The Straw Hat Pirates are the main characters of Eiichiro Oda's film One piece series and have gone from strength to strength over the years, officially reaching the rank of Yonko v One piece Chapter 1053 which was released in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump issue 19 on June 20, 2022. Since then, this crew has been highly respected around the world and continues to increase its dominance on the seas.
That said, the Straw Hat Pirates still have a major flaw at this point, and that's a significant power disparity between the strongest and weakest members of the group. While the Monster Trio of the Slam Hat Pirates is incredibly overpowered, some of the other members are significantly weaker compared to the other Yonko crews. This is one of the biggest mistakes that Eiichiro Oda finally fixes with the Elbaf Arc by giving upgrades to lesser known crew fighters.
One Piece's Elbaf Arc Fixes Straw Hat Pirates Power Level Bug By Boosting The Crew
One Piece's Straw Hat Pirates have different power levels. The captain of the crew, Monkey D Luffy, is an official Yonko as confirmed in Chapter 1053 on June 20, 2022, making him the strongest of them all. Luffy also has his Wings, Zoro and Sanji, both of which are incredibly powerful and keep getting stronger. Wings are not on the same level as Luffy right now, but in the Elbaf arc, specifically in One piece Chapter 1182, published on May 10, 2026, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #24, Eiichiro Oda lined up the main battles for them and set them up to gain more reinforcement in the form of a mastered Supreme King color so that they could destroy people like the Holy Knights.
Zoro: Hey, do your job right!
Sanji: Right back at you!
— Zoro and Sanji Head to Battle, One Piece Chapter #1182
After the likes of Wings of the Pirate King comes Jinbe. Eiichiro Oda has done a decent job in Elbaf to take it to the next level. In Jinbe's case, we know that he is incredibly powerful, even though he was given a bitter defeat by Gunko of the Holy Knights in One Piece Chapter 1146 April 21, 2025 WSJ Issue #21. That said, he made a quick comeback in Chapter 1176 where he unleashed a powerful Vagabond Drill against one of the powerful MMAs produced by Saint Killingham. Jinbe's full power hasn't been shown yet in Elbaf, but he'll definitely get an upgrade in terms of power.
Franky, Chopper and Robin have already received major upgrades
In Nico Robin's case, she was seen fighting Saint Sommers One piece chapter 1148 on May 12, 2025 in WSJ Issue 24. In this chapter, Nico was able to outsmart and overpower Robin Sommers, but unfortunately his immortality caused him to keep coming back and eventually defeat her. The fact that she was able to fight him and even hurt him by cracking his body despite not going all out is proof that Robin has gotten stronger since Wan.
“I know very well that you are an immortal and a man of thorns. If we get you out of here, we can finally free the children!” — Nico Robin fights Sommers, One Piece Chapter #1148
Franky, on the other hand, is one of the Straw Hats who received a power-up directly from Oda already via Super Vega Cola in One Piece Chapter 1176 on March 9, 2026. This new power has put him on par with Jinbe, and we can't wait to see what he can do in a proper 1v1. The same goes for Chopper.
Immediately after Nerona Imu used the power of the Domi Reversi in Elbaf to turn the vast majority of the giants into his puppet soldiers, Chopper was able to use the power of his Devil Fruit to purify them. This could potentially indicate the awakening of the Hito Hito no Mi Devil Fruit and thus become a significant upgrade for the Doctor of the Slam Hat Pirates.
“This is Super Vega Cola! Your insides are perfectly designed, as advanced as a pacifist. That's why I was amazed to learn that you only use cola to power yourself! You see, Franky, the fuel is passion! Use this new material and your raw power will explode!!!” — Vegapunk's Lilith empowers Franky, One Piece Chapter #1176
More power ups will officially make the Straw Hat Pirates the strongest crew
With the vast majority of the crew upgraded, we're left with Nami, Brook, and Usopp, all of whom have either received small buffs or are on their way to major upgrades. Brook was seen tanking attacks from Nero Ima in Gunk's body One piece Chapter 1173 February 9, 2026 and these attacks were covered by the color of the Supreme King. If nothing else, Brook received a significant upgrade to his overall defensive abilities. To him, tanking from someone as strong as Gunko-Imu indicates that he is now much more powerful than ever before.
Gunko: Brook, run!
Brook: Who are you? Why did you tell me to run? I have come to settle the matter!
Imu via Gunko: Shut up! Who are you to Gunko?
— Imu attacks Brook with the color of the Supreme King, Chapter #1173 of One Piece
Nami hasn't gotten a chance to show off her enhanced skills yet, but when it comes to her and Usopp, they both get their moment to shine before Elbaf finishes. All things considered, the Straw Hat Pirates are already much stronger than before, and by giving each member of the crew a significant moment to shine, Eiichiro Oda has done wonders for this crew, finally making them worthy of being labeled the crew of the Sea Emperor.
It should be noted that after Elbaf, the biggest war in One Piece will officially unfold. According to Eiichiro Oda's report during Jump Festa 2026, which was revealed on December 21, 2025, the next arc will take the crew to an island that only the Pirate King has set foot on. This means that the race for One piece heats up tremendously and Luffy needs his crew more than ever.
“We're heading to 'that island' that only the Pirate King could ever get to!!? The Man with the Burn Scar will also appear. Characters who never had the chance to meet finally meet. The two meet and the two meet.” – One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, Jump Festa 2026 Message
It also means that all members of the crew have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders to improve like never before and show a higher level of strength. All Straw Hat Pirates fans can get excited as their favorite characters officially unlock higher levels of power and make a big case for themselves to be the strongest crew in the world.
All the latest One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.
