one piece The Elbaf Arc is currently reaching its peak, with the final battle against Saint Nerona Imu descending on Elbaf in 1179 and the official launch of the Holy Knights. As predicted by editor Eiichiro Oda in Chapter 1181, the battle to save Elbaf has now officially begun, pitting the Straw Hat Pirates against the world's greatest force led by the King. This fight will not be easy for the Straw Hat Pirates and will require considerable power.
Eiichiro Oda specifically: The Elbaph Arc sets up a few selected members of the Straw Hat Pirates for the Haki power-up.And they're set to receive them in upcoming chapters as this arc of Warland hurtles toward its ultimate demise. Equipped with their new Haki abilities, the Straw Hat Pirates will officially become one of the most powerful threats on the seas, rivaling the Red-Haired Pirates led by Shanks and the Blackbeard Pirates led by Marshall D. Teech.
In One Piece episodes 1152 and 1180, major Haki power-ups for the two Straw Hats were officially established.
Founder Eiichiro Oda one pieceWe've officially established a major power-up for the two main fighters within the Straw Hat Pirates: “Wings of the Pirate King”. This occurred with the introduction of Holy Knights into the expanding plot of One Piece. In One Piece Chapter 1152, which was officially published in the 30th issue of Weekly Shonen Jump on June 23, 2025, Eiichiro Oda, through the character Scarfer Gavan, officially confirmed that the only way to completely eliminate the Holy Knights was to give his weapons the colors of the Great King, also known as Conqueror's Haki.
Gaban goes on to say that the Paladins are not immortal and can only be truly defeated through the Conqueror's Haki. He then pointed out that between Zoro and Sanji, the former utilized the Conqueror's Haki, but was unable to control it, so it needed to be modified. Meanwhile, Sanji's penchant for Conqueror's Haki was left a secret by Eiichiro Oda in the very same chapter.
“It looks like there's more than one person with the King of Hockey. You swordsman… you seem to be quite at ease!” — Scoper Gavan, One Piece Episode 1152
one piece Chapter 1181 once again sets up the Straw Hat Pirates' main Haki power-up after the resurrection of Sommers and Killingham, two of Zoro and Sanji's main enemies in the Elbaph Arc. This happened after Chapter 1179, The Descent of Nerona Imu, which officially appeared in the 19th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on April 6, 2026. Both Sommers and Killingham were granted the power of the Omen directly by the King of the World. This gave them great strength and enabled them to pursue their goal of kidnapping the children and taking them to the Holy Land once again. As Oda himself establishes, Zoro and Sanji must control the colors of the Great King to defeat them, which is why major power-ups are already set up for them.
One Piece's Elbaf Arc officially shows the difference in Luffy's and Wings' power.
Luffy's wings, Zoro, and Sanji are very powerful. It still pales in comparison to Luffy's power.
Eiichiro Oda sets a hockey buff on Zoro and Sanji to help them defeat Somers and Killingham.
Roronoa Zoro and Sanji get the next big power-ups within the Straw Hat Pirates. Once the Elbaf Arc reaches its climax, the battle against Nero or Imu and his followers won't be long in coming. The party has already expressed their desire to finish the mission quickly in Chapter 1180, so the Giant Children will soon become targets. It's up to Zoro and Sanji to prevent major damage to Warland.
Together, Zoro and Sanji are known as the Wings of the Pirate King, mirroring the previous Wings of the Pirate King: Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban. Both Rayleigh and Gaban have access to Conqueror's Haki. To become the pirate king's sword and shield, both people must have this ability. Only the Conqueror's Haki can defeat the Paladins. Therefore, Zoro and Sanji will receive these power-ups in this arc, considering that they need to do so in order to defeat their enemies.
“Hockey is a useful force only when consciously controlled. How can you support the Captain, Emperor of the Seas, without knowing that?” — Scoper Gavan about Zoro's unflowered Haki, One Piece Episode 1152
For Zoro, the power-up comes in the form of Conqueror's Haki controls, which are severely lacking at the moment. For Sanji, this power-up allows him to upgrade his skill set by adding Conqueror's Haki and coating his legs in flames.
Why Usopp, Robin, and Nami could be next to get Haki in Elbaf
Besides Zoro and Sanji, other members of the Straw Hat Pirates can also receive the Haki power-up in the Elbaph Arc. Somers and Killingham are the main threats in the Arc aside from Imu, but MMA hasn't been fully dealt with yet. With Killingham's resurgence, the threat of MMA could be stronger than ever, giving characters like Usopp, Robin, Nami, Franky, and Brook huge roles.
If you want to dominate them, at least have the self-respect to fight them head-on, you coward! — Usopp to Immu, One Piece Chapter 1177
Non-Devil Fruit users like Nami and Usopp call on Haki to help them fight against the threat of MMA. Elbaph has been specifically categorized under Usopp's arc by many, and even Eiichiro Oda recognizes this. You can take Usopp's character arc to a whole new level by giving him Haki's key power-ups and helping him stop MMA. Meanwhile, Nami will need to upgrade her arsenal if she is to take on the elite of the One Piece world, and like Nico Robin, she will greatly benefit from a Haki boost.
Frankie's weapon hockey user status in Elbaf
Curiously, it is possible that Frankie had already unconsciously awakened Haki in the Egghead Arc when he fought Mars with Luffy, Bonnie, and Sanji in Chapter 1119, which was officially released on Manga Plus on July 1, 2024. In this chapter, when Franky beats Luffy, Luffy openly shouts that the group is using Haki, causing him a great deal of pain.
Of course, using Haki will hurt! — Luffy after being beaten by Franky, Sanji, and Bonnie in One Piece Chapter 1119
This means that Franky unwittingly utilized Haki, something that many other characters in the One Piece universe, such as Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, have done in the past. If so, fighting MMA would be the perfect opportunity for Frankie to take out his hockey once again and learn how to control it properly. Only by doing so can the Straw Hat Pirates reach the next level of power in the next chapter as the end of the Elbaf Arc approaches.
You can read all the latest manga chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece at Manga Plus.
