This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
WITH One piece in the current latest Monkey D. Luffy saga, Luffy is now easily among the strongest characters in the story. Luffy officially managed to reach Yonko level during the Wano Country Arc, where he surpassed Kaido by not only mastering his Haki, but also using the power of the Devil Fruit Awakening for the first time.
A year later, One Piece Author Oda reveals Elbaf's main villain, and it's not Imu
Imu will not be Elbaf's main villain. A real enemy shocks fans in One Piece.
It goes without saying that learning a new Haki was crucial to Luffy's victory over Kaido, but there is absolutely no denying the fact that what Luffy really needed to defeat Kaido was Gear 5. Without this ability, he most certainly would not have defeated the Yonka, and according to Luffy, this power put him at his absolute peak.
Naturally, now that Luffy has gained the power of Gear 5, fans are wondering if Gear 6 is attainable for him or not. The answer to this question is quite complex, but simply put, Gear 6 is still possible and fans may see it later in the Final Saga.
Gear 5 is canonically Luffy's highest transformation
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Luffy Awakened Gear 5 in battle against Kaido
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Luffy states that Gear 5 is his peak
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Luffy can still use newer gum applications
To understand how Luffy can still use the power of Gear 6, we need to understand the nature of Gear 5 and what it really represents. Luffy's gear transformations have always come out in different ways. For starters, Luffy decided to push his body beyond all physical limits by pumping his blood faster, and this led him to reach the second stage. He decided to pump air into his bones to create the giant's limbs, and this gave him the power of Gear 3rd. After learning Haki, Luffy decided to inflate his muscles and then coat his body with Haki to maintain an immense amount of tension and push the elasticity power to its absolute peak, and this was what he called Gear Fourth.
This is the pinnacle of what I can do. This is… Gear Number 5! — Luffy, Wano Arc
Gear 5 is fundamentally different from all the other Gear Luffy has developed over the years. While the other Gears are just applications of what the rubber itself can do, Gear 5 is a transformation achieved through Devil Fruit Awakeningas stated by Kaido himself. The Mythical Zoan Fruit, when awakened, grants the user a unique transformation. This is what Luffy's Gear 5 really represents. In that case, it makes sense why Luffy said he had reached his peak when it came to Devil Fruit abilities.
Luffy can't evolve beyond Devil Fruit Awakening, but that doesn't mean he can't use other applications of his rubber body and the powers of imagination he gets from being the Sun God Nikou. in other words The Gear 6 is not out of the realm of possibility at this pointespecially considering the fact that Luffy still needs to develop his Haki a lot.
Luffy can still upgrade his Haki to create Gear 6
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The path to Gear 5 lies in the Conqueror's Haki Mastery
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Gear 6 will depend heavily on Haki
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Luffy's Haki is not at its peak yet
Right now, Luffy focuses on improving his Haki in battle. Quite clearly, his Devil Fruit had already awakened, meaning that he could no longer transfer his Devil Fruit power to a higher level. All he can do is improve the efficiency of using his Gear 5 by making it last longer and finding more ingenious ways to use it in combat. But there is still much to learn in the realm of Haki. Luffy's Haki is strong, but definitely not the strongest when it comes to Conqueror's Haki Infusion.
In this form I am completely free. — Luffy to Bonney, Egg
One Piece Anime Officially Reveals Elbaf Arc Release Date
The Elbaf arc of One Piece is coming. An official release date is finally available.
Luffy was recently told by Gaban to keep in mind how to use it properly because as it is, he was unable to face the immortality of the Saint Knights and Elders. Luffy needs to improve his Haki tremendously and then become stronger overallas the Conqueror's Haki only grows stronger when the user himself grows stronger.
The ceiling for Luffy is that of Joy Boy and was shown to fans in the Egghead Arc.
In order to defeat Ima, Luffy must reach the same level as Joy Boyand that means it needs to be much stronger than it currently is. As such, Luffy's Haki evolution v One piece it is clear at this point and it is this Haki that can open the doors of Gear 6 in the future.
Higher Haki application combined with Gear 5 can spawn Gear 6
As previously established, Luffy can take his Haki to the next level and then combine this newly acquired Haki with his Gear 5 to create many transformations that still fall within the realms of Gear 5. In other words, Gear 6 is still possible in One Piece, it just won't be just another transformational evolution of his Devil Fruit abilities. Gear 5 is where Luffy peaks when it comes to transformations, but that doesn't mean he can't use Haki applications in this version of Gear 5 to enhance it a lot. Luffy can simply call the boosted version of Gear 5 as Gear 6 because there's absolutely nothing that says he can't.
If you look at Gear 3rd, for example, it's just Luffy biting into a bone and pumping air into it. Logically, it shouldn't even be Gear, but Luffy still calls it Gear 3rd. By simply applying a new power to an already existing Gear 5, Luffy can easily create a Gear 6, and that's something fans need to keep in mind moving forward. There will be no more flashy transformations that come out of nowhere, but Luffy can still apply the rubber properties to Gear 5 and combine it with the newly awakened Hakim to develop something that just marks Gear 6 on a whim.
Gear 6 is needed to defeat Imu
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Luffy needs to become stronger to defeat Ima
With Luffy's current state, he has no chance against Imu. Fans got a good look at Imu's power level during Loki's flashback and even the attacks of the six absolute monsters from the Rocks, Roger, Garp, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaid weren't enough to even dent them.. As such, Luffy has no chance against this monster.
However, the fans know this too Joy Boy's Haki was so strong that Imu couldn't take itand that is the level Luffy must strive for. Joy Boy's Haki being strong means that his total power was much greater than Luffy's Gear 5.. in other words Luffy needs to develop something above Gear 5 if he is to truly fight Imu on the same level, and that's where Gear 6 comes in. No matter how fans look at it, Luffy transitioning past Gear 5 is absolutely necessary if he is to defeat the likes of Ima, and at some point fans could see the arrival of Gear 6 in the final saga.
