It’s Officially Time for Luffy To Say Goodbye to Gear 5

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One Piece effectively deified Monkey D. Luffy by making him an incarnation of the Sun God, an ancient divine figure believed by some to be the source of the Gum-Gum Fruit. By extension, Gear 5 made Luffy into one of the strongest characters in the series. Since defeating Kaido at Onigashima, the Straw Hat has seized numerous victories on both Egghead and Elbaph. Until the last few chapters changed everything.

When Imu revealed his full form, fans were expecting an apocalyptic battle to engulf the Giant Kingdom. What few saw coming was the final villain’s unstoppable power, effortlessly defeating Loki before turning his attention to Luffy. Across Chapters 1188 and 1189, Imu has been dismantling the illusion of Luffy’s strength. Not even Gear 5, the supposed manifestation of Nika, was enough to save the hero from certain death. At this point, fans are calling for Gear 6.

Luffy Coasted Through Egghead and Early Elbaph with Gear 5

Luffy died on the battlefield of Onigashima before was resurrected as the Warrior of Liberation. Kaido put up an excellent fight against Gear 5, even managing to push Luffy out of this state at one juncture, but there was no ultimate difference in the outcome. As he had himself once predicted, Kaido was ultimately defeated by Joy Boy. The toon force of Gear 5 outclassed the Strongest Creature in the World, cementing Luffy as one of One Piece‘s most powerful characters.

Upon reaching Egghead, Luffy barely used the other Gears in favor of his latest acquisition, delivering some astonishingly easy wins against the strongest villains. He nonchalantly defeated an Awakened Rob Lucci, put Admiral Kizaru out of commission, and clashed with the Five Elders. Luffy was just as instrumental in providing critical assistance to his friends and allies, effectively turning the tides of battle.

It was also the Straw Hat who convinced Jewelry Bonney to manifest the full potential of her Devil Fruit, adding yet another overpowered weapon to the forces opposing the World Government. In fact, Luffy may have possibly defeated, or at least severely injured, the Gorosei if not for their immortalities, showcasing the growing powers of Gear 5 and Luffy’s rapidly developing mastery over his latest upgrade.

Then came Elbaph, where he used Gear 5 on multiple occasions that turned out to be unserious. Attacking a restrained Loki and challenging Scoppers Gaban paled in comparison to Luffy appearing atop Loki’s Nidhoggr form, with his Gigant state dwarfed by the gargantuan black dragon. Consequently, Gear 5 incapacitated the Holy Knight Shepherd Sommers with a single, delightful punch that will no doubt look epic in the anime.

Luffy and Loki eventually came across Imu, who used Gunko’s body to take control of them via Domi Reversi. The tactic failed, leaving the villain encased in a block of ice produced by the adorable Ragnir. Upon recognizing the danger posed by Nika and Nidhoggr working together, Imu decided to take matters into his own hands. He somehow escaped Ragnir’s ice and briefly went to Mary Geoise before returning to Elbaph in his true form.

Luffy Maximized Gear 5 and Still Lost to Imu

Luffy ran out of power soon after Imu-Gunko was frozen, with Gear 5 collapsing into the hilariously deformed state that left him weak and vulnerable. The answer to this problem naturally revolved around eating food, so Loki started cooking some up. And when Imu returned to the island, Luffy chose to stay behind at the Walrus School, devouring the massive mounds of food prepared for him.

Even when Loki was utterly overwhelmed by Imu, Luffy continued to stuff his face until he could reach his maximum potential. Experiencing the villain’s Conqueror’s Haki reverberating across Elbaph prevented the hero from charging recklessly, because he recognized the magnitude of the threat looming over them. He only ceased eating when he felt satisfied with his power levels, a standard tactic that has always paid off for Luffy.

Unfortunately, being at the top of his game was just not enough to stand against the King of the World. Following the surprise punch that mirrored his earlier attack on Charlos, none of his attacks could reach Imu. A food-fueled Gear 5 can bend the very laws of physics, but the villain remained unbothered.

Although many of Imu’s attacks also failed to hit the rubbery target, he inevitably found a path toward victory. In one of the most shocking scenes of One Piece, Imu impaled Luffy with a “life-absorbing” sword, marking the first time that Gear 5 has been outclassed. Chapter 1188’s cliffhanger left the hero at the brink of death, while Chapter 1189 worsened that fear when he was pierced with a second legendary blade.

The fact that Luffy couldn’t utter one word in Chapter 1189, let alone laugh or smile as expected from Gear 5, became an upsetting reminder that the Sun God was not omnipotent. Wielding a bizarre set of abilities capable of manipulating the world itself, the King of the World was simply beyond the Straw Hat’s league. And the fact that Scoppers Gaban saved Luffy from certain death only reinforced the latter’s helplessness. That said, fans are wondering if there’s a power-up in store for the beloved protagonist.

Imu Indirectly Implied That Gear 5 Can Evolve Further

Imu impales Luffy with the Void Sword in One Piece Chapter 1188

As it stands, Imu is the only character in One Piece who knew about Gear 5 before Luffy discovered it. He might also be the only one to understand its weaknesses, having presumably fought against Joy Boy. Even if they were just friends, Imu could have learned about the nuances of the Gum-Gum Fruit by watching its previous user in action. By that same token, the villain knows just how powerful it can become in the right hands.

Chapters 1188 and 1189 are incontrovertible pieces of evidence confirming the King of the World’s supremacy over the (current) Warrior of Liberation. It turned out that Gear 5 was never Luffy’s pinnacle, despite him referring to it as such. The whole scenario, including the episode titled “Luffy’s Peak – Attained! Gear 5”, was a red herring designed to make fans believe in the hero’s invincibility before cruelly snatching their hopes away.

Then again, Imu’s concluding statement of Chapter 1188 offers a positive connotation. Claiming that Joy Boy was not as weak as Luffy implies a greater power hidden within the Gum-Gum Fruit, so many fans are expecting a short timeskip required for the relevant training. What comes after Gear 5 is ambiguous at this point. The ability is nothing more than Luffy using the totality of his Devil Fruit, making it impossible to imagine a state higher than one that’s already Awakened.

And yet, that’s exactly what Luffy must achieve to defeat Imu. Gear 5 is clearly useless, and Gear 6 makes no sense because its predecessor already seems maxed out. Oda has multiple options, as always because he plans the narrative in advance, from introducing a new power beyond Joy Boy and abandoning the Gear system to revealing that Awakening was just the first step in unlocking Nika’s secret potential. Whatever the case may be, Luffy simply cannot limit himself to Gear 5 anymore. Not against the wielder of what might be the original Devil Fruit.