This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
One piece fans are absolutely delighted whenever Luffy gets a new power-up. After the two-year timeskip, Luffy demonstrated incredible ways to use Haki and take his overall arsenal to the next level. In the Dressrosa arc, Luffy revealed the trump card he learned during the timeskip, which was Gear 4. In Wano, Luffy took his Haki to the next level while utilizing the ultimate power-up that would forever define his fighting style from here on out, the Gear 5..
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Of course, most One piece fans are under the impression that Luffy won't go beyond Gear 5 and to some extent this is true, but Oda has quietly established in the story what Luffy's next transformation will be.. Needless to say, this will be very exciting, especially since the upcoming battles require him to be at a very high level of power, which he does not currently have.
Luffy confirmed Gear 5 as his pinnacle
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Gear 5 is the pinnacle of Luffy's Devil Fruit ability
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Its overall power can still grow beyond Gear 5
Before we discuss Luffy's future transformations, fans need to understand an important fact Luffy most likely won't go beyond Gear 5. In other words, the base transformation for anything to come will still have to be Gear 5. This is because in the Wano Country Arc, Luffy himself confirmed that Gear 5 is his peak when it comes to his Devil Fruit abilities. It also makes sense given the nature of how Devil Fruits work. Once the Devil Fruit's power is awakened, it has already surpassed all limitations of what it can truly offer. In other words, Devil Fruit Awakening is as high as it gets.
This is my highlight! This is Gear 5! — Monkey D. Luffy
An individual can't push their powers any further, and that goes for Luffy even though he's the main character of the story. However, this does not mean that Luffy cannot grow even further in the final saga. In fact, one look at Luffy and it's pretty clear that fans will conclude that he's not at the required level of power to take down Ima. In fact, even Rocks and a lot of other powerful individuals who took on with Imu at his side couldn't even make a dent in him. Still, Luffy must do the unthinkable and somehow fight this monster on an equal level and even defeat him. It's clear that Luffy needs something much bigger than just the Gear 5, and that's where his next transformation comes in.
Luffy's Haki can still improve in one piece
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Luffy's Haki is far from its peak
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The Elbaf arc will focus deeply on Luffy's Haki
The basis for Luffy's next transformation will clearly be his Haki. As already made abundantly clear in the series, Luffy's Haki needs to grow much further than it is right now. specifically Luffy needs to work on his Conqueror's Haki and take it to the next level.
Listen, straw man! Be mindful of how you use Conqueror's Haki! These guys aren't immortal. — Scopper Gaban
When Joy Boy unleashed his Conqueror Haki on Egghead, not only was he able to solo split the sky, but he was also able to knock out all of the vice admirals on the island, as well as nullifying all of the Five Elders' Yokai abilities, nullifying the Abyss, and even causing Ima immense pain.. This is something Luffy can't achieve right now with his current power level and it paints a clear picture of what he needs to do next. Luffy has to work extremely hard on his Hakiand must be a Conqueror's Haki master at the end of the Elbaf Arc. By taking his power beyond all limitations, Luffy becomes a character with Joy Boy level Hakiand that combined with the Gear 5 could give him his new transformation.
A higher Haki application can create a new Gear 5 form
It was already established here that Luffy cannot go for Gear 5, but at the same time it is clear that his Haki needs to be further developed. The combination of these two things is what could give Luffy his next, unique transformation. To really understand this, you have to look at how the Gear 4 works.
Gear 4 basically sees Luffy use the highest level of Haki with his Devil Fruit abilities, creating a lot of tension in his rubber body and using the power of elasticity to the absolute maximum. This power has a short time limit as Luffy's Haki emits an amount but also gives him much more firepower. The air that Luffy blows into his muscles is held by his powerful Haki and this creates a tremendous amount of tension in the rubber. Luffy is basically using the properties of his rubber body to the absolute maximum with Gear 4.
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The Gear 4 itself then again has several forms. There is Bounce Man, which gives Luffy the most balanced attack and defense, but also Snake Man, which gives him higher speed, and of course, Tank Man, which gives him the highest level of defense. In a similar way, Luffy will most likely have several transformations within Gear 5 as well.
Once Luffy has mastered his Conqueror's Haki, he could potentially continue using the highest level Conqueror's Haki along with the rubber property that gives him a unique transformation, allowing him to fight at a much higher level. It's not just wishful thinking, but something that Luffy must master if he is to fight enemies at a much higher level than even the likes of Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Garp put together.
Luffy's imagination is limitless with Gear 5
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Luffy's imagination can also carve a path for his next transformation
That should also be remembered with Gear 5, Luffy gains the maximum ability to do almost anything. As long as Luffy can imagine it, he can do the impossible because in this form, nothing really stops him, whether it's conjuring things out of thin air, running through the air, or setting his legs on fire while running. Luffy can do anything in Gear 5 and as such, if he wants to, he can easily create a new transformation within Gear 5 itself.
There is clearly enough room for fact-finding Gear 5 is not the end of Luffy. His latest transformation could be based on the Gear 5 itself and could be something even bigger, and that's very exciting for both Luffy and the fans One piece.
As the Elbaf arc continues, Luffy will most likely continue to do what is asked of him and that is push his Haki to the next level.. Once he has all the basics to create a new Gear 5 form, he will most likely continue to do so once he fights someone truly formidable like Shanks or maybe even Imu in the Great War to come.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the straw pirates who sail the seas to claim the great treasure known as One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in Weekly Shonen Jump this week. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1172 is February 1, 2026. In Japan, One Piece drops on Monday at 12:00 PM JST, which is 11:00 AM EST or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read this chapter for free on Manga Plus and Shonen Jump apps. This ensures that fans will always support the author.
