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The main character of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy, has always stood out for being a creative and unpredictable fighter. Throughout the series, Luffy has evolved his Devil Fruit abilities unexpectedly, combining them with Haki to obtain a whole new level of might.
The latest One Piece chapter saw Luffy using his Gear 5 powers to perform an insane feat as he blocked Admiral Kizaru and Five Elders member Saint Jaygarcia Saturn simultaneously. As Saturn transformed into what appeared to be his full Zoan form, Luffy dodged the former's strikes. Sanji tried to escape with Vegapunk but was stopped by Kizaru.
The Admiral kicked Sanji away and then stabbed Vegapunk with a lightsaber. Enraged, Luffy used Gear 5 to turn his body into that of a giant. He restrained Saturn and Kizaru at once, allowing Sanji to escape with Vegapunk. As Luffy is set to take on these two fearsome enemies, One Piece fans can't wait to see which new technique he will use to overcome them.
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Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1109.
Engaged against an Admiral and one of the Five Elders, Luffy will show his real strength in the next One Piece chapters
The Gear 5 transformation will be essential in the upcoming fight
Twelve years before One Piece's present narration, a seven-year-old Luffy ate a certain Devil Fruit. This item grants his physique the properties of rubber, enabling Luffy to stretch, bounce, bend, twist, and inflate any part of his body. Over time, Luffy developed Gear transformations, which increased his speed, strength, and versatility.
For a long time, the source of Luffy's powers was believed to be the Paramecia-type Gom-Gom Fruit. During the fight with Kaido, Luffy awakened the true nature of his abilities, becoming able to use a new transformation called Gear 5.
It was revealed that Luffy's Devil Fruit was the Human-Human Model: Nika, an extremely peculiar Mythical Zoan that allows the user to become an incarnation of Nika, the legendary "Sun God." According to Folklore, Nika would fight to free the oppressed, bringing smiles and laughter to everyone's faces.
The Gear 5 form grants Luffy insane abilities beyond his previous Gear transformations. Factoring in his newfound Nika-like powers, Luffy can fight, following his imagination with complete freedom. All of his physical parameters were significantly enhanced, as his body became cartoonishly malleable while simultaneously increasing his durability.
He learned to manipulate and alter his body and limbs freely, making them as big as a giant's, without inflating his bones or muscles. Luffy also gained the surreal ability to extend the rubbery nature of his body to his surroundings, including the environment and his opponents.
Luffy can perform unreal actions due to these powers, which explains well why the Gear 5 was called "the most ridiculous power in the world." This transformation epitomizes Luffy's character, granting him unadulterated and boundless freedom to vent his imagination.
In One Piece chapter 1108, Luffy enlarged his body to catch Kizaru with his right arm and stop Saturn with his left one. This scene was depicted on a gorgeous double spread, which fans loved as it finally featured a severe and angry Gear 5 Luffy. His eyes were blackened entirely, and his expression was stern, emphasizing his resolve.
When Luffy attempted to use Gear 4 against Kizaru, the Admiral easily overpowered him. This makes it clear that Luffy will be forced to use Gear 5 until the end of the confrontation, as nothing else would suffice.
The only doubt to be solved is whether or not Luffy will create a new Gear 5 technique during the fight's second round. Since the onset of Gear 5, Luffy has already shown many different moves in the new form. Now forced to face both Kizaru and Saturn at once, he will have no choice but to step up his game to deal with these two fearsome individuals.
How will Luffy end the fight?
As it's well known, the Gear 5's cartoonish powers were a deliberate choice on One Piece author Eiichiro Oda's part. The mangaka himself explained that he was aware that many fans would not like this concept but still wanted to draw Luffy's fights in a funny way. The introduction of Gear 5 also created a stark contrast between Luffy's cartoonish humor and Kaido's stern ferocity.
This dichotomy is now used again in Egghead, where the conflict is between Luffy's light, which brings freedom, and Saint Saturn's oppressive darkness. Kizaru, who owns the Logia Devil Fruit of the Light, works on Saturn's behalf but seems torn between his duty and his feelings.
Until this point, Kizaru has executed Saturn's orders, but it gave the impression of experiencing a huge internal struggle. While Kizaru's allegiance may be questionable, there's no doubt that Saturn will never abandon his ominous intent, making him an irreducible enemy that Luffy must defeat by any means necessary.
In this regard, Oda might have already hinted at how Luffy will beat Saturn. In One Piece chapter 1101, within the context of Bartholomew Kuma's flashback, a younger Luffy is shown training to improve his Gum-Gum Axe attack.
To perform this technique, Luffy stretches one leg high into the air and then brings it down to crush the target with a gravity-powered stomp. Since Saturn is the one who destroyed the lives of Bonney and Kuma, two Nika believers, Luffy might use a Gear 5 version of the Gum-Gum Axe to smash the vicious Warrior God.
This would be especially fitting, given that Saturn's devilish powers make him resemble the ushi-oni, a spider-like monstrous creature. With this in mind, the scene in One Piece chapter 1101 can be interpreted as Oda's way of foreshadowing that Luffy would crush Saturn with his foot, just like a human would crush a spider.
Saturn being crushed like an insect would also be perfect karmic retribution, as he called humans "worthless insects" more than once. Granted, defeating Saturn is anything but simple, as he seems able to regenerate from the majority of his attacks.
However, if Luffy uses Gear 5 to enlarge his body to the size of a giant's and performs a Gum-Gum Axe, he would have enough might to destroy Saturn with a single blow, overcoming his healing abilities.
Keep up with all the anime, manga, and live-action news as 2024 progresses. Check out our other One Piece articles here:
Chapter 1108 analysis || Chapter 1109 release date and time || What are Kizaru's real intentions? || Everything to know about Saint Saturn's transformation
