This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
One Piece is currently in the Elbaf arc, where Oda has focused heavily on the power of Haki. The fans always knew that Haki would gain enormous importance in the final saga as its true powers were still something of a mystery in the story, and Elbaf has given everyone just that. Before the Elbaf arc of One Piece into the Loki flashback, it became clear that Luffy would need to upgrade his Haki greatly.
One Piece: Oda sets up the next king of the world after Imu
Imu is the current ruler of the One Piece world, but his throne will be taken over by this character.
According to Scopper Gaban, Luffy had to be careful how he used his Conqueror's Haki. Finally, the Loki flashback fleshed it out by showing fans exactly what Gaban meant in terms of Haki usage. Oda showed fans how to counter an immortal body with Haki in God Valley, and it's all about mass of Haki. When the mass of Haki is large enough, it can bypass any powerful ability. In other words that fight the Domi Reversi monsters and Imu, Luffy must learn Haki mass manipulation and do it effectively to have a chance. This new Haki upgrade will propel him to the next level in the story.
Luffy will learn to manipulate Haki masses and critical mass
It goes without saying Luffy is one of the most powerful Haki users in the One Piece at the moment, given that he knows all types and has even learned all of their subtypes. However, there is a big difference between knowing subtypes and mastering them.
Luffy is skilled when it comes to all types of Haki, but he is not a master of any of them. Oda has already confirmed to fans that Luffy's skill is Conqueror's Hakimeaning this is the art he can excel the most in. It also means Luffy will get more power ups in Conqueror's Haki in the future as there is a lot of room to grow.
Listen, Garp, it's all about mas sof Haki. — Roger to Garp
In Elbaf, Scopper Gaban told Luffy to be careful how he uses his Haki because the Holy Knights are not truly immortal. In other words, Conqueror's Haki can counter immortality. But the key is how to use Conqueror's Haki. In God Valley, Oda introduced fans to the concept of the Haki fair.
To put it simply, the higher the mass of the Haki, the greater the chance of it penetrating the enemy's defenses and do more damage. Luffy always uses his Haki when he fights, but he needs to improve the mass of his Haki to really hurt the immortals. With more Haki used, they will be really damaged and recovery will not be easy to accomplish.
Luffy's Haki will counter immortality
In the Elbaf arc, Oda has given Luffy the biggest test he will face and that is the Conqueror's Haki Championship. Luffy needs to understand the concept of Haki Fair. Knowing when to use how much Haki is important as it is the key to damaging the Holy Knights. Simple Conqueror's Haki attacks do not work on Holy Knights. The key lies in Conqueror's Haki with more mass. This means heavy attacks with a higher concentration of Haki to nullify Imu's Abyssal powers to come through to the real body.
One Piece: Oda drops a big hint about the identity of Imu's son
Imu may have a son, and his identity has been heavily hinted at in One Piece.
Listen, Straw Hat. Etch into your brain how to use Conqueror's Haki properly. These guys are not immortal! — Scopper Gaban to Luffy
Monkey D. Luffy will need stronger Haki to beat Imu
Right now, Luffy will have the Holy Knights in front of him. Based on how Elbaf is set up, it seems that Loki will be Domi Reversi'd to be made Luffy's final enemy for the arc. But Imu is a completely different beast. It is highly unlikely Luffy will fight Imu in the Elbaf arc. He is strong, but his Haki needs to grow further.
Even Rocks, Roger and Garp, with their immense Haki mastery, couldn't hurt Imu because his Haki is much stronger. Luffy can't beat him yet, and for that he will need more time to grow. Still, Luffy's Haki will get a major upgrade in the Elbaf arc, and it is given at this point in the story. All fans have to do is sit back patiently and wait for the story to move past the Loki flashback.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date for One Piece Chapter 1167 is December 1, 2025. 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.
