Monkey D. Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers are part of the reason why he is so special. Here’s how the abilities of One Piece’s main character work.

Monkey D. Luffy’s powers in Netflix’s live-action One Piece include a unique set of abilities that originate from a Devil Fruit. Netflix’s adaptation of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga has remained faithful to the source material in many ways, including the portrayal of Luffy’s abilities. Given that One Piece season 1 is only covering the first few arcs of the manga, the list of Luffy’s powers at this point of the story is not too large. That said, the One Piece trailers have confirmed that several of Luffy’s Gum-Gum techniques will be on the show.

One Piece’s power levels can be confusing at first, especially because of how vast the One Piece world is. Whereas other popular shonen manga such as Naruto or Jujutsu Kaisen quickly introduce a strict set of rules for the characters’ powers, One Piece slowly unveils the secrets of this world’s power system. Each of the Straw Hats’ adventures introduces a new class of characters or a different technique, which adds to One Piece’s incredible worldbuilding. This applies to Monkey D. Luffy, whose signature stretching abilities are part of a much bigger story that involves the mysterious Devil Fruits, also known as the Akuma no Mi.

Why Casting Netflix’s Live-Action One Piece Was A Major Challenge Detailed By DirectorLuffy’s Gum-Gum Devil Fruit Powers Explained

Monkey D. Luffy was seven years old when he ate a purple fruit later revealed to be a Devil Fruit. This fruit, which at that point belonged to Luffy’s idol and role model “Red-Haired” Shanks, transformed his body into rubber. This is why Luffy has stretching abilities and is sometimes referred to as “rubber man.” How far Luffy can stretch was never settled, as the “Gum-Gum” measurement unity used by Oda has yet to be fully deciphered. That said, Luffy’s stretching ability allows him to turn every part of his body into a weapon and defines every single one of his techniques at this point of the story.

Luffy used his stretching powers to come up with a set of moves, all of which are named following the same pattern – “Gum-Gum…” and then a term in Japanese or English. It must be noticed that, depending on the translation, Luffy’s techniques start with “Gomu Gomu no….” Netflix’s One Piece is sticking to the terms used in the current official English dubs and translations. The first of Luffy’s moves to ever be shown in the manga was the Gum-Gum Pistol, in which Luffy stretches his arm to create immense momentum before punching someone and continues to stretch it during the punch.

Other classic Luffy Gum-Gum moves include Gum-Gum Rocket, in which Luffy uses both of his arms to create momentum and project himself against his opponent; Gum-Gum Bazooka, in which Luffy stretches both of his arms before punching an opponent away; Gum-Gum Gatling, in which Luffy quickly punches an opponent dozens of times; and Gum-Gum Bullet, which is similar to Gum-Gum Pistol except that Luffy stops stretching as soon as the punch lands. Luffy’s Devil Fruit, as well as all the other Devil Fruits, comes with a price. No Devil Fruit user can swim, which some perceive as the sea turning against them.

How Devil Fruits Work In One Piece

The Devil Fruit Luffy ate, which was believed to be the Gum-Gum fruit, is one of many similar fruits that exist in One Piece‘s world. Oda would never confirm how many Devil Fruits are there, but at least 139 of them have been identified so far. Every Devil Fruit is unique, and there are three different classes in which a Devil Fruit can fit. A Devil Fruit will grow back after the most recent being who ate it dies, and someone cannot accumulate the powers of more than one Devil Fruit. That is because eating a second Devil Fruit will cause the person or animal to explode.

Luffy is not the only important One Piece character to have eaten a Devil Fruit. Throughout the series, the Straw Hats run into other beings with a unique set of skills given by the most different Devil Fruits. One example is Buggy, one of the first One Piece villains, who ate the Chop-Chop fruit when he was still part of Shank’s crew. As suggested by the name, the Chop-Chop fruit allows Buggy to split himself into pieces and put himself back together without dying. Another example is Alvida, who eats the Slip-Slip fruit after her first encounter with Luffy at the beginning of the story.

Initially, not much was revealed about the Devil Fruits and the true extent of the powers they grant. However, later in One Piece, Luffy learned that there was another stage to the cycle of a Devil Fruit. The Awakening is a very rare phenomenon in which a Devil Fruit eater unlocks the full potential of their powers, namely because their body and mind become strong enough to keep up with the special abilities.

Luffy’s Devil Fruit Doesn’t Make Him Super-Strong

Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers are not what makes him physically strong. In fact, no Devil Fruit gives its user super strength by default. Of course, Luffy’s spontaneous yet creative way of using his stretching abilities makes him a naturally great fighter, but his strength exists beyond the Devil Fruit. Generally, several One Piece characters have immense strength compared to what would be expected from a human without having to eat a Devil Fruit. For example, Roronoa Zoro, who became known as the “devil in the form of a man” during his pirate hunting days, is very strong despite having no superpowers.

Likewise, Sanji, who was trained by former Red-Leg pirate Zeff, has a ridiculously strong kick with no superpowers involved. The strength of a One Piece character can be linked to their training, fighting style, or even how their body works. For example, a fish-man, such as East Blue Saga’s villain Arlong, can be bigger and stronger than the average human. Another important element in One Piece’s power levels is the Haki, which is the ability to perceive and channel a being’s spiritual energy. Luffy would only begin to learn how to use Haki much later in the story, in Chapter 597.

Luffy’s Future Devil Fruit Power-Ups Explained

Netflix’s One Piece season 1 premiers only a few days after Luffy’s Gear 5 debuted in the One Piece anime, a highly anticipated event that brought one of the most unique manga transformations to the screen. Although Luffy’s powers were originally associated with his stretchy punches only, One Piece would eventually reveal that the “Gum-Gum Fruit” allowed Luffy to do much more than just stretch. Every transformation in which Luffy uses his powers to significantly change the state of his body is considered a Gear. Luffy’s standard form is technically considered Gear 1, but the interesting power-ups begin with Gear 2.

Gear 2 is when Luffy changes the speed of his bloodstream, which would kill a normal person, but it makes Luffy stronger and faster. Gear 3 is when Luffy massively increases the size of a specific part of his body. Gear 4 is when Luffy inflates all of his body, and it leads to other sub-transformations. Lastly, Gear 5 is Luffy’s Awakening of his Devil Fruit, and it ties into the true nature of that fruit. The fruit Shanks stole from the World Government was not the Gum-Gum fruit – it was actually the Hito Hito Fruit, Model: Nika, a far more powerful and special fruit.

Therefore, Luffy was destined to do great things the moment he ate the Devil Fruit. Luffy would have probably been the same person and pursued the same dreams had he never eaten the “Gum-Gum Fruit,” but acquiring this power made him even more special. Much of what is known about the so-called Gum-Gum Fruit and Devil Fruits as a whole is only revealed at a later point of the story, which is why many of those elements may not be referenced in One Piece season 1. Still, Netflix’s One Piece can use future elements of the story in favor of the show’s worldbuilding, setting up elements that might come into play in later seasons.

Src: screenrant.com