The protagonist of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy is an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit user. Luffy ate the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, previously known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, in Chapter 1 of One Piece on July 18, 1997, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #34. Since then, Luffy has gone on to unlock several of this fruit’s powers. In the Wano Country arc, specifically in Chapter 1044, Luffy managed to awaken this fruit and bring out its true potential.
With his newfound powers, Luffy was even able to defeat Kaido, but now, in the climax of the Elbaf arc, Luffy needs further strength. To that end, Eiichiro Oda is officially granting new Devil Fruit powers to Luffy, and the most recent addition to his locker is a healing ability, which comes with his fantastical Nika powers. While Luffy has broken the laws of nature on various occasions already, in Elbaf, he has done this to a completely new degree by gaining the power to heal himself.
One Piece Chapter 1190 Lines Up New Reality Warping Healing For Luffy
On March 28, 2022, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #17, Monkey D. Luffy showcased, for the very first time, the power of the awakened Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, through Gear 5. This unique transformation allowed Luffy to embody the Sun God Nika and fight with immense freedom, utilizing both the Color of Armament and the Color of the Supreme King to the absolute maximum level. In the fight against Kaido, Luffy was absolutely dominant. Even though the King of Beasts fought back to a certain degree, at the end of the day it was quite clear that Luffy was significantly stronger than him, as well as more resourceful in battle.
Luffy beat Kaido only moments after he awakened the power of Nika. Since then, a lot of time has passed, and he has mastered this ability even more. In the Egghead arc, Luffy further improved upon the usage of his Devil Fruit, and this improvement has continued into Elbaf as well. In One Piece Chapter 1190, released officially on August 9, 2026, Monkey D. Luffy showcased a completely new facet of his Devil Fruit ability by showing us the ability to heal from injuries instantly. For those who do not remember, Monkey D. Luffy sustained two heavy blows from Nerona Imu, the King of the World, immediately after his battle against him began at the end of One Piece Chapter 1187. In One Piece Chapter 1188, Luffy took a heavy blow from the Blade of Nothingness: Vohu. This blade drained his lifespan and kept him from moving even a single inch. Nerona Imu then followed up with the Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach, and stabbed Luffy again. Taking two heavy blows from the King of the World certainly weakened Luffy a lot, but not to the point where he lost Gear 5.
“I’m gonna get that old man for making fun of me. Come on, heal!! Get better quick! One moment is all I need!” — Luffy heals after losing to Imu, One Piece Chapter #1190
“Thou canst not move now. That sword devours thy vitality. How many will it take to end thee? Monkey D. Luffy! A hateful name! Thou hast two brothers of different names… one brother slaughtered by the Navy…the other prominent within the Revolutionary Army. Blade of the Sea God: Fragarach!!” — Nerona Imu unleashes the Sea God Sword, One Piece Chapter #1189
Luffy still maintains Gear 5 right now, and that goes to show how significantly he has improved his Devil Fruit control. What especially stands out is Luffy gaining the ability to heal himself. In One Piece Chapter 1190, Luffy was seen specifically talking to his body and forcing it to heal itself after taking heavy blows from Nerona Imu. At the end of the chapter, Luffy was seen in a much better condition and having healed up to a significant degree. This goes to show that Luffy can now also heal from a lot of damage, and it all comes down to Nika’s fantasy.
When Luffy first awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika in the Wano country arc, it was immediately made clear by Eiichiro Oda through the Five Elders that Nika’s powers work based on imagination. Anything that Luffy can imagine can be brought into reality, and if he imagines his body having the ability to heal itself, then, in a cartoonish way, he can actually pull this off. That is precisely what we saw in One Piece Chapter 1190. This has now become a new ability for Monkey D. Luffy to wield in combat, and it makes him more overpowered than ever before.
“Awakening further strengthens their rubber body and gives them even more freedom. It is allegedly the most ridiculous power to exist in the entire world!” — Elders explain the Awakening of Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, One Piece Chapter #1044
How Nika’s Fantasy Allows Luffy To Break Natural Laws
Fans might be confused at seeing Monkey D. Luffy healing himself in the midst of battle because it appears to be in no way or form connected to the power of Nika. There are multiple reasons as to why Luffy was able to heal himself in the battle against Imu. The first and most basic one is the fact that Luffy is a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user. Zoan fruit users have an advanced recovery rate and are known to heal from injuries faster than others. Loki, for instance, took a heavy blow from Nemesis yet was able to continue fighting because his injuries healed. Prior to that, Loki took heavy blows from Shamrock, yet when he fought against Imu, it was almost as if his injuries were completely healed. He also took a blow from Stigma moments later, and while he did pass out, he immediately got back up again, showcasing heightened healing powers.
Q: When using Gear 5th, Luffy takes things like goggles or a baseball helmet out of his Hagoromo cloud scarf. Please tell us how that works!
A: It’s a gateway to Nika’s fantasy.
— Eiichiro Oda explains how Nika’s power breaks logic
This applies to Luffy as well, since he is a Mythical Zoan just like Loki, and is also the Sun God Nika. Luffy has incredibly heightened healing powers, and that has always been the case from day one. Right now, he is simply exhibiting a portion of that power, but there is more to Luffy’s healing than his Mythical Zoan capabilities. As explained by Eiichiro Oda himself, Luffy has the power of Nika’s fantasy. Anything he imagines can be turned into reality. For instance, Luffy can run in midair, even though that is impossible for normal people to do. Luffy can leave fire tracks behind him, and he runs almost like a cartoon, which is impossible for other characters to do.
Luffy can also create things out of nothing, as seen when he created a pair of goggles from his cloud ring and when he created baseball gear in the battle against the Five Elders towards the end of Egghead. Clearly, Luffy can break the laws of nature with his reality-warping abilities, and as such, if he can simply imagine himself healing back up, his Devil Fruit will pave the way to achieve just that.
Luffy’s Devil Fruit Awakening Might Not Have Matured Yet
It is interesting to note that Monkey D. Luffy himself has not realized the full potential of his Hito Hito no Mi Model: Nika ability. To Luffy, this fruit is still the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and he operates based on the knowledge of this fruit turning him into rubber and allowing him to utilize various rubber powers. The truth is that Luffy’s fruit is much more than just a rubber Devil Fruit, and this is something that Oda will eventually address in the story at some point.
Unknowingly, Luffy is utilizing the power of the Nika fruit in unique ways, such as healing himself in One Piece Chapter 1190. Even when Luffy heals upon consuming a large amount of food, it probably works because, in his mind, the food is supposed to heal someone immediately. This also sees Nika’s fantasy coming into play because it brings his imagination into reality at its core. It is actually Luffy’s fantastical powers that heal him up in the blink of an eye, and that truly highlights how dangerous his Devil Fruit ability is. As the Elbaf arc continues, Monkey D. Luffy is going to fight against Nerona Imu further, and it will be interesting to see how his Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika powers evolve.
All the new One Piece manga chapters by Eiichiro Oda, published in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine, are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
