Luffy's Final Gear Is Coming, And It's Better Than Gear 5

This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf arc.

One Piece is currently in the Final Saga, and given where the story is currently, fans know very well that intense battles are soon to follow over the course of the next few months. Oda is currently in the process of illustrating the Elbaf arc, where Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates will fight against Imu and the Holy Knights.

Fans know very well that beating these absolute monsters isn’t going to be easy at all, but that’s precisely why Oda has lined up big power-ups for the Straw Hats. Luffy himself will be on the receiving end of a power-up in Elbaf, and that’ll most likely be advanced Conqueror’s Haki control to bypass Immortality. But, if Luffy masters his Haki here, then one wonders what power-ups are coming next, especially in the Final War, where Luffy will fight the likes of Blackbeard and Imu. The only logical explanation is that Luffy will unlock something beyond Gear 5, and most likely, this is going to be his final Gear in One Piece.

Luffy Could Get His Final Gear Vs Imu

Gear 5 Is Strong But Luffy Might Need Something Better

Luffy’s Gear 5 makes him the Warrior of Liberation
Imu Vs Luffy is inevitable

As things stand, Luffy’s Gear 5 is his strongest gear at the moment. He achieved this power by finally unlocking the awakening of his Devil Fruit, Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. Gear 5 gives him a more rubbery body than before, and increases his strength manifold.

What is this? It feels like I can do anything now! — Luffy after unlocking Gear 5

At the same time, it gives him a brand new transformation, and even makes him the Warrior of Liberation, who goes from place to place to spread laughter and joy. Above all, Luffy’s powers are bound only by his imagination, meaning that anything he imagines can become a reality, and this is truly a mighty ability.

While this is great, Luffy certainly won’t be able to beat Imu with it. Gear 5 is strong and Luffy might beat Imu Gunko with this power, but the true form of Imu, which even Rocks didn’t take on, can’t be defeated so easily. Luffy will need a greater power-up in the form of his final Gear.

It is absolutely true that Luffy calls Gear 5 his peak. He can’t get any better at using his Devil Fruit, but he certainly can invent things within Gear 5 that can go on to become the next and final Gear when he fights Imu or Blackbeard.

Another, more recent, closeup of Imu's eyes - One Piece

To grow stronger, I had to fight and defeat beasts stronger than anything imaginable. — Luffy to Doflamingo

Luffy Can Develop A Stronger Form of Gear 5

Luffy Continues To Evolve In Elbaf

Luffy awakens his Devil Fruit and unlocks Gear 5 - One Piece

Gear 5 is powered by imagination, which is why it can allow Luffy to take different forms. Luffy might be able to use it in a unique way with Haki, allowing him to create Gear 6 or something even better. For instance, when Luffy used Gear 4, he also created many sub-gears within. Gear 5 could have something similar. A prime example would be if Luffy learns to use Rocks’s destructive Haki blows. For those who don’t remember, Rocks, Roger, and Shanks use a special Haki that allows them to blow things away and crush like a hammer with their sword instead of cutting. This technique can, logically, also be used without a sword. As such, if Luffy learns it and combines it with Gear 5, he can give rise to a subtype of his Gear 5, which would then become his Final Gear.

One Piece Chapter 1162 will be out next week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on October 12. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1162 is October 12, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.

Release Date: October 20, 1999
Network: Fuji TV
Directors: Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Writers: Jin Tanaka, Akiko Inoue, Junki Takegami, Shinzo Fujita, Shouji Yonemura, Yoshiyuki Suga, Atsuhiro Tomioka, Hirohiko Uesaka, Michiru Shimada, Isao Murayama, Takuya Masumoto, Yoichi Takahashi, Momoka Toyoda