Luffy has gone on a long journey to learn Armament, Observation, and Conqueror’s Haki. It also informs how far he has to go to master advanced Haki.

Haki is one of the most efficient powers in One Piece. Those who learn it can strengthen their bodies and subjugate lesser opponents. This power system can rival and, at times, surpass the wackiness of Devil Fruits. Anyone looking to make a name for themselves will learn to use this power. Naturally, Monkey D. Luffy, who will eventually become King of the Pirates, decides to learn this power himself. Luffy’s path to mastering Haki has been filled with many challenges, and though he let it out naturally a few times in the past, he ultimately needed to train in order to master the art.

Luffy’s been learning new Haki tricks here and there throughout his voyage across the New World. Many fans know all this about the Straw Hat Captain. However, only a select few can pinpoint every milestone in Luffy’s journey to master Haki. Additionally, there may be more advanced applications of Haki that Luffy has yet to master. As with the rest of his quest to become King of the Pirates, looking back on his Haki training and seeing how much further he has to go should result in a greater appreciation of everything he’s accomplished.

Times Luffy Used Haki Before Training

Luffy had a handful of instances where he could channel Haki before officially training in the art. More specifically, he was revealed to have a natural talent for Conqueror’s Haki. It would come out during intense situations and cause people around him to faint or even bend to his will. He explicitly exerted this power four times before his training began. The first sign of Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki was on the Sabaody Archipelago. He used it to stop Motobalo, a bison of the Flying Fish Riders. The Bison reacted by sweating, backing away, running in terror, and passing out. This confused the Straw Hats, who were then unfamiliar with Haki. Luffy used Conqueror’s Haki again during his battle with the Gorgon Sisters. At the time, Boa Sandersonia threatened to destroy one of the petrified Kuja Pirates the Straw Hat Captain was fighting to protect.

At the last second, Luffy released a burst of Conqueror’s Haki while demanding her to stop; in addition to making Sonia comply, he also caused several spectators to pass out. Luffy’s third burst of Conqueror’s Haki came in Impel Down Level 5. Despite being poisoned and cold, he used his Haki to knock out several wolves threatening to eat him and Bon Clay. Luffy used one more unrefined burst of Conqueror’s Haki during the War of the Best at Marieford to stop Ace’s executioners; he also knocked out several Marine officers surrounding him. After Marineford, Luffy was taken under Silvers Rayleigh’s wing to begin his official Haki training. The Dark King took him to Ruskaina, an island of intense weather. The island was host to several gigantic beasts Luffy could use to train. Rayleigh taught him the basics of Armament, Observation, and Conqueror’s Haki for a year and a half. After that, he left the boy to train by himself.

How Luffy Learned to Use Haki

By the end of Luffy’s training on Ruskaina, his Haki training let him take the edge in most fights until the Dressrosa Arc. He was virtually unrivaled throughout the Return to Sabaody Archipelago, Fish-Man Island, and Punk Hazard Arcs. Luffy’s first sign of how strong he’d become was his Observation Haki. He could read his opponents’ intentions and emotions, anticipate their attacks, and act accordingly. He could dodge bullets, laser blasts, and Shark Arrows with minimal effort. Luffy’s Conqueror’s Haki was also refined to a moderate level. He could make lesser fighters submit or pass out as he did before the time skip. The only difference was that he could use this power at will rather than during intense situations. His best feat on this front was causing 50,000 New Fish-Men Pirates to pass out. This feat is so impressive that fans are still puzzling over why he has held off on using it since.

There are several situations where he was up against smaller army-sized groups (the 20,000 Beast Pirates on Onigashima, the 30,000 Marine Soldiers on Egghead, etc.). However, he’s relied on other means to deal with these forces. Luffy most often uses Armament Haki in his fights. He can harden his arms, legs, and any other part of his body for offense or defense. This led Luffy to develop several new techniques that incorporated Armament Haki, including the Gum-Gum Hawk Gatling, Hawk Rifle, Eagle Bazooka, Hawk Whip, Hawk Stamp, Elephant Gun, and Grizzly Magnum, Elephant Gatling, and Thor Elephant Gun. The 3D2Y TV special also implies he learned the Gum-Gum Red Hawk during a fight with a pirate named Byrnndi World. In Gear Fourth, he can extend this Haki to cover his torso. Fans believed there would come a time when Luffy’s Armament would cover his whole body like Vergo’s

How Luffy Learned Advanced Observation Haki

According to Rayleigh, Lufy’s Haki would reach its full potential in the heat of battle. This would explain how the Straw Hat captain’s Conqueror’s Haki manifested before formally training in the art. More importantly, Rayleigh was right. As Luffy and his crew sailed further into the Grand Line, he was met with challenges that required more than what he learned during his training to overcome. Luffy’s Haki development following the time skip began on Whole Cake Island. He was faced with Charlotte Katakuri of the Big Mom Pirates. The Minister of Flower was so proficient in Observation Haki that he could see into the future. This allowed him to dodge and intercept all of Luffy’s moves. He was so skilled at this that everyone thought he was using his Logia-like powers to phase through incoming attacks; in truth, he was reshaping his body to dodge every attack that came his way.

Luffy could only counter Katakuri’s Observation Haki by developing a similar level of future sight. He does this by going up against the Sweet Commander and trying to dodge his attacks preemptively. This took several hours of trial and error on the Straw Hat captain’s part, and he amassed damage the whole time. When he felt his Observation Haki was strong enough, he coupled it with Ger Fourth: Snakeman to launch a counterattack against his opponent. Advanced Observation Haki is helpful, but it has its limits. As Luffy proved against Katakuri, battling an opponent with similar levels of Observation Haki and a speed advantage can make things even. The Straw Hat Captain experienced this himself when he battled Kaido of the Four Emperors (who is surprisingly fast for his size). As Luffy continues his adventures, he’ll likely face more opponents who can match or outpace his Advanced Observation Haki.

How Luffy’s Haki Developed On Wano

Luffy learned a few more Haki-related tricks during his time in Wano Country, thanks to his new mentor and Udon prison mate, Hyogoro. He taught the Straw Hat captain how to emit his Armament Haki (called Ryuo in Wano) and attack opponents a short distance away. This proved necessary during Wano’s Climax, when Luffy emitted his Haki to attack Kaido’s flame-coated body without burning himself. Luffy also learned Inner Destruction from his new master. This advanced use of emitted Haki does as it says and attacks the target internally.

This application of Armament Haki was the only way Luffy’s punches could penetrate Kaido’s nigh impenetrable exterior and damage the Emperor. It was also used to destroy his and Hyogoro’s explosive neck collars (as Rayleigh did for Camie on Sabaody) and Yamato’s explosive shackles and throw them away before they went off; this technique was mastered just before Luffy and Hyogoro’s collars went off, making it another instance of Haki blooming in an intense situation.

Luffy discovered one more application of what he learned about Ryuo on Wano during his battle with Kaido. He realized that the Emperor infused his Armament Haki with Conqueror’s Haki. The Straw Hat captain quickly adjusted his strategy (and Haki usage) to match Kaido’s style and cause more damage to him. His Haki was officially Emperor-level. This was signified by the two parting the clouds overhead with their contactless Haki clash.

Luffy uses his fusion of Armament and Conqueror’s Haki for his Gear Five finishing moves. This includes moves like the Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun and the Gum-Gum Star Gun. However, he spends most of his fights in Gear Five fooling around with whatever cartoonish attacks come to mind. If he continues to fight climactic battles, he’ll likely develop more attacks that fuse Armament and Conqueror’s Haki.