Since Eiichiro Oda dropped Gear 5 in One Piece, fans have been divided. The Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits have a terrifying tendency to take over their users’ minds upon awakening, but Luffy seems to be totally in charge, totally unlike what we’ve experienced with Lucci’s or Kaido’s awakenings.
But what if Oda has been deliberately not telling us something? What if everything we’ve seen up until now is only the tip of the iceberg of the true nature of Gear 5? A brief remark from Dr. Vegapunk about this in a recent episode has reignited this speculation among the fans.
The nature of Mythical Zoan awakenings: A power that takes over
Eiichiro Oda made it pretty specific that Mythical Zoan awakenings aren’t solely about power-ups, it completely plays games with your brain. One of the most compelling hints about a deeper level of Gear 5 comes from Vegapunk’s recent dialogue about Devil Fruits and their impact on the user’s mind.
The awakened Jailer Beasts in Impel Down acted purely on instinct. Lucci, after awakening his Leopard fruit, displayed an even more primal and animalistic fighting style, showing signs of losing his rationality in the heat of battle.
Even Kaido, who had decades of experience with his Uo Uo no Mi, exhibited moments where he seemed to act purely on beastly instinct. Yet, Luffy, even though he’s got the wildest Mythical Zoan around, totally keeps it together.
This creates the chilling possibility that Luffy has not entirely been controlled by Nika as of now and that the full potential of Gear 5 could be something unimaginably terrifying. Luffy’s transformation in One Piece already alters his appearance, voice, and even the environment around him. His heartbeat becomes the Drums of Liberation, a sign that he is no longer operating purely as himself.
But what if there is a moment where those drums don’t just signal joy and freedom but something far darker? If Luffy’s psyche ever really snaps, and Sun God Nika’s full force breaks through, the consequences would be disastrous. Moreover, another hint lies in the nature of Luffy’s attacks in One Piece.
His Gear 5 abilities are totally mind-blowing! He’s warping the fabric of physics, rubberizing the battlefield, and traveling in ways that just don’t make sense. Now think about this ability being unleashed totally crazy-style, without Luffy’s sense of right and wrong to hold him back. A Luffy fully possessed by Nika’s will would be something the world had never seen.
What this could mean for One Piece‘s future
Imagine this: you’re among the greatest warriors in the world, and you’re tasked with defeating Monkey D. Luffy. You completely get that he’s one of the world’s most wanted men. You get that he’s incredibly powerful. But man, nothing prepares you for what it’s like when he unleashes everything at max power in his Gear 5 peak state.
His laughter echoes out onto the battlefield, sort of creepy and completely beyond his control. He moves like a cartoon, but in a manner that’s rather unsettling and unpredictable. One moment he’s jumping around like a goof, and the next he’s whirling his arms and legs around faster than you can even blink. Then the war drums come in. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Your friends are falling like flies. Even before he begins attacking, the sheer force of his Conqueror’s Haki is already sufficient to knock the faint of heart out. You get ready for your best attack, but in all honesty, it doesn’t even matter. He dodges it as if it’s nothing, or he catches everything and just laughs it off like one of those cartoons.
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Your body is all twisted up from the punches like the fabric of space is bending around him. And then it occurs to you, that you’re fighting something that is not human anymore. If Oda is indeed planning to showcase the peak form of Gear 5, it would have massive implications for One Piece‘s endgame.
It could be a moment where Luffy has to fight to retain his identity, resisting complete assimilation into Nika’s will. It could also mean that the final battle against the World Government will see Luffy unleashed in a way we’ve never imagined.
One Piece is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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