One Piece theory: Is Sanji the next candidate for Conqueror's Haki?

Sanji is a fan-favorite in One Piece. He is the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates who joined the crew with the aim of finding the All Blue, a legendary place where all the seas merge into a single one.

Among Sanji's most distinctive traits is his chivalry towards women. He is also a powerful fighter who ranks as the third strongest member of the crew, only below Luffy and Zoro. As such, his abilities are often subject to debate.

In One Piece, the most significant deciding factor in a fight is one's Haki. The Color of Conqueror's, especially in its advanced version, is the mightiest kind of Haki. With Sanji never having displayed this rare power, fans wonder if he may ever get it.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1082 and may reflect the writer's views.

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Whether Sanji will ever be a Conqueror's Haki user or not is a trending debate among One Piece fans

What is Conqueror's Haki in One Piece?

The strongest known users of Conqueror's Haki (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

Observation and Armament Haki can be developed through training, but the Color of Conqueror's is a different matter. Characters can only awaken this power if they have it dormant within themselves. Otherwise, they can't learn it, as it is only available to those born with it.

Only one in several million people is born with the rare traits of a "Supreme King," which allows the user to impose his will on others, overwhelming them and causing the weaker people to lose consciousness when in their presence.

While one can learn how to focus his Conqueror's Haki towards a specific target, the strength of this kind of Haki can't be trained. One's Color of the Conqueror's directly grows stronger as the user becomes stronger overall.

Even among the "Supreme Kings," only a few can coat their bodies, weapons, and attacks with Conqueror's Haki. Kaido described this skill as the signature power of the absolute strongest fighters. Most fans conventionally call this ability the "Advanced Conqueror's Haki."

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Sanji's attitude compared to that of Zoro and Luffy

Like in the other major crews, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji form a trio (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

Since the beginning of the series, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji have been grouped together as the Monster Trio of the Straw Hat Pirates. Still, that doesn't mean that they are equally strong. Luffy is clearly more powerful than Zoro, who in turn is significantly stronger than Sanji.

Luffy and Zoro are natural-born Conqueror's Haki users who can even use the advanced version of this special power. They are the only ones who possess these rare abilities within the Monster Trio and the entire crew itself.

Sanji has never displayed the usage of this power, and if he doesn't awaken it by the end of the series, he will remain the only member of the Monster Trio to not possess it. While that may be unpleasant for some, it wouldn't come as meaningless.

Sanji is objectively weaker than Zoro and even more so than Luffy. Throughout the series, Sanji only beat the number threes of the enemy group. Every time he tried to fight the main arc villain, or a number two, he always got quickly overpowered.

Instead, Zoro not only defeats the number twos of the opposing group but also often fights valiantly against main villains, getting hyped and performing well. Finally, Luffy defeats the main villains after a heated clash.

In the Wano Arc, the author deemed only Luffy and Zoro strong enough to clash with the mighty Emperors. Zoro fought at Luffy's side, showcasing his strength. The swordsman blocked Kaido and Big Mom's combined attack and inflicted a serious injury on the former.

Later, Zoro fought and defeated King, Kaido's most powerful subordinate. Meanwhile, after various vicissitudes, Luffy managed to overcome Kaido and finally defeat him. Moreover, during the battle in Wano, both Luffy and Zoro unlocked the Advanced Conqueror's Haki.

Sanji ended up winning his battle against Queen, the third strongest member of Beasts Pirates. Although a notable achievement, it clearly doesn't compare to the feats showcased by Luffy and Zoro during the same arc.

After all, this only reflects the difference in these characters' paths. Luffy is narratively bound to exceed Shanks, Roger, and "Sun God" Nika. Likewise, Zoro will surpass Mihawk, "Dark King" Rayleigh, and "Sword God" Ryuma.

Sanji only has a single known benchmark, Scopper Gaban, who doesn't even remotely compare to Luffy and Zoro. Thus, while Sanji, as a member of the mighty Monster Trio, is meant to be superior to any other Straw Hat, there's no reason for him to perform at Zoro's level, let alone at Luffy's.

During the famous "Nothing happened" scene, as well as in the battle on Onigashima's rooftop, Zoro showcased superior strength and willpower, while Sanji was totally sidelined. This emphasized a notable difference, portraying Zoro as the number two and Sanji as the number three.

Sanji had an immense chance to redeem himself in the Whole Cake Island Arc, but instead of believing in the might of his captain and comrades, he had a mental breakdown and chose to give in to Big Mom's blackmail, fearing the Emperor.

Luffy and Zoro, instead, fought relentlessly against the Emperors, ready to put their lives on the line but never even conceiving the idea of giving up. Such is the behavior of true Conquerors, which Sanji seems to lack.

Despite his enhanced genetics, Sanji is surprisingly more human than Luffy and Zoro. The two have an insane, almost inhuman, drive to obtain the immense strength required to realize their ambitions. Sanji is not as determined or dedicated as them.

Luffy and Zoro are trying to become the greatest pirate and the mightiest swordsman of all time, respectively. Sanji doesn't aim to achieve anything inherently related to strength but rather to discover a place, the fabled All Blue.

Furthermore, while Luffy and Zoro are dead serious about becoming the Pirate King and the World's Strongest Swordsman, Sanji almost never mentions the All Blue. He even mocked this ambition, belittling it in favor of his interest towards women.

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Sanji's attitude compared to that of other users of the ability

Sanji as seen in One Piece's Wano Arc (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

Granted, not every Conqueror needs to be like Luffy and Zoro, which means that Sanji may still have a chance regardless of his ambition and willpower paling in comparison to that of his two fellow Monster Trio members.

After all, some characters have a mindset similar to that of Sanji and yet are Conqueror's Haki users. Katakuri and even the infamous Whitebeard never aimed to be the mightiest but just focused on being strong enough to protect those they cared about.

They still became notably powerful simply as a collateral result of their desire to protect their dear ones. Sanji's mindset and path have been similar. Despite his main goal not being strength-related, Sanji has significantly empowered himself throughout the series.

However, it also needs to be addressed that Whitebeard, regardless of his primary goal of creating a family, ended up being one of the absolute strongest characters in the series, something that Sanji is not even close to.

With regards to Katakuri, he may simply have inherited his Conqueror's Haki as the most talented son of Big Mom, who owned that power. This would make sense, considering that it's very similar to how Yamato obtained the same Color of Conqueror as her father Kaido.

Another interesting thing is that Sanji has demonstrated great leadership skills, as well as the ability to convince many former enemies to join his side, including Pudding, Gin, and Viola.

This is very similar to Luffy's ability to convert dangerous enemies into allies, an uncommon trait that even Dracule Mihawk was amazed by. With Luffy being a major Conqueror's Haki user, some One Piece fans noticed the parallel.

The fact is that Luffy doesn't even do anything special to turn enemies into allies, he just somehow attracts people due to his natural charisma. Instead, people are swayed to Sanji's side as a result of him being kind towards them.

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Sanji's royal blood and the traits of a Supreme King

Sanji is a prince of the Vinsmoke Family (Image via Toei Animation, One Piece)

As every One Piece fan knows, Sanji comes from the Vinsmoke Family. A royal bloodline that rules the Germa Kingdom, the Vinsmokes are former dynastic conquerors and rulers of the North Blue.

Three hundred years ago, the Vinsmokes ruled the "Germa Empire," but they were dethroned after 66 days. Since then, they have continued to rule over the ocean-going Germa Kingdom and still possess the authority and privileges of royalty, including the right to attend Levely.

After their recent activities in Totto Land, the World Government has cut all ties with the Germa Kingdom. Thus, the Vinsmoke Family mostly operates in the "Underworld," leading the Germa 66 army in mercenary activities.

This has led some One Piece fans to assume that the royal background of the Vinsmokes may hint at Sanji having traits of a Supreme King. However, possessing the Color of the Conqueror is not tied to political authority but rather to extreme willpower.

The cover of One Piece chapter 1081 features Sanji reading a book allegedly titled "cocking". According to some fans, this could be a hint to "CoC" (the acronym for Color of the Conqueror), meaning that the author is foreshadowing that Sanji will reveal this power.

However, some prominent popularizers of One Piece, such as Arthur - Library of Ohara, consider this interpretation flawed. Admittedly, the most logical conclusion is that the book's title is "cooking" and that Sanji is reading it simply because he is a cook.

Moreover, using non-power-levels-related cover art to make theories about future feats and abilities of One Piece characters may be absolutely misleading. Fans shouldn't mistake jokes and red herrings for serious foreshadowing.

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Final Thoughts

Sanji as seen in One Piece's Egghead Arc (Image via Eiichiro Oda/Shueisha, One Piece)

In One Piece, the Conqueror's Haki, especially in its advanced version, is a requirement for the strongest fighters. So far, Sanji certainly lacks this rare power. Some fans speculate that he may display it sooner or later like Luffy and Zoro did.

Factually, the theories about Sanji having Conqueror's Haki appeared for no reason other than the fact that Zoro showcased that power. However, it's not that Sanji has to get everything Zoro does. This is just a wish from people who want them to be closer in strength.

Trying to claim that Zoro and Sanji are comparable in strength really appears to be a flawed argument. Although they are Luffy's Wings, it was never hinted, let alone stated, that this implies they are close in power.

It simply means that they are the ones who cover their captain's back better than the other Straw Hats could ever do. Other than that, Zoro has clearly been emphasized as Luffy's right-hand man and second-in-command as well as the only one comparable to him.

In any case, nothing can be ruled out for certain. With Sanji being a major fan-favorite as well as the third strongest member of the main character's group, he can't be underestimated.

Sanji doesn't seem to be the type of character who can possess the traits of a Conqueror's Haki user. However, whether he will ever be revealed as a user of this rare ability or not ultimately depends only on One Piece author Eiichiro Oda's intent.