This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Final Saga.
One Piece is currently in its final saga, and it's here that Oda reveals some of the most powerful characters fans have been waiting to see for decades now, like red-headed Shanks and the likes of The Five Elders, among others. Of course these mighty monsters of One Piece the world often relies on special abilities.
IN One Piecetwo powers rule that are used by the vast majority of powerful characters, and they are Devil Fruit and Haki. While Devil Fruits have been introduced and common in One Piece since the very first chapter, fans know that Haki was properly introduced around the midpoint. Both Devil Fruits and Haki are equally important in the world of One Piece. However, one can say that one is more destructive, while the other is much more versatile.
Say hello to the new strongest man in the world of One Piece
The strongest man before Whitebeard has been revealed. His strength rivaled the likes of Rocks or Roger in One Piece.
Often, fans tend to believe that Haki is the strongest power that exists in the world of One Piece. However, in recent chapters Oda has again confirmed that in some cases Devil Fruits can offer what Haki cannot and in fact go far beyond what any Haki user can muster with their raw powers.
Haki and Devil Fruits are the two main One Piece Power Systems
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Devil Fruits were introduced in One Piece Chapter 1
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Haki was properly explained in One Piece Chapter 597
Devil Fruits were first introduced in One Piece chapter 1, when Luffy ate Gomu Gomu no Mi. At that moment, Luffy's Devil Fruit was said to be a mysterious power that would turn anyone who eats it into rubber and take away their ability to swim. As the story progressed, fans saw the introduction of many other powerful Devil Fruit abilities as well. Buggy with his Chop-Chop Fruit appeared next, and soon after other powerful abilities also appeared.
Luffy, did you eat the fruit we had? You idiot, it will turn you into rubber and you won't be able to swim again! – Shanks to Luffy
Then Oda elaborated on the concept of Devil Fruits and told fans that there are three types in the One Piece world, they are:
Then, slowly but steadily, Oda built on these Devil Fruit types heavily, especially in the Grand Line where monsters crawl with all sorts of powers up their sleeves.
When it comes to Haki, this ability, although first teased long ago in the story, was only introduced in the middle, around the time of the two-year time jump of One Piece. It was Silver's Rayleigh who trained Luffy in the ways of Haki, and since then this power has become an integral part of the overall power system of the One Piece world. In many cases, fans even believe that Haki is the stronger of the two. While Devil Fruits offer mystical abilities to those who eat them, Haki is a spiritual power that everyone is born with, but only a handful manage to awaken.
Simply put, Haki allows the user to use their spiritual energy to gain either a sixth sense or use it for offensive and defensive purposes to counter even Devil Fruit abilities and, in its strongest form, overwhelm almost anyone with immense power, as well as counter demonic powers such as regeneration and immortality. Just by looking at what Haki allows its users to do, you can tell that it is one of the most dangerous abilities in the One Piece world, and that it is the most reliable. A Devil Fruit user will most certainly die in the new world without Haki, but a Haki user will easily survive if their powers are trained to some extent.
Haki is not necessarily the strongest power in a piece
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Devil Fruits can offer more raw power than Haki
It goes without saying Haki is more reliable than Devil Fruit abilities and is easier to train as well. But that still doesn't make it the strongest power in the One Piece world. Some Devil Fruits found in the world of One Piece have a much higher effect than what can be generated with just Haki. The perfect example of this is Loki's Devil Fruit.
Haki is a force dormant in everyone everywhere. The ability to sense spiritual energy and overwhelm enemies is something that everyone has to some extent. But most people never discover it. To never doubt, that is true power. Look now! Most Haki can be divided into two types or colors. — Silver's Rayleigh to Luffy in Ruskaina
One Piece author Eiichiro Oda reveals Luffy's new gear transformation in the latest work
Oda has revealed his draft of a secret Luffy Gear. This new Gear design is much darker than Gear 5 in One Piece.
In One Piece chapters 1170 and 1171, fans saw a glimpse of Loki's legendary Devil Fruit powers, and it goes without saying that it far surpasses what can be done with Haki. Loki's Devil Fruit is still unknown today, but what fans do know is that it possesses immense powers that allow you to counter monsters like Harald. When Loki fought Harald, the latter was even stronger than Rocks and the Pirate King Loki was able to defeat him with the powers of the legendary Devil Fruit.
For comparison, Scopper Gaban and Shanks used Supreme King Haki of the highest level on him repeatedly but could not stop him from regenerating. Meanwhile, Loki's Devil Fruit powers proved so strong that Harald could not sustain it and died.
Some legendary devil fruits are unmatched
Certainly there are a select few abilities in it One Piece world that goes beyond what Haki can offer, and these powers are truly special. Loki's Devil Fruit definitely falls into this category, and fans know that Imu's Devil Fruit ability most likely does as well. In fact, Imu's Devil Fruit ability is so incredibly overpowered that 5 powerful Haki users couldn't even put a dent in their defense.
Luffy's Nika Fruit probably falls into this category as well, but he hasn't trained his powers enough to reach a high level yet. It will still take some time for Luffy to reach his peak, which is why he can't be compared to the likes of Imu at the moment.
Haki is generally more reliable than devil fruits
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Haki is not the strongest, but it is more reliable
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Devil Fruits can destroy the world
Fans must understand that when it comes to power output, Devil Fruits can most certainly trump Haki. For example, Whitebeard can continue to destroy the world with his Devil Fruit, while Haki users most likely cannot do it as easily as Whitebeard. Similarly, Imu can easily ravage the entire world with their powers if they want, but a Haki user would struggle to do the same. Loki can kill someone as strong as Harald with his Devil Fruit, but Scopper Gaban and Shanks couldn't do the same with Haki alone. Luffy can do almost anything with his imagination, but with only Haki, he will be limited in some ways.
But there is more to a power system than just raw power. In almost every other sphere, Haki is much more reliable than Devil Fruit powers. Users of Haki can still swim across the sea, and more than that, they can still fight and defeat Devil Fruit users quite easily. Haki users, especially those using Supreme King Haki, can even counter the Immortals of the One Piece world, except for a select few individuals like Harald. Overall, Haki is the better power of the two as it has fewer drawbacks and is much more versatile and reliable. But in terms of overall effect, it's clear that Devil Fruits are superior.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to claim the great treasure known as 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 for One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece is released at 12:00 JST on Monday, which is 11:00 EST or 8:00 PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on the Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps. If you do that, the fans will always support the writer.
