Warning! Contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1070!Luffy unlocking Gear 5 in Wano was one of the most exciting developments in One Piece this year, but the latest chapter may indicate that this isn't entirely a good thing. One Piece's author Eiichiro Oda is an expert at using subtle details to hint at major plot points later on. This is part of what makes Luffy's latest fight with Rob Lucci so worrying as it features a moment that initially seems comedic but has some very dark implications.
In chapter 1070 Luffy is using Gear 5 to fight Lucci, deploying the same sort of goofily creative attacks that he unleashed upon Kaido. At one point, he spins his body into a mini tornado like the Tasmanian Devil from Looney Tunes. When Lucci manages to avoid Luffy however, instead of stopping his attack, Luffy reveals that he can't control it and so goes burrowing into the ground. This is largely played off as a joke, but if it becomes a continuing trend that Luffy can't control his Gear Fifth powers then this could have disastrous consequences.
Luffy managed to show how powerful a weapon his Gear Fifth mode is in his fight against Kaido in Wano. In this mode, Luffy can use the full powers of his legendary Nika Nika fruit and fight in whatever way tickles his fancy. This lets him warp reality around himself and use the full power of cartoon physics against his enemies. This is one of the most powerful abilities not just in One Piece but in Shonen manga as well. This also makes it one of the most dangerous as well.
If Luffy Can't Control Gear Fifth, It Could Mean Dark Arcs Ahead
If Luffy is fighting an enemy in a populated area when he loses control of his Gear Fifth powers, he could potentially cause wide scale destruction and death. If some of his more morally reprehensible enemies like Blackbeard found out, they could likely even actively use this against Luffy, engineering fighting conditions that would cause him to potentially hurt a lot of people if he went all out. But even if his enemies dont specifically try to utilize his lack of control against him, it still represents a dangerous weakness. Given the high caliber of enemies that remain for Luffy to fight, any weakness in battle could result in his defeat or even in his death.
Given One Piece is a generally light-hearted series, it is unlikely that Oda would actually cause Luffy to die or be responsible for the suffering of innocent civilians. But Oda is also an incredibly intentional author, so it is unlikely this detail was included just for fun. If Luffy's lack of control is truly foreshadowing, One Piece could be setting up some incredibly dark arcs to come.
One Piece Chapter 1070 is available to read from Viz Media.