3 Years After Gear 5, One Piece Finally Confirms Luffy’s Next Power Up

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This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.

The anime and manga series One Piece is now focusing on the Elbaf arc, which is delivering major story reveals. The recent flashback focusing on Loki has unveiled important historical information and epic battles. Throughout these exciting chapters, the creator, Eiichiro Oda, has hinted at even greater power increases coming for the main character, Monkey D. Luffy.

It’s been a long time since Luffy last became significantly more powerful. His current strongest ability is Gear 5, which allowed him to defeat Kaido. However, with the introduction of new, stronger enemies in the final part of One Piece, Gear 5 isn’t enough anymore. Fans have been anticipating Luffy getting even stronger to face opponents like Imu, and the author, Oda, has now revealed what his next power-up will be. After years since unlocking Gear 5, Oda has officially set up Luffy’s next evolution in strength.

Luffy Will Gain Advanced Haki In The Final Saga

Rocks Showed New Haki Abilities In God Valley

  • Luffy Needs To Learn Haki Barrier And Haki Blasts
  • Luffy’s Haki Needs To Improve

Luffy has already maximized the potential of his Devil Fruit ability. Devil Fruit Awakening represents the absolute strongest form a power can reach, and Luffy confirmed this himself during the Wano Country arc. After awakening his own fruit, he explicitly stated he’d reached his peak, meaning the full extent of what his Devil Fruit could offer.

What is this incredible power? I feel unstoppable! This is my absolute limit… This is Gear 5! – Luffy, from One Piece chapter 1044

Luffy has likely reached the limit of what his Devil Fruit can do, but he can still become stronger by improving his Haki. As Scopper Gaban pointed out, Luffy needs to focus on mastering his Haki, and that’s where his next big power increase will come from.

In One Piece chapter 1165, Oda revealed a remarkable ability of Rocks D. Xebec: he could use incredibly powerful Conqueror’s Haki as a defensive barrier. This meant Rocks’s Haki was so strong that any attack aimed at him was automatically deflected, functioning almost like an impenetrable shield. The more potent his Haki, the more effective the barrier became.

Rocks, I won’t let you go after my crew! — Roger to Rocks after Domi Reversi

Luffy isn’t quite skilled enough to use Haki shockwaves – a powerful technique mastered by legends like Rocks, Roger, Garp, and Shanks. Essentially, Luffy still has more to learn with Haki, and the author, Oda, has now shown fans what Luffy needs to do to become even stronger.

Luffy Will Improve His Haki Greatly In Elbaf

Luffy’s Haki Needs To Reach Shanks’s Level

Currently, One Piece is focused on a flashback within the Elbaf arc, but that won’t be the case for much longer. The flashback is expected to end in the coming months, after which the highly anticipated battle between Luffy and Imu, along with the Holy Knights, will begin. This fight is predicted to be crucial for Luffy’s development, allowing him to significantly improve his Haki abilities and reach a new level of power. Oda’s decision to hint at these Haki advancements during the Elbaf flashback suggests that Luffy will soon unlock them. All that remains is for the flashback to conclude and for Luffy to start battling in Elbaf.

One Piece Chapter 1165 will be released on November 9, 2025. You can read it for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-11-09 02:34