[One Piece] Rob Lucci vs Sai — Did CP0’s Comeback Break Power Scaling?
Aramaki / Ryokugyu
Rob Lucci & Sai (2018/06) — Who’s Actually Stronger After the Timeskip?
Rob Lucci is back, now standing at the top of CP0. But the moment he casually kicks Sai aside, something feels off. Is this believable growth — or did One Piece quietly redraw its own power lines?
Lucci vs Sai: First Impressions
564: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) The guy Lucci kicked to stop Leo was Sai, right? So at this point that means Lucci is stronger than Sai. I didn’t want to see a Straw Hat Grand Fleet captain get taken out that easily by someone like Lucci. I honestly have no idea how strong Lucci is supposed to be anymore. Maybe it’s because of the movie scenes, but I don’t think Sabo and Lucci are equals at all. Sabo is clearly on another level. Lucci would probably get beaten pretty easily by the Revolutionary Army that openly opposes the Celestial Dragons. Feels like after that, the Revolutionaries, Fujitora, and Ryokugyu would all clash somehow.
568: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) >>564 Sai just took a surprise hit, that’s all. Landing one hit on Big Mom doesn’t make Jinbe stronger than her. Still, I do think the author probably intends Lucci to be stronger.
576: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) >>564 You’re just lining up a bunch of nonsense. Sai didn’t even have his weapon at that moment.
586: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) —
Sudden Growth & Past Examples
592: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Everyone keeps saying Lucci is weak, but there are precedents like Coby suddenly getting strong, right?
592: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci: “Straw Hat, thanks to losing to you, I am who I am now.” Luffy: “Who are you again, old man?”
610: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) If they had just said the Six Powers were Haki, everything would’ve connected nicely.
Rob Lucci: “And the power we gained was the six superhuman combat techniques known as the Six Powers.” “You should know it well by now. We four are the ones entrusted with the World Government’s most important missions…”
674: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Charging straight at a Celestial Dragon — Sai’s got real guts. Totally different from guys who bow to power.
677: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) >>674 From Lucci’s perspective, killing under authority is justice.
678: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci and Kaku already used up everything their Zoan forms had. What’s the point of bringing them back? Sure they probably learned Armament Haki, but fighting again feels weird. Are they going to end up cooperating in the end, shonen-style? Didn’t expect two Yonko to fall at the same time either. Oda definitely watches online predictions. It’s different from what people expect, but it feels like Bleach-style forced battles. Even awakening or Conqueror’s Haki as offense wouldn’t justify beating two Emperors.
Power Scaling vs Results
148: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) I wonder who’s stronger, Sabo or Lucci. That matchup would be fun.
157: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) >>148 Without some power-up item, Lucci would get one-shot by current Luffy. Sabo is the Revolutionary Army’s No.2 and was strong enough to outplay Diamante. There’s no question Lucci < Sabo.
165: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) >>157 Two years ago Luffy won because of protagonist plot armor. Clearly Lucci was stronger back then.
168: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) >>165 “Clearly,” huh… In this world, results are everything. “Did my best but lost” doesn’t leave your name in history.
CP0, Haki, and Narrative Logic
250: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) Kaku still had room to grow, and Lucci was probably the strongest in raw training even before. Combine that with Haki and who knows how far he went.
Kaku: “………………!!!” “(Zoro looked like a three-faced, six-armed demon god!!!)” Zoro: “Don’t get cocky………”
258: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/11) >>250 Could he hold his own against Boundman? Still doesn’t feel like Katakuri-level.
126: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) I know Lucci fans won’t like it, but I wanted Sai > Lucci. Oda wouldn’t make one of Luffy’s subordinates stronger than a former boss. Seeing Sai fall so easily and Lucci look superior was disappointing.
136: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) >>126 Lucci was stronger than Luffy to begin with. Two years later, of course he’s even stronger.
Rob Lucci: “Finger Pistol.” Luffy: “Aggh!!!!!!”
144: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) >>136 Even if Crocodile, Lucci, and Smoker learned Haki in two years, they still feel weaker than Luffy, who trained directly under Rayleigh.
153: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) >>144 Some of the Six Powers were basically Haki. Luffy only learned the basics and practiced on animals.
184: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) CP9 was too strong and never grew through near-death battles. Losing to the Straw Hats was their first defeat — that’s what let them grow. That’s why Lucci mastering Haki makes sense.
188: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/12) >>184 Lucci: “So there’s a fruit that nullifies blunt attacks… guess I’ll learn Haki.” That’s about it.
Criticism of CP0’s Portrayal
511: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci alone suddenly awakening would be one thing, but Kaku too?
513: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) This author prefers reusing old characters as strong fighters instead of discarding them.
515: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Reusing them is fine, but making Lucci the top was a mistake. It makes all of CP0 look weak.
526: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Watching Lucci smugly kick Sai is genuinely unpleasant.
528: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci is really the chief now… CP0 feels underwhelming.
544: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci’s Six Powers + Zoan + Haki + prime age. If you think of it as multiple prime Garps, CP0’s strength makes sense.
548: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) CP0 being Garp-level is pure brain-dead logic.
552: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Enel still feels strong because of matchups. Lucci just doesn’t.
704: Anonymous Pirate (2018/06/13) Lucci’s weakness is catnip. Fun fact.
👉 Why Japanese Fans Push Back on Lucci’s Dominance
The resistance isn’t about Lucci returning — it’s about position. Japanese readers tend to accept growth after defeat, but they resist seeing a former villain instantly outrank newer allies like Sai. The discomfort comes from hierarchy: Straw Hat affiliates “shouldn’t” feel disposable.
👉 What This Says About One Piece’s Long-Term Character Reuse
Oda clearly prefers recycling characters instead of power-creeping endlessly. But when reused characters jump straight to the top, fans start questioning whether growth feels earned — or merely convenient.
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