Would Sanji have made a better opponent for Rob Lucci in One Piece?

SUMMARY

Rob Lucci’s awakened form during the Egghead Island arc made him one of the strongest Devil Fruit users in the history of One Piece.

While he lost his battles against Luffy and Zoro, he would have been an ideal opponent for Sanji.

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Rob Lucci, the main antagonist of Water 7 and one of two in the Enies Lobby arc in One Piece, has probably ended his role in the series with his final defeat coming from the swordsman of the Straw Hat Pirates, Roronoa Zoro. When Lucci made an appearance in the Egghead Island arc, fans were happy to see the villain, but they knew that he would not be able to hold himself up against the likes of Luffy and Zoro.
Rob Lucci – One Piece | Toei Animation
And while it was already understood that Lucci wouldn’t win against Luffy and Zoro because of their unparalleled power-ups during the Wano arc, there was one character that fans secretly wished Lucci to fight as he would have the perfect battle opponent at the current level of Lucci. This character was none other than Vinsmoke Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat crew.

However, what fans forget is that even Sanji got an upgrade in terms of his abilities because of the sudden awakening of his Germa mutation powers during his fight with Queen during the Wano arc. Therefore, there is a chance that even Sanji could have beaten Lucci without much difficulty.

Sanji’s Germa Mutation Powers Explained

As One Piece fans already know, Sanji’s father, Vinsmoke Judge, experimented on him and his siblings when they were in their mother’s womb in order to make them genetically enhanced. And while the experiments worked on his siblings, Sanji was the only one who was supposedly born “normal.”

However, it was during the Wano arc, when Sanji used his Germa suit, that his mutations awakened and gave him abilities that made him extremely strong. The mutations included a tough exoskeleton and more muscle mass that made him stronger and faster than an average human and made him powerful enough to easily take on attacks from Queen.
Sanji’s Ifrit jambe | Toei Animation
Not only that, but after finding out about his genetic modifications, Sanji was able to unlock the next level of his black leg style, called Ifrit Jambe. Ifrit Jambe generated blue and white flames and was much stronger than Diable Jambe. Thus, the Germa mutation that he hated the most became a new ability for him.

The Winner of Sanji vs. Rob Lucci in Awakened Form

When the Straw Hat Pirates last fought with Rob Lucci, they were barely able to defeat him and his other colleagues. However, their journey from Enies Lobby to Egghead Island made him much more powerful than they already were. This was true for Rob Lucci, too. He was able to awaken his Devil Fruit, Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Leopard.
Rob Lucci’s Awakened Devil Fruit | Toei Animation
The awakened form gave him a better and more powerful hybrid form, which had much more speed and agility. But Luffy and Zoro had reached a level where Lucci seemed like an easy fight for them. Therefore, if Eiichiro Oda had put Lucci against Sanji in One Piece, the fight would have been much more entertaining.

While Rob Lucci would have given a tough time to Sanji, the cook of the Straw Hat Pirates would have ultimately defeated the CP0 Agent as his Germa modifications far exceed a Devil Fruit Awakening. He would be faster and stronger than Lucci, and a few attacks by Ifrit Jambe would have taken the villain down.