Chapter 1045 just dropped and it is pure insanity. Along with giving us one of the best fighting panels of One Piece history, Oda has taken the story itself to another level.
Fittingly titled “Next Level”, this latest chapter has fans questioning everything, from the plot to the twists. The Wano arc has been unpredictable to say the least; some people aren’t too sure that all these recent reveals are turning out to be a good thing.
Luffy’s new “God” level powers have been touted as the most ridiculous power in history by the Gorosei, and chapter 1045’s fight of Luffy vs. Kaido is a testament to that.
But are these powers great or simply ridiculous – in the most literal sense of the word? Does Luffy’s awakening make One Piece better or has it ruined everything?
Chapter 1045 Break Down
The recent chapter sees Luffy literally transform from a pirate into a character straight out of Loony Tunes. It is heavily action based, and the main point that Oda seems to drive home is that Luffy’s Gear 5 abilities are literally out of hand.
The kind of battle that ensues has not ever been witnessed in the two and a half decades of the series.
At the start of the chapter, Kaido is still trying to come to terms with how Luffy is still alive and standing. On the roof of Onigashima’s Skull Dome, Luffy is in splits while Kaido pieces the puzzle of Luffy’s power together.
Kaido realizes that Luffy’s Devil Fruit awakening cannot possibly be from a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
Body transformations like that are the trademark of Zoan powers!
In chapter 1044, Luffy turned the ground itself into rubber; in chapter 1045, Luffy inflates Kaido and turns him into a dragon balloon.
What happens is this: Kaido swallows Luffy. Luffy, in his awakened form, bounces through the insides of Kaido’s dragon form, punching him along the way. He then expands from inside Kaido, making him stretch as well.
“Curses! What’s wrong with me? My body isn’t made of rubber!”
Kaido essentially is now acting as Luffy’s surroundings since he has ingested him. Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, allows him to give himself and his environment the full properties of rubber. Kaido thus finds himself expanding like a balloon, even though he isn’t made of rubber himself.
What we see in these panels is simply Oda having the time of his life. The drawings are absolutely absurd, in the best way possible.
Luffy uses a new technique which he calls Gum-Gum Escape Rocket where he shoots both his arms from Kaido’s eye sockets, pulling through Kaido’s now elastic eyes, and grabs on to his nose.
Ridiculous, right?
Luffy then ricochets out through Kaido’s mouth and turns into a rubber giant himself. His Gear 5 allows him to grow so huge that he is able to grab the entire circumference of Kaido’s dragon form in both his hands and – wait for it – use him as a jump rope!
At this point, it looks like whatever Kaido does is going to have no effect on Luffy’s Sun God Nika form.
Kaido uses his Boro/Blast Breath once again. Luffy takes the full brunt of it head-on and is flung outside Onigashima. Here, Luffy is burned to a crisp and drawn all black, but even as he is falling, Oda highlights his frown, which, since he is upside down, looks like a grin.
Are Luffy’s Powers Ridiculous-Great or Ridiculous-Silly?
Kaido himself acknowledges that Luffy’s new form is “like something from a comic strip.” But Luffy’s powers are more serious than they might seem, definitely powers befitting a god. He can affect himself, his opponent, his surroundings, and reality itself.
When Luffy is hurtling back towards the ground with a new ferocity, there is a moment where his giant eyes and tongue pop out. Everyone on the ground is watching Luffy fall towards them like a comet, but at that moment, their eyes pop out too.
This might seem like an eye-popping gag – and a lot of fans have interpreted it as just a fun sketch by Oda – but it implies something more.
It is not just the citizens of Wano and the Beasts Pirates whose eyes pop out, but also Tama, Nami, Chopper, Kid, and Law.
It isn’t so much that their eyes pop out because they are surprised or in awe of Luffy (which they are), but more because Luffy’s powers have an incontrollable effect on them.
Like a black hole distorts space and time around it, Luffy’s ultimate rubber form literally bends the universe into rubber. This is proven by the fact that otherwise serious characters like Law and Kid are also subject to what might seem like “slapstick” comedy.
Fans have termed Luffy’s new powers as reminiscent of Tunes Force – a trope where a character defies all laws of the world they’re in, and can do all kinds of bizarre, impossible things.
But they forget that Luffy’s powers are not just something that have cropped up out of nowhere – they are perfectly in line with what came before and what is sure to come after.
To understand why and how all of Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers make sense, read my article here.
Only people who haven’t read the latest chapter carefully will feel that Luffy’s new powers aren’t as badass. They might come across as silly, but could something silly straight up punch Emperor Kaido’s brain through and through?
There is also one scene in the manga, where Kaido smacks Luffy with his club; since Luffy’s entire being is rubber, the club deals zero damage to him.
Luffy’s face is actually quite terrifying in that scene, his eyebrows contracted, his mouth grinning, a spike sticking out like a tongue.
I’d say Luffy’s powers are pretty damn great – a perfect escalation from Gear 4, and an awakening true to the MC.
Is One Piece better with Joy Boy Luffy’s new powers or worse?
Joy Boy Luffy doesn’t destroy or disrupt the One Piece story; it is a natural evolution of the story and only makes it better. His new Gear 5: Nika is not senseless, nor is it silly, but in fact makes Luffy more himself than ever before.
They don’t overshadow his achievements because they are a visual and physical representation of Luffy’s inner character, his traits and personality.
He is free-spirited and joyful = His powers are free-wheeling and he carries the will of Joy Boy.
What Gear 5 can do just shows that there is nothing stopping Luffy other than his imagination. This kind of “free wheeling combat,” as Kaido calls it, is what Luffy has dreamed of all along.
He has no physical limits, and embodies freedom, something he has always sought since the very beginning.
Oda has always said in interviews and SBS panels that he wanted to give Luffy the most ridiculous ability – and he did. Just not in the way that we expected.
The thing to understand here is that if this kind of power was given to anyone other than Luffy, I would agree that the story had lost all meaning.
But because this is One Piece, and because this is Luffy we are talking about, hilariously terrifying, reality altering rubber bending hits the spot.
I will explain Luffy’s powers more in depth and also explore whether Luffy will defeat Kaido in my next article. Stay tuned!
About One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha’s Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since July 22, 1997.
The man who had acquired everything in this world, the Pirate King, is Gol D. Roger. The final words he said at the execution tower were “My treasures? If you want it, I’ll let you have it. Look for it; I left all of it at that place.” These words sent many to the seas, chasing their dreams, headed toward the Grand Line, in search of One Piece. Thus began a new age!
Seeking to be the greatest pirate in the world, young Monkey D. Luffy also heads toward the Grand Line in search of One Piece. His diverse crew is joining him along the way, consisting of a swordsman, marksman, navigator, cook, doctor, archaeologist, and cyborg-shipwright, this will be one memorable adventure.
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