The following article contains spoilers for One Piece.
The One piece anime returns in a few weeks and fans are excited to finally see the Elbaph/Elbaf Arc made into animation. Although it will only run for a few weeks before going through hiatus again, One piece will likely be the biggest release of the spring 2026 anime season.
This arc is still ongoing in the manga, and theories about what happens next are popping up like never before. One of the main theories is that the remaining members of the Straw Hats crew will get Haki. There are many reasons for this and it would make a lot of sense. But there is one character who deserves Haki more than anyone else: Us. Let's explore what type of Haki Nami could unlock and how it would make her even better as a character.
One Piece: The Identity Of The Last Slam Hat, Explained
The Straw Hat Pirates are waiting for the last member. Their identities will be revealed during the One Piece Elbaf arc.
Nami is irreplaceable and deserves better
Nami is probably the most important member of the Straw Hat crew as she is the team's navigator and cartographer, although Robin also plays a major role in deciphering poneglyphs. She is also helpful in combat.
However, several Straw Hats still seem to lack the ability to use Haki. Many fans speculate that most or all of them will eventually unlock Haki, and Nami is definitely the character who needs it the most; in fact, she already has some abilities that hint at what her Haki might be.
Should she get Haki armor or observation Haki?
There are mainly two types of Haki One piece: Haki Armament and Haki Observation. These are not mutually exclusive; one can use both, as Luffy does, but most characters tend to only wield one of them. With Armament Haki, users can create invisible armor around themselves and also use it to enhance weapons. Observing Haki is related to enhancing sensory abilities.
However, later in the story, Conqueror's Haki, also known as Supreme King Haki, was introduced as the rarest type. Shanks actually used this type of Haki in the very first chapter, but the concept itself was explained later. With Conqueror's Haki, the user can intimidate their opponents.
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Match the critics' averages
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Haki usually requires massive training to unlock, and some of the arguments against allowing the rest of the crew to use it are usually based on the fact that they would need to train a lot more. However, they are already warriors who have trained and some have unlocked Haki in battle, so there is a way for Nami to use it eventually. Most fans believe that Nami will eventually gain Observation Haki, although some jokingly claim that she has already unlocked Conqueror's Haki, as she can be quite intimidating at times.
Could Nami's abilities be “turned into” Haki?
Whether Nami needs more training or not, it seems like she already has the potential to unlock Observation Haki given her current abilities. Nami may not need Haki, but it could enhance her role as a navigator while compensating for her physical limitations. Nami's strength has increased immensely since she bonded with Zeus, and Haki could make her even stronger against enemies.
Her weather-related abilities are already impressive, and most fans believe that her potential Haki should be related to enhancing those abilities, allowing her to enhance her role as a navigator, forecasting storms and threats to a whole new level. And there's also the perfect excuse: Sighting Haki is often unlocked by trauma or other special events (like Usopp's), so Nami can unlock it at a crucial moment. Moreover, he already has a strong will, a demand to get Haki. Since it meets the criteria, it could just be a trigger event.
Given her intellectual nature, Nami has already proven that she knows a lot about Haki, so it wouldn't be surprising if she eventually unlocked it. Additionally, most fans also believe that Nico Robin will unlock Haki as well.
Why Haki still matters in one piece
Since the Wano Country Arc, Haki has become more important to the story than ever. However, as Conqueror's Haki takes center stage, Armament Haki and Observation Haki may seem to have lost their value. That is not true at all.
Kaidou stated in chapter 1047 that Haki was beyond all else and cited it as the determining factor for conquering the sea. Although mostly referring to Conqueror's Haki, One piece he has already hinted several times that Haki can overcome the power of Devil Fruits. There are characters like Roger who didn't eat fruit and were able to defeat fruit users, probably with the help of Haki.
Because only Haki can overcome everything. In the end, the strong power of the Devil Fruit is not enough to conquer these seas!!
For Nami, Observation Haki would cover up some of her weaknesses, making her even more of a threat. With how powerful the World Government and Imu are already hinted at, the Straw Hat crew will likely need major upgrades as the Final Saga unfolds, and Haki is a perfect fit for some of them, including Nami and Robin. Some also think that Nami may be the reason why Sanji could unlock the Conqueror's Haki. In any case, it's clearer than ever that Haki will play a vital role in the further development of the series.
What will follow in one piece?
It was revealed by Eiichiro Oda after the Wano Country Arc One piece entered his Final Saga. Although the story is expected to end, Oda did not reveal how exactly the saga will be. Currently, the manga is in the second arc of this saga, and fans are expecting at least two more arcs. It will probably be something like this:
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Egghead arc (chapters 1058-1125);
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Elbaf Arch (Chapter 1126-????);
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Potential Laugh Tale Arc (TBA);
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Potential final war arc (TBA).
It's also possible that after the Final War, the manga will have a short post-war arc or some sort of epilogue. In any case, while One piece is coming to an end, it seems like it will take several years for the manga to reach its conclusion.
The anime has finished adapting the Egghead arc and will begin covering the Elbaph/Elbaf arc in the next season, which is scheduled to begin in April 2026. One piece will probably get seasonal episodes from now on instead of airing throughout the year with lots of filler episodes and arcs.
Where to watch One Piece
One piece is available for streaming on Crunchyroll, and paying subscribers can access all episodes that have been released in Japan. Crunchyroll also confirmed that it will stream the new season starting on April 5, 2026. The first part of this season will have 13 episodes.
In the past few years, Netflix has also been trying to catch up with the series, adding older episodes to its streaming service. Then, during the Egghead arc, the platform also started airing the latest episodes in many countries and regions, but with a weekly delay. For this reason, most hardcore fans still watch the series on Crunchyroll, where episodes are available only a few hours after the Japanese broadcast (and sometimes on unlicensed platforms).
US-based fans can also enjoy older episodes on Hulu, but for the latest ones, they'll either have to wait months for the episodes to hit the platform, or watch them on Netflix or Crunchyroll. The latest episodes will initially be added only with subtitles and will probably be dubbed a few months later.
As for manga, the latest chapters are available for free on the official Manga PLUS platform Shonen jump series, in English and many other languages. However, a paid membership is required to read all chapters.
One Piece: Elbaf Arc is scheduled to begin airing on April 5, 2026.
One piece
- Release date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imayomura, Yashiôhiro Mayuū Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- Writers
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey D. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
