One Piece Is Officially Replacing Zoro As Luffy's Strongest Commander

Within the ranks of the Straw Hat Pirates, there has always been an established power hierarchy. The captain of the crew, Monkey D. Luffy, has always been established by Eiichiro Oda to be the absolute strongest, followed by the swordsman Roronoa Zoro. Following Zoro is Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the gap between him and the swordsman has always been incredibly small.

However, with the Elbaf arc, Eiichiro Oda is erasing this gap forever, and for the very first time in the series, One Piece is replacing Zoro as Luffy's strongest commander. Instead, Zoro and Sanji are now set to stand on the same pedestal, starting the Elbaf arc, as the latter finally has his biggest nerf removed and awakens the Color of the Supreme King. One Piece Chapter 1197, which is set to be released on November 1, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 49, is set to grant the Color of the Supreme King to Sanji and remove his biggest mental nerf, which he put on himself ever since he was a kid, finally bridging the gap between him and Zoro once and for all.

One Piece Chapter 1196 Finally Equates Zoro And Sanji

One Piece chapter 1196 was officially released on October 18, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue 47. This chapter was significant for the character of Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates, as it forced him to finally accept his biggest weakness. Ever since Sanji was born, he was constantly abused by his family, and this was largely because of his inability to manifest the same powers as the other Vinsmoke siblings. Sanji's abuse took a severe toll on his self-worth and eventually made him suicidal, something that he kept under wraps for the vast majority of the story. The flashback in One Piece chapter 1196 finally showed us how Emporio Ivankov carved Sanji's shell and forced him to see his suicidal nature for the very first time.

Sanji: I don't care about myself. I would gladly give my life for the sake of Nami and Robin!

Ivankov: I'm not saying that's wrong. But Sanji, remember this: the love of the one who longs for death is worthless, and right now, your love is full of wounds.

— Ivankov addresses Sanji, One Piece Chapter #1196

According to Ivankov, while Sanji was still capable of winning battles the way he did, if he continued to use his body in a rash, suicidal manner, he would eventually break down and die. This death, for the sake of his loved ones, is easily avoidable, according to Ivankov, and if he utilized his skill to the absolute best level, Sanji could easily become one of the strongest in the entire world. Sanji's lack of self-esteem and low self-worth, alongside his suicidal nature, forced him to put a mental nerf on himself, and that limited his abilities greatly. Above all, this suppressed his Conqueror's Haki and prevented him from rising to the top as one of the leading pirates of the new generation.

Sanji: What about me? Do I have Conqueror's Haki?

Gaban: You too have traits of one who can become a Conqueror. But for some reason, I sense dangerous self-deprecation in you. If you truly want Luffy to become the Pirate King, then you yourself must become a "King."

— Gaban confirms Sanji's Conqueror's Haki, One Piece Chapter #1187

Now, however, this is set to change. At the end of One Piece chapter 1196, Sanji finally embodied his true self-worth and acknowledged himself as someone with kingly ambition. In other words, Sanji's biggest mental nerf has finally been removed from him, and he no longer limits himself or pushes his body in harm's way when there is no need to. As such, the gap between Zoro and Sanji has now officially been erased, and the two Wings of the Pirate King now stand on an equal pedestal, with both wielding incredibly impressive Color of the Supreme King, which Eiichiro Oda will finally show to us in chapter 1197 on November 1, 2026.

"Hey, Iva-chan! It seems that the day of my limits is finally here. I need strength right here right now. If I build up my defense, will I get stronger? While I need power, you're telling me to take care of myself?" — Sanji thinks to himself, One Piece Chapter #1196

Why The Wings Of The Pirate King Must Be Equal

The Wings of the Pirate King are the most important element in the Straw Hat Pirates if Luffy is to become the Pirate King. This was established first by Nico Robin in the Wano Country arc during her fight against Black Maria, and then reiterated by many, especially in the Elbaf arc, where the late Pirate King Roger's wings were also revealed to us. One Piece Chapter 1139, released officially on February 10, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 11, stated that in the Roger Pirates there were three absolute monsters who were incredibly close in terms of overall power level. Roger was eventually stated to be the strongest of the lot, while Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban were stated to be on equal footing and competing as rivals. Gaban believed himself to be the second strongest after Roger, while Rayleigh likely believes himself to be the second best.

"He's been living in Elbaf for 20 years now. He's a living legend who stood as an equal to Roger and Rayleigh. The left arm of the Pirate King... Scopper Gaban!" — Oimo and Kashi introduce Gaban, One Piece Chapter #1139

Regardless, what matters is that both Rayleigh and Gaban were on equal footing, and this dynamic must be shown through the Straw Hat Pirates as well. Zoro and Sanji's rivalry has always existed since the beginning of the series. Now that Sanji has truly accepted himself and has awakened the Color of the Supreme King, these two stand on an equal pedestal and have risen as two of the strongest pirates on the seas. Only with their help can Luffy be made the Pirate King, and without them, the Straw Hat Pirates are bound to fail. From here onwards, the wings of the Pirate King are going to play an extremely important role in One Piece, and we absolutely cannot wait to see what Eiichiro Oda does with them.

Zoro: Hey, do the job right!

Sanji: Right back at you!

— Exchange between Zoro and Sanji, One Piece Chapter #1182

Test your knowledge.

Easy · 15s Medium · 10s Hard · 5s Permadeath · 5s

Sign in to claim your place on the leaderboard!

Leaderboard No scores yet. Be the first. 1/10

Question text goes here?

Results

0 Points

—

Sign in to claim your place on the leaderboard!

Leaderboard No scores yet. Be the first.

For the vast majority of One Piece, most fans can arguably say that Roronoa Zoro took the Number 2 spot in terms of the overall strength rankings of the Straw Hat Pirates. However, in the Wano Country arc, this ranking shifted as Sanji awakened his Germa abilities, which allowed him to manifest the powers of Ifrit Jambe. Meanwhile, Zoro's power-up with the Color of the Supreme King channeled through King of Hell was certainly greater, but his inability to control Conqueror's Haki certainly nerfed his overall skill, equating these two in a certain manner. That said, Zoro's peak was certainly greater than Sanji's at that point.

Now, however, Zoro has mastered the Color of the Supreme King fully in the Elbaf arc. Meanwhile, Sanji has also awakened the Color of the Supreme King and is no longer using his body in a rash, suicidal manner. For the first time, Zoro and Sanji are canonically equal and thus share the Number 2 spot of the Straw Hat Pirates, and that's something that we absolutely cannot wait to see moving forward. There are plenty of powerful enemies that Zoro and Sanji must face in the future, and Eiichiro Oda is most certainly going to deliver some incredibly exciting combat with these two wings moving forward.

All chapters of One Piece by Eiichiro Oda are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.

One Piece TV-14 Comedy Action Adventure Anime Fantasy Release Date October 20, 1999 Studio Toei Animation Creator Eiichiro Oda Streaming Service(s) Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV