One Piece (Theory): Will Luffy lose his life due to Gear Fifth?

Fans have developed a new One Piece theory in the wake of Luffy’s Awakening and Gear Fifth transformations. Certain moments in recent One Piece issues seem to indicate Luffy losing life-force to his newest abilities, causing concern amongst fans.

While an immediate death is highly unlikely for a variety of reasons, it is possible that his continued use of Gear Fifth could lead to a potential loss in his life-span. This has already been confirmed in regard to his other forms, earlier in One Piece.

Follow along as this article discusses exactly how this is possible, and what clues have indicated it so far.

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One Piece fans theorize that Gear Fifth is rapidly shortening Luffy’s life-span

What is the theory?

One of the latest and the greatest One Piece theories circulating around seems to suggest that Luffy’s life-span is being shortened by Gear Fifth. Context clues from his previous forms, as well as certain moments during his use of Gear Fifth, serve as the key evidence for this claim.

When Luffy begins using Gear Second during the Enies Lobby arc, Rob Lucci comments on how the technique hacks away at his life. By pumping his blood rapidly and forcing his heart to work overtime, the technique shortens his lifespan by worsening his cardiovascular health. This is proved to be true in the final moments of the arc when Luffy is so exhausted from his final push with Gear Second that he can’t even move.

While the effects of this technique have been mitigated in post-time-skip One Piece thanks to training, the prior uses have already caused irreversible damage to his body.

While never said or confirmed explicitly, Gear Fourth also seems to have a similar effect. Luffy’s body produces an incredible amount of steam when he uses the power. The strain of inflating his muscles and then constricting them with Haki to produce elastic force is very likely harmful to his body.

The cooldown effect of Gear Fourth, although later mitigated, is similar to Gear Second in that Luffy becomes totally drained, unable to move at all or use Haki for ten minutes after the form expires. While this is speculative and unconfirmed, the similarities cannot be ignored.

Another major piece of evidence supporting the theory is Luffy’s use of Gear Fifth thus far. One Piece Chapter 1045 sees Gear Fifth deactivate temporarily, leaving Luffy completely drained and seemingly aging decades in seconds.

It’s entirely possible that this could be a gag by Oda, given the cartoonish nature of Gear Fifth’s powers and abilities. However, it’s also possible that this is a small hint regarding the damage inflicted by Gear Fifth on his body. Luffy commanding his heart to beat harder and faster, similar to the stress Gear Second places on his heart, can be interpreted as foreshadowing.

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In summation

Although unfortunate, it’s entirely possible that Luffy could be severely damaging his body with his latest Gear Fifth powerup. The signs are certainly there to foreshadow such a situation, even if a few of them could potentially be gags and jokes by Oda. The mention of Luffy’s heart seems too coincidental. It is likely that the post-Wano arc will see Chopper breaking the news about the negative impact of the form.

Be sure to keep up with all One Piece anime, manga, and live-action news as 2022 progresses.

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