Luffy and Kaido’s fight has been raging on the roof of Onigashima’s Skull Dome for some time now. A lot has happened since the Raid began, but it looks like the Wano arc – and Wano Country – are drawing quickly to an inevitable climax.
The battle between our joyful protagonist and the Yonko Kaido began with a bang. It was revealed that Luffy’s Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that we all thought to be the Gomu Gomu no Mi, was actually the legendary Mythical Zoan-type Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
In chapter 1044, Luffy unlocks Gear 5, and awakens his Devil Fruit. He carries the will of Joy Boy and utilizes the power of Sun God Nika, which gives him complete elasticity and ridiculous free-wheeling power.
But even though Luffy’s new Devil Fruit powers are godlike, the events of the most recent chapter hint that he will need something more to be able to defeat Kaido.
“In the end, a strong Devil Fruit power isn’t enough to conquer the seas! Such hurdles can only be overcome … with Haki!”
So now the million-dollar question arises: Is Luffy’s Haki strong enough to crack down a Yonko?
As of chapter 1047, Luffy’s Haki isn’t strong enough to defeat Kaido. Yet. He needs to take one final step forward in enhancing his Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, which will be the key to achieving victory over Kaido.
Is Haki more important than Devil Fruit abilities?
In the overall story of One Piece, Oda has always placed more importance on Haki than on Devil Fruits. Kaido exemplifies this in chapter 1047 by stating that the late Gol D. Roger himself had no Devil Fruit power and yet was able to become the Pirate King.
Haki, especially Conqueror’s Haki, represents willpower. And will, as we all know as One Piece fans, is the driving force of the series.
Both, Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, and Devil Fruit Awakening, are the strongest forces in OP, but there has been a constant implicit portrayal that Haki is indeed greater than the powers bestowed by Devil Fruits.
It is not Devil Fruit power that has brought Luffy – and even other characters, so far. It has always been Haki.
The first time people actually begin to think of Luffy as a force to be reckoned with, is when he beats Katakuri in Whole Cake Island.
Luffy masters Observation Haki and can see seconds into the future like Katakuri, who is perhaps one of the most renowned Observation Haki users.
After having trained in Udon, and later with Hyogoro, Luffy levels up his Haki again. In chapter 1000, during his second fight with Kaido, he uses Ryou or Advanced Armament Haki along with his Gear 3 to actually damage Kaido.
Earlier, even with Gear 4, Luffy couldn’t hurt Kaido. This just proves that plain Devil Fruit powers are of no match to Kaido, unless enhanced with Haki.
Consequently, in chapter 1010, Luffy manages to infuse his blows not just with Advanced Armament, but with Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. This technique is what actually gets him on par with the Yonko, not his Devil Fruit Gear transformations.
When Kaido sees that Luffy can infuse things with Supreme King or Conqueror’s Haki, he comments that, “only a handful of the very strongest can” do this.
Even just going by simple logic, Conqueror’s Haki is a hundred times rarer than Devil Fruit powers. Only one in a million people possess this power.
What’s more, Conqueror’s Haki is something people are born with, it is internal, representative of the qualities of a king, and cannot be acquired through training.
On the other hand, anyone can become a Devil Fruit user. All you need to do is consume the Fruit, and you are rewarded with abilities that come with that type of Fruit.
Conqueror’s Haki allows the user to assert their dominance, their willpower, over others. It is what makes the Yonkos/4 Emperors who they are, it is what got Gol D. Roger to the top.
Shanks and Roger aren’t even Devil Fruit users and they are still considered the strongest pirates in the series.
Kaido hasn’t Awakened his Mythical Zoan Fruit but is still considered the strongest creature in the world. He has been fighting longer than anybody, dealing and absorbing hits since the Wano arc began.
It’s pretty evident that Luffy needs to use Advanced Conqueror’s Haki along with Advanced Armament and Gear 5 if he wants to defeat Kaido.
Advanced Conqueror’s Haki: Kaido vs. Luffy
Kaido has been using Haki in almost all his attacks. He’s an incredibly skilled Advanced Conqueror’s Haki user, as we have seen in his usage of Thunder Bagua and Ragnaraku. His Conqueror’s infused Hassaikai is another supremely powerful attack.
Speaking of Kaido’s signature weapon, Luffy manages to dodge and block the Hassaikai with his own use of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki. He infuses his hands and feet with it and deflects the blow with a kick.
But we gotta be real here: Luffy’s Advanced Conqueror’s is nowhere near Kaido’s right now. In fact, Luffy was only able to unlock it because of Kaido’s use of it against him.
Luffy gained Advanced Armament/Ryou and Advanced Conqueror’s only after he had set foot in Wano, while Kaido has been parading his Advanced Haki for years now.
Luffy’s growth has skyrocketed in the Wano arc, while Kaido’s seemed stable. But an important development is that in chapter 1037, Luffy notes that Kaido’s Haki is getting stronger.
If Kaido’s Haki is now stronger than it already was, Luffy will really need to buckle up.
Sure, right now he can pull lightning out of the sky and use Dragon-Kaido as a jump-rope, but if Kaido unleashes the full extent of his Haki, and Awakens his Devil Fruit, there is no way Luffy can win.
At least not without another power boost. They don’t call Kaido the strongest creature for nothing!
How Luffy can defeat Kaido with his Haki
I want to bring up an interesting loophole here that might actually indicate that Luffy can win using Conqueror’s Haki.
First of all, Luffy’s spirit is his trump card, his will to win. He has just awoken the will of Joy Boy. He has recently awoken Advanced Conqueror’s. These elements point to the fact that Luffy might actually win this thing.
Kaido seems to know that the spirit and will of a person is what is most important, more than any Devil Fruit power. The whole arc has been about Kaido being obsessed with dominating the country, making people slaves, breaking their spirit so they obey him.
His goal, ever since he met Luffy, has been to prove that his Conqueror’s Haki, or his will, is stronger than Luffy’s. He doesn’t want to simply kill or defeat Luffy, but to crush his spirit, make him accept that he has been vanquished, i.e., fully destroy his conqueror’s spirit.
In chapter 924, the first time Kaido defeats Luffy (with a single punch), he notes his indomitable spirit. Luffy is knocked unconscious, but glares at him despite that, and uses Conqueror’s Haki to blast his Beasts Pirates.
This same thing happens again during the second fight in chapter 1010. Luffy stares down at Kaido after being knocked unconscious by a series of Kaido’s attacks.
Though he doesn’t attack unconscious, he gets up soon enough, only to announce to Kaido that he was doing this for his nakama and would never submit to him. This unlocks his Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, but due to his lack in skill and experience, is defeated again.
Now, in chapter 1047, Luffy is almost reaching his limit. His Gear 5 is wearing him down and it’s only a matter of time that Kaido gets him back for all the humiliation … maybe rendering him unconscious for the third time.
The end of the chapter shows a gigantic Advanced Conqueror’s and Ryuo infused punch about to strike Kaido.
I believe this punch might not be the move that defeats Kaido for 2 reasons:
- Oda himself said in a comment back in 2016, that it would not do justice to both characters and the audience if Kaido is defeated just because Luffy’s punch is so strong.
- If Luffy lands this punch, Onigashima is literally going to fall into oblivion, killing thousands of innocent citizens. Momo still hasn’t managed to create the Flame Clouds.
What I think might happen, given the hints and the pattern we have seen, is that Luffy will somehow be rendered unconscious, triggering a massive burst of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki.
Kaido will (should) Awaken his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit powers, and either stop or retaliate to Luffy’s punch, knocking him unconscious in the process.
Luffy’s Gear 5 will vanish. But he will unconsciously, by instinct, blast Kaido with the strongest display of Advanced Conqueror’s we have seen.
Ultimately, however this plays out, Luffy’s Haki will be the gamechanger if he wants to put Kaido away for good.
About One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997.
The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, is Gol D. Roger. The final words he said at the execution tower were “My treasures? If you want it, I’ll let you have it. Look for it; I left all of it at that place.” These words sent many to the seas, chasing their dreams, headed toward the Grand Line, in search of One Piece. Thus began a new age!
Seeking to be the greatest pirate in the world, young Monkey D. Luffy also heads toward the Grand Line in search of One Piece. His diverse crew is joining him along the way, consisting of a swordsman, marksman, navigator, cook, doctor, archaeologist, and cyborg-shipwright, this will be one memorable adventure.
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