On December 6, 2021 in One piece Chapter 1034, Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirates' Chef and one of the Wings of the Pirate King, has officially used his strongest power yet, called Ifrit Jambe. This power was awakened by Sanji after harnessing the power of his Germ exoskeleton and combining massive regeneration, durability, and strength enhancement with his finely crafted Haki armor. The combination of these two abilities increased his overall flame resistance to heavenly heights, and he was able to generate the power of Ifrit Jambe, which allowed him to defeat the Queen of the Beast Pirates.
5 years have passed since then and now Eiichiro Oda, the creator One pieceis officially preparing a new flame upgrade for Sanji after Ifrit Jambe. Even though Ifrit Jambe is strong, he is not strong enough for Sanji to fight the enemies that the Straw Hat Pirates are currently facing. As such, the newer upgrade to Ifrit Jambe comes with its foundation already established in the Elbaf arc. By awakening the Supreme King Color, Sanji's overall firepower will grow even further and will likely awaken a new flame-based kicking technique.
One Piece's Elbaf Arc officially introduces an upgrade to Ifrit Jambe by enhancing Sanji's Haki
From the start of the Elbaf Arc, Sanji started using Ifrit Jambe more often than ever before, even against insignificant enemies. At the beginning of Elbaf, when Sanji fought Iskat in the diorama created by Road in Chapter 1127 on September 23, 2024, he officially released Ifrit Jambe for fodder for the first time. Shortly after, he used the technique again to break through Road's steel mesh in chapter 1129 and also unleashed the technique against Saint Killingham in One piece Chapter 1176 of March 9, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #15.
“That elitist attitude and crude ideology. It's typical of a Heavenly Dragon. You really must be out of touch when you don't even recognize a former warrior like Jinbe. Now how are you going to pay for disrespecting our crew member? Shall I shove that bubble mask of yours? Ifrit Jambe: Concasser!!!” — Sanji attacks Killingham with Ifrit Jambe, One Piece Chapter #1176
Since Sanji uses Ifrit Jambe so often, series creator Eiichiro Oda set a precedent for Sanji to unlock a new, stronger power. This makes perfect sense when you combine it with the massive reveal that came in One Piece Chapter 1152, released on June 23, 2025, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump #30, where Scopper Gaban officially stated that the only way to defeat the Holy Knights was to use the Color of the Supreme King. This was repeated by Gaban in One Piece Chapter 1170, which was published on January 5, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #6-7. There, Scopper Gaban fought against King Harald and explained to Shanks that the greatest weakness of those with immortality and regeneration are people who can imbue their attacks with the High King's color.
“Give him enough hits and we can put him out of commission. If these guys have any weakness, it's against those of us who can infuse our attacks with the color of the Supreme King!” — Scopper Gaban explains the only weakness of immortals, One Piece Chapter #1170
Right now, One Piece has officially pitted Sanji against one of the Holy Knights powered by Nero Imu's Omen, and that is none other than Saint Killingham. This official match was set in One Piece Chapter 1182 on May 10, 2026 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24. As things stand, Sanji has nothing in his arsenal that can kill Killingham. While he can damage him, Killingham can simply regenerate and eventually take Sanji down. The only way Straw Hat Cook can defeat Saint Killingham is to awaken the Color of the High King, which creates the basis for Sanji to gain even stronger flames.
Coupled with the fact that Sanji is supposed to parallel Scopper Gaban, who is also a user of all three types of Haki, it is almost certain that he will awaken this power in Elbaf. Sanji can then infuse this newly awakened Haki into his entire body, allowing him to whip out even hotter flames and take his Ifrit Jambe one step further.
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Why Stronger Conqueror's Haki Infusion unlocks new flames for Sanji
To understand how the Color of the Supreme King will affect Sanji's Ifrit Jambe, we must first look at how Sanji's flame-based fighting style works. When Sanji taps Diable Jambe, the technique only works due to his natural resistance to flames, which was also addressed by Eiichiro Oda in One Piece Volume 105 SBS March 3, 2023. In this issue of the volume, Oda officially stated that Sanji's resistance to fire allows him to develop Diable Jambe. This resistance to flames was further enhanced upon awakening his Germa exoskeleton.
“Sanji is the exact opposite of his siblings. The raid suit made the power of science manifest for him. Sanji already had an abnormal resistance to flames. That was a strange little event, wasn't it? We'll see where it takes him in the future.” — Eiichiro Oda, One Piece Volume 105 SBS
The exoskeleton provides Sanji with a certain level of durability, and combined with the high recovery rate offered by his genetic modification, plus an added boost to his overall defensive capabilities with the armor's color, Sanji can sustain very hot flames. The higher Sanji's durability and defensive abilities, the hotter the flames he can sustain on his feet. The Supreme King's color is perfect in this regard, as it boosts both defensive and offensive abilities. Not only will Sanji's flames be hotter, but his own body will be much stronger as he imbues it with the Supreme King Color. His higher defensive abilities will allow him to keep the flames even hotter in the battle against Holy Knight Killingham. With this, Sanji's Ifrit Jambe is set to evolve even further, taking the Straw Hat to a new level of performance. With his newfound powers, Sanji can officially put an end to one of the most powerful Holy Knights already powered by Nerona Imu's Omen.
Sanji's demon connection could connect to Nerona Imu's sign
When Sanji's new flames finally manifest in the climax of the Elbaf arc, it's likely that those flames will be colored black, as this would also be directly related to Nerona Imu's Omen. In One Piece Chapter 1181, which was officially published in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Double Issue #22-23 on April 27, 2026, Nerona Imu stated that the Omen is his military power and that it is a power that resides in everyone. Interestingly, Imu's Omen manifests as black flames. When Sanji's flames are upgraded, they usually change color and are currently blue and white flames.
“The mark is my military power. The power that resides in all living things.” — Nero explains his Black Flames to Ima, One-Part Chapter #1181
Infused with Conqueror's Haki, these flames could potentially turn black, which would pair perfectly with Nerona Imu's Omen and perhaps allow Sanji to manipulate a similar power. It will be interesting to see what color flames Sanji generates. Given his theme and Black-Leg moniker, it would make perfect sense for him to awaken the black flames at the end of the Elbaf Arc. We look forward to seeing how it evolves.
All the latest chapters of Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
