In the world of pirates, the Yonko are the supreme beings, standing at the very top and ruling the New World with an iron fist. Yonko was officially introduced by Monkey D. Luffy after the events of Annie's Lobby. one piece Chapter 432, October 30, 2006. Garp said that the Yonko were known as a powerful force demanding that the world government balance the Shichibukai's influence. They rule the New World like kings and have their own powerful territories, and even marines think twice before meeting them in battle. Yonko are some of the strongest individuals in the One Piece world. That's why only a select few characters have incredible powers that can compare to them.
However, One Piece has now entered its final story, and the recent chapter 1184 took us deep into the climax of the Elbaf Arc. There are already quite a few powerful Yonko level characters out there now, and the next few chapters are setting up the ascension of two more powerful individuals to Yonko level. These are Zoro and Sanji, Wings of the Pirate King.
The Straw Hat Pirates' Roronoa Zoro and Sanji have reached Elbaf's Yonko level.
Roronoa Zoro and Sanji are the two most powerful characters in One Piece. For Yonko commanders or pirates just below the Yonko level, Zoro and Sanji are already some of the strongest, if not the strongest. These two characters displayed their immense strength in the Wano Country arc when they fought against the All Stars King and Queen, respectively, and completely defeated them in battle. Since then, both Zoro and Sanji have grown significantly and gained tremendous strength.
In Egghead, Zoro battles and overpowers Lucci in Chapter 1111 on March 25, 2024, raising his overall power to a new level. Sanji was able to accomplish incredible feats, including levitating Nusjuro, one of the Five Elders in Chapter 1113, and even destroying Kizaru's laser in Existence 1107 on February 19, 2024. This was so shocking that it shocked Kizaru himself for the first time. Clearly, both Zoro and Sanji have tremendous potential, and Elbaf is set to fully unlock it.
In Episode 1152 of One Piece, which was officially released in the 30th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on June 23, 2025, Eiichiro Oda confirmed to Scooper Gavan, the former left hand man of the Pirate King, that Zoro and Sanji have tremendous potential. Specifically, Gavan mentioned that there is more than one person within the Straw Hats who has Conqueror Haki. According to Gaban, Zoro has already harnessed this power, but lacks control. One Piece Chapter 1152 also sets up the Conqueror's Haki power-up for Sanji, which allows the wings of the two Pirate Kings to gain immense power as Elbaf heads towards his conclusion.
“There is more than one of you who has the power to use the King of Haki. There you are, the swordsman. You already seem comfortable with it.” — Scoper Gavan to Zoro and Sanji, One Piece Chapter 1152
Fast forward a few months, one piece In Chapter 1182, the Battle of Elbaf between Zoro and Sanji was officially concluded. Zoro is set to fight Super Somers, enhanced by the power of Nero or Imu's Omen, as seen in One Piece Chapter 1180 on April 20, 2026 in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 21. Likewise, Sanji is set to fight Super Killingham, who is powered up by Nerona Imu's Omen, as seen in the same chapter. These two paladins are incredibly powerful, especially after being enhanced by Imu's abilities, and defeating them will require Zoro and Sanji to reach much higher levels of power. Currently, they are both slightly above Yonko Commander level, and their battle with Sommers and Killingham will give them full control over Supreme King Haki, bringing them up to Yonko level.
One Piece: The 8 Strongest Bjornko Pirates in the Final Saga, Rankings
In the final saga of One Piece, Yonko reign supreme, but other non-Yonko pirates are also quietly making waves.
The new Great King Haki power-up will level up Zoro and Sanji Yonko.
Zoro and Sanji, who have fully mastered the Conqueror's Haki, are officially set in Eiichiro Oda's own story. As for Roronoa Zoro, we know that he already possesses the Conqueror's Haki. In his case, he just needs to learn how to control it. Scoper Gavan reprimanded Zoro for not using Haki properly in One Piece Chapter 1152, June 23, 2025.
“This is ridiculous… Haki is a power that must be controlled to use it properly. Your captain is one of the Four Heavenly Kings. How are you going to help him without knowing that?” — Scopper Gaban scolds Zoro. One Piece Episode 1152
Since then, Zoro has utilized this power several times, but has never learned how to properly channel it at will. St. Zoro's fight against Sommers will pit him against a very powerful enemy and give him the opportunity to control this power.
In Sanji's case, this power must be awakened during the battle against Saint Killingham, which is very clear because Eiichiro Oda himself stated in One Piece Chapter 1170 on January 5, 2026 that only those who possess the Conqueror Haki can defeat Holy Knights or those with immortal bodies.
“Give him enough blows and we can put him out of commission. If these guys have a weakness, it's against us, who can inject the colors of the Supreme King into our attacks!” – Scoper Gavan from One Piece Chapter #1170
So if Sanji has to fight against Killingham, the least he can do is awaken the conqueror's Haki, which means he's guaranteed to gain this power. By unlocking Conqueror's Haki, Sanji's overall strength will increase to the next level. Considering that he is already above the level of First Yonko Commander, Sanji will rise to Yonko level like Roronoa Zoro.
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Why Zoro and Sanji are destined to surpass Yonko level in the final saga
Zoro and Sanji are set to rise to Yonko level in the climax of One Piece Elbaf Arc, but Eiichiro Oda has set them up to become even stronger in the future. Luffy's wings Zoro and Sanji are officially similar to Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban from Roger Pirates. Both Gaban and Rayleigh are incredibly powerful, and both are known to be well above the level of some Yonko like Kaido and Big Mom. Their dominance over hockey is absolutely enormous, and they are considered to be in the same league as Roger and Garp, as officially confirmed in One Piece Chapter 1139, released in the 11th issue of Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump on February 10, 2025.
at the same time, one piece In episode 968, released on January 20, 2020, it was officially confirmed that the Straw Hat Pirates would surpass the Roger Pirates. If Luffy and his crew are to do what Roger's Pirates failed to do, they must become stronger.
“The voice was speaking the truth. Eventually, someone will come and outsmart us all. We were too fast.” — Gol D. Roger predicts that the Straw Hats will surpass the Roger Pirates. One Piece Episode 968
Luffy is going beyond Gol D. Roger's legacy and going even further in terms of strength. Likewise, Zoro and Sanji must overcome the power of Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban. In doing so, both Zoro and Sanji will surpass the Yonko Level and become legendary pirates in their own right. Elbaf is already set for a powerful power-up, but the upcoming World War I will see One Piece reach even greater heights and carve out a great legacy for itself as it hurtles towards the apocalypse.
All the latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga series can be read through Manga Plus and Biz Media.
