Will Luffy awaken his Devil Fruit in One Piece? When?

Ever since Doflamingo introduced the concept of Awakening, the community has gone wild with speculations and discussions about when and if Luffy’s Devil Fruit would Awaken.

So, it was no surprise that when Luffy’s DF awakening was shown in chapter 1044 of the manga, fans went wild and a whole new array of questions came to mind, and today, I answer all those questions.

His mastery is still limited since something like this requires years of practice.

1. When Did Luffy’s DF awaken?

Luffy awakened his devil fruit in Chapter 1044 of the manga during his fight with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and the main antagonist of the Wano Country arc.

Luffy had been defeated by Kaido several times before, but he refused to give up and continued to train his Haki and his devil fruit abilities.

In Chapter 1044, Luffy was hit by Kaido’s Boro Breath attack, which seemed fatal.

However, he survived and regained consciousness in a mysterious realm where he met a mysterious figure who resembled himself but with long hair and a sun mark on his chest.

The figure told Luffy that he was Nika, the Sun God who had been waiting for him for a long time. He also told Luffy that he had inherited his will and power and could use them to free the world from oppression.

Luffy then returned to reality with a new form that resembled Nika. He had long hair, a sun mark on his chest, and a golden aura around him. He also gained new abilities that surpassed his previous ones.

2. What is a Devil Fruit Awakening

Devil Fruit Awakening is a unique stage in the One Piece world that dramatically increases individuals’ devil fruit abilities, significantly allowing more control, refinement, and enhanced power skills.

Any Devil Fruit can awaken the powers sleeping inside a user. Awakening was introduced to us during the final stages of Luffy’s fight against Doflamingo, and he described Awakening as the next stage of controlling a Devil Fruit’s powers.

While the actual specifics of a Devil Fruit’s Awakening depend on the fruit itself, there are broad classifications of how an Awakening would look like for a Zoan, Logia & Paramecia-type fruit.

• Zoan: Upon Awakening, a Zoan fruit user’s body becomes firm, fast, and durable. The earliest example of Awakening seen in the story was of Zoan fruit users. During the Impel Down arc, we saw Jailer Beasts who were highly durable. Crocodiles explained this as them being awakened.
• Logia: While there are no confirmed examples of Awakened Logia Devil fruit users, an Awakened Logia fruit user can permanently alter a location’s environment. This is discussed in more depth in section 3.
• Paramecia: Upon Awakening, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user can alter their environment temporarily. This is shown when Doflamingo & Katakuri use their fruits to turn their surroundings into their respective elements.

Due to the sheer amount & variety of Paramecia Devil Fruit users, it is improbable that it would be the same for all of them.

What is Luffy’s Real Devil Fruit?

Luffy’s devil fruit is a Mythical Zoan type called the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. This allowed him to transform into Nika, the Sun God who ancient enslaved people and revolutionaries worshiped.

This power was hidden under the name Gomu Gomu no Mi to avoid attracting attention from the World Government and the World Nobles.

The User of this DF is said to become the “Warrior of Liberation,” bringing joy and freedom to those around them, and this fruit’s power is described as “the most ridiculous power in the world.”

3. How strong is Luffy now?

In his awakened Zoan state, Gear 5, Luffy gains extraordinary strength, speed, and durability, enabling him to go toe-to-toe with powerful foes like Kaidou.

He defeats the infamous Emperor effortlessly, displaying a recovery rate even when unconscious. The form grants Luffy incredible elasticity, surpassing his previous abilities, making his rubbery body cartoonishly malleable.

This allows him to endure devastating attacks without serious harm, manipulate his surroundings, and stretch his limbs without needing air inflation.

Additionally, Luffy gains the power to alter the environment, bouncing back powerful attacks and creating rubbery surfaces to cushion impacts. He can even materialize objects, like goggles, from his flaming hair.

He could turn anything around him into rubber, including Kaido’s scales and weapons. He could also use Conqueror’s Haki to enhance his attacks and create black lightning.

Gear 5 showcases Luffy’s prowess at its peak, achieving an awe-inspiring level of power and versatility.

4. Will Luffy unlock Gear 6

It is unlikely that Luffy will get a Gear 6, as the awakened state of a Devil Fruit is said to be the last and final hurdle one needs to clear in order to become a DF master. So it makes sense that the Gear 5 we see already combines the ultimate pinnacle of the two power systems in the One Piece world: the Mythical Zoan (Devil Fruit) awakening and Advanced Haki of all three kinds. As a result, Luffy appears to possess the highest power.

On the other hand, Oda’s excellent ability to defy expectations guarantees that One Piece’s enormous world includes a number of unknown elements that may still surprise us. Along with Devil Fruit and Haki mastery, Luffy also holds the Voice of All Things and the Will of D, both of which could be extremely important in his upcoming power-up.

5. Popular awakenings

Now that we have a bit clearer, let us talk about what we know of Awakened fruit users before we theorize the form of Luffy’s eventual Awakening.

I. Donquixote Doflamingo

is Often called “The Heavenly Demon” due to his origins. Donquixote Doflamingo is a former Warlord of the Seas.

During the Dressrosa Arc, Doflamingo explained the concept of Awakening.

After awakening the Ito Ito no Mi, Doflamingo can extend his string-creating ability, transmuting the ground and buildings into vast quantities of strings that he can manipulate without even the need to touch them.

II. Charlotte Katakuri

The second & strongest son of Charlotte Linlin, Charlotte Katakuri is the most recent addition to Awakened Devil Fruit use.

He has a billion-berry bounty on his head, and it is no wonder his Devil Fruit is Awakened.

Katakuri has awakened his Mochi Mochi no Mi (Mochi Mochi Fruit) powers, enabling him to transform nearby inorganic material into mochi, enhancing the range of his attacks and using the environment to his advantage.

III. Jailer Beasts

The Jailer Beasts from Impel Down were the first Devil Fruit users whose Awakening is confirmed. Each of them has an Awakened Zoan Devil Fruit.

This gives them high strength, speed & durability. Crocodile confirmed their awakening during the Impel Down Arc.

6. About