One Piece officially makes Straw Hats stronger than Yonko Crews

One Piece Officially released on June 20, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #29, Chapter 1053 introduced the new Emperors of the Sea to us for the very first time. These new Yonko included Monkey D. Luffy, Red-haired Shanks, Blackbeard and Buggy.

With a new era dawning on the world One Pieceeach Yonko has made significant strides in strength. The protagonist of the story, Monkey D. Luffy is currently in Elbaf, where he is set to fight Nerona Imu, the king of the world, and reach a whole new level of strength in the process. With the climax of the Elbaf arc fast approaching, Eiichiro Oda finally makes sure that the Straw Hat Pirates surpass all other Yonko crews. Oda sets up a number of power-ups for them to see them take on and crush the forces of the World Government.

One Piece's Elbaf Arc sets up 3 Conquerors Haki users for Straw Hat Pirates

The biggest power up for the Straw Hat Pirates that was officially set up in various chapters of the Elbaf Arc is the Conqueror's Haki. Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the crew, is already known to be a great user of Conqueror's Haki, having used it in his fight against Kaido, Kizaru and other top tiers he has faced. IN One Piece Chapter 1152, released on June 23, 2025, in WSJ Issue #30, Eiichiro Oda officially set up another upgrade for Monkey D. Luffy when it came to Conqueror's Haki. By having the Scopper Gaban specifically bring out unique applications of it to Luffy, Oda has created a significant upgrade for him, creating an ascension for him to a much higher overall level.

Listen, Straw Hat! Etch into your mind how to use your Conqueror's Haki. These guys aren't immortal. — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter 1152

That said, the Straw Hat Pirates don't rely solely on Luffy for strength. Eiichiro Oda is also making sure that other members of the Straw Hat Pirates grow as much, and among them, the Pirate Kings Wings are tipped to be the first. The Elbaf arc, specifically Chapter 1152, has lined up significant Conquerors Haki power-ups for both Zoro and Sanji. Roronoa Zoro has already used Conqueror's Haki, but he doesn't know how to use it. After being reprimanded by Scopper Gaban in Chapter 1152, Zoro now adamantly seeks to gain conscious control over his Haki and improve his overall power level.

“Absurd..Haki is a power that must be controlled to be used properly. Your captain is one of the four emperors. How are you going to help him without knowing that?” — Scopper Gaban, One Piece Chapter 1152

When it comes to Sanji, Chapter 1152 of the Elbaf arc also set up a significant Conqueror's Haki upgrade for him. Sanji has yet to harness the power of his Conqueror's Haki, but he has already felt it within him, as confirmed by the said chapter. Meanwhile, Sanji is a parallel to none other than Scopper Gaban, himself a user of Conqueror's Haki. His nemesis, his main opponent to take on in this arc is Saint Killingham, and as such it is imperative for him to gain this power in the final saga of the story.

With Zoro and Sanji both receiving a significant Conqueror's Haki upgrade, the Monster Trio is expected to become top tier pirates in the same league as the Yonko of the One Piece world, which will surely make the Straw Hat Pirates much stronger overall and leave all other Emperors behind in the dust.

One Piece Chapter 968 has already set up the Straw Hat Pirates to surpass the Roger Pirates

Eiichiro Oda giving significant power upgrades in Elbaf to the Straw Hats doesn't come out of absolutely nowhere. One Piece Chapter 968, which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #8 on January 20, 2020, officially marked the disbandment of the Roger Pirates. In this particular chapter, it was clear that Roger believed that a new pirate crew would come in due time and surpass him and all his crewmates. This pirate crew, as we all know, is none other than the Straw Hat Pirates, which means that Eiichiro Oda always advised them to surpass even the legacy of the crew that conquered the whole world, the Roger Pirates, about five years ago.

“Those voices spoke the truth. Someone will eventually come and surpass us all. We were simply too early.” — Gol D. Roger, One Piece Chapter #968

Now it's time for Luffy and the Straw Hats to step up and fill this role in spectacular fashion by battling Nerona Imu and the Holy Knights as soon as the Esperia Kingdom flashback ends in the climax of the Elbaf arc.

Why the Great War calls for the Straw Hat Pirates to become the strongest Yonko crew

One Piece Chapter 1146, released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21 on April 21, 2025, officially referred to the Battle of Elbaf as “the prelude to the Great War.” This means that the Great War will follow after the battle of Elbaf ends. This war requires Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates to be at a much higher level of strength, and in a way the Elbaf War is simply a training arc for Luffy and the Straw Hats to see them reach the top.

“Monkey D. Luffy, Loki! Clearly none of you will submit to being slave soldiers. So Mu will erase you, just like Douzan!” — Nerona Imu in a piece chapter 1183.

Not only will the Monster Trio grow in this segment of the story, but so will the other members of the Straw Hat team. For example, Franky, the shipbuilder for the Straw Hats, already gained access to Super Vega Cola in One Piece chapter 1176, which was officially released on March 9, 2026, in WSJ Issue #15, in Weekly Shonen Jump number 14. Likewise, Chopper was hinted to have been able to Devil Fwaken with his Devil Imuvers. just a touch of his palm on anyone affected by this power.

It's pretty obvious to see that all the other Straw Hats grow in their own ways, and that with each passing arc, they'll grow closer to the levels of all the other Emperor crews found in the world of One Piece. It's only a matter of time before they fulfill their true potential and even surpass the legacy of the Pirate King named Roger, and we couldn't be more excited to see it.

The latest One Piece manga chapters by author Eiichiro Oda can be read via Viz Media and Manga Plus.