One Piece Officially Sets Luffy's Final Upgrade to Gear 5

In the 17th issue of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump on March 23, 2022, Monkey D. Luffy officially debuted his ultimate transformation called Gear 5. This transformation was made possible by the awakening of Luffy's Hitohitonomi, Model: Nika, one of the most powerful mythical Zoan Devil Fruits bearing the name of God. Since then one pieceLuffy has demonstrated the power of his Sun God Nika form several times, and we can see that he is already incredibly overpowered.

However, in order to fight the world's absolute strongest powers, such as the demon Nero and Immu, who officially descended on Elbaf in episode 1179 on April 6, 2026, Luffy's Gear 5 is not enough and must go beyond it. The currently climactic Elbaf arc has laid the foundation for Luffy to do just that, and we absolutely want to see the next upgrade to his Sun God Nika form.

One Piece prepares you for a major Haki boost for Gear 5 in the Luffy vs. Imu battle in Elbaf Climax.

Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 is his most powerful transformation to date. The Gear 5 form was officially acquired in Chapter 1044, where after being killed by Kaido's powerful Horai Hakke, Luffy finally unleashed his true potential and understood the nature of his Devil Fruit abilities.

“Awakening is what happens when your body and mind catch up with your abilities. And it is definitely an outrageous power!” — Kaido explains Devil Fruit Awakening, One Piece Chapter 1045.

His body became more resilient and he was able to fight more freely than before. Most importantly, Luffy is not bound by anything other than his imagination and can do anything he puts his mind to. This became the true power of his Gear 5 transformation and made him a force to be reckoned with. Luffy initially struggled to fight against Kaido, but after gaining the power of Gear 5, he easily overpowered him on several occasions, demonstrating his superior fighting abilities. Two issues have passed since then, and Luffy's Gear 5 has only gotten better.

Luffy Gear 5's true power is tested against Nerona Imu at the climax of the Elbaf arc. In Episode 1181 of One Piece, which was officially released on April 27, 2026, and Issues 22 and 23 of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump, Monkey D. Luffy appeared preparing for his battle with Immu by consuming a huge amount of food. Naturally, this would address one of Luffy's biggest flaws when it comes to Gear 5: his lack of stamina. As stamina is replenished, Luffy's strength also needs to be upgraded.

“I need to eat more! I've never felt anything like this before! It's so heavy and rough! What is this guy's hockey?” — Monkey D. Luffy consumes extra food to fight Imu. One Piece Episode 1181

Gear 5 is incredibly powerful, but in its current state, it is not powerful enough to defeat Nerona Imu. Even Loki, who should be equal to the sun god Nika in every way, struggles to land consecutive attacks on Imu. Luffy won't be able to do it like this, and that's why he needs to get an upgrade. To increase the effectiveness and combat power of Luffy's Gear 5, Eiichiro Oda will likely give him a Haki upgrade. In One Piece Chapter 1152, Scoper Gavan tells Luffy to keep in mind how to use Haki properly. If Luffy learns to utilize Conqueror's Haki at a higher level like Shanks, he will become much stronger overall and his effectiveness in Gear 5 will also increase significantly. Only then will he have a chance to face Nero or Imu in battle.

“Listen carefully, Straw Hat! Keep in mind how you use the colors of the Great King. These people are not immortals! — Scoper Gavan teaches Luffy how to defeat immortals, One Piece Chapter 1152

Why a stronger Haki can take Luffy's Gear 5 to new heights

The power of the King of Hockey is inherently tied to the power of the user. Unlike other types of hockey, Hockey Greats cannot be trained in person. As the user's power grows, it becomes stronger. In this way, as Luffy becomes stronger than before, Haki also grows. Conversely, if Luffy's Haki becomes stronger, his Gear 5 will automatically receive a significant buff. This buff applies to both attack and defense. Luffy's attack power has been greatly improved, allowing him to inflict more damage to enemies like Nero and Imu in battle.

Likewise, Luffy's defense is also boosted to the point where powerful attacks like Imu do not inflict sustained damage, allowing him to engage in extended combat. This should also be reflected in his overall health, and over time he will be able to maintain Gear 5 for longer. All of these problems will be resolved once and for all on Elbaf's side by Eiichiro Oda, and we are eagerly awaiting this.

“You can control the color of the Great King, but you cannot directly strengthen it. It is an embodiment of the user's spirit. The only way to make it stronger is for the user to become stronger.” — Silvers Rayleigh explains how to strengthen hockey for the greats. One Piece Episode 597

Luffy's Gear 5 must surpass Joy Boy's overall level at the time of the match

Image via Toei Animation.

initiator one pieceEiichiro Oda has already set the level that Luffy can reach in the story thanks to the character Joy Boy. In One Piece Chapter 1122, which was officially released in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump Issues 36-37 on August 5, 2024, Eiichiro Oda demonstrated the absolute peak of Joy Boy's power when Emes unleashed Joy Boy's Haki. It was powerful enough to split the sky on its own, defeat all of Egghead's lieutenants, nullify the yokai powers of the five elders, and finally inflict pain on Nero and Imu. Right now Luffy's power isn't at this level, but that has to change. In the grand scheme of things, Luffy must reach this level to face Nero or Imu in battle and defeat them.

“Listen carefully, Emes! I have tied the greatest knot of Haki and imprisoned it within you. Use it when the time comes.” — Joy Boy to Emeth, One Piece Episode 1122

It's no exaggeration to say that Luffy would have to be way ahead of Joy Boy to do what he failed to do 800 years ago. Reaching these levels is only possible by continuously upgrading the power of Gear 5, which is something Luffy will do in the future, starting with Elbaf. Eiichiro Oda will be giving him a Haki Boost, which is the main goal of this issue of powering up the Straw Hat Pirates. As Luffy grows in his Haki side, more power-ups will come his way as the matchup approaches. By the end of the final battle, he will have surpassed the likes of Gol D. Roger and Joy Boy overall and become the undisputed strongest pirate in the entire world.

The latest chapter of the One Piece manga written by Eiichiro Oda can be read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.