Luffy’s Peak – Gear 5

Gear 5 is a very unique transformation in many ways, as this form isn’t reliant on Luffy utilizing different aspects of his Devil Fruit power. For instance, Gear Second was triggered by Luffy figuring out how to pump blood faster through his body by utilizing the rubber aspect of his body. At the same time, Gear Third was somewhat similar, and it saw Luffy utilize the rubber aspect of his body once again, pumping blood into his bones to reach the next level of strength. Gear 4, meanwhile, saw Luffy pump air directly into his muscles, and then utilize Haki to increase the tension and elasticity of rubber. This allowed him incredible strength and speed in combat, which he needed to wrestle stronger enemies of the New World. All these aspects of Devil Fruit power were smartly thought of by Luffy, and, as a result, these Gears were largely his creations in a more active manner.

Gear 5 isn’t like that. Gear 5 is simply a transformation that Luffy gets after he awakens his Devil Fruit. In the Wano Country arc, Kaido pushed Luffy to such a level that he ended up awakening his Devil Fruit. In Kaido’s own words, Devil Fruit awakening happens when the mind and the body of the user catch up with the ability. As such, this transformation was unlocked by Luffy in a more indirect manner, yet, it is one that can be considered to be his strongest. Luffy himself mentions Gear 5 to be his peak, and this grants one a clear look at the fact that Luffy likely cannot go beyond that as far as Devil Fruit transformations go.

For one, there is nothing that can surpass Devil Fruit awakening, and as a result, when it comes to Devil Fruit powers, Luffy has truly reached his peak. However, Luffy’s words, when he says that he has reached his peak, can be easily misunderstood. When talking about his peak, Luffy is speaking more about the Devil Fruit aspect of his abilities. Luffy has attained the ultimate transformation with Gear 5, and it is a form that has seen him gain tremendous strength. He cannot go beyond this form in terms of Gears, however, he certainly can still get stronger.

Can Luffy Go Beyond Gear 5?

As mentioned earlier, Gear 5 is certainly one of the strongest abilities that Luffy has up his sleeve. It isn’t a surprise for the fans to know that in terms of Devil Fruit powers, Luffy has reached his pinnacle. However, Luffy can certainly go beyond Gear 5. Devil Fruits are not the only abilities to exist in the One Piece world, after all. As such, Luffy can still mess around with his Devil Fruit, and even Gear 5 can be incorporated with Haki in unique ways, which would then give him new power-ups in the future of the story.

To answer the question simply, Luffy certainly can go beyond Gear 5, and this is very much possible. In fact, it is highly likely that Luffy will go beyond Gear 5 in the final saga, simply because the stronger enemies would require him to push himself more. Right now, Luffy has only faced off against Admiral Kizaru, and Saint Saturn. However, there are many powerful enemies that are awaiting him. Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, Blackbeard, Imu, and many others are still awaiting Luffy.

These are the enemies that Luffy will need to push himself against, and they will certainly require him to utilize Gear 5 in the very best manner, and, perhaps, develop new applications of it with his boundless creativity. At some point in the final saga, Luffy will most likely create unique transformations within Gear 5 itself, which would either be stronger, faster, or serve some other purpose, thus making Gear 5 even more versatile. That is something that fans should be looking forward to and this transformation would then help him in the many battles to come.

How Luffy Can Perfect Gear 5

When it comes to perfecting Gear 5 even further, the only solution that one can figure out is Haki. Of course, Luffy can always increase his stamina and figure out how to prolong Gear 5, however, to truly strengthen this power up, Luffy needs to strengthen his Haki first of all. In terms of Devil Fruit usage, few individuals can match Luffy at this point in time. However, in terms of Haki, there are a few who come on the skill on a higher level.

Luffy must reach that level of strength in the future of the story to be able to match characters such as Shanks. As such, the key to taking Gear 5 to the next level is to master Haki. Even though he has already mastered all three aspects of advanced Haki, there are characters who possess even better control over this skill. For instance, Shanks can channel his Conqueror’s Haki from a very great distance, as was showcased towards the end of Wano. Shanks could also use the power of Observation Killing, which is yes another subtype of his conqueror’s Haki. Overall, his Conqueror’s Haki is just much stronger, as is evident from the fact that he was able to one-shot Kid in combat.

Shanks also commands other forms of Haki much better than Luffy, and, put together, all these things make sense as he is stronger than the Straw Hat Emperor at this point in time. Luffy’s Gear 5 is strong, however, in order to truly match and beat Shanks, he has to push it beyond all limits.

Simply put, Gear 5 is very strong and it is certainly the peak of Luffy’s Devil Fruit abilities. However, it can certainly be pushed beyond all limits while incorporating stronger Haki. In the final saga, Luffy will have to focus on his Haki specifically and push it beyond all limits in order to improve Gear 5. But perhaps, by incorporating better Haki with Gear 5, Luffy will come up with newer forms of Gear 5 itself, which would be much stronger, and help him defeat the stronger enemies that he is to face later down the line.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1110, is set to be March 17, 2024.