One Piece Manga Elevates Two Straw Hats to God-Tier Status

The One Piece manga is officially bestowing divine power on two of Luffy’s wings, with recent chapters hinting at transformations for Zoro and Sanji. These changes could elevate them among the strongest characters in the series. This development fits right into the Final Saga’s trend of rapidly increasing power levels for the entire Straw Hat crew.

According to Game Rant’s analysis of the current arc, Luffy’s wings — the term fans use for Zoro and Sanji — are getting power-ups tied to mythological godhood. This aligns with Luffy’s own Gear 5 awakening, linking him to the Sun God Nika mythos, which has been a central theme in the manga’s power discussions since 2022.

The timing coincides with a wider narrative push. July 2026 has already seen One Piece chapters introduce what MSN called the three strongest characters in pirate history, establish a new Mythical Zoan transformation for Luffy, and clearly list eight characters Luffy has now outpaced in the power hierarchy. The series is clearly gearing up for its endgame.

For some background, Eiichiro Oda has been serializing One Piece in Weekly Shonen Jump since 1997 — that’s nearly 29 years. He has repeatedly stated that the Final Saga marks the story’s conclusion. Elevating the core crew to near-mythological status aligns with Oda’s goal of giving every Straw Hat a significant moment worthy of their journey.

This shift has structural significance. One Piece has traditionally used the idea of “wings” to show that Zoro and Sanji must still pose credible threats alongside a Luffy who grows increasingly overpowered. Granting them divine classifications helps keep the trio’s power gap manageable as Luffy aims for Yonko-level strength and beyond.

By The Numbers

One Piece serialization start	1997 (29 years running)
One Piece Odyssey Steam rating	80% positive (1,816 reviews)
One Piece Odyssey current price	$9.99 on Steam
Straw Hat crew members	10 (core roster)
Gear 5 debut	Chapter 1044 (2022)

Fans are still feeling positive about One Piece games and the franchise as a whole. One Steam reviewer who spent time with One Piece Odyssey mentioned that the game “has a rock, paper, scissors system and will always let you know when an attack is weak or more resistant.” This design approach reflects how the manga handles devil fruit matchups. The franchise’s mechanical essence carries through consistently across different media.

What To Watch

• Which two Straw Hats receive the divine framing: Zoro’s connection to King of Hell swordsmanship and Sanji’s Ifrit Jambe already suggest infernal and mythological themes. Keep an eye on Oda as he formalizes these elements into explicit god-tier classifications in upcoming chapters.
• Gear 5’s acknowledged weakness resolution: The manga addressed Gear 5’s core limitation in July 2026 after four years. How Oda resolves this will decide whether Luffy stays narratively vulnerable or becomes nearly untouchable as the final confrontation approaches.
• New Mythical Zoan setup: Luffy’s potential second Mythical Zoan transformation, hinted at in early July 2026 chapters, could reshape the power ceiling for the entire cast once again and necessitate another recalibration of where Zoro and Sanji need to be.