Gear 5 has been the game-changer for the One Piece series. Even though it has been a long time since it was first introduced, there are still numerous questions and mysteries surrounding its Devil Fruit. Initially believed to be the Gum-Gum Fruit (Gomu Gomu no Mi), Luffy’s fruit was later discovered as the Human-Human Fruit (Hito Hito no Mi) in chapter 1044. This mythological Zoan-type fruit gives its user the abilities of the Sun God Nika. Let’s under the real power of Hito Hito no Mi (Human Human fruit).
During the early phase of the story, fans believed that Luffy was the reincarnation of Joy Boy. However, Chapter 1044 proved his relationship with Joy Boy is not a reincarnation. Rather, it has something to do with the real nature of Luffy’s Devil Fruit.
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From Gomu Gomu to Hito Hito: The Truth About Luffy’s Devil Fruit
The exposure of Luffy’s actual Devil Fruit nature revealed the source of his physical change. Having awakened his legendary Zoan-type fruit to the full extent, Luffy experiences a drastic change in appearance and capabilities.
In episode 1070, the Five Elders confirm that his Devil Fruit is not the Gum-Gum Fruit. It is actually the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika. While it still grants Luffy a rubber-like body, the true power of this fruit lies in its ability to let the user manipulate their body and abilities with the limitless freedom of their imagination.
These incredible abilities are vividly showcased when Luffy stretches his muscles like a cartoon character, swings Kaido around effortlessly, and pounds him back and forth with amazing power. Toward the latter part of the fight, Luffy demonstrates even more control by grabbing the roof and warping it to defend himself against Kaido’s Blast Breath.
Luffy Can Bend the World Like Rubber
With this, we see Luffy show us how much he is capable of shaping his environment, basically making it rubber. This is similar to the awakened abilities of other users of Paramecia fruit, like Doflamingo with his strings or Katakuri with his mochi.
What is unique about Luffy’s awakened powers is that he is able to make someone or something rubber-like. That is made evident later when he inflates Kaido and stretches through his eyes and body as if they were rubber-like.
Luffy’s awakening gives him the ability to turn his world and other people into rubber and back again, especially when touching them physically.
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But the best thing about Luffy’s Devil Fruit abilities, exclusive to Gear 5, is the ability to make his imagination a reality. This ability makes his Devil Fruit one of the strongest in the series.
Luffy’s fight with Kaido proves Luffy can achieve things that disregard logic, such as altering his size at will to grow in size and become more muscular. Furthermore, as the story progresses, he showcases the ability to display objects seemingly out of nowhere, like the goggles shown in his fight with Lucchi.
Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika: Paramecia-like Powers
Luffy’s Devil Fruit was first revealed as a Paramecia type, which made his body permanently like rubber. However, after awakening it during his fight with Kaido, it gave him the power to change his surroundings into rubber as well. This is one of the traits of Paramecia awakening, which we have also seen with characters like Doflamingo, who changes his surroundings threads, and also with Katakuri, who changes his surroundings into mochi.
However, unlike Doflamingo and Katakuri, Luffy can use his Paramecia power on living beings. Doflamingo cannot change people into strings, nor can Katakuri turn people into mochi. But in Luffy’s case, he can alter living beings. This was shown during his fight with Kaido, where he stretches Kaido’s eyes and body like they were made of rubber. Even Kaido was shocked to see it.
This can possibly mean one thing: Luffy’s powers are not bound with logic, but with imagination. He can do whatever he imagines. It explains that Luffy’s abilities are only constrained by his imagination and are far from being limitless powers (except for stamina drain). For instance, he can’t simply visualize Kaido’s defeat and expect it to happen instantaneously. Therefore, it doesn’t provide an instant victory.
Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika: Mythical Zoan Powers
The Mythical Zoan powers allow its users to change their physical appearance at their own free will. This gives Luffy a new transformation called Gear 5. During Gear 5 transformation, Luffy goes through a physical and spiritual change, allowing him to take the form of Sun God Nika. This makes his hair go white, eyes go round, and creates a cloud-like smoke around his body, showing the traits of Zoan Awakening.
Like every other Zoan power, it enhances Luffy’s speed, stamina, and durability, making him even powerful and dangerous. However, the rare trait about Zoan-type Devil Fruit is that it has its own free will, which is also called the Will of the Zoan.
This was revealed by Dr. Vegapunk, who said that the fruit can resist or influence its user, especially in cases where the user isn’t strong enough. The Five Elder even said that “It’s almost as if the fruit has a will of its own.” There is also an unconfirmed theory that suggests it’s the Hito Hito no Mi that chose Luffy and influenced him to eat it.
Does Luffy’s New Power Come at a Cost?
There are significant downsides and limits to Luffy’s awakened Devil Fruit, some of which may utterly transform him. Although it’s been demonstrated that Luffy’s powers are only limited by his imagination, they are far from limitless.
For example, he can’t just imagine beating Kaido and expect it to occur in a moment. Thus, it does not permit an immediate win. Other than this, the abilities provided by Gear 5 seem to be more or less limited to Luffy’s body or objects he comes into contact with, so he can’t just change reality by snapping his fingers, at least not yet.
This again brings to mind Luffy’s previous Gear transformations, in which the utilization of his awakened abilities seems to drain his stamina severely and maybe also shorten his lifespan.
Luffy’s Devil Fruit: Gomu Gomu no Mi or Hito Hito no Mi
The revelation of Luffy’s true Devil Fruit abilities brought a major transition in his adventure. With this, Luffy has acquired the ability to control not just his own body but also the environment he exists in. From transforming his physical form to altering what reality itself is composed of, Luffy’s new powers have taken him to unimaginable levels of power.
His Devil Fruit, which was once assumed to be a simple and ordinary power, is now regarded as one of the strongest and most incredible powers in the entire series. This discovery has numerous consequences that are not yet fully grasped or exploited by Luffy.
