Highlights

  • One Piece features a two-year time-skip after the Summit War, allowing characters to grow and improve significantly, including the Straw Hat Pirates.
  • Zoro, Sanji, Luffy, and other characters in the series undergo intense training during the time-skip and acquire new powers and skills such as Haki.
  • Notable characters like Blackbeard, Koby, Trafalgar Law, and Chopper demonstrate significant improvement in their strength and abilities after the time-skip.

One Piece is among the handful of anime that have a time-skip. In One Piece, the time-skip occurred after the Summit War was over. Luffy was badly wounded both mentally and physically, and when he regained his senses, he realized that he had to delay the gathering of his crew. So, he went to Marineford again with Rayleigh and Jimbei, and he had a tattoo on his arm, that read "3D2Y."

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The "3D" part was crossed out, which indicated that the crew would meet after 2 years instead of 3 days. The two-year time-skip enabled the Straw Hats to get stronger. This also applies to the other characters, who improved by leaps and bounds after the time-skip.

Updated on November 15, 2023, by Suzail Ahmad: The time-skip was a crucial time for many individuals. During the two years, many characters took a massive step toward their goals. But there were some who had to go back to the drawing board and work on their skills. Of course, some of the characters were more successful in their training and managed to become a lot stronger. They immediately caught the eye of the fans. With that in mind, here are all the characters that improved after the time-skip in One Piece.

11 Roronoa Zoro

Roronoa Zoro
  • Debut: Episode 1
  • Powers: Haki, Swords

Zoro is the second-strongest member of the Straw Hat Pirates. He was one of the few members who had built a solid reputation before joining the crew. Zoro was a renowned bounty hunter who had taken down many notable pirates. He continued to grow even after becoming a Straw Hat, but he struggled in many fights, especially against Devil Fruit users.

On the Sabaody Archipelago, Zoro nearly lost his life, as he could not even scratch Kizaru. Thankfully, he was rescued by Kuma and sent to Kuriagana Island. He begged Mihawk to train him, a request that the latter approved. For two years, Zoro trained and learned how to use Haki. It didn't take long for Zoro to make a statement after his return, as he destroyed a massive galleon with ease.

10 Sanji

Sanji jumping
  • Debut: Episode 20
  • Powers: Haki, Extraordinary exoskeleton

Sanji suffered from the same problems as his fellow crew members before the time-skip. He did not have access to any type of Haki, which often made it difficult for him to beat his opponents. Sanji needed a big boost, and it came after the time-skip.

He learned how to use Kenbunshoku and Busoshoku Haki. In the Wano Country Arc, Sanji awakened his latent body modifications, which increased his endurance and physical strength. With his newfound powers, he was able to take down Queen, an All-Star, relatively easily. Sanji's improvement after the time-skip is nothing short of commendable.

9 Blackbeard

Blackbeard from one piece
  • Debut: Episode 146
  • Powers: Gura Gura no Mi, Yami Yami no Mi, Haki, Special body

Blackbeard is the captain of the Blackbeard Pirates and one of the Yonko. He used to be a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, but he abandoned the crew after killing Thatch and stealing the Yami Yami no Mi. Subsequently, he started his own crew and recruited some solid fighters.

While Blackbeard's strength before the time-skip was quite amazing, he improved massively in the next two years. He learned how to use both of his Devil Fruits properly and solidified his position among the Yonko. This resulted in his bounty being increased, and currently, it is at 3,996,000,000 berries, making him one of the most wanted pirates in the world.

8 Monkey D. Luffy

One Piece's Luffy shouting in shock with teeth bared
  • Debut: Episode 1
  • Powers: Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, Haki

It was quite obvious that Luffy would have improved a lot after the time-skip. When he saw Ace being killed in front of his eyes, Luffy realized that he was too weak, and he had to get stronger. During the two years, Luffy trained under Rayleigh, and he learned about Haki and its applications.

Luffy's training prepared him for the New World, and he was able to fight against much stronger opponents. Apart from his physical growth, Luffy has also developed as a character.

7 Koby

One Piece Koby talking on Den Den Mushi
  • Debut: Episode 1
  • Powers: Haki, Rokushiki

Koby was introduced very early on in the series, but since then he has had limited appearances. Being a Marine, Koby was involved in the Summit War, where he was once again defeated rather easily by Luffy. During the war, Koby awakened Observation Haki, which allowed him to sense all the people who were dying around him.

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After the time-skip, Koby's physical strength has improved. At some point, he was involved in the Rocky Port incident, which made him famous among the Marines. Koby is also a part of SWORD, a secretive group whose plans are unknown, which suggests that he is now much more reliable.

6 Trafalgar Law

trafalgar law in wano
  • Debut: Episode 392
  • Powers: Ope Ope no Mi, Haki

His appearance during the Sabaody Archipelago arc turned a lot of heads. With his cool personality and incredible devil fruit, Law became an instant hit with the fans. When he met the Straw Hats at Punk Hazard, Law offered Luffy the chance to create an alliance.

Law was unquestionably a good character before the time-skip, but he has become even more impressive ever since Law formed an alliance with Luffy. By creating an alliance with Luffy, Law has been involved a lot more in the series. He has fought multiple fights, and the biggest test of his strength came during the Wano Country arc, when he managed to take down Big Mom with the help of Eustass Kid.

5 Chopper

One Piece - Tony Tony Chopper Looking Excitedly Up Toward The Camera
  • Debut: Episode 81
  • Powers: Hito Hito no Mi

Chopper is overlooked by his enemies because of his appearance. Even the World Government doesn't treat him as a threat, and they have put a bounty of 100 berries on him. However, Chopper is very powerful, and his medical expertise has played a key role in helping the Straw Hats many times.

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In the Zou arc, Chopper created the antidote to Caesar's poison gas, which was used by Jack against the Minks. The antidote helped Sanji and co. to save the Minks from extinction. After the time-skip, Chopper has also developed better control over his devil fruit, which allows him to fight against opponents for longer.

4 Eustass Kid

One Piece Eustass Kid smiling
  • Debut: Episode 392
  • Powers: Jiki Jiki no Mi, Haki

Eustass Kid played an extremely important role in the Wano Country arc. Kid is very serious about his goal of being the Pirate King and anyone who dares to make fun of his dream ends up dead. Like Luffy, Kid is very ambitious and is always looking for a challenge.

Before the Wano Country arc began, Kid's biggest feat was injuring a Sweet Commander, which is not spectacular considering Luffy defeated two of them. However, Kid shone brightly in Wano Country as he fought against Big Mom. Kid teamed up with Law and together the two of them managed to defeat the Yonko.

3 Donquixote Doflamingo

Doflamingo from One Piece laughing in a sinister fashion
  • Debut: Episode 151
  • Powers: Ito Ito no Mi, Haki

Doflamingo's character was rather mysterious before the Dressrosa arc. He made a few appearances before the time-skip, but they did not reveal much about Doflamingo's character and powers. It was Doflamingo became much more interesting after the time-skip.

He showcased the Ito Ito no Mi, which allowed him to create and control strings at will. During the Dressrosa arc, his dark side finally came out, and the fans got to experience his evil charisma. Even after being defeated by Luffy, Doflamingo continued to make appearances, which definitely made him a better character.

2 Jimbei

Jimbei in One Piece episode 1000
  • Debut: Episode 430
  • Powers: Haki, Fish-Man Karate

Jimbei officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates in Wano. Jimbei was one of the more prominent figures in the Summit War arc, where he allied with Luffy and co. to save Ace. Ever since the Straw Hats entered the New World, Jimbei has been heavily involved in various arcs.

He played a crucial role in the Fish-Man Island arc, the Whole Cake Island arc, and the Wano Country arc. In the Fish-Man Island arc, he broke the racism barrier and effectively started a new era. When the Straw Hats arrived at Whole Cake Island, Jimbei used his strength to help the Straw Hats to escape from Big Mom's territory and then in the Wano Country arc, Jimbei defeated Who's Who, one of the Tobi Roppo.

1 Buggy

Buggy and his followers at Marineford
  • Debut: Episode 4
  • Powers: Bara Bara no Mi

Buggy deserves a lot of credit for his achievements after the time-skip. While he did not improve massively in terms of strength, Buggy was able to trick the entire world into believing that he was a massive threat.

He managed to earn the title of the Shichibukai, which allowed him to extend his influence to the Underworld. Buggy successfully ran his business, and he was involved with some of the biggest names in the world and quite recently, Buggy was named one of the two Yonko.

One Piece-9
One Piece (1999)
Action
Adventure
Comedy
Fantasy

Release Date
October 20, 1999
Studio
Toei Animation
Creator
Eiichiro Oda

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