5 years later, Oda finally delivers Sanji's promised upgrade in One Piece's Elbaph Arc

The Straw Hat Pirates have shown tremendous growth over the course of the Final Saga, especially in the Elbaph arc, which is currently handled in the manga. Sanji, chef of the Straw Hats and one of their strongest warriors, is no different in that regard. In recent years, Eiichiro Oda has made sure to pay extra attention to Sanji's character, making sure that he grows to a very high level of power where he can fight against the elite of One Piece the world effortlessly. Sanji's growth in Elbaph will not come as a surprise to readers, as Oda had promised him this upgrade in SBS Volume 105. Now, nine volumes later, the author has already begun to fulfill that promise.

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How Eiichiro Oda's SBS Volume 105 Foreshadowed Sanji's Science Upgrade 5 Years Ago

Sanji's biggest power upgrade came in the Wano Country Arc, where he finally tapped into his Lineage Factor after wearing the Raid Suit three times. When Sanji was born with his brothers, he was the only one unaffected by the Lineage Factor Manipulation, and as such had his emotions preserved at the cost of his mother's life. On the other hand, he didn't get any powers that his brothers got, such as the exoskeleton, the incredible physical strength, the durability, and the high regeneration speed.

The Wano arc changed all that, when Sanji finally harnessed these powers one by one and was finally able to defeat Queen The Plague as well. In SBS Volume 105 of One Piece, Eiichiro Oda clearly stated that Sanji's scientific development has begun and asked fans to keep an eye on him as the story entered the final saga, obviously hinting that there is more to come from him. Now, in Elbaph, Sanji's growing power is clear for all to see.

Sanji is the complete opposite. So for him, the Raid Suit made the power of science manifest. Sanji already had an abnormal resistance to flames. It was a strange little incident, wasn't it? Let's see where this takes him in the future. — Eiichiro Oda, Volume 105 SBS

Breaking down Sanji's new strength upgrade in the Elbaph Arc Of One Piece

In the Elbaph arc of One PieceSanji has grown tremendously already, and it's clear to see, especially based on the last few chapters where he fought Saint Killingham. Despite the latter being one of Nerona Imu's strongest subordinates, Sanji was able to dismantle him in battle effortlessly and put him to harm, despite being able to regenerate infinitely. Sanji dismembered his body from head to toe and let the other Straw Hats tie him up. His defeat by Killingham came to the point where the latter harbored an undying grudge against him and swore revenge on him sometime later. What's even more surprising to fans is that Sanji was able to handle this individual without even using a fraction of his true powers.

Although the Straw Hat Pirates do not receive direct power-ups, Oda has greatly upgraded his strength in Elbaph. Sanji is now strong enough to take on Yonko commanders without even going all out, destroying Admiral Kizaru's lasers and holding his own against the elite of the world, with the likes of Nerona Imu being the only ones who can shoot him. Sanji's growth in the final saga is clear for all to see, and Oda has delivered on his promise to a great degree, with many more powers coming his way, such as Conqueror's Haki. Given that Nerona Imu has entered the fray in Elbaph, it is highly likely that Killingham will return to fight him, and Sanji will continue to awaken the Conqueror's Haki in this fight to take his overall ability to the next level.

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Sanji's power level after Elbaph makes him one of the strongest pirates in the world

After the events of the Elbaph arc, which has already reached its climax, Sanji will be among the elite of the One Piece world. In fact, he is required to be among the elite because of the challenge the Straw Hats face. The Great War is on the horizon and the world government elites have already begun to stir. As such, Luffy has to become much stronger, but so do his subordinates.

This is not something unique to Sanji; Zoro needs to get stronger as well, and so do the likes of Nami, Robin, Franky, Brook, Jinbe, Chopper, and Usopp. All members of the Straw Hat Pirates need to be at their peak if they are to curb the influence of the World Government and claim victory in the great war that is about to begin. Oda has already planted the seeds for their growth.

One Piece chapter 1180 will be available to read on Manga Plus on April 19, 2026 at 11 a.m. EST.

One Piece

Release date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Toshihiro Ma Shihi Endo, Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

Author

Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)