Oda has revealed an interesting clue about Sanji’s true power.

Sanji is the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates and one of the most important characters that Oda has introduced in his story. Over the years, Sanji has only kept on growing in terms of importance, and right now, it can be said that even among the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, Sanji shines especially in most of the arcs. Sanji is not just an excellent cook but also an excellent fighter, and his importance is such that he has had two arcs dedicated to him, and the title of the Wings of the Pirate King as well, which he shares with Zoro, the number two of the Straw Hat Pirates.

Just like Zoro and Luffy, Sanji possesses incredible strength up his sleeve, and, in his case, this strength seems to have a very curious source. Oda recently dropped quite a lot of hints pertaining to Sanji’s true source of power, and it appears that this power source is unlike any other scene in One Piece.

Sanji’s Power of Love

While Oda has introduced many powerful abilities in the world of One Piece, using which different individuals take their ability to the next level, such as Devil Fruits and Haki, in the case of Sanji, this power is known to be nothing other than love. It is very interesting that in Sanji’s case, his power stems directly from one thing that gave him humanity, and that is love. For those who do not remember, Sanji was born as the child of the Judge and Sora, and the former experimented upon him while he was in his mother’s womb. Out of four brothers, Sanji was the only one who was born normal. The others had all their emotions stripped from them, turning them into emotionless monsters.

Sanji lived at the cost of his mother’s life, who was primarily responsible for giving him his emotions and his kindness, making him one of the kindest people in the entire world. As such, Sanji is a very emotional person, who, at the end of the day, is powered by her love. This is something that he has made clear on many occasions in the story already.

This love manifests in curious ways. For instance, Sanji has always had a resistance to fire, and while it seems to stem from his genetic modifications, it is only strengthened by the power of love that he possesses. Sanji first manifested these powers fully in the fight against Jabra in the Enies Lobby arc, and back then, it was clear for the fans to see that he had hit a completely new level of strength. When Oda was asked about this in an SBS, it was simply because fans were utterly confused as to how Sanji was not burning from the flames that he produced. Oda mentioned that this was possible because the flames in his heart, also known as the flames of passion, burn even hotter.

Clearly, this was a connection to his emotions, and, in Wano, it was brought up once again. When he fought Queen, the cyborg questioned him as to what kind of enhancement he was using to produce the flames. Sanji mentioned that it was his emotions and his passion that burned hotter that allowed him to produce these flames. Sanji even mentioned that he burned hotter than any other flame, simply because these flames burn with passion and, consequently, emotions.

In the Egghead Island arc, Sanji’s power of love was put on display once again, when he fought against Admiral Kizaru. He completely destroyed the light that he fired at him. Sanji made it possible due to the power of love, and he made it quite clear that this physics-defying feat was only possible because love surpasses everything else that exists in the world. Sadly, Sanji did not get a chance to fight and defeat Kizaru in battle. However, the display that he put on against him was still incredible, nonetheless.

The Difference Between Haki And Power Of Love

While many fans might wonder as to what the power of love is exactly, or if it even exists beyond being a gag in One Piece, they might actually be surprised to know that Oda has actually answered this question himself.

Power of Love is something that is a very real concept in the world of One Piece, and it certainly does make a difference in combat as well. In volume 62 of One Piece, Oda was asked about how Garp was able to hurt Luffy when he visited him in the Enies Lobby Arc. To be more precise, around this time, the concept of Haki was already fleshed out in the story. As a thought, readers were curious as to whether Garp used Haki to hurt Luffy or not. This confusion stemmed from the fact that when Luffy was bamboozled at how he got hurt despite being rubber, Garp said that he was able to hurt him simply because of the power of love.

To answer this question, Oda said that in this particular instance, Garp did not make use of Haki, but he was actually able to hurt Luffy with the power of love, despite him being made of rubber. This clearly implies that the power of love is something that exists beyond Haki, Devil Fruits, or other abilities, and that it certainly does make a difference in combat as well.

The Limitations Of Love In One Piece

Given that it is a common concept in the world of One Piece that love strengthens someone and even helps them do impossible things that even defy physics, or any other concept, such as the protection offered by Devil Fruits, then, one can clearly come to the conclusion that love is an incredible power source that goes beyond all limits in the One Piece world. There is absolutely no limit as to what love can achieve in the world of One Piece, and while this power is a bit under-explained at this point in time, Oda will surely elaborate upon it as One Piece continues.

It also ties in very well with the ceiling of Sanji in One Piece. Currently, fans know Sanji to be a powerful individual above the level of the Yonko Commanders. However, the way Sanji is evolving, and based on his current display, it isn’t a stretch to say that by the end of the series, Sanji will be one of the strongest individuals in the entire story. Sanji will most likely stand on the same pedestal as the likes of the Emperors of the Sea, and other powerful individuals, and all of that will be down to his Power of Love, and the bright passion that he possesses, which was gifted to him by his mother at the cost of her own life. This truly completes Sanji’s character, and establishes an incredible force in the One Piece world, which can be challenged by no other.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1109, is set to be March 3, 2024.