The following contains spoilers for the One Piece manga, available in English on Viz Media.
One piece is once again causing a stir after revealing the truth behind Monkey D. Luffy’s devil fruit. It has always been thought that the one he stole from Shanks during his childhood was the Gum-Gum no Mi, which gives his body its rubbery properties. Throughout the long tenure of the series, fans have taken it for granted as Luffy’s abilities are verified by the description of Devil Fruit.
In recent chapters of the manga, however, One piece reveals that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not the Gomu Gomu no Mi but the Hito Hito no Mi: Model, Nika. She made his debut when Kaido knocked out Luffy after a long battle, awakening his Devil Fruit abilities. Luffy’s Gear Five, which is also believed to be his Devil Fruit awakening, allowed him to execute powerful attacks reminiscent of his early adventuring days.
Hito Hito no Mi: Model, Nika is modeled after the mythical warrior whom the slaves revered as the Sun God. He was said to be the one who would free them from oppression, but the most notable aspect of this Devil Fruit is the power it possesses. grants to its user. The Five Elders have even described it as the most ridiculous power in the world, limited only by the wielder’s imagination. Luffy has shown this repeatedly during his most recent fight with Kaido. His attacks have become more outrageous after activating his Gear Five, often applying the properties of rubber not only on himself, but also on his surroundings and the other characters.
Although his attacks are mostly similar to the ones he usually uses, the effects vary greatly. When Kaido swallowed Luffy, the latter swelled up inside the Emperor’s stomach. He also used Kaido’s nose as a lever by extending his hands through the dragon’s eyes. When Kaido hit Luffy’s head with his club, he flattened into the shape of the club’s surface and stayed that way for a while, and these are just a few examples of how ridiculous Luffy’s power can be.
While Luffy’s recent offensive creations have put smiles on One piece readers’ faces are not necessarily surprising. Luffy has a long history of coming up with unique and outrageous attacks. He used to be more experimental with his power, often creating at least one comedic technique per arc.
During his battle against Crocodile, Luffy expanded his head and attempted to eat the Warlord after realizing that none of his attacks did any damage. Similarly, he stole some of Arlong’s teeth and used them to bite the fishman. These attacks, however, have subsided after the time skip as One piece has taken a more serious tone.
Nika’s reveal returns the series to its comic roots as all of Luffy’s absurdity cascades out while in his Gear Five form. Perhaps one attack that will be remembered for years to come is when he used Kaido’s dragon form as a jump rope. With bigger wars looming One pieceFans are likely to see more of Luffy’s rare inventive genius.
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