient world from 109 years ago, all the way up to 14 years ago. While this part of the Elbaf Arc was certainly incredibly exciting, the second part has now officially begun, and it is going to be more exciting than anything fans can imagine. This is because the biggest of battles will start unfolding here, and fans will also see their beloved Straw Hat Pirates get even stronger.
As was shown clearly in One Piece’s latest chapter, the second part of Elbaf is where the Straw Hat Pirates will start gaining new power-ups.
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. — Silvers Rayleigh
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For the time being, half of the Straw Hat crew is incapacitated. Nico Robin is trapped in Sommers's ability, and fans know that Jinbe, Usopp, Nami, and Brook have been captured by Gunko. Then, there is Chopper, who is together with Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro in the Underworld of Elbaf. Franky is currently with Ripley, and eventually, all of them will get their moment of shine. For starters, half the crew needs to be freed from Gunko's ability if they are to be useful in the Elbaf arc. The others will surely head to the Sun World soon, where they are going to fight against the threat of the Holy Knights, as well as the demon army of Imu.
Haki Manipulation Is The Biggest Power Up The Straw Hats Will Gain
It seems that the biggest power-up that Oda is setting up in this training arc is Haki manipulation. Gaban recently told Luffy how to improve his Haki even further. To beat the Immortals, Luffy has to learn how to properly utilize Conqueror's Haki. Gaban told him the essence of utilizing Haki is to manipulate its mass in a way that overwhelms the Immortality completely. Luffy, despite having Conqueror's Haki Infusion, did not utilize it properly, and now, he needs to learn how to do that. Similarly, Gaban told Zoro that he possesses Conqueror's Haki, and the fact that he did not even realize that is shameful in itself.
Haki is only useful when you're fully aware of its existence. How can you defend your captain like that? — Gaban to Zoro
In order to truly bring out the power of Haki, Gaban told Zoro that he needs to learn to bring it out at will. As such, Zoro will also get a major power-up in Elbaf. In One Piece Chapter 1171, Gaban was seen traveling together with Sanji. These two are going to play a pivotal role when it comes to saving the Straw Hat Pirates, but more than that, this will be where Sanji goes on to awaken Conqueror's Haki. For Sanji, too, another major power-up has already been set up by Oda.
Then, fans need to look at the remaining members of the Straw Hat Pirates. For starters, Usopp is one character who could end up getting a major power-up in this arc of One Piece. After all, Elbaf was his dream, and for Usopp, getting stronger here is a given. No matter which form the power-up comes in, fans can rest assured that Usopp will come out of this arc stronger than ever before.
As far as the remaining members of the crew go, fans hope that at least Robin and Franky can get access to new Haki forms, while Jinbe manages to learn advanced Haki forms as well.
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 1171 is January 18, 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.