Gaban Didn’t Even Notice Usopp
In Chapter 1192, Gaban had a sudden question: “Hm? Where was this guy this whole time…?”
This scene sparked all kinds of speculation among readers:
“How could someone as Haki-skilled as Gaban fail to detect Usopp until he appeared?!”
“Can Usopp completely erase his presence?”
“Back in Dressrosa, Usopp used his newly awakened Observation Haki to see targets at an extraordinary distance.”
“Could Usopp’s Observation Haki be top-tier? And if so, could he even use ‘Observation Killing’—the highest form of it?”
Plenty of theories flew around.
We do know that Gaban’s Observation Haki is exceptional—he could sense the presence of the God’s Knights from a great distance away.
So does Usopp, who managed to go undetected by Gaban, really have the ability to use “Observation Killing”?
What Exactly Is “Observation Killing”?
“Observation Killing” (Kenbunshoku Goroshi) comes from the extra booklet Billion Volume “RED” included with movie tickets for ONE PIECE FILM RED. It was a setting written next to Shanks in the character design pages.
Conqueror’s Haki
“Observation Killing”
Control of presence
Makes you unable to see the future.
Whether you read this as “Shanks can use both Conqueror’s Haki AND Observation Killing” or “Observation Killing is a variant of Conqueror’s Haki” opens up very different interpretations.
But since the Chapter 1192 discussion applied it to Usopp, most readers seem to interpret it as the former—a separate technique unrelated to Conqueror’s Haki.
For this analysis, we’ll explore the angle of refined Observation Haki and superior presence control—no Conqueror’s Haki required.
Advanced Observation Haki: Seeing the Near Future
When you train Observation Haki to an extreme, you gain the ability to see a little into the near future. This was the signature skill of Katakuri, the de facto boss of the Whole Cake Island arc.
If you can see the near future, you can shut down your enemy’s movements. They can’t do a thing and simply lose.
To overcome this, Luffy unlocked Observation Haki in the heat of battle and gained the ability to fight Katakuri on equal footing.
That Shanks can also use Future Sight was shown during his battle against Kid near Elbaf.
So what happens in a future battle against Emperor Shanks when an opponent who can also use Future Sight steps up? Would they just read each other’s moves and be forced into a stalemate?
ONE PIECE’s top candidate for final boss, the mightiest Emperor—Shanks—constantly struggling to a draw against Katakuri-tier enemies? Fans don’t want to see that.
That’s exactly why Shanks was given the “Observation Killing” skill—the ability to be immune to Future Sight.
Future Sight reads an opponent’s movements by sensing the aura of incoming attacks. “Observation Killing,” by contrast, controls one’s own presence to make future vision impossible.
It’s kind of like Luffy’s “Gum-Gum No… Bou (space out)”—going blank to dodge attacks through reflex alone.
In Luffy’s case, spacing out means he can dodge reactively, but he can’t attack on his own—that’s the trade-off. The question is whether Shanks can go from completely blank to launching an attack in an instant.
Gaban’s Real Question About Usopp
By now it’s clear just how high-level “Observation Killing” really is.
So it would seem unnatural for Usopp—whose Observation Haki only recently awakened—to use it. That said, when it comes to controlling one’s presence, maybe he actually has a knack for it.
There was that time he played dead during his fight with Chew in Cocoyasi Village.
And when he hid inside Kumashi during the Thriller Bark arc.
You could argue he was “controlling his presence” in those moments—but since Usopp fundamentally avoids close-quarters brawling, even if he had “Observation Killing,” it’s hard to see when he’d actually use it.
So yeah—the idea that Usopp can use “Observation Killing” doesn’t hold up.
Then what was Gaban’s question really about? We need to read that moment more carefully.
“Hm? Where was this guy this whole time…?” The reason Gaban felt this way was because of the line Usopp said just before.
“I have no idea!! First ‘Nika,’ then ‘Joy Boy’—and now you’re comparing him to ‘Roger’ too?!”
That line comparing Luffy to Roger was something Gaban said during his battle with Im.
And right after that, Gaban unleashed his massive move “God’s Gate (Shinmon),” covering a wide area.
At the very least, no other humans should have been in range of that attack—yet Usopp somehow heard Gaban’s words.
So if we were to spell out Gaban’s unspoken train of thought more carefully:
“The only one who heard me compare Luffy to Roger should have been Im. No other human was within earshot. So why does this guy know what I said? Can he really hear conversations from that far away with his Observation Haki? Then where was he this whole time? How far does his range extend? This kid might not be ordinary.”
Something like that.
Usopp’s Observation Haki
Usopp reacted the moment Luffy was stabbed by Im.
His Observation Haki seems to work at quite an extreme distance.
However, Jinbe—who was at the same location—also sensed that Luffy’s Haki had weakened, so we can’t say Usopp’s Observation Haki is uniquely abnormal based on this alone.
But if Usopp’s Observation Haki can do more than sense distant presences—if he can actually hear conversations clearly from far away—then that would rival Enel’s Mantra enhanced by the power of lightning.
If that’s the case, it would truly be worthy of his title: God Usopp.