Summary
Although it was officially introduced into the story much later, Haki has gone on to become arguably the most important aspect of the entireOne Piecepower system. Of course, Devil Fruits are still incredibly important, with some of the recently introduced ones being among the greatest powers in the world, but many of the strongest characters in the setting have echoed the sentiment of Haki being the only way to conquer the seas.
Because of this, Haki has often been brought to the forefront of entire story arcs. There are three main Haki types;Armament, Conquerors, and Observation, each of which works their own way and brings a unique aspect to the table. As such, many tend to dismiss Observation Haki as being the weakest of them, but if this theory about what its mastered form could look like is true, it could be the greatest power inOne Piece.
Advanced Forms
Conqueror’s Coating, Ryou, Future Sight
As stated previously, each of the three Haki types has unique properties that work harmoniously with the others. With Armament Haki, the user can coat parts of their body or their weapons to be stronger and far more durable against enemy attacks,and with Conqueror’s Haki, the user exerts their will onto others. This can take the appearance of a forcefield which can dominate weaker individuals by making them pass out. Observation Haki dials their senses up to 11, making them incredibly alert and reactive.
When used frequently, the user becomes much more attuned to these various Haki types, allowing them to unlock their Advanced Forms, which take their base abilities and make them far more potent. For example, the Advanced Form of Armament Haki, Ryou, coats the user in an invisible extra layer that not only makes their attacks even stronger, but allows them to damage their opponents without directly needing to touch them. For Observation Haki, the Advanced Form is Future Sight, which allows them to see a few seconds into the future.
The Ultimate Form Of Observation Haki Would Allow Prophetic Future Sight
The Greatest Power In The World
As the series has officially entered its Final Saga with the start of the Elbaf arc, things are picking up now more than ever before. With Imu and the Gods' Knights being present in the land of the Giants, it’s clear that Luffy and his allies are woefully unprepared to take them on, since Imu’s abilities have shown thateven the powers of Nikamay not be sufficient to save the day here.
This is where the theories of further refinement and mastery over the various Haki types come in since it’s clear that this is almost a prerequisite to taking on the strongest enemies in the Final Saga. With Conqueror’s Coating and Ryou being known as the quintessential ways to battle against their opponents, this leaves Observation Haki without a new form to keep up. However, the theory states that the only way for Observation Haki to remain as much of an asset is through a version of Future Sight that is almost prophetic.
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!
Essentially, this just means that the mastery of this specific Haki type could lead to Future Sight but in a far greater capacity, allowing the user to see even days or weeks in advance. While this may initially seem strange to think about, one must first remember previous instances of Haki that were only confirmed to be as such once it became a cemented concept. Observation Haki isknown as Mantra on the Sky Islands, but those who live there are born with this power rather than having to learn it like the rest of the world.
Plus, Mantra is far more wide-spanning in its application compared to the traditional use of Observation Haki, showing that those born with the affinity to use this power can still use it to a great extent without having to necessarily hone it. A great example of this was Aisa, who could hear things from entire islands away despite only being a little girl at the time.
So, many fans believe that the same thing goes for a few others who use Observation Haki, particularly Madam Shyarly from Fishman Island. Blessed with prophetic visions that allow her to see many years into the future, many have taken this to mean that this unique ability that she has is actually anincredibly attuned version of Observation Haki, particularly of Future Sight, that allows her to see so far ahead. Naturally, the pinnacle of Observation Haki would allow for this as well as all the other benefits that come from it.
This would also explain how Joyboy could have known about the way the next 800 years would play out and why he was waiting for a particular person. Of course, there are some holes in this theory, particularly those which state that none are more adept at Haki use in general than Imu, who is the strongest character who has had 800 years to perfect their powers. If that’s the case, Imu should have seen the future in order to prevent everything that’s going against them as well, but it could be that they did and are on Elbaf precisely for this reason.
