Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #1069 of One Piece
Luffy's Gear Fifth finally returns in One Piece, making its second appearance since its debut in the battle against Kaido in Wano. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates shows that he is now able to fully control the awakening of his Devil Fruit and that this technique is as overpowered as it was in its first appearance, easily dominating another awakened Zoan user, Rob Lucci.
The appearance of Gear Fifth in One Piece was one of the most exciting and talked about moments in the entire series. Not only fans had been waiting for years to see the next step in Luffy's evolution, but the appearance of Gear Fifth also revealed a long-held secret about the origins of Luffy's Devil Fruit. The powers of the legendary Sun God Nika are unlike anything that was ever seen in the series (and still have to be explained in full), as they give Luffy 'complete freedom' to manipulate the world around him, turning everything into a slapstick cartoon. There was still the question, however, if Luffy could access these powers at will, or if they could only be used as a last resort as it happened during the battle with Kaido.
Chapter #1069 of One Piece answers the question clearly by showing Luffy immediately going into Gear Fifth after starting a battle with an old enemy, Rob Lucci. Along with the other members of the powerful CP0 group, Lucci has arrived at Egghead Island to eliminate Dr. Vegapunk under orders of the Five Elders of the World Government. They were not aware of the presence of the Straw Hat Pirates on the island and, against better counsel, Lucci starts a fight with Luffy, who beat him two years before after a dramatic battle in Enies Lobby. Luffy immediately displays Gear Fifth's crazy antics seen in the battle against Kaido. Despite the fact that Lucci also managed to awaken his Zoan Devil Fruit, Luffy seems to have the upper hand, at least for now.
One Piece Confirms That Luffy Can Use Gear Fifth Whenever He Wants
The appearance of Gear Fifth arouses the interest of Dr. Vegapunk, prompting him to provide the first, actual explanation of the origins of Devil Fruits in One Piece. Vegapunk confirms that the Gomu Gomu no Mi never actually existed, and that fake name was only a ruse to hide Luffy's Devil Fruit's real power: the spirit of Nika, a legendary god known as 'the warrior of liberation' in ancient times. Vegapunk says that Devil Fruits are the manifestation of humanity's desire for change and evolution, but it's still unclear how this relates to Nika. This chapter, however, confirmed that Luffy can activate Gear Fifth at will and that the crazy and cartoonish antics displayed against Kaido will indeed be his fighting style from now.
Awakening a Devil Fruit causes a lot of strain on the user, so Gear Fifth should at least still have a time limit until the series proves otherwise. It is also evident from Luffy's battle against Lucci that fans of One Piece can wave goodbye to the Straw Hat captain's dramatic battles. As One Piece's author Eiichiro Oda stated, Gear Fifth allows him to tap into the more comedic and ridiculous side of his story, so that's the style of fights that Luffy will have from now on.
The latest chapter of One Piece is available from Viz Media.