Warning! Spoilers for One Piece chapter 1046 ahead!
A new work of One Piece fan art perfectly captures how Luffy's rebirth and new Gear 5 form pose a threat to every pirate who might dare to challenge him. After he was pulverized by Kaido's Kanabo mace, it looked to One Piece fans that Monkey D. Luffy had finally been done in. However, before any eulogies could be posted, in the very next chapter fans were surprised to see that their fallen angel might have been resurrected as a joy-loving god. Moreover, as the battle between Kaido and Luffy resumed, Luffy showed himself to be more than a boyish happy-go-lucky adventurer, but rather a veteran pirate who had a new battle form that was as punishing as any ever encountered on the Grand Line.
The source of Luffy's power is a special type of magical Devil Fruit that imbues the first person to eat it with its particular inherent powers. There is a wide variety of Devil Fruits, but the one Luffy ate is known as "Gum-Gum Fruit." After partying with his idol Red-Haired Shanks and his pirate crew, Luffy was hungry. Finding the fruit amongst the pirates' boxes of booty, Luffy thought it was just one of the many fruits, the crew members obtained on their adventures. By eating the fruit, Luffy gained the power of flexibility. In terms of powers transferred by Devil Fruit, few initially saw flexibility as the "the one power to rule them all." However, through training and experience, over time, Luffy has been able to increasingly upgrade his flex-abilities or "gears" as he calls them. In his recent battle with Kaido, Luffy unlocks Gear 5 abilities, his highest level to date.
Outside of the actual manga, one of the best depictions of the pure potential that Gear 5 gives Luffy is illustrated in an image by One Piece fan Cidades. While fans are still in the process of unpacking all the powers that Gear 5 gives Luffy, one ability that Cidades flawlessly snapshots in this image is its capacity to unleash an unexpected multi-directional counter-attack. To be sure, in One Piece chapter 1046, Kaido drops a multiple vector "Kundali Dragon Swarm" attack that hits Luffy in his face, body, arms, and legs. It's an all-out attack focused on quickly breaking down an opponent, to provide an opportunity for the user to strike the killing blow. However, as depicted in the Cidades image, Gear 5 allows Luffy to absorb the attack and redirect the energy right back at the opponent with a multi-fisted barrage. As Kaido discovers, it's a punishing counter-attack that only the most gifted opponent can overcome.
Another aspect of Gear 5 that Cidades' gorgeous image gets right is Luffy's joy. While Luffy has always been seen as a relaxed combatant who finds the positive elements in even the worst situations, his Gear 5 transformation seems to have unleashed a deeper and stronger humor. Indeed. his joy is such that during the resumption of the battle with Kaido, Luffy's joking banter would put even Spider-Man wise-cracking to shame. Cidades' toothy, open-mouthed presentation of Luffy seamlessly expresses the knife-edged joy that the hero has in fighting Kaido.
Luffy's fight with Kaido is ongoing, so fans are likely to see even more elements of Gear 5 power. Only One Piece's creator Oda Eiichiro knows the levels that Monkey D. Luffy will ultimately reach. But if Luffy's awesome, multi-dimensional Gear 5 powers are any indication, fans should expect more God-level abilities in future chapters of One Piece.
Source: Cidades