Monkey D. Luffy is at the center of a major brewing war in One Piece right now.

The story is already in the Final Saga, and although it will be very elaborate, the final war is on the cusp of beginning. Luffy has become a Yonko recently, which is a massive accomplishment, but there are bigger enemies for him to face still. It is safe to say that Luffy’s upcoming battles are going to be very exciting, and they will see him make use of his strongest powers, such as Gear 5.

However, based on what fans have seen recently, Gear 5 might not be enough for Luffy to actually topple his enemies and come out on top. There is a dire need for Luffy to get even stronger, and surpass current power levels, if he is to do what Roger and Joy Boy couldn’t and reach the next level of power.

Luffy’s Awakening Of Gear 5

Luffy Tapped In Gear 5 In Chapter 1044

Gear 5 is Luffy’s biggest power and there’s absolutely no denying the fact that it is an incredible ability. Essentially, Gear 5 is Luffy’s fruit pushed to its very peak. The real name of the Gomu Gomu no Mi is the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and it is one of the most dangerous Devil Fruits to the World Government, but that is something that fans have known for quite a bit now. While its powers are not specifically groundbreaking or overpowered, it is the most ridiculous ability to ever exist, especially when one considers its awakening. The awakening of this Devil Fruit makes the user even stronger, boosts their physical attributes, and allows them to fight with even more freedom, creativity, and liberty. They become the Warrior of Liberation, just like the Sun God Nika. It is awakening that brings out the true power of this Devil Fruit and with it, they can do essentially anything, limited only by their imagination. This power is the most ridiculous ability to ever exist in the world of One Piece, and it is currently in the possession of Luffy.

Beat loudly, heartbeat! – Luffy

Clearly, the power of Gear 5 is immense. Fans have seen Luffy utilize it against Kaido at first, and he was absolutely bamboozled at what this ability could do. Kaido, despite being as strong as he was, was not able to keep up with the freewheeling combat that Luffy showed him in the midst of battle. Eventually, Kaido fell to Luffy in battle, and then, in the following arc, Luffy tapped into the power of Gear 5 once again on multiple occasions. This time as well, he showcased successfully that Gear 5 was on a completely different level. He was able to dominate fights against Lucci, and even the likes of the Elders.

However, the only problem Luffy faced was that he was not able to do any substantial damage to the Elders. Luffy was surely able to hurt them, but they all recovered anyway, which meant that his powers were somewhat useless against them. In an extended battle, Luffy would not be able to defeat even one of the Elders, because at the end of the day, he would run out of stamina, while they would be as fresh as they were when they entered the battle in the first place. Clearly, Luffy is in no shape to fight against these individuals, and against the one who sits even higher, Imu.

The Powers That Surpass Even Gear 5’s Capabilities

Joy Boy’s Haki Is The Key To It All

The power to beat the Five Elders and the one who sits above them, Imu, was recently highlighted in One Piece. This power is Haki. Fans know that Haki is one of the most dangerous abilities to exist in the story, and that it exists as a powerful force that only a few can wield, specifically when talking about Conqueror’s Haki. Fans already know that Luffy does have Conqueror’s Haki. He has utilized this power on many occasions in the story, and recently, he even unlocked Conqueror’s Haki Infusion, which allows him to make use of his Haki in the most advanced of ways. It is what truly makes Luffy a Yonko level threat to anyone and has ensured that he etched his name in history alongside the strongest of characters.

Only Haki reigns supreme! – Kaido

However, the Haki that Luffy possesses is not enough to fight against the Elders or defeat them. Luffy needs to greatly progress in terms of Haki if he is to beat them, and this was highlighted by the Iron Giant at the very end of the Egghead arc. The Iron Giant unleashed Joyboy’s stored Haki and this Haki was so powerful that not only did it knock out just about every Marine around the island, but at the same time, it also went on to negate the Abilities of the Elders, as well as the summonings that the Saturn performed. All of their powers were negated completely and they were sent back to Marijoa, reeling. Luffy cannot do something like this with his Haki, and there is clearly a need for him to grow stronger. Gear 5 on its own is not enough for him to reach the top.

It is as kaido said; abilities alone cannot conquer the world. Haki reigns Supreme. Roger brought the world to heal with his powerful Haki, and he did not even have a Devil Fruit. Now, this is Kaido’s very own opinion and it must not be conflated with a fact. The idea is that abilities alone cannot allow Luffy to reach the top. Haki is essential for him to do that. That doesn’t mean that Haki is better than Devil Fruit powers or that Devil Fruit powers are useless. The fact that Kaido, despite having superior Haki, lost to Luffy is proof of that. What it means is that Luffy needs to upgrade both Haki and Devil Fruit at the same time if he is to do the unthinkable and defeat the Elders and Imu.

Luffy might have reached the pinnacle of his strength in terms of his Devil Fruit powers by awakening Gear 5. However, his Haki still needs a lot of work. He isn’t even remotely close to the level that Joy Boy showed in the recent chapter, or what Shanks did to Kid using a single strike of his Haki. As One Piece moves ahead, Luffy will have to upgrade upon his usage of Haki and reach levels that Joyboy displayed. Only then can he fight against the powers of the Elders and Imu by negating them. There is also the threat of Blackbeard to be considered, who possesses the powers to negate any other Devil Fruit ability. It is only by mastering the strongest form of Haki that Joyboy displayed can Luffy actually negate his abilities and make this an even battle.