Just like any other action Shonen, One Piece has its own unique power system. The world of One Piece primarily relies on two kinds of powers: Devil Fruit and Haki. Devil Fruit was introduced much earlier in the series, which exists in that form and grants powers to anyone who consumes it. Each Devil Fruit contains unique powers and requires quite a level of skill to properly use the ability. In Luffy’s case, his Devil Fruit turned his body into rubber, but he needed quite intense training to use this ability in battle. On the other hand, Haki, which was introduced way later in the story, often ends up overpowering the special abilities granted by consuming the fruit. Haki is a power manifesting from one’s willpower that allows for superhuman feats, with three main types: Observation, Armament, and Conqueror’s.
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All living beings have Haki, but it must be awakened through training or intense emotional distress to be used. Luffy was finally able to get a hold of this ability during the time skip when he trained for two years with Silvers Rayleigh, the right hand of the Pirate King. While the pre–time skip briefly hinted at Haki, the series properly featured characters using it after the two-year time skip. However, according to a recent post, One Piece‘s Viz Media didn’t translate the first mention of Haki.
One Piece’s Blackbeard Was the First Character to Mention Haki
The One Piece manga is released in Japanese and then localized by Viz Media after being translated into English. However, often, Japanese series include certain nuances and wordplays that are lost in translation. According to a famous fan translator on X, @sandman_AP, the manga had already first mentioned Haki way back in 2002. Blackbeard, one of the most dangerous pirates in the world, saw Luffy’s bounty poster and wondered if his Haki was too powerful for him to have such a low bounty. However, Viz Media made it sound like Blackbeard was questioning whether Luffy was actually strong enough to have such a high bounty.
The scene not only mentions Haki for the first time but also shows how much of keen an eye Blackbeard has when it comes to strength and power. Blackbeard only briefly met Luffy in Mock Town, but that chance encounter was enough to determine the young pirate’s true power. He is one of the most crucial villains in the series, who is currently one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, just like Luffy.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
