The Review reported that One Piece has officially become the spear and shield of a pirate king.

One Piece, episode ၁၁၉၇ gives Sanji the awakening of a conqueror Haki who bridges the gap with Zoro.

One Piece released knockout episodes in its final weeks, but the episode ၁၁၉၇ "Love Is Defense" may have been cut more than that. In an episode published by Shueisha, Sanji fights and defeats Rimoshifu Killingham, a faery warrior around Elbaph who recognizes Ivankov for his bravery and reaches the highest level of combat with a god. Following Sanji's personal ascent, he becomes Supreme King known by awakening Conqueror's Haki.

Sanji's self-love becomes the moment of supreme king.

Sanji refuses to tolerate his blood relationship with the Vinsmoke, and takes this hatred to heart. He believes that he is as worthless as his brothers - mindless tools of evil concocted by Vin Smoke Garuda in a desperate attempt to create an aristocracy. His rivalry with Zoro is fierce, but no claim really matters, much more than concealing how he feels about himself.

A glance at Sanji's arc hides the truth; it reimagines his self-loathing as self-sacrifice, and he continues to inflict more wounds than necessary. In Kamabakka Queendom, Ivankov's lessons learned during Rimoshifu Killingham's bloody battle against Sanji lead him on a journey that could never have been imagined: in the final episode, he embraces his worth and takes the first steps toward loving himself.

Episode ၁၁၉၇ deals with Sanji's past as he overcomes the present and builds a path to the future. Clingham's reentries are brutally destroyed, and Sanji unknowingly infiltrates Conqueror's Haki into his attacks while simultaneously sifting through memories, making an obvious observation: "My main priority must be preserving my own life".

Ivankov's line, "Love should power your defense", is already one of the best quotes from One Piece. It's a simple phrase that encapsulates the entire philosophy of the manga and its meaning is detailed in the chapter title. For Sanji, love and life are ultimately identical; he learns that strength can only come from himself.

Room ၁၁၉၇ shows both Sanji and Zoro's progress.

Anime rivals are naturally placed on a par with one another. Naruto-Sasuke, Goku-Vegeta, Asta-Yuno and many other partners fuel each other's ascent; sometimes one can outdo the other, and I have long wondered how One Piece fans took advantage of Zoro and Sanji.

Zoro has been at the top for the longest time in terms of fame, prize money and record performance. Sanji's achievements are spectacular but he is lagging behind his rival. As Final Saga progresses, Oda may decide to equalize these two.

The first clue reveals Scopper Gaban's attacking ability. Earning the respect of Imu as Sanji's left-handed rival is a testament to his fearsome power. Although Silvers Rayleigh was Gol D. Roger's right hand, the Pirate King clearly had two sides.

Although Zoro defeats the King with Conqueror's Haki, he will not be able to use it consciously unless he is aware of Mihawk's basic attribute. In episode ၁၁၉၄, when Zoro learns to control and exhibit this power, it closes; in three subsequent episodes JUST Sanji accomplishes the same feat.

It may take longer for both Mosshead and Pervy Cook to acknowledge their parity, but at least in Chapter 1197, Sanji makes Zoro remember Luffy's "sword", then declares himself as his "shield" by giving up an attack of the Conqueror's Haki and leaving fans arguing endlessly.

Fan theories differ on Sanji's new power

Based on episode ၁၁၉၇ it appears that Sanji has infused his feet with Conqueror's Haki. The black lightning represents the supreme king, but his flaming color would not have been noticeable until before the anime. Infusion is a high-level Conquerors' Haki system used by Roger, Garp, Luffy, Whitebeard, Xebec, Shanks and other One Piece superpowers.

A few fans suspect that the upgrade is something different. It's an exclusive defensive technique, which Sanji summed up by saying: "Getting hit feels like going down on it". The usually offensive Conqueror's Haki coatings can be transformed into a new ability and cause him significantly more damage.

Another theory involves the alteration of Sanji's eyebrow. Episode ၁၁၉၇ shows an orientation associated with Germa before returning to her original curl when she accepts her identity. This may symbolize a split between Sanji and her toxic family, as the patterns on her eyebrows turn in opposite directions.

Nika's shield and sword point to the Endgame.

The best foreshadowing in "Love Is Protection" is Zoro and Sanji holding a spear and shield with Nika. This framing ties them together as essential to finding One Piece and saving the world. Luffy himself will never have to hold these weapons again, allowing him to protect her and keep his dream alive.