Gomu Gomu no Mi/Gear 5 Techniques

I can do everything I wanted to do!! I think I can fight a bit longer... My heartbeat sounds so funny!! This is the pinnacle of what I can do!! This is... Gear 5!!!

Gear 5 ("Gear Fifth") is a transformation resulting from the awakening of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Luffy achieved this ability during his final battle with Kaidou on Onigashima.

Overview
The awakening of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, formerly known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, grants the user's rubber-like body increased strength and freedom, allowing them to fight in any way they please. It is for this reason that the user is said to become the "Warrior of Liberation" (解放の戦士), bringing joy and freedom to those around them, and this fruit's power being described as "the most ridiculous power in the world" (世界で最もふざけた能力).

In this state, Luffy's heartbeat takes on a musical rhythm which has been described by Zunesha as the "Drums of Liberation" (解放のドラム). His hair and clothes (with the exception of his signature straw hat, belt, and sandals) turn white, his eyes glow with red ring-like pupils, and white clouds float around his neck, similar to the clouds of steam that accompany him in Gear 4. His eyebrows also become swirled and billowing.

As an awakened Zoan, Luffy is afforded far greater strength, speed, and durability than those with un-awakened Zoan powers. Notably, he gains enough strength and speed to match and eventually overpower Rob Lucci's own awakened Zoan form without getting serious against him. In terms of durability, he could as well take a direct hit from Kaidou's Bolo Breath attack, only to come out of it being barely hurt, his body being charred (somewhat comedically) and immediately returning to the fight. This also includes a faster recovery rate, which functions involuntarily, even when he is unconscious. In fact, the physical feats Luffy can pull off in Gear 5 border on nearly the absurd; he can spin his legs fast enough to move through midair while generating enough friction to ignite fire in his wake, and spin like a top with such force that he turns into a burrowing drill.



Aligning with the Mythical Zoan nature of this form, Luffy's already rubbery body gains freedom and flexibility that surpasses what he would receive from his previous forms, to the point that it is now even cartoonishly malleable, with Kaidou likening it to "something out of a picture book". An example of this is when he took a hit to the head from Kaidou's Hassaikai, only for his head to warp and wrap around the weapon and its spikes, or when Kaidou tried to smash him into the ground, his body was simply squished instead and later returned to its original shape.

Luffy is able to utilize both the limb inflation of Gear 3 and the muscle inflation of Gear 4 without the need to pump air into his body first, allowing him to greatly increase his own strength. This allows him to increase his arm to such enormous size that he can grab Kaidou's transformed body and yank him up out of the Skull Dome. With his enlarged limbs and muscles, Luffy could easily manhandle Kaidou despite his enormous size, swinging him from side to side. Luffy can also perform the inflation over his entire body at once, transforming himself into a giant of massive size.



Luffy's rubbery nature can be extended into the environment around him, as seen when Luffy stretched a section of roof and used it to bounce Kaidou's Bolo Breath back at him. Interestingly, the altered terrain, while elastic, was neither burnt nor melted by the Bolo Breath, even though the attack was shown to be scorching hot and had enough explosive power to destroy a whole castle and the mountain top it was sitting on. Luffy can affect his surroundings to the point where he can make surfaces, such as the ground beneath him, rubbery to cushion himself from powerful blows and even bounce off and launch himself off of whatever surface his power effects. This power also seems to be able to effect organic material as well, as shown when Kaidou literally swallowed Luffy whole, and then proceeded to have his body expand and inflate along with Luffy's. This, coupled with Luffy's own transformed state, has been pointed out by Kaidou to be very unusual, due to featuring elements of both Paramecia and Zoan awakenings. Luffy has even demonstrated that he's able to apply this effect on intangible matter such as lightning. Aside from his rubber-related abilities, Gear 5 also allows Luffy the curious ability to materialize objects from his flaming hair, such as goggles.



Despite the strength of this form, due to inexperience, it consumes plenty of energy to maintain and use, even to the point that Luffy can visibly age once de-transformed, and experience an extensive amount of exhaustion and fatigue. That said, Luffy can transform back by seemingly forcing his heart to beat in the rhythm of the Drums of Liberation. Also, unlike Paramecia awakenings, Zoan awakenings like Gear 5 carries the inherent risk of the innate nature of the animal that the Gomu Gomu no Mi is derived from, namely the "Sun God" Nika, consuming Luffy's mind. In addition, Luffy still has his standard weakness to cutting attacks.

Techniques

 * Gomu Gomu no Fusen (ゴムゴムの風船): A variant of Luffy's standard technique, unlike the original technique, Luffy's body becomes extremely buoyant, like a helium balloon. This was first used against Kaidou in his dragon form, where Luffy entered the Emperor's body and expanded himself as well as the dragon. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Balloon.
 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant (ゴムゴムの): A technique where Luffy expands himself to the size of a literal giant, as if activating Gear 3 on his entire body. The name of the technique follows the Gear 3 naming theme, but without anything after "Gigant". In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Giant.
 * Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun (ゴムゴムの): The Gear 5 version of Gomu Gomu no King Kong Gun, where he inflates his fist almost to the size of Onigashima, infusing it with Busoshoku and Haoshoku Haki; then unleashes it at his opponent with the intention of punching them without making direct contact, through emitting Haki outward, for a devastating blow. This was first used against Kaidou, who countered the attack with Shoryu: Kaen Hakke, resulting in a massive clash. It was soon able to overpower Kaidou's technique and break off one of his horns, defeating and sending him crashing into the ground, making a noticeable hole matching his target's particular shape. "Bajrang" is an alternate name of the Hindu monkey god, Hanuman, a potential inspiration for Sun Wukong. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Bajrang Gun.
 * Gomu Gomu no Mogura Pistol (ゴムゴムのモグラ): Luffy punches his fist into the floor, and a nearby section of the floor stretches into a tendril and strikes his opponent from the side. This was first used against Rob Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Mole Pistol.
 * Gomu Gomu no Dawn Whip (ゴムゴムの): After twisting his body, Luffy stretches his leg, hardens it, and swings it into his opponent's face. He then lets his body rapidly untwist, adding more energy into his kick. This was first used against Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Whip.
 * Gomu Gomu no Dawn Rocket (ゴムゴムのロケット): Luffy throws himself into the environment and uses his awakened power to bend the structure further. After shaping his hair into a pair of goggles, Luffy launches himself at his opponent and slams his fist into their abdomen. This was first used against Lucci in his awakened Zoan form. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Dawn Rocket.

Situational Techniques

 * Gomu Gomu no Dasshutsu Rocket (ゴムゴムの脱出ロケット): A technique used by Luffy to escape from inside Kaidou's body after using "Gomu Gomu no Fusen". Luffy stretches his arms through his opponent's eyes and grabs onto their nose to launch himself out. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Escape Rocket.
 * Gomu Gomu no Nawatobi (ゴムゴムの縄跳び): The giant-sized Luffy grabs Kaidou in his dragon form and uses Kaidou's serpentine body as a skipping rope. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Jump Rope.
 * Gomu Gomu no Kaminari (ゴムゴムの雷): Luffy gives a lightning bolt the properties of rubber in order to grab it, then hurls it at his opponent. This was first used against Kaidou, who managed to dodge the attack. In the VIZ manga, this is called Gum-Gum Lightning.

Trivia

 * Gear 5's concept took inspiration from rubber hose animation and various cartoon effects. In particular, Oda drew inspiration from the cartoon Tom and Jerry. Oda himself wanted to draw something funny, and also wanted Luffy's fights to regain some funny elements, even though he was aware the general audience of One Piece wouldn't like this concept because he realized that the general action sequences of contemporary Shonen manga are taken too serious, causing the genre's uniqueness in the past to be lost over time. With the introduction of Gear 5, Oda wanted to create a polarity between Luffy's cartoonish humor and Kaidou's deadly seriousness.
 * Gear 5 was first hinted at in SBS Volume 98, when a fan asked if it was coming, and Oda responded by surreptitiously noting that the world was in the process of transitioning to 5G broadband networks.
 * Coincidentally, Gear 5 debuted in one of the chapters in Volume 103, exactly 5 Volumes after the question.
 * Prior to the official introduction of the "Gomu Gomu no Gigant" ability, Luffy was coincidentally previously shown as a giant in a non-canon anime filler episode with the aid of an ally, Lily Enstomach.
 * Gear 5 made its animated debut briefly, likely as an early easter egg, during the climax of One Piece Film: Red, ahead of debuting in the anime adaptation.
 * Morgans found Luffy's awakened form to be mystifying, and upon receiving a photo of it from Guernica, used it as his current bounty poster profile without approval, much to the Five Elders' chagrin; the Elders considered this form should not be seen by public.