After 25 Years, The Strongest Pirate In One Piece Will Be Revealed

This post contains spoilers for One Piece.

The One Piece anime is quickly approaching the end of its current storyline, the Egghead arc, and fans are eagerly anticipating what happens next. Recent episodes have been packed with action and suspense. It’s become clear that Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates are struggling to defeat the powerful Five Elders. They even needed assistance from the Giant Warrior Pirates, but even that wasn’t enough to hold them off for long. Fortunately, a new ally arrived to help – a character named Emet.

Throughout most of the story so far, Emet appeared to be a figure of the past, but fans’ opinions have dramatically changed. In One Piece Episode 1151, Emet rose from the ocean and halted Topman Warcury. He then delivered a forceful blow that sent a member of the Gorosei crashing towards the island, ultimately saving the ship of the Giant Warrior Pirates from destruction.

Emet Knew Joyboy And Was His Friend

As Emet emerged from the water, he said the name ‘Joyboy.’ This name has appeared throughout the story, but fans still don’t know much about who Joyboy is. In the episode, a voice spoke to Emet, and it seems likely that this voice belonged to Joyboy, who told Emet to be patient and wait for the right moment.

It’s unclear what Joyboy meant by ‘when the time is right.’ It might suggest Emet needed to stay hidden until the perfect moment to act. But fans won’t have to speculate for long – the next episode will reveal exactly what Joyboy wanted Emet to do.

Joyboy Will Make An Appearance In One Piece Episode 1153

Joyboy Will Finally Appear In Episode 1153

Joyboy has yet to properly appear in the story
Emet knows Joyboy

One Piece Episode 1153 will feature the long-awaited appearance of Joyboy, a central figure from the mysterious Void Century. He was a rebel who fought against a powerful alliance of twenty nations, and Vegapunk identified him as the original pirate – the first to oppose what would become the World Government. Because the government views Joyboy as a threat, they’ve tried to erase him from history, but his name has survived despite their efforts.

Listen, Emet…Only when the time is right. —Joyboy

In episode 1152, Joyboy will speak with Emet, revealing the reason he asked the giant robot to wait. Joyboy cleverly stored his Haki within a knot, anticipating a future crisis. Emet will probably use this stored power to protect Luffy from the Five Elders. Emet recognizes Luffy as Joyboy, believing they share the same Devil Fruit ability. Interestingly, it was the sound of Luffy’s heartbeat that actually awakened Emet.

Joyboy Is The Strongest Character In One Piece

Joyboy’s Haki Is Stronger Than Anyone Else’s

Okay, so major spoilers ahead for those who haven’t kept up with the manga! As someone following the story, it’s become clear that Joyboy was unbelievably powerful, and his Haki – that spiritual energy – is considered the strongest in the One Piece world. In episode 1153, when Emet finally confronts the Five Elders, something huge happens: a kind of ‘knot’ holding back Joyboy’s Haki gets undone. Once that knot breaks, all that stored power is unleashed, and it completely overwhelms the Elders. In fact, four of them are actually sent reeling back to Marijoa. The sheer force of it even scared Imu, and they recognized the Haki as belonging to Joyboy – it was a really shocking moment!

Image by Viz Media

Given that Joyboy’s Haki easily defeated four of the Five Elders – each of whom is comparable in strength to the Yonko – it’s clear he’s the strongest character in One Piece. However, his appearance in the next episode will be brief, meaning fans won’t get much more information about him. After that episode, the Egghead arc will be nearing its end. While the end of an arc usually means a new adventure for the Straw Hats, this time the situation will be different.

The One Piece Anime Is Going On Break

Many One Piece viewers might not realize the anime is scheduled for a break after the current Egghead story arc finishes. It’s been confirmed that the anime will move to a seasonal format, meaning it will pause production from January to April 2026. Most fans are happy with this change, understanding that the team at Toei Animation needs time to rest after consistently working hard on each episode. The anime will now release 26 episodes annually, divided into two parts of 13 episodes each.

2025-12-06 17:35