So much salt in this post that my blood pressure skyrocketed, but I will try to be serious.
First off you have to define what an "unearned" power truly is, and for it to be an actual problem imo it has to A) completely kill tension by actually giving a free win to the protagonist or B) Go against the themes previously established in the story. A good example for A would be the powerups in dragon ball super and for B it would be the 7 quirks fron Boku no hero or the final power up from Naruto shippuden. I'll assume that what you mean with "unearned power up" is a power that the character didnt work to get, and though you could be right I ask you: was one piece AS A WHOLE a story about training or developing your might? Luffy did train in both of his timeskips, yes, but his weapon was always his versatility and his will, not how many push ups he does daily, and Sanji goes in a similar direction, even if we spent a bunch of chapters focused on them training or even have timeskip after timeskip that would still not change the fact that this isnt how Luffy wins his battles
There is a reason why Oda made the equivalent of Ki in one piece "haki", wich literally means will/ambition, and why haki blooms and conquerors growing only through battle are a thing, because that was the theme with Luffy from the get go, so if the character is following the in universe stablished ways of how the power works and is following the thematic to a teeth can you really call it unearned hust because it doesnt follow what you belive to be the proper process? In Sanji's case his power up goes completely in hand with his storyline that began back in Zou, with him desperately trying to cut ties with his family but never being able to do so because he is what he is, a Vinsmoke, and that was never properly closed off during whole cake and the lastest chapter confirms that its truly not over yet
And since then, even through their mutual hatred, Sanji and his family have been getting somewhat closer, with them saving him and Luffy and him inheriting their tech and powers, hell I cant even see them awakening their emotions next time we see then just like Sanji awakened his powers,this isnt just an excuse for a power up this is a character arc.
So again, Sanji is following the themes established in his story, so I cant see how thats unearned because he didnt do a bunch of squats. Theres only 1 character in the SHs that have the whole " I have to constantly train my body to achieve my goal"
Thats one of the reasons he is so loved, because thats HIS thing, and so far he has been true to his theme. The moment he pulls a Shimotsuki bloodline power up THEN you can bitch about unearned power, and before anyone says it, Enma doesnt count as unearned because the quality of blades have always been a factor to swordsmanship, and he got Enma by earning Hyori's trust and exchanging Shisui for it, and he had to train to master it, even if briefly.
So in conclusion: It depends, but I would argue that one piece hasnt truly gone down that route yet anyway
First off you have to define what an "unearned" power truly is, and for it to be an actual problem imo it has to A) completely kill tension by actually giving a free win to the protagonist or B) Go against the themes previously established in the story. A good example for A would be the powerups in dragon ball super and for B it would be the 7 quirks fron Boku no hero or the final power up from Naruto shippuden. I'll assume that what you mean with "unearned power up" is a power that the character didnt work to get, and though you could be right I ask you: was one piece AS A WHOLE a story about training or developing your might? Luffy did train in both of his timeskips, yes, but his weapon was always his versatility and his will, not how many push ups he does daily, and Sanji goes in a similar direction, even if we spent a bunch of chapters focused on them training or even have timeskip after timeskip that would still not change the fact that this isnt how Luffy wins his battles
There is a reason why Oda made the equivalent of Ki in one piece "haki", wich literally means will/ambition, and why haki blooms and conquerors growing only through battle are a thing, because that was the theme with Luffy from the get go, so if the character is following the in universe stablished ways of how the power works and is following the thematic to a teeth can you really call it unearned hust because it doesnt follow what you belive to be the proper process? In Sanji's case his power up goes completely in hand with his storyline that began back in Zou, with him desperately trying to cut ties with his family but never being able to do so because he is what he is, a Vinsmoke, and that was never properly closed off during whole cake and the lastest chapter confirms that its truly not over yet
And since then, even through their mutual hatred, Sanji and his family have been getting somewhat closer, with them saving him and Luffy and him inheriting their tech and powers, hell I cant even see them awakening their emotions next time we see then just like Sanji awakened his powers,this isnt just an excuse for a power up this is a character arc.
So again, Sanji is following the themes established in his story, so I cant see how thats unearned because he didnt do a bunch of squats. Theres only 1 character in the SHs that have the whole " I have to constantly train my body to achieve my goal"
Thats one of the reasons he is so loved, because thats HIS thing, and so far he has been true to his theme. The moment he pulls a Shimotsuki bloodline power up THEN you can bitch about unearned power, and before anyone says it, Enma doesnt count as unearned because the quality of blades have always been a factor to swordsmanship, and he got Enma by earning Hyori's trust and exchanging Shisui for it, and he had to train to master it, even if briefly.
So in conclusion: It depends, but I would argue that one piece hasnt truly gone down that route yet anyway
