Sabo's Upcoming Yonko Level Power-Up, Explained

This article contains spoilers from the Elbaf Arc of One Piece



Important takeaways

  • Sabo can fight an admiral and show off his impressive strength.
  • Sabo's full strength is still unknown, making it difficult to scale.
  • Sabo needs the Conqueror's Haki to withstand the Yonko and hint at future power-ups.

Sabo is a main character in the Final Saga of One Piececonsidering that he is the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, which is in the middle of a great war. Considering his position, fans know that he possesses immense strength and at the same time that his role in the upcoming arcs will be absolutely huge. Clearly, Sabo can be considered one of the best fighters fans have seen in the series. But the lack of focus on this character, and the Revolutionary Army in general, means that fans don't know much about what he's really capable of.

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That being said, fans can certainly say that Sabo's strength is currently not at the same level as the Yonko from One Piece World, but he could potentially gain new powers that will see him reach this level very soon.



Sabo's current power level is very impressive for a Chief of Staff

  • Sabo can fight an admiral
  • Sabo's full strength remains unknown

It's very hard to scale how strong Sabo really is in One Piece. First, fans have very little to go off of, like his limited fights where he's never even gone all out even once. Often, fans judge a character by their rewards. In the case of Sabo, it turned out that his old price was 602 million berries and it was certainly high enough at one point. But right now, 602 million berries isn't that impressive at all. In an age where individuals receive rewards close to 3 or 4 billion, this amount is insignificant, and it certainly does not portray Sabo's strengths well. As such, this should be ignored, because by now he's likely already received a new bounty and his updated bounty is likely in the billions, no doubt.


I've had enough of regrets! – Sabo

In One Piece's post-timeskip, fans have seen him engage in a few skirmishes here and there. In the Dressrosa Arc, Sabo was revealed to fans for the very first time, where he battled characters such as Jesus Burgess. Now, Burgess is certainly nowhere near an Emperor himself, but Sabo making quick work of him is proof that he's pretty strong. In addition to that, he later gained the power of the overwhelmed Logia Mera Mera no Mi, which gives him the power to manipulate flames, as well as transform into flames. Sabo has been continuously training this power ever since, and Oda has mentioned that he does this every day. Due to his careful training with the powers of this Devil Fruit, Sabo has learned to control it quite well and has gained a decent grasp of its powers.


In the Dressrosa arc, Sabo fought Admiral Fujitora, someone fans know to be one of the most powerful characters in the entire series, and held his own well enough. In fact, the fight was pretty even, but at the same time, you have to remember that Fujitora was just buying time, and so was Sabo. These characters didn't really gel, which makes it very hard to figure out what this fight would have been like if they were both serious.

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Another indication of Sabo's strength is the fact that he was able to sneak up on the five Elders of Marijoa and launch a powerful Hiken against them, with a Rook Check directly aimed at Imu. It is clear that the Elders suffered damage from this attack, but the fact is that they have the powers to recover instantly, as can be seen in the Egghead Arc. They suffered no damage, while Imu ended up consuming Sabo's flames. Still, Sabo remained standing even after taking a very deadly attack from the Imu themselves.


Sabo's Haki Power is immense

sabo dragon breath

It's obvious that Sabo has grown a lot in terms of his Devil Fruit power manipulation, but at the same time, fans also know that he possesses tremendous Haki. In fact, Sabo is one of the best users of the Color of Arms haki i One Pieceand also his observation haki seems to be pretty good.

However, all the powers that he possesses are certainly not sufficient to give him an exalted position comparable to that of an emperor.

Why two major power-ups are close for Sabo

Sabo needs Conqueror's Haki to be a serious threat


Fans may wonder why Sabo even needs a power-up. After all, he's pretty strong, and not all characters need to be on par with the Emperor. The answer to that question is found in Oda's portrayal of Sabo as an individual who is constantly growing in terms of power and influence in the world. Sabo was recently hailed as a hero after the death of King Cobra. Of course, he had nothing to do with his death, but the world perceived it that way. Sabo came to be known as the Flame Emperor, and in the name alone it is clear that Sabo is considered an emperor of sorts.

I don't mind taking the blame if it stokes the flames of revolution! – Sabo

On top of that, it was clearly stated in the story that Sabo's infamy has now surpassed the Dragons. This is a huge point that not enough fans pay attention to. Sabo's infamy surpassing that of Dragons means his reward is likely to be incredibly high. After what he did and how he became a hero to the masses, Oda has specifically placed a huge emphasis on Sabo, which must have a payoff. Sabo's portrayal needs to be better in the future, meaning he'll get superpowers soon enough.


The fact that Sabo was considered the Flame Emperor, and considering that he is the Dragon's Number Two, fans shouldn't be surprised to see him use the power of the Conqueror's Haki soon enough. Supreme King Haki is especially common in individuals with an immortal spirit and will to reach the top. Sabo fits the bill, and he really should have this power. Also, both Luffy and Ace have had access to the Conqueror's Haki, which leaves behind Sabo and Oda was definitely not going to leave him hanging. Sabo will gain this ability at some point or will be revealed to have awakened it long ago, but kept it a secret.

Either way, fans will get to see him use this power in the Final Saga, and potentially the advanced form of it as well, given that the primary form is of no use to him at this point. Considering all his powers, Sabo should be an individual worthy of standing in battle against the Yonko.


In addition to Haki, fans know that he has now obtained a Devil Fruit and can continue to awaken it. Of course, Devil Fruit Awakening could take years for a few individuals, but considering that Sabo has been training meticulously day and night to improve its use, he might be able to continue awakening it soon enough. It is not uncommon for people to awaken Devil Fruits in a short period of time. For example, Kaku only ate his Devil Fruit around the time of Enie's Lobby Arc, and at some point during the time jump he had already awakened it. Sabo is a much greater genius than Kaku, and could potentially go on to awaken the Mera Mera no Mi in less time.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free in the Shonen Jump and Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1132, is set for December 1, 2024.

One Piece-9

Studio
Toei animation

Story of
Eiichiro Oda

Number of episodes
1116+

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