This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
The protagonist of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy, has continued to go from strength to strength on his journey to become the Pirate King. When Luffy first set out on his journey, he was a no-name pirate with insignificant powers up his sleeve, but his ambition was certainly grand, and that is what has led him as far as he has gotten in the New World. Right now, Luffy stands tall as one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, standing alongside the likes of Shanks and Blackbeard, but he clearly isn't the strongest right now. In fact, it is quite clear for the fans to see that Luffy is far from his own peak and that it will take him some time to hit his ceiling as a fighter.
One Piece: Eiichiro Oda Drops A Big Update On The Ending Of The Series
One Piece might be ending sooner than expected. The next arc of One Piece has become apparent, and it's major.
The Final Saga of One Piece is here already, and even the Great War is on the cusp of beginning. Oda will soon show to the fans the highest level that Luffy can reach in combat, and he has already revealed the blueprint for it to the fans, which means they know exactly how strong he will get in this particular series come the end.
Luffy Has Tremendous Potential To Fulfill In The Final Saga
- Luffy has already awakened his Devil Fruit in Wano
- His Haki has a lot of room to grow
There is no denying the fact that Luffy is one of the strongest characters in One Piece right now. After the timeskip, Luffy has trained his Haki rigorously and defeated countless powerful enemies. However, it was only after the battle against Kaido that Luffy truly managed to reach the top. The fight against Kaido saw Luffy refine his Armament Haki. Then, after receiving a powerful blow of Conqueror's Haki from Kaido, Luffy figured out that one can actually infuse their bodies with this particular Haki as well, and this unlocked a new world of possibilities for him.
This is the peak of my abilities….this is Gear 5! — Monkey D. Luffy
Following his rather sudden and shocking death in the battle against Kaido, his Devil Fruit finally managed to awaken, and that is what brought back Sun God Nika into the world. Combining all these incredible powers that Luffy learned in the Wano Country Arc, he was able to defeat Kaido and stand tall as one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Red-Haired Shanks and Blackbeard. While Luffy becoming a Yonko is a sign of the fact that he is truly an elite pirate now, the fact is that fans know he can still achieve much more.
Luffy is still very young, and he can and will most definitely grow stronger in the Final Saga as it continues. His ceiling is much higher, and that was implied clearly by Kaido in the Wano Arc as well. More than that, fans know that even the likes of Scopper Gaban highlighted the fact that Luffy can and will still continue to grow stronger.
Luffy Will Reach Joy Boy's Level By The End Of The Series
- Joy Boy's Haki was stronger than Luffy's
- Luffy must replicate Joy Boy's Haki feats
The fact is that Oda has already revealed to the fans how strong Luffy will get by the end of the series. To truly understand Luffy's end-of-series power level, one only needs to look at the Egghead Island arc, where Oda showcased a glimpse of Joy Boy's strongest Haki. The fact that Joy Boy specifically labeled it to be his strongest Haki means that this was the highest level of what he could achieve throughout his lifetime. For Luffy, this is the bar to reach.
Listen Emeth, I will store my strongest Haki in you. Use it when the time is right. — Joy Boy to Emeth
Joy Boy's Haki was so strong that it managed to split the skies on its own, as well as negate all the abilities of the Five Elders, even canceling out the effects of the Abyss. It knocked out all Vice Admirals in Luffy's vicinity and even caused immense pain to Imu. The fact is that Conquerors' haki strength is directly proportional to the strength of the user, which means that this is the level of power that Luffy must aim to reach in order to efficiently fight against Imu and undo what happened in the last 800 years.
Luffy needs to reach Joy Boy's level of power, and that is still far beyond him.
For one, Luffy does not have perfect control over Gear 5 at this particular point in time. He can certainly utilize it very well, but it does not last long and it takes a massive toll on his body. More importantly, Luffy's Haki is still very weak overall. He still has to learn to control the mass of his Haki better and to use it more efficiently. More than that, Luffy needs to grow in terms of overall strength so his Conqueror's Haki can strengthen as well. Elbaf is going to be a training arc for Luffy before the Final War begins, because once that happens, he will not have any breathing room.
Luffy's Haki Must Reach Joy Boy's Level
Once the Great War of One Piece truly begins, Luffy must be on the same level as Joy Boy. This means that he must have mastered Gear 5 fully by this time, and also taken his Haki to the next level. Oda has already told the fans exactly how strong Luffy must be in order to combat Imu and his army. He must be stronger than the Five Elders and at a level where the disparity between him and the Vice Admirals is such that he can simply knock them out with his Conqueror's Haki.
Straw Hat, bear in mind how you use your Conqueror's Haki. These guys aren't truly immortal. — Scopper Gaban
One Piece: Oda Has Confirmed Luffy Needs A Bigger Power Up Than Gear 5 And Conqueror's Haki
Luffy is strong, but to defeat his next enemy, he will need more than Gear 5 and Conqueror's Haki in One Piece.
Luffy must be able to do a solo skysplit by the end of the series, which puts him beyond the level of the likes of Roger and even Rocks. This also means that Luffy must have far surpassed the likes of Shanks by this particular point in the story. Only by reaching this level of strength will Luffy be able to defeat Imu in combat, and that is what is required of him. This isn't something that is being said without any basis, but instead it is something that Oda himself established in the Egghead arc of One Piece quite clearly.
Luffy Could Be The Strongest Overall In One Piece
- Luffy's overall power level must be the highest at the end of the story
Come the end of One Piece, it goes without saying that Luffy must be the strongest character of all. Right now, he is far from being the strongest, with even the likes of Blackbeard and Shanks being stronger than him. But, his progression through the story is going to take him to the very top.
Luffy needs to surpass Shanks at one point, which means he also must go beyond the likes of Roger and Whitebeard, along with everyone else. In the final fight, Luffy must be the one to defeat Imu, and this will automatically make him the strongest character in all of One Piece. He must stand shoulder to shoulder with Joy Boy as the strongest pirate and even go beyond him, since where Joy Boy failed, Luffy has to actually win.
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 1172 is February 1, 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.