One piece officially sets up the final upgrade to Luffy's Gear 5

On March 23, 2022, in Shueisha's Weekly Shounen Jump issue #17, Monkey D. Luffy officially began his final transformation called Gear 5. This transformation is made possible by Luffy's awakening of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Since then a pieceLuffy has demonstrated the powers of his Sun God form on several occasions, and it is clear to see that he is already incredibly strong.

However, when it comes to fighting the strongest in the world, such as the Devil God Nerona Emu, who officially landed in Elbaf on April 6, 2026 in Chapter 1179, Luffy's Gear 5 is not enough, and he needs to go out. The Elbaf arc, which is currently at its climax, has set the groundwork for Luffy, and we can't wait to see his next upgrade to his Sun God Nika form.

Elbaf prepares a piece for a big hockey boost to gear 5 gears in the Luffy vs. Emu battle at the climax.

Monkey D. Luffy's Gear 5 is his strongest transformation to date. The Gear 5 form was officially obtained by him in Chapter 1044, and it was clear that after Kaido was killed by the powerful Horai Hakke, Luffy finally managed to unlock his true potential and understand the true nature of his Devil Fall ability.

“Awakening is when your mind and body catch up to your potential. And those are definitely ridiculous powers!” – Kaido tells Devil Fruit Awakening, One Piece Chapter #1045

His body became more flexible and was able to fight more freely than before. Most importantly, Luffy was bound by nothing but his own imagination and could do anything he put his mind to. This became the true power of his Gear 5 transformation and made him a force to be reckoned with. While Luffy initially struggled to fight against Kaido, after gaining access to the power of Gear 5, he was able to easily defeat him on several occasions, which went on to show his superior fighting abilities. Since then, two arcs have passed, and Luffy's Gear 5 has only gotten better.

The true power of Luffy's Gear 5 will be tested against Nerona Emu at the climax of the Elbaf arc. In One Piece Chapter 1181, which was officially released on April 27, 2026, in Shueisha Weekly Shonen Jump issues 22–23, Monkey D. Luffy is seen preparing to face off against Imu after consuming a large amount of food. Naturally, this is going to fix one of the biggest flaws that Luffy has when it comes to Gear 5, and that is his lack of stamina. Once the stamina is built, Luffy's strength also needs an upgrade.

“Must eat more! I've never felt this way before! It's so heavy and hard! What's with this guy's hockey?” — Monkey d. Luffy eats extra food to fight Emu, One Piece Chapter #1181

While Gear 5 is incredibly powerful, it's not strong enough to defeat Nerona Emu, as things stand. The sun god should be Nick's equal in every sense of the word, even Loki is struggling to land consistent hits on Emu. For Luffy to do that, as he is, is going to be impossible, and that's exactly why he should get an upgrade. In order to increase the efficiency and fighting power of Luffy's Gear 5, Eiichiro Oda is likely to give him a Haki upgrade. In One Piece Chapter 1152, Scopper Gaban tells Luffy to pay attention to how he uses his Haki correctly. Once Luffy learns how to use Conqueror's Haki at a higher level, like Shanks, he is going to become much stronger overall, and his proficiency with Gear 5 will also increase greatly. Only then can he stand a chance in battle against Nerona Emu.

“Listen, Straw Hat! Make up your mind how you use your color of Supreme King. These people aren't immortal! – Scoper Gaban tells Luffy how to defeat the immortals, One Piece Chapter #1152

Why strong Haki can push Luffy's Gear 5 to new heights

When it comes to the power of Supreme King Haki, it is naturally linked to the power of the user. Unlike other Haki, Supreme King Haki cannot be trained directly. It gets stronger as the user gets stronger. As such, when Luffy becomes stronger than before, his Haki is also going to increase. Conversely, once Luffy's Haki is strengthened, his Gear 5 is automatically going to receive a significant buff. This buff comes in terms of both offense and defense. Luffy's offensive abilities will greatly increase, allowing him to deal more damage to the likes of Nerona Imu in battle.

Similarly, Luffy's defense will also improve to the point where powerful hits like Emu's won't cause sustained damage, and he can participate in extended battles. This should also be reflected in his overall stamina, and over time, he should be able to maintain Gear 5 for a long time. All of these problems could be solved at once by Eiichiro Oda in the Elbaf arc, which we're looking forward to seeing.

“Although you can control the color of the Supreme King, you cannot directly train it to become stronger. It is the embodiment of the user's emotions. The only way to make it stronger is to become stronger for the user.” – Silver Rayle explains how to strengthen Supreme King Haki, One Piece Chapter #597

Luffy's Gear 5 should surpass Joy Boy's overall level during the Great War

Image via Toei Animation.

manufacturer of a pieceEiichiro Oda, has already set a standard for Luffy's story to reach, thanks to the character of Joy Boy. In One Piece Chapter 1122, which was officially released in Shuisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump issue #36-37 on August 5, 2024, Eiichiro Oda showed the full peak of Joy Boy's power when Emeth took away Joy Boy's Haki. It was strong enough to split the sky on its own, take out all of Egghead's vice admirals, nullify the yokai power of the five elders, and finally, torment even Nerona Emu. Right now, Luffy is nowhere near this level of power, but that should change. In the grand scheme of things, this is the exact level that Luffy must reach if he wants to take on Nerona Emu in battle and defeat him.

“Listen, Emeth! I have tied the largest haki knot and sealed it to your body. Use it when the time is right.” — Joy Boy to Emeth, One Piece Chapter #1122

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Luffy has surpassed Joy Boy by a huge margin if he were to do things he couldn't do 800 years ago. Reaching such a level is only possible by constantly upgrading the power of Gear 5, which Luffy is going to do from here on out, starting with Elbaf. Eiichiro Oda is going to give him a Haki boost, which is the main purpose of this arc, as far as power-ups for the Straw Hat Pirates go. Once Luffy grows in hockey terms, more power-ups will come his way as the big battle edges closer. At the end of the last battle, he was probably Gol d. The likes of Roger and Joy have surpassed the overall level of the boy, becoming the undisputed strongest pirates in the entire world.

The latest chapters of One Piece manga by Eiichiro Oda are available to read through Manga Plus and Viz Media.