The Straw Hat Pirates are the protagonists of One Piece that we have followed for around 29 years. First established with the release of One Piece Chapter 6 on September 1, 1997, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 40, the Straw Hat Pirates have continually grown in terms of numbers, influence, and strength over the years.
Now, One Piece is currently in the climax of the Elbaf arc, which puts the Straw Hat Pirates inches away from achieving their dreams. It is here that Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, is giving them a brand-new awakening and taking their overall influence as well as powers to the very next level. While not all members of the Straw Hat Pirates have received a new awakening, the Elbaf arc has seen to it that the Monster Trio, specifically Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji, gain even greater powers and awakened abilities. These powers put the Straw Hat Pirates above all the other Emperor crews in the story and make them a force to be reckoned with.
One Piece Gives New Haki Awakenings To Zoro And Sanji
The awakening of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Elbaf arc has been nothing short of absolutely sensational, and it began primarily with the Wings of the Pirate King: Zoro and Sanji. In One Piece chapter 1194, which was officially released on September 28, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump issue 44, Roronoa Zoro, the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, officially received his proper awakening. For years, Zoro was unaware of his latent potential, and in this arc, he was able to gain full grasp over his Color of the Supreme King, bring it out, and take the upper hand in the battle against Holy Knight Sommers. With this new awakening, Zoro reached a very high level of strength where he could hold his own against even the Emperors of the One Piece world.
“Listen closely, Roronoa! All things are in flux. However, there is one thing that can resist all change. It is another kind of Haki, but one that can’t be learned through discipline: Supreme King Haki. There is one thing that Supreme Kings share. Something unchanging. Remember this, the Color of the Supreme King is something so strong that the weak cannot remain standing in its presence. What truly fuels the Color of the Supreme King is one’s sense of self!” — Mihawk explains Supreme King Haki, One Piece Chapter #1194
In the subsequent two chapters, that is, One Piece chapter 1195 and One Piece chapter 1196, Sanji, the other Wing of the Pirate King, reached the same level as Zoro by awakening his own Color of the Supreme King by battling his lack of self-love. With Sanji awakening the Color of the Supreme King and advanced Color of Armament, he was able to push back against Saint Killingham of the Holy Knights and nearly kill him. Just like Zoro, Sanji also reached the level of the Emperors with his new Haki Awakening and established the perfect basis for the Captain of the crew, Luffy, to grow stronger as well, which followed with the release of One Piece chapter 1198.
Sanji: I did it! It’s been forged!
Ivankov: Love is Defense!!
Sanji: I don’t even feel a hint of pain! This is like Armament Haki taken to the extreme. Even when I take a hit, it feels like I’m the one landing it!
— Sanji infuses Conqueror’s Haki, One Piece Chapter #1197
Why Luffy’s New Awakening Is On The Way In Elbaf
With the release of One Piece chapter 1198 on November 8, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 50, Eiichiro Oda, the creator of the series, gave Luffy yet another Awakening. Up until now, Gear 5 has been Luffy’s greatest power in One Piece, and he tapped into it with the release of One Piece chapter 1044 on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 17. Since then, Luffy has not gained any new transformation, but now things have changed drastically.
In One Piece chapter 1198, Luffy’s body was completely taken over by the spirit of the Monkey God Nika, and in doing so, he received a brand-new transformation. With Nika fully manifested, Luffy has now turned into a giant monkey god with immense strength up his sleeve. Right now, Luffy is not in control of this transformation, but needless to say, he will gain control of it by the end of Elbaf.
“What happened to Luffy? He clearly turned into something and just ran off? Where did he go?” — Usopp comments on Luffy’s New Form, One Piece Chapter #1198
This new awakened form will take Luffy’s overall powers to a completely new level and allow him to fight on an even footing against Nerona Imu. With that said, all three of the Monster Trio of the Straw Hat Pirates have now reached a completely new level, with Zoro and Sanji reaching the same stature as the Emperors of the One Piece world, and Luffy going even higher and reaching the domain of Gods.
The New Power Level Of The Straw Hats Post-Awakening
Right now, the Straw Hat Pirates are easily the strongest Emperor crew in the world of One Piece. This is because Luffy is currently on a level where he can rival the King of the World, Nerona Imu. No Emperor in the world of One Piece is on such a high level, and Luffy, in that sense, is an exception. Luffy’s immense strength makes him a rival even to the likes of Joy Boy. At the same time, Luffy has also left the vast majority of the Emperors in the dust, which goes to show that he is in a league of his own.
Sanji: Hey, Luffy! That’s…not you? Who is this guy?
Nika: Kikikiki!
Giants: Is that a monkey? No wait, that form is!!
— Elbaf Giants recognize Monkey God Luffy, One Piece Chapter #1198
It must also be noted that once Luffy gains full control over his Monkey God transformation, he will also gain a new hybrid form, which will make him even stronger than before. Furthermore, Zoro and Sanji, Luffy’s two wings who are now on the same level as the Emperors of the One Piece world, will continue to grow stronger from here onwards. Zoro and Sanji are set to surpass both Rayleigh and Gaban when they are in their primes, which means that they will also surpass the vast majority of the Emperors of the One Piece world.
“Hey Zoro, you be Luffy’s sword, and I’ll be his shield!” — Sanji awakens Conqueror’s Haki, One Piece Chapter #1197
Taking all things into consideration, this crew is by far the strongest not just in the current era but in all the eras that came before it as well. One Piece Chapter 968, which was released on January 20, 2020, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 8, saw the Roger Pirates claim that someone would come in the future and surpass them. That has now manifested itself in the form of the Straw Hat Pirates, which we are currently witnessing in the story.
Apart from the Monster Trio, the other members of the crew are also growing dramatically. Franky received the power-up of Super Vega Cola in the Elbaf arc, while Usopp’s Observation Haki was polished tremendously. Similarly, Chopper was given the ability to counter Domi Reversi directly, which is a telltale sign of potential Devil Fruit awakening. The other members of the Straw Hats will also continue to grow in the subsequent arcs and, by the end of the story, reach a level where they will simply be invincible.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece series are available for fans to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.