Additional proof that devil fruits may not be as irrelevant as Kaido claimed is the fact that Kaido lost because Luffy awakened his devil fruit and not only because of Luffy’s use of Haki, which had already been nearly perfected even before Luffy awakened. Luffy has also managed to dominate battles against old foes like Admiral Kizaru and Rob Lucci on Egghead, who, despite having grown stronger, remain no match for Luffy since his awakening.

One Piece‘s Original Power System Makes a Return in the Final Saga

One Piece created by Eiichiro Oda

Luffy’s defeat at Sabaody was a decisive moment that proved neither he nor the rest of the Straw Hats were prepared or strong enough for the New World just yet. Sabaody was the first instance Luffy tasted utter defeat and was forced to acknowledge that his devil fruit powers could only take him so far. As Luffy entered the New World, it was clear that the series would be taking a new direction.

The introduction of Haki was especially a game changer in that regard and was the focus as a newly introduced power system capable of taking Luffy’s abilities to a level capable of standing up to the monstrous powers of the New World. With Haki able to counter all devil fruit powers, including the seemingly invincible Logia-type users, Haki was certainly posed to render devil fruits irrelevant.

Haki’s central role came into play yet again on Wano with Luffy being forced to learn the samurai’s unique form of Armament Haki, Ryou, in order to have even the slightest chance against Kaido. However, even this seemed to be insufficient to take down Kaido until Luffy awakened the Nika Fruit, which quickly turned the tide and signaled the return of the series’ original power system.

The origin of devil fruits remains a mystery. Dr. Vegapunk theorized that they were born from “people’s desires” turned into reality, but besides that, everything is speculation.

Since Wano, One Piece has gone on to introduce many fearsome devil fruits. The Egghead Arc has especially drawn attention to Jewelry Bonney who has displayed many frightening techniques, such as the ability to access alternative futures and momentarily age opponents to a near-death state. Bonney’s devil fruit also appears to function on the same principle as the Nika Fruit, making it a truly intimidating power. Egghead also reveals the terrifying devil fruit powers of Saint Saturn, who has the ability to turn into a massive spider-like demon with powerful regenerative powers through the use of an unnamed Mythical Zoan-type devil fruit.

All of One Piece‘s Final Players Possess Powerful Devil Fruits

One Piece‘s latest arc also teases that the rest of the Five Elders possess devil fruits just as powerful as Saint Saturn’s. Sabo’s encounter with the Five Elders on Mariejois hints that the remaining Five Elders’ devil fruits could also be Mythical Zoan types, as indicated by the monstrous silhouettes in the throne room in chapter #1085. Though little has been revealed about the Five Elders’ leader, Imu likely possesses a devil fruit power as well, and many fans have speculated it could be connected to the sea, considering that Imu is being built up as One Piece’s biggest villain.

If Luffy will truly wage war against the Marines and the World Government as fans have theorized, even more devil fruit users stand in his way. Besides the Five Elders and Imu, who will already be quite a handful, there is still the matter of the remaining Admirals, particularly Akainu. That said, Luffy’s fight against Kizaru on Egghead indicates the Admirals may not be as insurmountable obstacles as they were before the time skip, especially with Nika’s powers.

The eventual showdown between Luffy and Blackbeard is set to be a battle of devil fruit abilities.

More importantly, Blackbeard who is Luffy’s biggest rival and competitor towards becoming the Pirate King, has not one but two incredibly powerful devil fruits. Blackbeard has been on the hunt for powerful devil fruits for quite a while and has acquired quite a formidable crew of devil fruit users. As such, the eventual showdown between Luffy and Blackbeard is set to be a battle of devil fruit abilities, more than one entirely dependent on Haki. In fact, it seems that all of Luffy’s final adversaries will have exceptionally strong devil fruit powers, with Kaido only being the first of many.

Haki Continues to Be Just As Crucial As Devil Fruits

That said, although devil fruits are returning to the limelight, Haki will continue to remain just as crucial. The introduction of powerful new devil fruits does not necessarily mean they are superior to Haki. There are still powerful Haki users that Luffy has yet to encounter like Shanks whose Haki was powerful enough to intimidate even Marine Admiral Rokugyu and has earned Shanks a peculiar title as the “killer of Observation Haki.”

In all, although there have been powerful Haki users like Gol D. Roger and Kozuki Oden in the history of One Piece who achieved great things without a devil fruit, Kaido was wrong to dismiss devil fruits entirely. Despite Kaido’s claims that Haki could “transcend all,” ironically, Kaido’s devil fruit played a crucial role in helping him maintain his grip over Wano for the last two decades. Kaido’s powerful devil fruit and his army of devil fruit users are what cemented his status as an Emperor of the Seas.

Evidently, both Haki and devil fruit powers are formidable in their own right, but the next King of the Pirates, whoever he may be, will surely have to master both.

One Piece is available from Crunchyroll and Netflix.