This article contains spoilers from the Final Saga of One Piece.
Sanji is one of the most important characters in the world of One Piece and also one of the Wings of the Pirate King, making him a crucial member of the Straw Hat Pirates. Sanji is also one of the main fighting forces of the crew, standing equal to Zoro, another top combatant under Luffy. Sanji is a monster in terms of strength, especially after his awakening in the Wano arc, where he finally took his powers to the next level thanks to the genetic modifications of the Germa. But, at the same time, it is essential for fans to realize that he is not the finished product just yet.
Say Hello To The New Conqueror's Haki User Of The Straw Hat Pirates In One Piece
A new character among the Straw Hat pirates is getting conqueror's haki, and it will be major in One Piece.
Sanji still has tremendous potential and he can go on to fulfill it in the Elbaf arc. The vast majority of the Straw Hat Pirates need to grow stronger, and that is no secret. Luffy might be Yonko-level, but his underlings still need to grow stronger, and this applies to Sanji as well. That is precisely why Oda is setting up a massive arc for Sanji in Elbaf, and by the end of it, he will come out stronger than ever before as well as a worthy successor to Scopper Gaban.
Sanji Needs To Learn All Haki Types To Become A Top-Tier Fighter
- Sanji Knows Only Two Types Of Haki Right Now
- Sanji Is Heavily Implied To Have Supreme King Haki
When it comes to the future power-ups for Sanji, there's only one thing that fans need to look at, and that is Supreme King Haki. As fans know, Supreme King Haki is the strongest form of Haki that is inherited only by a select few in the world who possess kingly ambition. It is also a power that is deeply tied to royal bloodlines, meaning those who have the qualities of a King have a chance to be born with this power. Sanji is from the Germa Kingdom, who, long ago in the past, went on to conquer the entirety of the North Blue. Even before that, they were a force feared all across the world.
Naturally, Sanji has the blood of the conquerors in his veins, and as such, it should not come as a surprise to anyone to see Sanji wield Conqueror's Haki. But more than that, Sanji is also ambitious enough to hold this ability. Sanji wants to find the All Blue, which is a dream few dare to even think of. This is a dream equivalent to finding the One Piece itself, and while Roger managed to find the One Piece, no one in hundreds of years has even had a glimpse of the All Blue. Sanji certainly has enough ambition, willpower, and the royal bloodline required to hold Supreme King Haki, so he checks all the boxes when it comes to needing this ability.
Fans know that Sanji wields two types of Haki already: the Color of Observation and the Color of Armament. Now, Sanji needs to add the Color of the Supreme King to his Haki arsenal, and this would give him access to all three types of Haki, just like his Roger Pirates parallel Scopper Gaban.
Sanji's Conqueror's Haki Upgrade Is Just Around The Corner
Oda has quietly been hinting at Sanji gaining the power of the Supreme King Haki in the Elbaf arc. For one, through the character of Gaban itself, Oda clearly showed that the Roger Pirates had three powerful Supreme King Haki users. The Wings of Roger both utilized the powerful Supreme King Haki, in the case of the Straw Hat Pirates, only Luffy and Zoro utilize this power, with Zoro not even knowing that he has it in the first place. Clearly, Elbaf is the arc where Zoro masters his Conqueror's Haki, and Sanji also manages to bring it out for the first time.
This is the power to overwhelm, also called the Color of the Supreme King Haki. Most people who have made a name for themselves in the world possess this power. Though you can control the Color of the Supreme King, you can't train it to be stronger directly. It is the embodiment of the spirit of the user. It only grows stronger if the user itself grows stronger. — Silvers Rayleigh explaining Conqueror's Haki to Luffy
Then, one also needs to take into consideration the fact that Sanji himself feels Conqueror's Haki inside him. He said as much to Scopper Gaban, and when he asked the latter about whether or not he had this ability in him, Oda conveniently cut the dialogue, which means whatever truth was revealed to him has been hidden by the author on purpose. This only means that Sanji's moment of Conqueror's Haki awakening is just around the corner.
Elbaf Needs Conqueror's Haki Users
What makes it even more likely is the fact that Conqueror's Haki users are required in Elbaf. The main enemies of the arc are the Holy Knights as well as Imu's Demon Army, along with Imu themself, and their only weakness is Supreme King Haki. On Elbaf, there are only four known wielders of this power and they include Scopper Gaban, Luffy, Loki, and now Zoro, who will most likely go on to tame this power of his. A fifth user of this power is absolutely needed, given the number of enemies they are facing. Sanji already has a big responsibility to fight the likes of the Holy Knights, as well as Dorry and Brogy. For all these reasons, his moment of Supreme King Haki awakening is just around the corner.
One Piece: 8 Characters Sanji Will Surpass At The End Of The Series
Sanji is strong, but he will reach a whole new level at the end of One Piece and surpass these characters.
Sanji Is The Next Scopper Gaban of One Piece
- Sanji Is Luffy's Left Arm
- Gaban Was Roger's Left Arm
Quite easily, the biggest reason why Sanji deserves to have the power of Supreme King Haki is that he is the parallel of Scopper Gaban in the current generation of pirates. Gaban and Rayleigh were the two wings of Roger. Zoro and Sanji are the two wings of Luffy. All three of them were close in terms of strength, and as such, Luffy and his wings must also be close in terms of strength.
I know the Color of the Supreme King is in me. I can feel it! — Sanji to Scopper Gaban
Right now, Luffy is way above the power level of both Zoro and Sanji, and the other two need to catch up. Zoro will do so by learning to master his Conqueror's Haki and bringing it out at will. Sanji will need to do this by bringing out his Conqueror's Haki in Elbaf and then getting stronger by using it at will. Luffy even commented on how he thought Sanji would be just like Scopper Gaban when he gets older. Then, Oda himself is pushing the narrative that Sanji is akin to Gaban, and just as Gaban utilized the power of Supreme King Haki to the fullest, Sanji must learn to do so as well.
Sanji Will Likely Fight Brogy In Elbaf
Coming over to Sanji's big fight in Elbaf, there are only two possibilities for him, and both would require him to master the usage of Supreme King Haki.
The first sees him fight Saint Killingham, who is a member of the Holy Knights. Given that Zoro fights swordsmen, he will most likely take on Sommers in battling this scenario, with Sanji dealing with Killingham. In either may Sanji would require the usage of Supreme King Haki.
At the same time, fans need to keep in mind that both Zoro and Sanji draw parallels to Dorry and Brogy, and it would be perfect if Oda sets up a Zoro vs Dory, and Sanji vs Brogy fight. In either case, Sanji will have to master his Conqueror's Haki and nullify the regeneration and immortality with it.
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.