If the battle of Egghead Island has proved one thing, it is that Luffy desperately needs to grow his strength in order to beat the final antagonists of One Piece. Although Luffy has almost reached the peak of his Devil Fruit abilities and Haki techniques, he still needs to power up to once again face the Five Elders and their leader Imu.
However, the only question is what kind of power-up will Eiichiro Oda now give to Luffy to get him on par with Imu. During the Wano arc, Luffy learned a new form of Haki but also awakened his Devil Fruit abilities, which limited his options for a future power-up. Now, as the series is in its final phase, he can only get one more power-up that would take him to the next level.
According to a One Piece theory, the best possible scenario for Luffy in this situation is to level up his Haki techniques. And the main reason behind this is the drawback of his mysterious Devil Fruit that is weakening his body.
The Disadvantage of Luffy’s Devil Fruit
Although almost every Devil Fruit has some kind of weakness, Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi was a special case. Initially, it just made Luffy vulnerable to sharp objects, but as the story progressed and Luffy unlocked different gears, its weakness became much more dangerous. This started with Gear 2, which gave Luffy monstrous strength and speed but shortened his lifespan.
The next was Gear 3, which allowed Luffy to expand his bone structure with air. Gear 3 gave him next-level strength as it allowed him to grow his muscles and make them powerful. However, it also made him shrink in size when the technique was deactivated, which was not good for Luffy’s body.
Next came Gear 4, which combined the power of Haki and his Devil Fruit. Gear 4 enhanced his defense, speed, and power by giving him different variations mixed with Armament Haki. But the biggest issue with Gear 4 is that it exhausts Luffy’s stamina at an incredible speed. So much so that he can’t even stand properly after using Gear 4 techniques.
Finally, the recently awakened Gear 5 technique revealed that Luffy’s Devil Fruit was actually the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Gear 5 is an awakened form that allows Luffy to manipulate the environment around him and make him more dangerous. But once the technique is deactivated, instead of going back to his normal self, Luffy turns old and looks like an old man, which is dangerous for his body.
Luffy’s Next Power Up Will Definitely Be Haki
Considering the glaring weaknesses of Luffy’s Devil Fruit, Eiichiro Oda needs to give him a power-up that would actually keep him going on for a much longer time. And as he is in his prime, the best possible ability for him to grow is Haki. This is because according to a recent assumption Haki grows old along with the body and loses its strength.
This was seen with almost every old character in One Piece and was recently when Luffy’s grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, was stabbed by Shiryu during the Hachinosu bout. Although Garp’s Haki ability was next level, its weakness was evident from the fact that he was not able to sense and stop Shiryu’s attack at the right time. If he had been in his prime, he would not have been caught so easily, as his Observation Haki would have been on the next level.
As mentioned above, Luffy’s Devil Fruit is reducing his lifespan and making him old. Thus, there is a chance that his Haki might soon get degraded from its original strength. It would not make sense for Oda to give Luffy a Devil Fruit power-up, as it is only going to make him even weaker. The best course for Luffy right now is to unlock a new Haki ability and possibly combine it with Gear 5 to make him the strongest character in One Piece.
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