a piece Chapter 1187 was released on July 5, 2026, and through this release in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issue #32, Eiichiro Oda officially confirmed the existence of another King within the Straw Hats.
in the world of a pieceKings have more powerful powers than most, and those with a kingly disposition are often said to be the most dangerous. This is because being king directly corresponds to the ability to use one of the strongest powers in the entire world – Supreme King Haki. Monkey D. Luffy gained full access to his Supreme King Haki during the timeskip, and since then, he has continued to grow exponentially. Now, in One Piece chapter 1187, series creator, Ichiro Oda, has confirmed the status of king for the Straw Hat Pirates' cook, Sanji, and he is now on the verge of awakening one of the most dangerous abilities that exist at sea.
One Piece Chapter 1187 officially confirms Sanji's status as a king
in the world of a pieceCharacters with the qualities of a king are considered very special. This is why the monkey d. Luffy was considered dangerous by the marines in the Marineford arc when he unleashed Conqueror's Haki Bolt to save Ace in One Piece chapter 569, officially released in Weekly Shonen Jump issues #5-6 on January 4, 2010. Realizing his future potential, even the navy admirals began to sweat, saying that he would be a big problem in the future. Similarly, in the new world, only those who have the qualities to become kings are considered worthy to reach the top level of the world. When Luffy fought against Don Chinjao a piece In Chapter 717, officially published on August 12, 2013, Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issues #37-38, he confirms that only the king who stands above all kings can become the Pirate King.
“There are countless in these seas who have the qualities to be a king. Only one who stands at the top of all kings can call himself the Pirate King!” – Don Qinzhao, One Piece Chapter 717
All things considered, one of the strongest fighters in the world of One Piece, Sanji was always destined for the winner's Haki. This potential of his was finally hinted at on June 23, 2025 by Scapar Gaban in One Piece Chapter 1152 and was officially highlighted a year later in Chapter 1187 on July 5 during the battle against Saint Killingham.
In a fragment 1187, Sanji officially stated that he knew Saint Killingham's greatest weakness, to which the latter replied that if he had the colors of the Supreme King he should try to kill him. This is where Oda gives us a conversation between Sanji and Gaban. In this conversation, Scoper Gaban officially confirmed that Sanji has the qualities to be a king, but that he is actively suppressing his conqueror's Haki due to his self-reliance and ability to self-sacrifice. As long as Sanji continued to harbor this self-deprecation, he would never awaken to his kingly potential. Once he accepts himself for what he is, he will finally be able to wield the strongest form of Haki as the king of a fragmented world.
Sanji: Hey, grandpa! Can I use Supreme King
Gaban: You must have the capacity for it. However, in your case, for some reason, I feel a very strong self-depreciation. If you really want Luffy to be the pirate king then you must be a king too.
– Scooper Gaban confirms that Sanji can become king, One Piece chapter #1187
A fragmentary volume. 115 introduced a new official member of the Nerona emu clan
The Nerona clan rules the world of One Piece, and a new member from this clan is introduced on July 3, 2026 through One Piece Volume 115.
Sanji's Supreme King Haki is finally awakening in Killingham Vs
Eiichiro Oda has always been known to write fantastic character arcs when it comes to Sanji, and in the post-time skip of One Piece, he might be Oda's best written character since Luffy. The character growth he shows even before Whole Cake Island starts and the vast story Oda writes for him is absolutely amazing. This all culminates in the Elbaf arc, where Sanji is actively trying to become king in order to make Luffy the Pirate King. One Piece Chapter 1187 officially confirms the existence of Conqueror's Haki within Sanji, this Haki is yet to be brought out, and it is going to be in the battle against Saint Killingham.
This is because Saint Killingham's only weakness is the power of the Supreme King color. In One Piece Chapter 1152, Scopper Gaban first asked Luffy to be careful with how he uses the Supreme King's color, as it is the Holy Knights' only weakness. It was repeated a piece Chapter 1170, officially released on January 5, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issues #6–7, where he explains that Harald can only be brought down by infusing the winning Haki into an attack. Now, in order for Sanji to take down the omen-powered Saint Killingham, he needs the power of the Conqueror's Haki in his possession, thus setting a precedent for him to become the official King of the One Piece World.
“Give him enough hits, and we might manage to put him out of commission. If these guys have any weakness, it's against those of us who can fill our attacks with the colors of the Supreme King!” – Scooper Gaban confirms Supreme King Haki color as Immortal's weakness, One Piece Chapter #1170
Why Sanji was always destined to become a king in one piece
Sanji was always destined to become king in the world a pieceAnd this is mainly because of his huge ambitions. In the Barati arc, specifically One Piece 66, it was officially confirmed by Jeff that Sanji had the same Spear of Grit as Luffy and the same grand ambition as his own, but in his case, he was chewing on this spear and killing his own ambition for the sake of others. Once again, in Sanji's case, it is self-observation and self-sacrifice. Sanji put the person who saved his life and the one to whom he owed it, Jeff's service above himself, and decided to sacrifice himself to make Jeff happy. It killed his own ambition and thus included his color of supreme king.
“No matter what weapon or weapon they are equipped with. They are no match for a special spear. I have known someone who chewed his own spear for no reason.” – Jeff confirms that Sanji's soul is the same as Luffy's, One Piece Chapter #66
Sanji did this on various occasions in the story, such as in Thriller Bark and Sabaudi. After the timeskip, he did it again when Bege arrived with an invitation to the royal wedding, and on Whole Cake Island, Sanji was willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of the crew so that Luffy could still be the Pirate King without him. but, a piece Chapter 844 officially confirmed to us that without Sanji, Luffy would never become the Pirate King, thus setting the precedent for Luffy to become the king for Sanji to become the king.
In the Wano arc, Sanji showed great growth by trusting Nico Robin and finally letting go of self-deprecation in One Piece Chapter 1005, officially released on March 1, 2021. This is going to be fully realized in the Elbaf arc, where he will have to let go of this self-deprecating nature in order to awaken the colors of the Supreme King and defeat Kaido. Furthermore, Sanji comes from a royal bloodline, as he is descended from Germa, who ruled the Northern Blue 66 days ago. Although the current batch of Judges and Vinsmokes are confirmed to be bad, the previous germa probably weren't. With the blood of conquerors and kings flowing directly through his veins, Sanji had always been a potential conqueror, and now his kingly spirit would finally awaken after 21 years.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
