Summary
Although it was introduced around halfway through the story, Haki has gone on to become as central to theOne Piecepower system as Devil Fruits themselves. Although not nearly as varied or unique in terms of power, Haki is broadly defined as an innate power within everyone that can only be brought out through training, coming in three distinct forms. These forms are Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and Conqueror’s Haki.
As the series has progressed post-time skip, there have been a few new additions to this power system, which come fromthe ‘Advanced’ forms of each Haki type. These techniques take the already incredible properties of these powers and make them even more potent, and at this stage, fans believe that there could be further mastery which will eventually become a mainstay inOne Piece, so let’s look at what these can be.
Advanced Form
Ryou
Out of all the Haki types, Armament Haki is the most combat-oriented, since, with this power, the user coats their body or weapons in order to make them far stronger and more durable.While this is Armament Haki’s default ability, its Advanced Form, also known as ‘Ryou’ in Wano, greatly increases the strength of the attacks as well as the defense of the wielder. On top of this, it provides an extra protective layer over the user that can inflict damage without directly touching their opponent.
When facing a Devil Fruit user, other than taking advantage of their individual weaknesses, this “Armament Haki” is the sole method of effectively combating their abilities!
As for the Mastered Armament Haki, many fans believe that they have gotten a glimpse of it on Elbaf. With the Gods' Knights being confirmed as users of a regenerative ability granted to them by Imu, they are impervious to regular attacks and seemingly also those imbued with Ryou. However, Scopper’s brief fight with St. Sommers showed the negation of this regenerative power, prompting fans to think that this is the greatest form of Armament Haki that can bypass intangibility, making it vital for the battles against the Gods' Knights and Elders.
Future Sight
Observation Haki is a powerful ability that essentially grants the user a sixth sense, allowing them to sense and perceive things that are otherwise invisible to regular people. Mastery over this ability allows even blind people to fight against the strongest characters, as is the case with Admiral Fujitora, and theAdvanced Form of Observation Haki is Future Sight. This ability allows the user to see a few seconds into the future, with which they can accurately predict and respond to their opponent’s next move.
The power to acutely sense an opponent… that’s the Color of Observation Haki. Training this ability will allow you to read the location, number, and movements of enemies you can’t even see!
The greatest display of Advanced Observation Haki has been shown by Shanks, where he saw ten seconds into the future against Kid. However, fans believe that the Mastered Form of this Haki type would be a substantial look into the future which would allow users to see entire events play out far later with complete accuracy. Characters such as Madam Shyarly have gotten visions of the future years in advance that have proven to be true, prompting fans to think that her prophetic powers are actually the greatest type of Observation Haki.
Perhaps The Greatest Power
First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Infusion, Observation Killing
Of all the Haki types,Conqueror’s Haki is the rarestand is the only one that can’t be learned, since one in a million is born with this power that they have to awaken at some point. The easiest way to describe it is the exertion of the user’s will externally, which can be used to dominate others. One of its Advanced Forms allows the user to infuse their attacks with it, making them even stronger, while another is Observation Killing, which allows the user to negate anyone else using Future Sight on them.
This is the power to overwhelm - the Color of Conqueror’s Haki! Most people who’ve made a name for themselves in this world possess this power.
Out of the three Haki types, a potential Mastered Form of Conqueror’s Haki is the hardest to pin down due to a lack of connections to be made. However, the truth of this likely lies in Joyboy’s burst of Haki during the Egghead arc, which was the greatest feat of Conqueror’s Haki ever seen in the series that not only covered the most area, but also took out the 5 Elders. Because of this, many think that the Mastered Form simply makes the user’s Conqueror’s Haki incredibly potent and wide-spanning, allowing it to be stored within objects for centuries.
