One Piece is currently in the climax of the Elbaf Arc, with chapters 1187 and 1188 lining up the final battles of the arc centered around the Monster Trio of the Straw Hat Pirates. With the latest One Piece release on July 12, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #33, seeing the defeat of Monkey D. Luffy at the hands of Nerona Imu, all the focus is shifting to his two Wings, Zoro and Sanji.
In order for Luffy to be resurgent as well as triumphant in the battle against Nerona Imu, the two Holy Knights, Sommers and Killingham, need to be defeated. To that end, One Piece is now officially lining up two new Haki transformations for Zoro and Sanji by having them both master the Color of the Supreme King in Chapter 1189 and beyond, before Luffy officially pushes Imu out of Elbaf for good.
Eiichiro Oda Has Lined Up Two New Haki-Based Forms For Zoro And Sanji In Elbaf Arc Climax
One Piece’s Elbaf Arc was always going to be massive for the Monster Trio as well as some other members of the Straw Hat Pirates. This arc was there to see Luffy get stronger and close in on the likes of Shanks and the other legends that existed before him, such as Gol D. Roger and the likes of Joy Boy. Taking that into consideration, Eiichiro Oda is doing a brilliant job, and setting up Luffy’s defeat in One Piece chapter 1188 on July 12, 2026, is the perfect pathway to achieving just that. At the same time, there are other Straw Hats that need significant power-ups as well, and Eiichiro Oda has paid attention to them too.
One Piece chapter 1152, which was officially released on June 23, 2025, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30, officially lined up Supreme King Haki powers for both Zoro and Sanji. While Zoro already unlocked Supreme King Haki in One Piece chapter 1010 in the Wano Country Arc, he possesses no control over it. In other words, Zoro cannot bring out the true power of Supreme King Haki as things stand.
“Absurd.. Haki is a power that must be controlled to be used properly. Your Captain is one of the Four Emperors. How do you plan on aiding him without knowing that?” — Scopper Gaban confirms Zoro’s lack of Haki control, One Piece Chapter #1152
Meanwhile, for Sanji, things are very different. Sanji is yet to fully tap into the power of the Supreme King Haki, and this is because of his self-deprecating nature suppressing his Haki very strongly. On July 5, 2026, One Piece Chapter 1187 officially confirmed that Sanji holds latent Conqueror’s Haki that he needs to bring to the surface. As such, it has officially lined up both Zoro and Sanji for a major Supreme King Haki upgrade. Through this Supreme King Haki, they will officially attain new transformations or forms.
For Zoro, the strongest transformation that we have seen with the usage of Supreme King Haki so far is his “King of Hell Three Sword Style”. When Zoro taps into this transformation, he develops a green flame aura and black lightning sparkling all across his swords. Zoro utilized this power against King the Wildfire and officially destroyed him in battle in One Piece Chapter 1033, and later down the line, overwhelmed Lucci with it as well. However, against Nerona Imu in One Piece Chapter 1180, this power failed. That said, it was not being utilized to its full potential. When Zoro masters Supreme King Haki, the King of Hell Three Sword Style is officially going to be upgraded forever, and fans might even get to see a completely new look at this power. When activated to the absolute fullest potential, Zoro’s King of Hell: Three Sword Style is going to be much more dangerous and last a lot longer in battle, giving him access to a completely new transformation.
“You too have traits of one who can become a Conqueror. But for some reason, I sense dangerous self-deprecation in you. If you truly want Luffy to become the Pirate King, then you yourself must become a ‘King.’” — Scopper Gaban confirms Sanji has Supreme King Haki, One Piece Chapter #1187
As for Sanji, awakening Supreme King Haki and learning to control it would mean that his body would become much stronger, both offensively and defensively. This would allow him to tap into even hotter flames that could very well resemble Nerona Imu’s Omen or Maki, which was explained to us in One Piece Chapter 1181 on April 27, 2026. This will push both Zoro and Sanji to incredibly high heights by giving them new Haki forms and making them rivals to the elites of the One Piece world, such as Yonko and Admirals.
How Zoro And Sanji Can Evolve King of Hell And Ifrit Jambe In Elbaf
For Zoro, King of Hell is likely to take a completely new appearance following him gaining full control over Supreme King Haki. King of Hell: Three Swords Style is incredibly powerful, but its biggest downside is its short usage duration. As Zoro stated himself, he could very well die using King of Hell: Three Swords Style if he did not finish his battle against King quickly.
“How should I stabilize my Haki then? If I keep exuding it at this level, it’ll kill me. But no, that’s perfect! I intend to keep my promise to my Captain and my best friend.” — Roronoa Zoro confirms the Weakness of the King of Hell form, One Piece Chapter #1033
By gaining full control over Supreme King Haki, this limitation will officially be removed. More than that, Zoro’s firepower will increase drastically, as will his defensive capabilities, and we might even get to see a completely new transformation from him. He can then also incorporate ‘King of Hell’ into his Nine Sword Style, which would make him one of the deadliest fighters in the world of One Piece, strong enough to fight and defeat even the likes of Yonko.
As far as Sanji goes, his Supreme King Haki is going to strengthen him tremendously and potentially allow him to tap into the Black Flames of Omen or something very similar. Sanji’s Supreme King Haki will bring his overall flame temperature to a level that could potentially burn even all other fires and potentially even Sakazuki’s magma itself. Sanji already destroyed Kizaru’s laser, and that was before he even tapped into Supreme King Haki. With this new power-up, he should become even stronger than the Navy Admiral and a rival to the likes of the Yonko, gaining the power to defeat them as Zoro’s equal.
Zoro And Sanji’s Power Levels After Elbaf Arc
Following the events of the Elbaf Arc, both Zoro and Sanji are going to be incredibly strong, on the same level as the likes of the Admirals and the Yonko. They have already defeated Yonko Right Hands and surpassed First Mates. With Supreme King Haki, as well as the other abilities that they hold up their sleeves, Zoro and Sanji are finally going to take that final step. The gap between them and Luffy is going to be closed down significantly, and at the same time, they will be elite pirates standing on equal footing with the other Emperors of the Sea.
“Those voices were telling the truth. Someone will eventually come and surpass us all. We were just too early.” — Gol D. Roger claims the Straw Hats will surpass his crew, One Piece Chapter #968
If the Straw Hat Pirates are to take down the likes of the World Government and defeat individuals like the Five Elders, along with other Yonko-level figures, they need to surpass all limits and leave even the Roger Pirates in the dust. This was confirmed by Roger himself in One Piece Chapter 968, on January 20, 2020, and finally, we are going to see this plotline pay off. Zoro and Sanji’s new Haki forms are going to be delightful to watch at the end of the Elbaf Arc.
All the new One Piece manga chapters by author Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
