On December 6, 2021, in One Piece Chapter 1034, Sanji, the chef from the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the pirate king's wings, officially harnessed his strongest power yet, called Ifrit Jambe. This power was awakened by Sanji after he harnessed the power of his Germa exoskeleton and combined the immense regeneration, durability, and strength boost with his refined Armament Haki. By combining these two powers, his total fire resistance increased to sky-high levels, and he was able to generate the power of Ifrit Jambe, allowing him to defeat the Queen of the Beast Pirates.
5 years have passed since, and now Eiichiro Oda, the creator of One Pieceofficially sets up a new low upgrade for Sanji after Ifrit Jambe. Although the Ifrit Jambe is strong, it is not powerful enough for Sanji to fight the enemies the Straw Hat Pirates are currently facing. As such, a newer upgrade is coming to Ifrit Jambe, and the foundation for it has already been established in the Elbaf arc. By awakening the supreme king's color, Sanji's total firepower will grow further, and he will likely awaken a new fire-based kicking technique.
One Piece's Elbaf Arc Officially Sets Up an Upgrade to Ifrit Jambe by Upgrading Sanji's Haki
Ever since the Elbaf arc began, Sanji has started using Ifrit Jambe more often than ever before, even against insignificant enemies. At the beginning of Elbaf, when Sanji fought Iskat within the diorama that Road made in Chapter 1127 on September 23, 2024, he officially released Ifrit Jambe on fodder for the very first time. Shortly after, he used the technique again to break through the steel mesh on Road in chapter 1129, and has also unleashed this technique against Saint Killingham in One Piece Chapter 1176 of March 9, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #15.
“That elitist attitude and crude ideology. It's typical of a sky dragon. You must be really out of touch if you don't even recognize a former warlord like Jinbe. Now how are you going to pay for disrespecting a member of our crew? Shall I shoot your bubble mask? Ifrit Jambe: Concasser!!!” — Sanji attacks Killingham with Ifrit Jambe, One Piece Chapter #1176
Because Sanji uses Ifrit Jambe so often, series creator Eiichiro Oda has set a precedent for him to unlock a new, stronger power. This makes perfect sense when juxtaposed with the massive reveal that came in One Piece Chapter 1152, released on June 23, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue 30, where Scopper Gaban officially stated that the only way to defeat the Holy Knights is to use the color of the Supreme King. This was repeated by Gaban in One Piece Chapter 1170, released on January 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #6-7. There, Scopper Gaban fought King Harald and explained to Shanks that the greatest weakness of those who possess immortality and regeneration are the people who can imbue their attacks with the High King's color.
“Give him enough hits, and we may manage to put him out of commission. If these guys have any weakness, it's against those of us who can infuse our attacks with the Color of the Supreme King!” — Scopper Gaban explains the Immortals' only weakness, One Piece Chapter #1170
Right now, One Piece has officially pitted Sanji against one of the Holy Knights, powered by Nerona Imu's Omen, and it's none other than Saint Killingham. This official matchup took place in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24. As it stands, Sanji has nothing in his arsenal that can take down Killingham. Although he can damage him, Killingham can simply regenerate and eventually take Sanji down. The only way for the Straw Hat Chef to defeat Saint Killingham is to awaken the color of the Supreme King, creating a foundation for Sanji to gain even stronger flames.
When paired with the fact that Sanji is meant to be a parallel to Scopper Gaban, who is also a user of all three types of Haki, it is almost certain for him to awaken this power in Elbaf. Sanji is then able to infuse this newly awakened Haki into his entire body, allowing him to produce even hotter flames and take his Ifrit Jambe a step beyond.
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Why Stronger Conqueror's Haki Infusion will unlock new flames for Sanji
To understand how Color of the Supreme King will affect Sanji's Ifrit Jambe, we first need to take a look at how Sanji's flame-based fighting style works. When Sanji uses Diable Jambe, this technique only works due to his inherent resistance to flames, which was also addressed by Eiichiro Oda in One Piece Volume 105 SBS on March 3, 2023. In this volume release, Oda officially stated that Sanji's resistance to fire allows him to develop Diable Jambe. This resistance to flames further increased after the awakening of his Germa exoskeleton.
“Sanji is the exact opposite of his siblings. To 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, One Piece Volume 105 SBS
The exoskeleton gives Sanji a certain level of durability, and combined with the high recovery rate offered by his genetic modification and, on top of that, an additional buff to overall defensive capabilities using the Color of Armament, Sanji can withstand very hot flames. As such, the higher Sanji's durability and defensive ability become, the hotter the flames he can endure on his legs. The Color of the Supreme King is perfect in this regard as it increases both defensive and offensive capabilities. Not only will Sanji's flames become hotter, but his own body will become much stronger by infusing the Supreme King's color. His higher defensive ability will allow him to sustain even hotter flames in battle against the Holy Knight Killingham. With that, Sanji's Ifrit Jambe is set to evolve further, pushing the Straw Hat chef to a new level of power. With his newfound abilities, Sanji can officially put an end to one of the most powerful Holy Knights, already powered by Nerona Imu's Omen.
Sanji's demonic connection could tie into Nerona Imu's omen
When Sanji's new flames finally manifest in the climax of the Elbaf arc, it is likely that these flames are colored black, as this would also tie directly into the Omen of Nerona Imus. In One Piece Chapter 1181, which was officially released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #22-23 on April 27, 2026, Nerona Imu stated that the Omen is his military power and that it is a force that resides within everyone. Interestingly, Imu's Omen manifests as black flames. When Sanji's flames are upgraded, they usually change color, and currently they are blue-white flames.
“The omen is my military power. A power that resides within all living things.” — Nerona Imu explains her Black Flames, One Piece Chapter #1181
After infusing the Conqueror's Haki, these flames could potentially turn black, which would fit perfectly with Nerona Imu's Omen and perhaps allow Sanji to manipulate a similar power. It will be interesting to see what color of flames Sanji generates. Given his theme and moniker Black-Leg, it would make perfect sense for him to raise black flames once the Elbaf Arc ends. We eagerly await to see how his development will unfold.
All the latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
