One Piece Is Officially Making Straw Hats Stronger Than Yonko Crews

One Piece Chapter 1053, which was officially released on June 20, 2022, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29, introduced the new Emperors of the Sea to us for the very first time. These new Yonko included Monkey D. Luffy, Red-Haired Shanks, Blackbeard, and Buggy.

With a new era dawning in the world of One Piece, each Yonko has made significant progress in terms of strength. The protagonist of the story, Monkey D. Luffy is currently in Elbaf, where he is set to fight against Nerona Imu, the King of the World, and reach a completely new level of strength in the process. With the climax of the Elbaf arc now fast approaching, Eiichiro Oda is finally ensuring that the Straw Hat Pirates surpass all other Yonko crews. Oda is setting up a number of power-ups for them in order to see them take on and crush the forces of the World Government.

One Piece’s Elbaf Arc Sets Up 3 Conquerors’ Haki Users For The Straw Hat Pirates

The biggest power-up for the Straw Hat Pirates that was officially set up across various chapters of the Elbaf Arc is Conqueror’s Haki. Monkey D. Luffy, the Captain of the crew, is already known to be a splendid user of Conqueror’s Haki, having used it in his fight against Kaido, Kizaru, and other top tiers that he has faced off against. In One Piece Chapter 1152, released on June 23, 2025, in WSJ Issue #30, Eiichiro Oda officially lined up another upgrade for Monkey D. Luffy when it came to Conqueror’s Haki. By having Scopper Gaban specifically highlight unique applications of it to Luffy, Oda has lined up a significant upgrade for him, setting up an ascension for him to a much higher overall level.

Listen, Straw Hat! Etch into your mind how you use your Conqueror’s Haki. These guys aren’t immortal. — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter 1152

That said the Straw Hat Pirates aren’t solely dependent on Luffy when it comes to strength. Eiichiro Oda is also ensuring that other members of the Straw Hat Pirates grow equally, and among them, the Wings of the Pirate King are tipped to be the first. The Elbaf arc, specifically Chapter 1152, has lined up significant Conqueror’s Haki power-ups for both Zoro and Sanji. Roronoa Zoro has already used Conqueror’s Haki, but he doesn’t know how to utilize it. With Scopper Gaban reprimanding him in Chapter 1152, Zoro is now adamantly trying to gain conscious control over his Haki and improve his overall level of power.

“Absurd..Haki is a power that must be controlled to be used properly. Your Captain is one of the Four Emperors. How do you plan on aiding him without knowing that?” — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter 1152

When it comes to Sanji, Chapter 1152 of the Elbaf Arc also set up a significant Conqueror’s Haki upgrade for him. Sanji has not yet tapped into the power of his Conqueror’s Haki, but he has already felt it in him, as confirmed by the said chapter. At the same time, Sanji is a parallel to none other than Scopper Gaban, who himself was a user of Conqueror’s Haki. His enemy, his main opponent to take on in this arc is Saint Killingham, and as such, it is absolutely necessary for him to gain this power in the final saga of the story.

With Zoro and Sanji both gaining a significant Conqueror’s Haki upgrade, the Monster Trio is projected to become top-tier pirates in the same league as the Yonko of the One Piece world, which is sure to make the Straw Hat Pirates much stronger overall, leaving all the other Emperors behind in the dust.

One Piece Chapter 968 Already Set Up The Straw Hat Pirates To Surpass Roger Pirates

Eiichiro Oda giving significant power upgrades in Elbaf to the Straw Hats doesn’t come out of absolutely nowhere. One Piece Chapter 968, which was released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #8 on January 20, 2020, officially marked the disbandment of the Roger Pirates. In this particular chapter, it was clear to see that Roger believed that a new pirate crew would come in due time and surpass him and all of his crewmates. This pirate crew, as we all know, is none other than the Straw Hat Pirates, meaning Eiichiro Oda was always tipping them to surpass even the legacy of the crew that conquered the entire world, the Roger Pirates, around five years ago.

“Those voices were telling the truth. Someone will eventually come and surpass us all. We were just too early.” — Gol D. Roger, One Piece Chapter #968

Now is the time for Luffy and the Straw Hats to step up and fulfill this role in spectacular fashion by clashing against Nerona Imu and the Holy Knights as soon as the Esperia Kingdom flashback concludes in the climax of the Elbaf Arc.

Why The Great War Requires The Straw Hat Pirates To Become The Strongest Yonko Crew

One Piece Chapter 1146, which was released in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21 on April 21, 2025, officially labeled the Battle in Elbaf as ‘the Prelude to the Great War.’ This means the Great War is sure to follow after the battle in Elbaf ends. This war requires Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to be at a much higher level of strength, and in a way, the Elbaf war is simply a training arc for Luffy and the Straw Hats in order to see them reach the very top.

“Monkey D. Luffy, Loki! It’s clear that neither of you will submit to be slave soldiers. So, Mu will erase you, just like Douzan!” — Nerona Imu in One Piece Chapter 1183.

Not only will the Monster Trio grow in this segment of the story, but so will the other members of the Straw Hat crew. For instance, Franky, the shipwright of the Straw Hats, already gained access to Super Vega Cola in One Piece chapter 1176, which was officially released on March 9, 2026, in WSJ Issue #15, in Weekly Shonen Jump issue 14. Similarly, Chopper was implied to have awakened his Devil Fruit as he could cancel Imu’s Domi Reversi with a mere touch of his palm on all those afflicted by this power.

It is quite evident to see that all the other Straw Hats are growing in their own ways, and that with each passing arc, they will grow closer to surpassing the levels of all the other Emperor crews that exist in the world of One Piece. It is only a matter of time before they fulfill their true potential and surpass even the legacy left behind by the Pirate King called Roger, and we couldn’t be more excited to see that.

The newest One Piece manga chapters by author Eiichiro Oda can be read via Viz Media and Manga Plus.