In fact, Ace would have been decapitated if Luffy hadn’t unlocked and released an overwhelming dose of Conqueror’s Haki that knocked out numerous combatants. Since that point, Oda has revealed considerable information about Haki — Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s — with several applications for each type. And the One Piece Final Saga alone has seen two particularly interesting implementations of Conqueror’s Haki.
Only the Strongest One Piece Characters Emit Conqueror’s Haki
Officially known as Color of the Supreme King Haki, Conqueror’s Haki users are extremely rare across the world of One Piece. Available to less than one person per million, the name of this Haki subtype perfectly describes those with this power. Considering that Haki itself is a manifestation of willpower, Conqueror’s Haki is the ability to overwhelm another’s will and psychologically dominate them.
When Luffy saved Ace with Conqueror’s Haki, he was unconsciously channeling the power innate to him and his bloodline. Compared to Armament and Observation Haki, which can be honed by pretty much anyone, it is believed that Conqueror’s Haki has a genetic component. This can be seen in the Will of D, as Garp, Luffy, Roger, and Ace have displayed this ability, as well as between other parent-child relationships — Big Mom-Katakuri, Kaido-Yamato, among other partially confirmed examples.
Conqueror’s Haki has several applications, all of them linked to the balanced equation between physical strength and willpower. Intimidation is the first, allowing users to cow their opponents into submission, explaining how Shanks saved Luffy from the Lord of the Coast. The next is incapacitation, which is what Luffy utilized on Marineford before repeating the same tactic on Fish-Man Island.
And finally, the most powerful application of Conqueror’s Haki is infusion — Luffy unlocked this ability relatively recently, using Conqueror’s Haki-laden physical attacks against Kaidou. Weapons can also be infused with Haki, vastly augmenting their durability and cutting power, as seen when Shanks obliterated the Kid Pirates from existence with a single swing of his sword. And infusion is directly related to both the strange Haki applications revealed in One Piece‘s Final Saga.
Emet Revealed a Conqueror’s Haki Knot on Egghead Island
A former friend of Joy Boy’s from the Void Century, Emet recognized Luffy’s inheritance and unleashed a devastating attack to save the Straw Hats. Joy Boy had previously collected his Conqueror’s Haki in a “knot” and stored it within Emet’s robot body, and this “knot” had survived for hundreds of years. It wasn’t designed to be used against specific enemies, but was spectacularly effective nevertheless.
When it was untied, the resulting blast of energy rendered nearly every character unconscious — even the Vice Admirals were helpless against a level of Conqueror’s Haki capable of neutralizing the Five Elders’ Devil Fruit transformations and teleporting them to Mary Geoise. Even Imu was shaken to their core.
The knot wasn’t even metaphorical; Joy Boy had literally placed his Conqueror’s Haki inside a tied rope that was then kept inside Emet. As such, it’s theoretically possible to shape this power for offensive purposes, implying the potential existence of other Conqueror’s Haki “traps” in One Piece. And there’s also the question of how such an unspecific knot could perform such a specific teleportation.
The God Valley Incident Was the Pinnacle of Conqueror’s Haki
As of Chapter 1166, there are 18 Conqueror’s Haki users still alive, with another eight of them deceased. With so few users, this group is easily one of the most exclusive communities in One Piece. As such, fans were delighted when the Elbaph arc sank into a God Valley flashback, putting ten Conqueror’s Haki users on the tiny island. The battles were legendary, even with Oda’s summarization, all thanks to the relentless splendor of Conqueror’s Haki.
The God Valley Incident is arguably the most politically charged event in the history of One Piece, including the destruction of Marineford. And here in this melee, the only currency was raw power — even Devil Fruits faded into the background. Except for Whitebeard’s Tremor-Tremor Fruit shattering the iconic rock formation of God Valley and a few other forgettable Devil Fruits, the most apocalyptic battles took place with Haki. Perhaps this is why Kaidou, who obtained his Azure Dragon fruit in God Valley, still believed in the superiority of Haki four decades later.
Roger and Garp’s God Valley Fight with Rocks Exposed a Haki Secret
Rocks D. Xebec was unquestionably the most powerful character in God Valley, and arguably the second-strongest in One Piece after Imu. Armed with nothing more than his unnamed sword, Rocks tore through the World Government and its ruthless enforcers, singlehandedly defeating Saint Figarland Garling and the Knights of God. Rocks’ will was so powerful that it not only manifested the highest Conqueror’s Haki levels ever seen, but also partially broke through Imu’s Domi Reversi.
Whether Imu’s demonification boosted Rocks’ Conqueror’s Haki isn’t clear, but there’s no doubt that Garp and Roger could take the pirate down by themselves. Despite having access to immense Haki, both of them paled in comparison to Rocks. Around the end of their battle, Roger and Garp had a brief discussion about “critical mass,” ending with the resolution to use all their Conqueror’s Haki in a single attack.
This could also explain how Garp and Roger instantly defeated Rocks after hitting their respective critical masses, especially given how long battles between powerhouses can range. On top of that, Rocks was defending himself with an infusion of Conqueror’s Haki, transforming the power into a form of armor. This left his opponents no choice but to bring the fight to an end as quickly as possible.
According to Roger, channeling their entire mass of Conqueror’s Haki into a single attack would have problematic outcomes for themselves — Chapter 1166 reveals that Rayleigh and Scoper had to save Garp and Roger after their final moves brought Rocks down. Taking everything into account, this new Haki application might be more than just augmenting one’s Conqueror’s Haki; it could be something specific for Luffy to exploit down the line.
As repeated by countless characters in One Piece, those who bear the Will of D cannot be swayed from their paths. In God Valley, the parallels between Garp and Luffy paired perfectly with Roger and Ace, evoking memories of how Luffy developed Conqueror’s Haki to save Ace. The flashback proved that Haki was indeed an expression of individual willpower — like Hunter x Hunter‘s Nen — making complete sense why Roger and Garp’s combined attack overwhelmed Rocks.
