Gomu Gomu no Mi

The Gomu Gomu no Mi, also known as the Gomu Gomu Fruit, is a Paramecia type Devil Fruit that turns the user's body into rubber. "Gomu" means rubber in Japanese. In the 4kids and FUNimation dub and Viz manga, it is called the Gum Gum Fruit. It was originally a treasure that Shanks and his crew took from an unspecified enemy but was accidentally eaten by Monkey D. Luffy. In the second version of Romance Dawn, it originally belonged to Luffy's grandpa who took it from an unspecified enemy.

Appearance
The Gomu Gomu no Mi is a large violet cherry like shaped fruit with swirls. While it's final design has the characteristic Devil Fruit swirls all over it, the fruit was initially drawn without them in the first version of Romance Dawn.

Strengths and Weaknesses
The fruit's major strength, as demonstrated by Luffy, is that the person can stretch their body like rubber at will, and makes them almost entirely immune to blunt attacks, including bullets or even cannonballs. The user's ability to stretch and twist like rubber to extreme lengths not only makes them immune to injuries that originate from such, but it also allows them moves that can give them a great advantage in battle or otherwise. Stretching also allows the user to drastically increase the range of what would otherwise be a powerful close-range attack, turning it into a devastating mid-range attack. A stretched limb can also be used to store potential energy like a stretched spring, increasing the power of an attack. Owing to Rubber's insulating properties, the user is also immune to electrical attacks.

By training his Gomu Gomu abilities, Luffy has found unexpected ways to increase his fighting ability, such as the ability to stretch his blood vessels wider to pump his blood pressure to become faster and stronger, at a cost of depleting his body's energy at a faster rate. Luffy can even inflate his bones to increase the mass of his body and power up his attacks.

Despite all the advantages Luffy gets by using his fruit, he can however still be hurt by cutting or stabbing attacks, as well as non-physical attacks such as fire or ice. One major risk of Luffy's powers is that he is vulnerable to attacks in the moments when his limbs are stretched to their limit, as Buggy and Kuro both demonstrated early on in the series. Luffy, however, has adapted his fighting style to minimize this risk such as when Buggy attempted to exploit this weakness of Luffy. Luffy of course, also suffers the same weaknesses to water and Seastone as other Devil Fruit users.

An interesting property about the fruit is that the ability activated the moment Luffy ate the fruit. Luffy's body was transformed to rubber the moment he swallowed a piece of the fruit, and is not a transformation occuring at Luffy's own choice. This makes Luffy able to use his abilities underwater, although not by his own control. since the fruit turned his body into rubber the moment he ate it, his body is permanently rubber, making him able to stretch in any situation,both in the air and underwater, though the latter can not be done by himself and require someone else stretch him out.

Usage
The powers of the fruit have been used by Luffy in a variety of ways. These range from simply moving from one place to another in rather reckless manner, to attacking an enemy with a barrage of punches.

Attacks
Luffy notably uses the Gomu Gomu no Mi to attack. His attacks all follow a pattern. They begin with "Gomu Gomu no..." and finish with an attack-specific word. The majority of them are named after guns and various other firearms. This naming pattern originates from the claim that Luffy made to Shanks. He claimed that his fist is as strong as pistol fire. Other known attacks were named after various other aspects such as physical objects to mental stupidity. In the Viz manga, all of Luffy's Devil Fruit based attacks begin with Gum Gum instead of Gomu Gomu. In the 4kids dub, Luffy's attacks also begin with Gum Gum however, the gun references are completely renamed for censorship reasons. In the Funimation dub the gun refernces are kept in.

Gun and Artillery Themed Attacks
The known normal Devil Fruit based attacks so far that are named after guns and various other artillery, that Luffy has used, are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Pistol (ゴムゴムの銃(ピストル)): Luffy's standard straight punch, augmented with stretching. This attack can be used from short to long range. In the Viz manga, and Funimation dub, it is called Gum Gum Pistol. In the 4kids dub, it is called Gum Gum Blast. It's name comes from Luffy's claim to Shanks that his punching arm is "As powerful as a pistol!" This was first seen being used on the Lord of the Coast after ten years of training in the manga, while in the anime, it is first seen being used against Alvida. In the second version of Romance Dawn, Luffy used a technique similar in concept to this attack against Spiel. According to a fan poll, this is the ninth favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 552 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Rocket (ゴムゴムのロケット): Luffy's main method of traveling long distances fast. He stretches out one of his arms (or both) and grabs a handhold, then retracts them, projecting himself high into the air, over great distances, or even into an opponent. This technique is oftentimes reckless especially if not done properly as Luffy could accidentally propel himself into a body of water or worse. This was first seen being used to propel Luffy to the top of the Marine Base in Shell Town in the manga. In the anime, it was first seen being used to crash into Alvida's crew. This is called Gum-Gum Rocket in the Viz manga, Funimation and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Bazooka (ゴムゴムのバズーカ): Luffy stretches both his arms far back, and then hurls them forward, striking his opponent with both simultaneously. This is usually used as a finishing move. This was first seen being used to defeat Buggy. In the Viz Manga and Funimation dub, this is called Gum-Gum Bazooka. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Double Barrel. According to a fan poll, this is the fifth favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 995 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gattling Gun (ゴムゴムの銃乱打(ガトリング)): Luffy uses his stretching ability to bring his fists forward repeatedly in a blurry, rapid barrage of punches that creates the illusion of him having multiple arms, however he doesn't actually grow more arms so his arms can be caught by an opponent fast enough (as Enel and Rob Lucci demonstrated). This was first seen being used against a group of Black Cat Pirates after being accidentally hypnotized stronger by Jango. In the Viz Manga and Funimation dub, this is called Gum-Gum Gatling. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Rapid Fire. According to a fan poll, this is the favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 3785 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Bullet (ゴムゴムの銃弾(ブレット)): Luffy stretches one arm far behind him, then snaps it back to deliver an short-distance, one-fisted blow to an opponent. This was first seen being used on Don Krieg. In the Viz Manga, this is called Gum-Gum Bullet, while in the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Burst. According to a fan poll, this is the twenty eighth favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 68 votes. In all instances in the anime except the fight against Usopp, this attack is always renamed "Gomu Gomu no Pistol".


 * Gomu Gomu no Bow Gun (ゴムゴムのボーガン): Luffy takes hold of his opponent, then repeatedly twists his torso vertically around his waist. The resulting snapback sends his opponent flying upwards. This was first seen being used against Wapol. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Crossbow.


 * Gomu Gomu no Shotgun (ゴムゴムの銃(ピストル)｢散弾(ショット)｣): Starts off as an ordinary Pistol attack, after which Luffy "twangs" his stretched arm, causing his fist to connect multiple times. The kanji can be read as "Pistol Shot" but it is pronounced as "Shotgun" in the anime. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Quake. This was first seen being used against Crocodile after Luffy wet his own body with water.


 * Gomu Gomu no Rifle (ゴムゴムの回転弾(ライフル)): Similar to Gomu Gomu no Bullet, but Luffy twists his arm around as he stretches it behind him and hits the opponent at close range, putting a spin on them. This was first seen being used against Eneru. According to a fan poll, this is the twenty first favorite amongst fans with a total of 85 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Cannon (ゴムゴムの攻城砲 (キャノン)): Luffy builds up speed with a long series of quick punches, and finishes with a single double-fisted blow. A powerful technique that can pierce strong armor, and, in combination with Zoro's Three-Swords Style, devastating enough to puncture a hole through a massive tidal wave. This was first seen being used against one of the Franky Family's "Mighty Destroyers".

Other Weapons Themed Attacks
The known normal Devil Fruit based attacks so far that are named after other weapons other than guns, that Luffy has used, are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Muchi (ゴムゴムの鞭): Luffy stretches his leg and kicks in a wide circle, striking multiple foes. This was first seen being used against a group of Marines in Shell Town. This is called Gum-Gum Whip in the Viz manga, Funimation and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tsuchi (ゴムゴムの槌, Rubber Rubber Mallet): Luffy takes hold of his opponent with his hands, then spins, twisting his arms. He then untwists them, rapidly spinning his opponent, while bringing him crashing to the floor. This was first seen being used against Richie after he and Mohji destroyed Shushu's master's store. In the Viz manga, this is called Gum-Gum Gavel. In the 4kids and Funimation dub, this is called Gum-Gum Hammer.


 * Gomu Gomu no Kama (ゴムゴムの鎌): Luffy grabs an object behind his opponent and pulls himself towards them. He then stretches out his other arm and clotheslines his opponent. This was first seen being used against Buggy. In the Viz Manga, this is called Gum-Gum Sickle. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Fist. In Grand Battle RUSH! His Special Attack is Gum-Gum Scythe, but he says Gum-Gum Giant Slide.


 * Gomu Gomu no Yari (ゴムゴムの槍): Luffy holds his feet together and kicks with both simultaneously. This was first seen being used against Kuro after Luffy dodged his attack. This is called Gum-Gum Spear in the Viz Manga, Funimation and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ōgama (ゴムゴムの大鎌): Identical to Gomu Gomu no Sickle, but he uses both arms for the rocket and the clotheslining. This was first seen being used on a group of Krieg's pirates that were attacking the Baratie. This is called Gum-Gum Giant Scythe in the Viz Manga and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ono (ゴムゴムの斧) Luffy stretches one leg high into the air, then brings it crashing down on an opponent or structure, for massive damage, strong enough to destroy large buildings and ships in a single hit. This was first seen being used on the front porch of the Baratie. In the Viz Manga, this called Gum-Gum Battle Axe. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Axe.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ōzuchi (ゴムゴムの大槌, Rubber Rubber Giant Mallet): Similar to Gomu Gomu no Gavel, but he performs it using the feet and legs instead of hands and arms while in mid-air. He performed while he was trapped inside Krieg's net, sending the latter crashing into Baratie's front porch. n the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Giant Hammer.

Other Concepts Themed Attacks
The known normal Devil Fruit based attacks so far that are named after other concepts other than weapons, that Luffy has used, are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Fuusen (ゴムゴムの風船): A technique wherein Luffy inflates himself rapidly through his mouth, further increasing his resistance to blunt attacks. With his inflated body, Luffy is capable of deflecting projectile attacks back to their shooters. This is not necessarily always an attack as Luffy can also use this technique for other purposes aside from deflecting projectiles such as escaping Smokers Smoke Snake technique or using himself as a cushion when his ship is in for a hard landing. This can also prevent Luffy from sinking under water, making him bounce off the surface. This was first seen being used against one of Buggy's cannonballs after Luffy insulted Buggy. This is called Gum-Gum Balloon in the Viz manga, Funimation and 4kids dub. According to a fan poll, this is the seventeenth favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 162 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Kane (ゴムゴムの鐘): While grappled onto an enemy, Luffy stretches his neck backwards, then snaps it back for a devastating head butt to the opponent's face. This was first seen being used to defeat Kuro. This is called Gum-Gum Bell in the Viz Manga, Funimation and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Kazaguruma (ゴムゴムの風車): A technique that was used once in the Arlong Arc. Luffy planted his feet into the ground to steady himself, then twisted his body around tightly. He then grabbed hold of Arlong's pet Mohmoo and unwound, spinning the Sea King around rapidly to crush the Fishmen surrounding him. After spinning around several times, Luffy then let go of Mohmoo and threw him far away. While it took out most of Arlong's Fishmen, it however had the disadvantage of getting Luffy's feet stuck in the ground. This rather reckless move was inspired by the sight of the pinwheel on top of Genzo's hat seen by Luffy. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Pinwheel while in the Viz Manga, this is called Gum-Gum Windmill. In the video game One Piece Grand Battle, an alternate version of this move exists where instead of planting his feet firmly to the ground, Luffy just proceeds to the target(s) while twisting his mid-section before unwinding, slapping anyone unfortunate enough to be within proximity


 * Gomu Gomu no Tate (ゴムゴムの盾): Luffy grabs the fingers of one hand with the other, and stretches them before his face to block blades that pass between the fingers. This was first seen being used on Arlong. This is called Gum-Gum Shield in the Viz Manga and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ami (ゴムゴムの網, Rubber Rubber Net): Luffy entwines his fingers making a net like shape and then stretches out his fingers making a larger net in an attempt to trap his opponents. This was first seen being used on Arlong. This is called Gum-Gum Finger Net in the Viz Manga and 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ikebana (ゴムゴムの生け花, Rubber Rubber Flower Arrangement): A technique in which Luffy grabs hold of the Going Merry's mast and slams it into his opponent. This was first seen being used on Laboon. The name is derived from the fact that the way the mast is slammed resembles typical Japanese flower arrangements. In the 4kids dub, this technique is not present. In the Viz Manga, this is called Gum-Gum Bouquet.


 * Gomu Gomu no Stamp (ゴムゴムのスタンプ): Luffy stretches his leg out and hits his opponent with the bottom of his foot, leaving an imprint, or "stamp", of his sandal. This was first seen being used to finish off Mr. 3.


 * Gomu Gomu no Dame Da! (ゴムゴムのダメだ): A joke technique in which Luffy stretches his arm to stop Usopp stealing his water given to him by Toto. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum No Way!, Gum-Gum Stay Away!. According to a fan poll, this is the twenty fourth favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 76 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Sensuikan (ゴムゴムの潜水艦): Similar to the Pistol, but his fist travels underground to uppercut the target. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Submarine.


 * Gomu Gomu no Baku Baku (ゴムゴムのバクバク): Luffy stretches his mouth wide open, and attempts to bite or swallow his opponent. This attack was named after and copied from Wapol's Baku Baku no Mi powers. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Munch-Munch. This technique was first seen being used against Crocodile.


 * Gomu Gomu no Marunokogiri (ゴムゴムの丸鋸): Luffy grabs his opponent from afar with both arms and winds himself up like with Bow gun. He then kicks off from the ground and spins towards his opponent to deliver a powerful head butt. In the 4kids dub this is called Gum-Gum Buzzsaw. This was first seen being used against Crocodile after Luffy wet his own body with water.


 * Gomu Gomu no Storm (ゴムゴムの暴風雨(ストーム): A extremely powerful move and is easily one of Luffy's strongest attacks. With an opponent positioned high above, Luffy first uses Gomu Gomu no Balloon and twist his body around tightly, then blow the air towards the ground. This propels Luffy spinning upwards towards an opponent up above, where he delivers a constant barrage of powerful punches, with power greatly enhanced by the momentum of his launch. This was first seen being used to defeat Crocodile. This attack was powerful enough to beat Crocodile through an extremely thick ceiling of solid bedrock and cause a huge earthquake in Arabasta, and then propel him several hundred feet into the air. This technique can also be used while Luffy is airborne, allowing him to literally rain punches down upon his enemies. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Storm. According to a fan poll, this is the seventh favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 815 votes. In the video game One Piece: Unlimited adventure, an alternate version of this move is seen where Luffy first twists himself right before inflating, making the move quicker and faster.


 * Gomu Gomu no Hanabi (ゴムゴムの花火): Luffy jumps into the air and spins around rapidly. Then he unleashes a flurry of punches and kicks that go in every direction due to the spinning motion. This was first seen being used against the White Berets in Skypiea In the english version of the game, Pirates Carnival, dubbed by 4kids, this is called Gum-Gum Fireworks.


 * Gomu Gomu no Boh... (ゴムゴムのボー, Rubber Rubber Idio...): A technique in which Luffy 'switches off' his conscious mind, allowing him to avoid attacks entirely on instinct. This made him immune to Eneru's mind-reading Mantra ability. The disadvantage is that he can neither think nor attack in this state. According to a fan poll, this is the twentieth most favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 95 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tako (ゴムゴムのたこ, Rubber Rubber Octopus): A technique in which Luffy makes his appendages go limp that they resemble the tentacles of an octopus. This was done in an attempt to figure a way to fight against Eneru's Mantra ability.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tako Hanabi (ゴムゴムのたこ花火, Rubber Rubber Octopus Fireworks): Much like Gomu Gomu no Hanabi except, due to the previous move, Gomu Gomu no Tako, his limbs bounce off of walls without losing speed. Because his limbs are limp, Luffy can't predict or control where they will go if they ricochet off of an object, much less the unlucky opponent(s). This is completely advantageous against a Mantra ability user as they also can't predict where Luffy's punches and kicks would come at them. This technique was used against Eneru during Luffy's battle against him.


 * Gomu Gomu no Mikata Robo (ゴムゴムの味方ロボ, Rubber Rubber Ally Robot): Luffy wraps his arms around a person's limbs in order to manipulate their movements. This was first used against a Marine in Enies Lobby.
 * Mikata Robo Punch (味方ロボパンチ, Ally Robot Punch): Luffy uses his "Ally Robot" to punch an opponent.
 * Mikata Robo Kick (味方ロボキック, Ally Robot Kick): Luffy uses his "Ally Robot" to kick an opponent.


 * Gomu Gomu no Kazan (ゴムゴムの火山 (かざん), Rubber Rubber Volcano): Similar to Gomu Gomu no Ono, except Luffy's foot is stretched upwards to break through a roof. This was first seen being used against marines at Enies Lobby.

Anime Uses
In the anime, Luffy displays some more unique uses of his rubbery body. The known named regular Devil Fruit techniques that are exclusive to the anime are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Pachinko (ゴムゴムのパチンコ): Luffy grabs hand and foot holds, then intercepts a projectile, stretching back and firing the projectile back at its origin. This was first seen being used against the cannonball that Fullbody fired at Luffy; whereas in the manga, Luffy bounced it back with a Gomu Gomu no Fuusen. This is called Gum-Gum Slingshot in the 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no Neji (ゴムゴムのネジ, Rubber Rubber Screw): Luffy grabs onto a large, spinning object that is shot at him while holding onto a foothold, twists his arms and legs as if to do a Gomu Gomu no Giant Gavel while the force of the object propels him further to his ability's limit, then slams the object into a foe while spinning. This was first seen being used against Bear King in the second One Piece movie.


 * Gomu Gomu no Amidori (ゴムゴムの網取, Rubber Rubber Net-Catch): A technique wherein Luffy stretches his arm out to catch something. This was first seen being used to catch what Luffy assumed to be fish. Instead of catching fish however, Luffy caught an unconscious Apis adrift on her boat. The recoil of this technique is somewhat reckless as Luffy's arm pushed Zoro off the Going Merry as Luffy reeled it back in.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tsuribashi (ゴムゴムの吊橋, Rubber Rubber Suspension Bridge): A technique wherein Luffy turns himself into a make-shift bridge by laying his rubber body across a gap. This was first seen being used to help Nami get across a wide gap in Warship Island.


 * Gomu Gomu no Nagenawa (ゴムゴムの投げ縄, Rubber Rubber Lasso): A technique wherein Luffy entwines himself around something, and then stretches his arm to grab an object. This was first seen being used when the Going Merry was going through a typhoon to get to the Lost Island. Luffy entwined his body to the ship's mast and stretched out his arm to lasso Ryuji's raft.


 * Gomu Gomu no Propeller (ゴムゴムのプロペラ): Used against a giant sea bird in the anime, Luffy jumps into the air and does a Gomu Gomu no Gavel, with his hands grabbing the bird's beak to prevent it from attacking him, spinning the bird around in a cyclone before slamming down onto Going Merry's deck. In the 4kids dub, this is called Gum-Gum Twister.


 * Gomu Gomu no Hittakuri (ゴムゴムのひったくり): Similar to Gomu Gomu no Rocket, except Luffy wraps the outstretched arm several times around the target before rocketing towards it. This was first seen being used to get onto Barbarbossa's ship in one of the Arabasta anime filler episodes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Sadowari (ゴムゴムの砂土割り (さどわり), Rubber Rubber Sand Splitter): While fighting on sandy terrain, Luffy outstretches his arm and skims the surface of the sand to uppercut the opponent from afar. This was first seen being used against Zoro in an Arabasta filler episode because Luffy went delusional from drinking cactus juice and thought that he was Crocodile.


 * Gomu Gomu no Shoot (ゴムゴムのシュート): Used in Pirate Soccer King featurette. Luffy stretches back leg and kicks.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tomotsuna (ゴムゴムの艫綱 (ともつな), Rubber Rubber Stern Rope)


 * Gomu Gomu no Bungee (ゴムゴムのバンジー): When holding onto a ledge while stretched, Luffy retracts his arm to pull him up while hopping along the wall. This was first seen being used in Nami's filler episode in the Post-Arabasta arc to get back onto the Going Merry after Luffy accidentally fell off.


 * Gomu Gomu no Tomozuna (ゴムゴムの艫綱, Rubber Rubber Ship to Ship Line): Luffy stretches both of his arms between the ship he is on and the one he wants to go to. By jumping off the ground, he is able to pull himself and passengers to the ship that he is holding onto. This was first seen being used in Sanji's filler episode in the Post-Arabasta arc to get on and off a marine ship.


 * Gomu Gomu no Warp (ゴムゴムのワープ): A sort of joke move used in the Rainbow Mist. Since the phenomenon creates a black hole-like effect, Luffy attempts to "rocket" out of it only to end up exactly where he started.


 * Gomu Gomu no Home Run (ゴムゴムのホームラン): Used in Pirate Baseball King featurette. Luffy first hits a baseball with his fist. Next, he twists his body around with Gomu Gomu no Pinwheel. Luffy finally unwinds his body making the ball fly out of his fist and making a homerun.


 * Gomu Gomu no Yo-Yo (ゴムゴムのヨーヨー): With a gold ball attached to his arm, Luffy holds onto an object and uses the ball to stretch himself so far that when he snaps back he is sent flying into the sky. A variation of this is used with Gomu Gomu no Fuusen.


 * Gomu Gomu no Koma (ゴムゴムの独楽, Rubber Rubber Top): Luffy wraps an outstretched arm several times around a target, then pulls his arm away suddenly, causing the target to spin out of control. This was first seen being used against Foxy's Gorilla Puncher #13 in an anime filler episode.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jutte (ゴムゴムの十手): While wielding a jutte, Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Gatling. Used in the fourth one-hour special, against the Buggy family and later Hachi.


 * Gomu Gomu no Senjukannon (ゴムゴムの千手観音): An alternate version of Gomu Gomu no Gatling with the name being a pun on Gomu Gomu no Cannon. Senjukannon is a thousand-armed goddess of mercy. Used in the fourth one-hour special.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gomu Douryoku (ゴムゴムのゴム動力, Rubber Rubber Rubber Powered): Luffy twists his arms around each other as if to do Gomu Gomu no Tsuchi, then grabs onto a propeller and spins his arms, increasing the power of the propeller. The move greatly exhausts him, however, probably because it requires him to submerge his arms in water, triggering his Devil Fruit weakness. This was first seen being used in the seventh movie, although the concept was seen during the anime version of the Donut Race in the Dave Back Fight arc.


 * Gomu Gomu no Twin Pistol: Basically Luffy's normal Pistol attack, only with both of his arms instead. This was first seen used against Kanpachino and Brindo.


 * Gomu Gomu no 100,000 Degree Bazooka: Basically a regular Gomu Gomu no Bazooka technique that was used by Luffy against Don Achino. The technique differs little from a regular Bazooka technique, however at the moment of impact, Luffy continued applying force to the attack despite his hands being burned by the powers of Don Achino's Devil Fruit, the Atsu Atsu no Mi. As a result, Luffy was able practically use Achino's own Devil Fruit powers against him by allowing the heat being accumulated into his arms as he maintains contact with the Don's body to build-up. Thus allowing Luffy to send Achino flying away into his house, Lovely Land.

Forms
Throughout the series, Luffy is often faced with opponents that require unusual methods to defeat. For this reason, he sometimes adopts certain "forms" intended to enable him to defeat those enemies, although certain forms are simply cosmetic, giving Luffy no physical advantages whatsoever. The most revolutionary and useful of these forms so far are the "gear" forms, as described in the section below. It should be noted that these "gear" forms largely resemble the concept of "powering up" seen in many manga series, for example Dragonball Z, in which Luffy's Gear Second strongly resembles that of Goku's Kaio-ken (both forms turning the user red and increasing in speed) while Gear Third resembles the Ultra Super Saiyan form (increased muscle mass, reduced mobility).

The named forms that Luffy has so far used are as follows:

Mizu Luffy
In the fight with Sir Crocodile, the leader of Baroque Works, Luffy used a barrel filled with water, in order to weaken Crocodile and make him vulnerable by disabling his ability to use his sand-morphing ability. With this Luffy could coat his appendages with water and use water-supported attacks against Crocodile along with a plan to soak Crocodile completely with water. However upon realizing the barrel and it's contents were in too much danger from Crocodile's attacks, Luffy later drains the entire barrel of water, becoming Mizu Luffy. Though at first glance the form looks idiotic and somewhat flawed as he had trouble keeping the water down (to the point of causing even Nico Robin to burst out laughing), it allowed Luffy to safely store the water and spit it out at Crocodile for use. Luffy stayed in this form until he was complety dried up by Crocodile.


 * Mizu Mizu no Pistol (水水の銃(ピストル), Water Water Pistol): By drinking a barrel of water and becoming "Mizu Luffy", Luffy pumps water into his mouth with his arms before he spits spheres of water at his opponent. This was first seen being used against Crocodile. Aside from Luffy's regular Devil Fruit techniques enhanced by water while in this form, this the only named attack used by Luffy unique to this form.

Afro Luffy
During the Davy Back Fight arc, Luffy had to face Foxy the Silver Fox in the final event, Combat. Beforehand, he got to choose what he would wear for the fight. Usopp, who was with him, spotted a big black afro, and had Luffy wear it. Thus, Afro Luffy was born.

Usopp claims that the afro gives Luffy extra power. While donning the afro, Luffy also donned boxing shorts, boxing gloves, some type of straps on his feet, and had a temporary tattoo of a flaming skull and cross-bones on his chest. While wearing the afro, Luffy also tends to say things such as "Hell yeah!". Although only Nami and possibly Zoro think that it doesn't help anything but the others say "Because of the afro..." is how he gets more powerful (but they might be joking or just playing along).

Although this form only appears once in the original manga, Afro Luffy returns again in a filler episode. When Foxy tries to get his ship and crew back, he is forced to ask for Luffy's help. When doing so, he hands over the afro he had before, and Luffy uses it to fight.

The known Devil Fruit attacks that Luffy uses in this form are as follows:


 * Gomu Hook (ゴムフック): Luffy launches an elongated hook, which can hit the enemy’s back due to his stretching ability.


 * Gomu Gomu no Flail (ゴムゴムの連接鎚矛(フレイル)): Luffy swings one arm in a circle at high speed, then drives his fist into his opponent.

Gear Second
A form that was first seen in Luffy's fight against Blueno. Luffy pumps his blood rapidly with his legs to kick start the process which in turn increases the speed of his blood flow, thus providing more oxygen and nutrients to various parts of his body which makes him faster and stronger. Lucci, one of the first of Luffy's opponents to witness it, compares the process to taking a stimulant. In Luffy's case, all of his organs are rubber, so they can expand and contract, allowing the blood to move at the increased speed without stressing any one internal organ, such as the blood vessels, and causing it to explode. This mode's enhancements to Luffy's physiology gives him the ability to use a new set of attacks which are generally the same as his old ones but are so fast that even a skilled assassin would have a hard time actually seeing them.

This form also enables Luffy access to his own version of the Rokushiki technique, Soru, which would make sense since he used Soru's principle, which is to kick the ground multiple times to propel the user over to a desired distance at imperceivable speeds, as the basis of Gear Second by incorporating it with his Gomu Gomu No Mi powers. In other words, Luffy practically uses his elastic body by compressing it and using it as the kick-off point when initiating Gear Second. As a result, he can not only utilize a much more refined form of Soru that is far superior to other Soru users, but the power of his attacks are also greatly enhanced by the high speed that they seem to break the sound barrier, generating sonic boom-like effects in the process. In this form his metabolism rate is so high that his sweat vaporizes rapidly giving rise to a steaming appearance, and his skin turns slightly pink from the increased blood flow. He also says almost all of his attacks in English as opposed to Japanese. Luffy also tends to take a certain pose right after activating Gear 2nd with one hand making a fist and touching the ground in front of him and the other one touching his knee, possibly to maintain the increased blood flow until the process stabilize.

Currently Luffy can only use Gear Second for a short period of time, because the accelerated speed at which nutrients are used up depletes his stores rapidly. The mechanics behind this enhancement thus also mean reduced strength and ability after significant amounts of usage, as pointed out by Lucci when Luffy's attacks start losing their speedy edge because with all his nutrients running low, having a faster blood flow would be useless as there are no nutrients to use. Due to this, as also pointed out by Rob Lucci, Gear second hacks away Luffy's life force dramatically, increasing a chance of having a much shorter life because he is starving his body. After Gear Second wears off, Luffy can recover quickly through replenishing of his nutrient storage by eating meat.

While not considered canon, in the 7th movie of the series which takes place before the Water 7 arc, Luffy briefly and unknowingly activated Gear 2 during his fight against Ratchet, the antagonist of the film, showing this to be the move's origin of sorts.

The known named techniques that are used by Luffy so far in this form are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol (ゴムゴムの JET銃[ピストル]): Luffy delivers a Gomu Gomu no Pistol so fast that the fist's movement is invisible, and it truly seems like he shoots his opponent, except that the resulting impact is not akin to an actual pistol, but to a small hand-held cannon and powerful enough to propel the unlucky recepient several meters away. The incredible speed both makes the strike more powerful, and harder to dodge. This was first seen being used against Blueno.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp (ゴムゴムの JETスタンプ): Luffy delivers a Gomu Gomu no Stamp, with the same effect as the Jet Pistol. This was first seen being used against Blueno.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Bazooka (ゴムゴムの JETバズーカ): Luffy charges at his opponent at high speed, and delivers a very fast and very strong Gomu Gomu no Bazooka. This was first seen being used against Blueno. It was apparently powerful enough to break through Blueno's strongest Tekkai technique. During the battle against Moria in his Shadows Asgard form, Luffy demonstrated being able to use this move to propel himself from mid-air, allowing him to perform this attack continously


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Whip (ゴムゴムの JET鞭[ウィップ]): Luffy delivers a Gomu Gomu no Muchi, so fast, that only the slipstream is visible. This was first seen being used against Rob Lucci in order to protect Franky from him.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Bullet (ゴムゴムの JET銃弾[ブレット]): An extremely fast close range punch. When attacking head-on, the stretching of the original Bullet along with the resulting snapback seem to occur almost simultaneously at once, making it virtually inescapable. This was first seen being used against Rob Lucci.


 * Gomu Gomu no Twin Jet Pistol (ゴムゴムの ツインJET銃[ピストル]): Luffy punches with both arms simutaneously. Visually, the move only differs from his bazooka in that instead of doing an open palm strike, he has clenched fists which leave two knuckle shaped imprints on his foe. This was first seen being used against Rob Lucci and is one of the few moves unique to Gear second (unless the anime-only regular "Gomu Gomu no Twin Pistol" is included).


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling Gun (ゴムゴムの JET銃乱打(ガトリング): This is one of Luffy's strongest techniques. Luffy stands still, and moves his arms so fast that they become invisible, covering the enemy with punches (each with the force equal to a Jet Pistol) in a mere split second. This results in an effect comparable to Foxy's Kyuubi Rush, except that Luffy doesn't need to rely on Noroma photons to slow down his target in order to accumulate the hits. The hits land so fast that, after a volley, they seemingly connect simultaneously, while a circle of airbursts from the punches surround Luffy. The circle resembles the many barrels of a real gatling gun. However due to the large amounts of energy it uses, Luffy can not sustain it for long, although the time it is used is considerably longer than the regular gatling. During his fight against the combined efforts of Marigold and Sandersonia, Luffy demonstrated an omni-directional version of this move by falling on his back, then, while lying down, launches a rapid barrage of high-speed punches from the ground, effectively nullifying both sister's attacks.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Rocket (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴロケット): A Gear Second version of Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Rocket technique. After grabbing onto something with stretched out arms, Luffy instantly propels himself forward with blinding speed. This was first seen being used against Moria.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Rifle (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴ回転弾): A Gear Second technique that first appeared in the anime. Luffy delivers a very fast Gomu Gomu no Rifle. The winding of the original Rifle along with its snapback happening almost at the same time as Luffy speeds towards the target makes this move impossible to evade. This was first seen in the anime being used against Blueno.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Yari (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴ槍, Rubber Rubber Jet Spear): A Gear Second technique that first appeared in the anime. Luffy delivers a very fast Gomu Gomu no Yari. This was first seen in the anime being used against Blueno.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Missile (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴミサイル): A Gear Second technique that first appeared in the anime. Luffy stretches and grabs onto an enemy's body. Then, he very quickly retracts, crashing into the foe. This was first seen in the anime being used against Blueno.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Axe (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴ斧 ): A Gear Second technique that first appeared in the anime. Luffy stretches his leg vertically and then crashes it down on his opponent, unlike the usual version however, rather than merely smashing his foot into the enemy the speed at which it is done is so quick that rather than attacking the area directly in front of him, his Jet axe strikes several metres in length thus increasing its range. This was first seen in the anime being used against Lucci.


 * Gomu Gomu no Jet Cannon (ゴムゴムのＪＥＴ攻城砲 (キャノン)): A Gear Second version of Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Cannon. It was not seen as a single attack but it was seen fused with Zoro's and Sanji's techniques in a combination attack. The time Luffy launches his punches in order to "charge" the attack seems to be shorter and the impact, obviously, is higher in this form. This attack form part of the Santouryuu Gomu Gomu no Diable Jet Mutton 600 Pound Cannon. It was first seen against Pacifista PX-4, a replica of Barthlomew Kuma.

Gear Third


A form that is first hinted at the climax of the fight between Luffy and Blueno, and first used to knock down a steel door in Enies Lobby. It was first fully seen in Luffy's fight against Lucci. Luffy corks his mouth with his thumb, bites into his thumb joint and blows very hard into it, which inflates his arm. He is then able to transfer the air through his entire body, requiring the torso to act as an interface for his various limbs. Luffy blows so much air into his body that when they're all focused on a single limb, they become the size equivalent to that of a giant's. Used with his already-strong physiology, this apparently gives his arm more mass and a larger area to attack with, but he sacrifices mobility for this strength as his limbs are now so large that Luffy has extreme trouble moving unless in his Fussen form. Gear Third is generally used when raw physical strength is needed, the bones are the key difference between this form and his old "Gomu Gomu no Fuusen" move, where his balloon form was soft and squishy like a regular balloon, whereas the inflated bones are very hard, similar to an inflated car tire. Unlike the normal Gomu Gomu no Fuusen technique, bulluts ricochet off of Gear Third instead of bounce off. The bones being much harder also mean a lot of compression of air takes place when using Gear Third, making Gear Third not just a 'for-show' move as Lucci initially thought, but like a giant mace of astounding mass when used in attacks. In between his attacks, Luffy brings the air back to his chest and then shifts it into another body part. The downside is, the lag time in which it takes Luffy to transfer and re-channel the amount of air trapped inside his bones through his very being can be disadvantageous. Furthermore, it is quite difficult for Luffy to move while part of his anatomy has been converted to gigantic proportions, making the Gear inadvisable to use against opponents capable of moving at high speeds (like Lucci) or in an enclosed place as he is leaving himself vulnerable to attack, which is why since his battle against Rob Lucci, Luffy tends to only activate Gear Third against massive and often slow-moving targets whom he likes to assault with his Gear Third moves coming from high above in mid-air, where the said attacks could not be obstructed. To deactivate Gear Third, Luffy leaves the form by exhaling heavily, which can cause him to be propelled backwards.

The deactivation of Gear Third brings about shrinking (to chibi size), which is a negative side-effect. The amount of time Luffy spends in his shrunken form is roughly equivalent to the amount of time spent in Gear Third mode. This shrunken form has shown little to no ability to stretch at all, and it has been shown that Luffy loses a incredible amount of strength when he kept hitting Lucci's face to no effect. The best strategy Luffy could use, while waiting for himself to return to normal, is to run and hide from an opponent for the duration of the shrinkage. Another strategy is only using Gear Third for a few seconds for only one move so his skrinkage is minimized. However, for unknown reasons, his clothes shrink as well to fit his small size.

The known named techniques that are used by Luffy so far in this form are as follows:


 * Hone Fuusen (骨風船, Bone Balloon): Luffy inflates his body by blowing air into his bones. This is done by biting into his right thumb, presumably cutting it open down into to the bone, and then blowing air directly into the opened bone. This technique seems to give Luffy a sturdier defense than the regular balloon, since bullets now ricochet off of him instead of bouncing off him. This was first fully shown in Luffy's battle against Rob Lucci.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol (ゴムゴムの 巨人の銃(ギガント･ピストル)): Luffy delivers a Gomu Gomu no Pistol with extremely high amounts of power due to the larger size of his fist. This was first fully seen being used against Rob Lucci. It's sheer power was able to fling him from the Bridge of Hestitation on to a Buster Call Battleship.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Axe (ゴムゴムの 巨人の斧(ギガント･アックス)): Gomu Gomu no Ono with more power due to his enlarged foot and leg. This was first seen being used against Rob Lucci. It's sheer power is able to damage and create a hole in the deck of a Buster Call Battleship.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Whip (ゴムゴムの 巨人の鞭(ギガント･ウィップ)): Gomu Gomu no Muchi with more power due to his enlarged foot and leg. This was first seen being used against Rob Lucci. It's sheer power is able to damage the mast of a Buster Call Battleship.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Bazooka (ゴムゴムの巨人のバズーカ): A Gear Third version of Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Bazooka attack. To create this attack, Luffy inflates both his arms by biting both his thumbs and blowing into them. With both his arms inflated to large proportions, Luffy delivers then the attack onto an opponent the same way he regularly does with a normal Gomu Gomu no Bazooka attack. This was first seen being used against Oz to break his spine.
 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell (ゴムゴムの巨人のJET砲弾(ギガント・ジェットシェル)): While still in Gear Second, Luffy goes into Gear Third with Hone Fuusen. With the combination of Gear Second's speed and Gear Third's air within his bones, Luffy launches his air filled body and rams onto an opponent like a large cannonball. This move is rather reckless as Luffy suffers both from the excess burn on his body from Gear Second, and the difficulty of moving his body from Gear Third. This was first seen being used against Moria.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Rifle (ゴムゴムの巨人回転弾(ギガント･ライフル)): Luffy activates Gear Third to expand one of his arms and then use it to launch a giant version of the original Gomu Gomu No Rifle at a target, drilling hard into the unfortunate target. It s first used againt on of the Pacifista on Shabondy Archipelago.


 * Gomu Gomu no Gigant Gattling (ゴムゴムの巨人(ギガント)ガトリング): A Video Game-only technique, only seen in Jump Ultimate Stars, this is Luffy's ultimate special move for his 8-Koma.  Luffy blows up both of his arms with the hone Fuusen and then proceeds to do his regular Gatling with the giant arms.  Strangely, he doesn't seem to suffer the slowdown usually associated with the Gigant attacks, but this may just be to make it useful as a video game special.

Nightmare Luffy
A form of Luffy that is powered up by one hundred shadows, manifested physically by Moria's Kage Kage no Mi, implanted into him. With Luffy's strong spirit, he is able to contain one hundred shadows within him when most normal people can only contain two to three. In this form, Luffy is several times bigger than his normal self and his skin completely turns to blue. He is roughly the same size as Moria and his body is similar to Chopper in the Heavy Point. Luffy also talks differently being very serious and sounding like Zoro while in this form.

While in this form, Luffy is capable of using the combined strength and skills of the shadows within him. With this strength, Luffy is even capable of stopping a large giant sized Gomu Gomu no Rifle attack delivered by Oz and of delivering massive attacks onto the zombie behemoth. Because one of the shadows belonged to a swordsman, Luffy also got the ability of fighting with swords, something he never knew before. This form however can only last for ten minutes. After that, all of the shadows within Luffy will return to their original owners.

Situational Cases
During certain situations, Luffy is sometimes forced to adapt in his use of his Devil Fruit powers in order to fight an enemy. This is usually due to an attack inflicted by an enemy on him that leaves him at a disadvantage. To compensate, Luffy thus adapts to the situation and turns his disability into an advantage instead.

The known techniques that Luffy has had to create under such circumstances and their origin are as follows:


 * Gomu Gomu no Tonkachi (ゴムゴムのトンカチ, Rubber Rubber Hammer): A technique that Luffy had to temporarily come up with while on Little Garden. While the Straw Hat Pirates were on Little Garden, they faced off against four of Baroque Works' Officer Agents; Mr. 5, Miss Valentine, Miss Goldenweek, and Mr. 3. Mr. 3 has the power of the Doru Doru no Mi, which allows him to produce and control a wax-like substance from his body. He used this wax power several times to wrap a large wax cylinder around Luffy's feet and then later arm. Instead of slowing Luffy down, Luffy actually uses the wax cylinder to his advantage. Using it like a hammer, he first destroyed the pole on Mr. 3's wax creation with a cylinder wrapped around his feet. Luffy then later broke through Mr. 3's Candle Wall and pounded Mr. 3 himself with a cylinder on his arm. The cylinders that bound Luffy's feet and arm both broke upon impact.


 * Gomu Gomu no Hanabi: Ougon Botan (ゴムゴムの黄金牡丹, Rubber Rubber Fireworks: Golden Peony): During Luffy's fight with Eneru, Eneru encased Luffy's arm in a Golden Ball he created by melting some gold with his Gloam Paddling technique. With this, Eneru hoped to hinder Luffy's actions as he tossed him overboard the Maxim. Luffy however, despite burdened with this huge cumbersome object, was able to still move about and use his burden to his advantage in two techniques that he had to temporarily come up with. The first of these is Gomu Gomu no Hanabi: Ougon Botan. It is the same as Gomu Gomu no Fire Works, but with the Golden Ball attached to his arm. This technique was used against Eneru's Raigoh. By swinging the Golden Ball around, Luffy was able to use it as a conductor to destroy the storm cloud. The lightning all zapped through the ball and was discharged. According to Oda in a response to a fan in a SBS, Luffy himself didn't exactly know what he was doing when he did this technique. According to a fan poll, this is the nineteenth most favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 111 votes.


 * Gomu Gomu no Ougon Rifle (ゴムゴムの黄金回転弾, Rubber Rubber Golden Rifle): The same as Gomu Gomu no Rifle but with the Golden Ball attached to his arm. This move possesses much more speed than a regular Gomu Gomu No Rifle in that it creates a Sonic Boom when used. After destroying Eneru's Raigoh with the Golden Ball, Luffy used this technique to defeat Eneru and ring the Golden Bell of Shandora. This was so fast that even though Eneru's Mantra ability could detect it, this was too fast for Eneru to avoid. With this technique, Luffy was also able to break the Golden Ball encasing his arm as the ball hit the bell. According to a fan poll, this is the thirteenth most favorite attack amongst fans with a total of 327 votes.

Team Combinations
At certain times, Luffy would use his Devil Fruit powers in team combos with his crew. This is in relation to his bonds of friendship and comradery with the rest of them. The known named techniques that Luffy uses with others are as follows:


 * Army De L'air Gomu Shoot (空軍(アルメ・ド・レール)ゴムシュート, Air Force Rubber Shoot): A combo attack between Luffy and Sanji. Luffy stretches and grabs Sanji's leg, and as Sanji kicks forward, Luffy uses a Gomu Gomu no Rocket, propelling him forward at higher speeds than normal. This was first seen being used against Wapol. This is called Taffy Trouncer in the 4kids dub.


 * Gomu Gomu no 300 Pound Cannon (ゴムゴムの三百煩悩(ポンド)攻城砲(キャノン), Rubber Rubber 300 Pound Cannon): A combo attack between Luffy and Zoro. Luffy and Zoro use the Gomu Gomu no Cannon and the 108 Pound Cannon at the same time. This is actually a 216 Pound Cannon, but Luffy decided that name was too long and hard to pronounce. Zoro expressed amused indifference and accepted the new name for the attack. This was first used against a huge wave during the Aqua Laguna to let the Rocket Man pass.


 * 600 Million Belli Jackpot (６億Ｂ・ＪＡＣＫＰＯＴ(6おくベル・ジャックポット)): A combo technique that is done with Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Robin and Franky against a large group of opponents. The five of them attack in all directions, taking out the entire group. In here, Luffy is seen using one of his trademark punches in conjuction with his crew. This was first seen being used against a group of Zombies.


 * Santouryu Gomu Gomu no Diable Jet Mouton 600 Pound Cannon (三刀流ゴムゴムのディアブルムートンJET六百煩悩鳳, Three-Sword Style Rubber Devil's Mutton Jet 600 Pound Cannon): A combo used by Zoro, Sanji and Luffy to repel a powerful opponent. Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Cannon in his Gear Second form, Sanji's Mouton Shot after activated his Diable Jambe technique and Zoro's 108 Pound Hou is delivered simultaneously. This was first used against a Bartholomew Kuma clone.


 * Gomu Gomu no Kaiten Ono (ゴムゴムの回転斧, Rubber Rubber Spinning Axe): Anime only. A combination of moves executed by Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp. Luffy executes Gomu Gomu no Fusen (ゴムゴムの風船) as well as twsiting his body, using the stored air to launch himself into the air. Then, Usopp abord the Merry-Go fires a canonball at Sanji, while Luffy shoots both of his arms towards the target. Sanji at this point Armeé de L'air Power Shoots the canonball at Zoro who executes 108 Pound Cannon (百八煩悩鳳) to fire the canonball up into the air and toward Luffy. Luffy catches the ball with his feet, the inertia of the canonball spinning him vertically several times causing his legs to twist with each revolution. After all of the canonball's inertia is gone, Luffy drops it and proceeds to spin forward releasing the full force of the stored energy from the winding, his body falling towards the target during all this. As Luffy approaches the target he stretches his legs out, which, through the speed of his spinning, creates the image of a large rotary blade. This attack impacts with the target, cutting it in half. The force of this seems out of Luffy's control.


 * Kame Hame Gomu Gomu no BazooHa (かめはめゴムゴムのバズー波): A combo technique that Luffy used with Goku in the special One Piece and Dragonball crossover comic, Cross Epoch, against Buggy and Emperor Pilaf's Tettiri No.55. In here, Luffy uses a Bazooka technique in conjuction with Goku's Kamehame Wave. The name of this technique is a combination of their attack names.


 * Gomu Gomu No Kame Hame Ha (ゴムゴムのかめはめ波): A combo technique that Luffy used with Goku in the One Piece/Dragonball Special against Eneru.


 * Gomu Gomu No ORA ORA ORA (ゴムゴムのオラオラオラ): A combo technique that Luffy uses with Kujo Jotaro (from Jojo's Bizarre Aventure) in the Jump Superstars crossover video game. The attack is basically a combination of Luffy's Gatling technique and Jotaro's "Putzun Ora" Volley.

Early One Piece
Luffy's stretching powers were a result of Oda's desire for the fighting style to be silly, so that no matter how tense a situation got, the reader could relax without becoming stressed out. Oda originally just called the fruit the 'Gomu Fruit'. But his editor pointed out there really existed a Rubber fruit so Oda changed the name.

Oda rewrote several details about the Gomu Gomu no mi in his early version of One Piece Romance Dawn V.1 and Romance Dawn V.2. In V.1, the Devil Fruit the fruit was the same except the Gomu Gomu no mi was the fruit of the Gomu Gomu tree which grew once every 50 year and there were no named attacks in V.1. In V.2 the first named attack is given, however rather say "Gomu Gomu..." at the start of all his moves, Luffy simply said "Right hand stopper!". Little detail was given on the Devil Fruit itself in V.2.