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One Piece Chapter 1045 makes it very clear that Luffy is finally on Kaido's level.
For several years, fans wondered how Luffy could eventually defeat the world's strongest creature. It turns out that he just needed a major boost in power. It took three major battles on the skull dome, but Luffy finally achieved his Devil Fruit Awakening.
One Piece Chapter 1045 perfectly showcases the cartoonish insanity of his Gear Fifth technique. Kaido finds out firsthand that Luffy is far stronger in this state. The Straw Hat manages to bring Kaido down to one knee, which has never been seen before. Gear Fifth is truly a gamechanger for the future Pirate King.
One Piece Chapter 1045 (leaked): Luffy is truly an elite fighter with Gear Fifth
One Piece Chapter 1045 is appropriately titled "Next Level." It's a great way to describe Luffy's new fighting style. He's no longer on the same level as Law and Kid. Instead, he can be compared to Kaido and Big Mom. One Piece Chapter 1045 changes everything about his power dynamic.
Gear Fifth lets Luffy fight Kaido on equal footing
One Piece Chapter 1045 allows Eiichiro Oda to truly express his creativity in cartoony ways. Gear Fifth grants rubber hose animation to both the user in question and their specific targets.
During the chapter, Luffy completely manhandles Kaido in very interesting ways, such as using him as a jump rope. He then went inside Kaido's body and inflated him like a very large balloon. More importantly, Luffy is able to combine different forms of Haki within his attacks.
It's a completely ridiculous power, yet One Piece Chapter 1045 makes it work. It's perfectly in line with Luffy's goofy antics. More importantly, it lets him overpower major obstacles. Gear Fifth is to Kaido what Gear Fourth is to Doflamingo, albeit to a smaller extent.
Are there any drawbacks to Gear Fifth?
At one point in his battle with Kaido, the Straw Hat started to run low on energy. Luffy outright states that he almost died in this fight. He also mentioned that Gear Fifth is a very exhausting form.
However, he did manage to restart his heartbeat with the "Drums of Liberation." This allowed Luffy to continue his fight with Kaido.
It's currently unknown how long he can last with Gear Fifth. Readers will have to wait and see in the next few weeks. Gear Fourth had major stamina drawbacks, so it makes sense that Gear Fifth does as well.
Regardless, not many characters can stand up to Luffy now
For over 800 years, the World Government desperately wanted this Mythical Zoan fruit. Now that Luffy has fully mastered it, they have every right to be worried. Once Kaido goes down, very few characters can stand up to Luffy. Gear Fifth is exceedingly overpowered by this point in the story.
With that said, Blackbeard has the best chance of fighting Luffy on equal footing. The Yami Yami no Mi can easily cancel out Devil Fruit powers. The Straw Hat represents light as Nika the Sun God, so it's only natural that Blackbeard is his worst enemy. The latter is the physical embodiment of darkness itself.
Also keep in mind that Luffy will likely use Gear Fifth as his last resort. It's very taxing on his body, as shown in One Piece Chapter 1045.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
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