Summary
Of all the transformations and power-ups inOne Piece, none come close to the level of importance as Luffy’s Gear 5. This form not only transforms him into the legendary warrior of liberation known as Sun God Nika, but it is also the awakening of his Devil Fruit that allows him to exert his rubber abilities onto external objects, making him one of the strongest characters in the history of the franchise.
As amazing as this form is, there are still quite a few things about it that remain a mystery. Chief of these are the connections it has to Joyboy and its importance in the Void Century, as well as before. However, one suchmystery of this Devil Fruitrelates to the power of all Zoan fruits inOne Piece, so let’s go over what this is and how it could possibly be tackled in the future.
Debut Date
July 29, 2025
The reveal of Luffy being the Warrior of Liberation was one of the greatest and most legendary moments in the entirety ofOne Piece. This was something that was foreshadowed as early on as the Skypiea arc, as it showedthe possibility of there being a Sun Godwhom the Shandorans worshiped, which was then teased by Luffy striking a very iconic pose, though no one knew this at the time. However, a few chapters before the big reveal, Who’s-Who spoke to Jimbei about the existence of someone called ‘Sun God Nika’.
After being defeated and seemingly killed by Kaido in their bout, Luffy’s Devil Fruit underwent an awakening, which is a special property of the Devil Fruit that allows the user to exert their abilities externally. This can only be activated once the user is inches away from dying or, in Luffy’s case, has actually ‘died’. Moreover, this moment came another huge reveal; that Luffy’s Gomu Gomu no Mi was actually a Mythical Zoan fruit that had been hidden by the World Government called the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
Zoan fruits contain a will of their own. And this particular fruit has the name of a God… After all, the Gum-Gum Fruit is really a Mythical Zoan. It’s the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika!
Once this was shown, Luffy used the transforming abilities of his fruit to turn into the fabled warrior of legend, easily defeating Kaido in the process. This form was used again tofight against the Gorosei, particularly Saturn, in the Egghead arc, and while it didn’t do any substantial damage, it more than held its own and confirmed itself as the most powerful form that Luffy can achieve by a long shot.
However, this raises an interesting question about the nature of the Nika fruit and how it could be used in the future. This Devil Fruit is of the Zoan variety despite initially being classified as a Paramecia, and the main ability of Zoan fruits is that they let the user transform into a specific kind of animal or mythical creature. However, another notable thing is that the users can transform into a hybrid form.
This hybrid form combines the traits of the human and fully transformed states into a single form that is said to be the deadliest of them all. This has been stated in the series but never fully explained, though it likely has to do with the fact that, in this hybrid form, the users can not only use the abilities of the full transformations, but they can also utilize the skills they’ve acquired as humans. A great example of this arethe Zoan users from CP0, who can’t use the Rokushiki abilities in their full animal forms, which greatly depletes their skill.
With that in mind, where exactly is the hybrid form for Luffy? It’s currently unknown if the Gear 5 that we have seen is the full transformation granted to Luffy by the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, or if it is a hybrid, considering how Luffy largely retains his human state. This raises a bunch of questions, specifically regarding how Luffy could look in a fully transformed Nika state if this is a hybrid or, conversely, how he could look in a hybrid state if this is the fully transformed one.
What’s The Most Probable Answer?
What Power Does The Nika Fruit Give?
The true powers of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika are still largely a mystery, but much of this will likely be revealed in the Elbaf arc. However,going off the information that is currently availableto fans, it’s highly likely that the transformation that Luffy undergoes, which has been dubbed Gear 5, is likely the full transformation that the Devil Fruit offers him.
Seeing how the enemies will now progressively continue to get stronger and that more strength is needed to defeat them, it’s most probable that the difference will be made through Haki rather than Luffy unlocking the hybrid third form that each Zoan Devil Fruit imparts to its users. Although, at this point, anything could happen and another form may just be what awaits the main character in the end.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
