Eiichiro Oda Quietly Sets Up Luffy’s Next Transformation After Gear 5

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

As a long-time watcher of One Piece, I’ve noticed fans always get incredibly excited whenever Luffy gains a new ability. After the two-year time jump, he really showed off how much he’d grown, especially with Haki, and it felt like a huge leap forward. The Dressrosa arc introduced Gear 4, which was a game-changer at the time. But in Wano, Luffy truly unlocked something special – he mastered his Haki and revealed Gear 5. It feels like this new form will define how he fights from now on; it’s a completely different level of power.

Many One Piece fans believe Luffy’s Gear 5 is his final form, and that’s understandable. However, the author, Oda, has subtly hinted at what Luffy will transform into next. It’s going to be a thrilling development, especially because the battles ahead will demand a power level Luffy hasn’t reached yet.

Luffy Has Confirmed Gear 5 As His Peak

Image via Toei Animation.
  • Gear 5 is the height of Luffy’s Devil Fruit ability
  • His overall power can still grow beyond Gear 5

Before we speculate about Luffy’s future powers, it’s important to remember he probably won’t surpass Gear 5. Whatever new form he might achieve will likely build on Gear 5. This idea stems from Luffy stating during the Wano Country Arc that Gear 5 represents the full potential of his Devil Fruit. This also aligns with how Devil Fruits generally work: once a fruit awakens, it reaches its absolute limit, meaning there’s nowhere else for its power to go.

This is my peak! This is Gear 5! — Monkey D. Luffy

I’ve been watching the story unfold, and it’s become clear that everyone, even the main character Luffy, has a limit to their power. But just because there’s a limit doesn’t mean Luffy can’t still get stronger as we head into the final part of the story. Looking at him now, it’s obvious he isn’t strong enough to defeat Imu. Even incredibly powerful groups like the Rocks pirates couldn’t even scratch him. Still, Luffy has to find a way to fight Imu on equal terms and ultimately win. It’s clear that Gear 5 isn’t going to be enough, and that suggests he’s on the verge of another, even bigger transformation.

Luffy’s Haki Can Still Improve Further In One Piece

  • Luffy’s Haki is far from its peak
  • The Elbaf arc will focus deeply on Luffy’s Haki

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that Luffy’s next power-up will center around his Haki. The series has already shown that his Haki still has a lot of room to grow, and he especially needs to master and advance his Conqueror’s Haki to reach his full potential.

I overheard Scopper Gaban warn Luffy – or ‘Straw Hat,’ as he called him – to be careful with his Conqueror’s Haki. He emphasized that the opponents they were facing weren’t invincible, and Luffy needed to remember that.

When Joy Boy used his powerful Haki on Egghead, he accomplished incredible feats: he split the sky on his own, knocked out all the Vice-Admirals, disabled the powers of the Five Elders, stopped the Abyss, and even severely injured Imu. Luffy isn’t strong enough to do any of that yet, highlighting what he needs to focus on. Luffy must drastically improve his Haki, aiming to fully master Conqueror’s Haki by the end of the Elbaf arc. Reaching Joy Boy’s level of Haki, combined with his Gear 5 transformation, could unlock a whole new power for Luffy.

Higher Haki Application Can Create A New Gear 5 Form

Image by Viz Media

We’ve already seen that Luffy likely won’t get another ‘Gear’ beyond Gear 5. However, his Haki – his spiritual energy – still has room to grow. It’s this growth, combined with his existing Gear 5 abilities, that could lead to his next powerful transformation. To understand how this might happen, it helps to look at how Gear 4 functions.

Gear 4 is Luffy pushing his abilities to the limit by combining his Devil Fruit powers with incredibly strong Haki. He fills his rubbery body with air and uses Haki to hold it all in, creating extreme tension and maximizing his elasticity. While this power boost doesn’t last long due to the massive amount of Haki used, it significantly increases his strength. Ultimately, Gear 4 is Luffy fully exploiting the unique properties of his rubber body.

Gear 4 isn’t just one form – Luffy can switch between Bounce Man, which offers a good balance of power and protection, Snake Man for increased speed, and Tank Man for maximum defense. It’s likely that Gear 5 will also have different transformations with unique abilities, just like Gear 4.

If Luffy fully develops his Conqueror’s Haki, he might be able to combine it with his rubber body to reach a new, incredibly powerful form. This isn’t just speculation – it’s a necessary step for Luffy if he wants to defeat enemies far stronger than anyone we’ve seen before, even legendary figures like Rocks, Roger, Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, and Garp combined.

Luffy Has Unlimited Imagination With Gear 5

Gear 5 gives Luffy nearly limitless power. He can achieve anything he imagines, breaking all previous boundaries – whether it’s creating objects from thin air, running on air, or even igniting his feet while moving. Because of this freedom, Luffy could even develop new abilities within Gear 5 if he chooses.

It’s obvious that Gear 5 isn’t the final form for Luffy. His next transformation could build upon Gear 5, becoming even more powerful, which is thrilling for both Luffy and One Piece fans.

With the story progressing in the Elbaf arc, Luffy is expected to focus on improving his Haki. Once he masters the fundamentals, he’ll likely develop a more advanced version of Gear 5, potentially during a challenging fight against a powerful opponent like Shanks or even Imu in the upcoming Great War.

Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga, One Piece, follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they search for the legendary treasure, the One Piece. The story is currently in its final arc. A new chapter, number 1172, will be released in this week’s Weekly Shonen Jump. It will be available on February 1, 2026, at 12 AM Japan Standard Time (11:00 AM Eastern Time and 8:00 AM Pacific Time). Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app, which helps support the creator.

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2026-01-28 01:35