Kaido's Perspective on Devil Fruits and Haki
As One Piece's strongest character, Kaido knows what it takes to become powerful, and his opinion that Haki is greater than the Devil Fruits has plenty of legitimacy. The Grand Line is filled with Devil Fruit users, each one stronger than the average human could dream of becoming. While the strength gained from eating the mysterious fruit is enormous, it's usually not worth the cost. Eating a Devil Fruit more often than not guarantees immense strength, but these mystical fruits are a rarity. There is another power that the average human can acquire, and according to Kaido, will make them stronger than having devil fruit powers. Similar to Hunter X Hunter's Nen, everyone possesses the ability to use Haki, a power that is derived from one's spiritual energy, but most never notice this innate ability. There are a few variations of this ability and only the strongest can master all of them.
Kaido vs Luffy, with Kaido utilizing his immense Haki and Luffy using his Gear 5 abilities for the first time.
In episode 1074, Kaido was quickly becoming irritated by Luffy's playful attitude in the midst of a life-or-death battle, and even more angry by how absurd his awakened powers were. From grabbing lightning and clouds to making everything he touches elastic, Luffy's Gear 5 was one of the wildest transformations in anime. As amazed as he was by Luffy's new-found powers, Kaido said that Haki was still the superior power. He said this while reminiscing about the strongest people who didn't have devil fruit powers, such as Gol. D Roger and Kozuki Oden. Kaido has clashed with and knows people with the most absurd devil fruit powers, such as Whitebeard, who can cause earthquakes, Big Mom, who can manipulate souls, and Luffy, who makes anything rubbery. Even his powers are some of the most powerful, transforming into a dragon that can destroy a city instantly. For him to still say that Haki is superior despite all his experiences with devil fruits means that he knows the potential Haki possesses.
Although he was defeated by the awakening of Luffy's Devil Fruit, his statement has a lot of truth behind it. Every major player in the Grand Line needs Haki but not all of them need the Devil Fruit. Shanks, Monkey D. Garp, and Dracule Mihawk are some of the most feared people, and they got their incredible strength from Haki. Granted, they were blessed with a type of Haki only for the most gifted, but they still managed to claw their way to the top with just Haki and physical prowess. The next generation of pirates and marines also has Haki-only users such as Zoro and Coby, which affirms that the likes of Shanks aren't an anomaly, but proof that Haki users will forever be some of the most powerful.
Strongest non-devil fruit users featuring Shanks standing against an orange and red background.
