a piece The Elbaf arc is nearing in the anime, with new information revealed at AnimeJapan 2026. The new trailer showcases the incredible animation for the upcoming arc, which has taken the world by storm. More than that, the new trailer focuses on Monkey D. Luffy and sees him unleashing a new upgraded gear form for all fans to see. Apparently, Luffy has upgraded his Gear 4 and fully mastered his Haki, and the anime trailer puts this in full focus.
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The new Elbaf arc trailer shows off Luffy's Mini Gear 4
On March 28, 2026, AnimeJapan 2026 revealed a new trailer for One Piece's Elbaph Arc, and it showcased massive animation. The first half of the Elbaph Arc will span 13 episodes and will cover the events before the major flashback finally begins. Most of it will focus on Luffy's adventures in the land of the giants.
As this adventure begins, Luffy shows Hito Hito no Me, Model: Nika's advanced mastery of his Devil Fruit powers. Notably, Luffy manages to use the power of Gear 4 without fully transforming like he did before. Now, Luffy can activate Gear 4 on just one part of his body and then unleash it with sheer ferocity. This was fully demonstrated in the new trailer and surprised many fans, including those who read the manga.
Analyzing the Straw Hat Captain's improved mastery of his devil fruit
In the Wano Country arc, Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit, and it gave him access to Gear 5. Devil Fruit Awakening isn't just a transformation, it also means Luffy has fully mastered every power his Devil Fruit has to offer. This means that Luffy's mind and body are now one with his abilities, which means that he now discovers innovative ways to use his fruit that he never thought of before. In other words, Luffy has mastered the power of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika to such an extent that he can essentially even use Gear 4 to conserve stamina on certain parts of his body.
As most readers of the story will recall, the biggest downside of Luffy's Gear 4 was that it consumed a lot of hockey and stamina. After a few minutes, Luffy would release the change due to the stress he was putting on his body. Luffy's new, innovative way of utilizing this change in certain parts of his body with the Mini Gear 4 ensures that this flaw is completely eliminated while the power is not only repaired, but actually upgraded.
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Evaluating the Overall Value of Improved Gear 4
As clearly shown in the new One Piece trailer revealed during AnimeJapan, Gear 4 is now once again a huge asset for Monkey D. Luffy to utilize in battle. When Luffy released the power of Gear 5, the fact that it gave him a new transformation that allowed him to manipulate his rubbery body in ways never seen before meant that Gear 4 was now obsolete. At this point, many fans wondered what the utility of Luffy's Gear 4 was, especially since it consumed a lot of stamina, unlike Gear 2 and Gear 3.
Awakening is what happens when the user's mind and body catch up with the ability. – Kaido
With his new Mini Gear 4, which was clearly on display in the new trailer, it's clear that the Gear 4 is once again given a lot of importance. Now, Gear 4 doesn't consume stamina but gives Luffy an incredible amount of power without the stamina drain that comes with Gear 5. Against enemies like Seraphim, Yonko Commanders or Admirals, Mini Gear 4 will initially be the way to go until Gear 5 is needed.
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Measuring the overall power level of the new Yonko
With Mini Gear 4, it's clear that Luffy has further upgraded his overall power. The upcoming anime, which begins its run on April 5, 2026, is certainly going to show exactly that. Luffy was already incredibly strong in the Wano Country arc, and he fought against the likes of Admirals and the Five Elders, later down the line, so his development is obvious.
Luffy has evolved beyond all expectations, and what's more, his abilities have yet to reach their full potential, meaning both Gear 4 and Gear 5 will continue to grow as the Elbaph arc continues and the final saga is still explored. A piece is definitely going to expand on its powers. For now, Yonko stands tall as one of the most powerful in the final saga, with only Shanks besting him.
One Piece: Elbaph Arc will begin streaming on Crunchyroll starting April 5, 2026.
a piece
- Release date
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October 20, 1999
- network
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Fuji TV
- directors
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Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Ito, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Noimauji, Tokahiro, Enoji Maudo Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
- The authors
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Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Usaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda
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Mayumi Tanaka
Monkey d. Luffy (voice)
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Kazuya Nakai
Roronoa Zoro (voice)
