One Piece: Luffy’s Biggest Showcases Of Power

Considering he’s the main protagonist of One Piece, it makes sense that Luffy would end up becoming stronger over the course of the story, but the truth is, this guy has showcased some downright incredible levels of power throughout many of his fights. Thanks to his elastic Devil Fruit, Luffy is able to manipulate his body in all kinds of unique ways to dish out the maximum amount of damage to his enemies, but he’s also acquired several power-ups in the series, which allow him to greatly bolster his strength and durability too.

On the other hand, Luffy has also demonstrated his underlying strength by taking down a plethora of not only strong marines, but also pirates too, to the point where he’s even been able to reach the status of Yonko as a result of his efforts. When taking a look back at the One Piece story so far, these examples below are the most notable cases of Luffy’s going all-out with his power, and are ranked in terms of their overall memorability and impact at the time.

One-Shotting Bellamy

Luffy Shuts Bellamy Up With One Quick Strike

Bellamy isn’t exactly the smartest pirate out there. Because he tends to run his mouth off before thinking about the consequences, he always finds himself being humiliated by his enemies after he first meets them, and Luffy was no exception. Not long after the Straw Hats land on Jaya, Bellamy starts to mock and ridicule Luffy as a way to look good in front of his crew, only for the Straw Hat captain to then knock him down to size with one single punch.

By this point in the story, it was made clear that Luffy was getting a lot stronger considering he had already taken down the likes of Arlong and Crocodile, but seeing him take care of a seemingly strong fellow pirate while barely breaking a sweat was honestly very impressive at the time. While Luffy would once again one-shot Bellamy much later in the Dressrosa arc, it’s their interaction in Jaya which had the biggest impact on many fans.

Tankman

A Secret Form Of Gear 4 Was Randomly Revealed When Luffy Needed It Most

Tankman is one of Luffy’s strangest forms in the series, since while it’s clearly very strong, especially when it comes to its defensive properties, Luffy has only used it a single time back in the Whole Cake Island arc. After being confronted by Cracker and his biscuit army, Luffy decided it was time to reveal this giant form so that he could give his stomach enough room to consume every single one of Cracker’s snacks in one fell swoop.

While Luffy essentially shut down Cracker’s Devil Fruit ability in mere seconds, he was also able to deflect his attacks like they were nothing, thanks to much of his body being covered in Haki. It’s important to note that Cracker is one of Big Mom’s Sweet Commanders, meaning he was an extremely dangerous member of the crew, so the fact Luffy was able to whip out a tanky new form to put him down was a clear indication that this guy was well on his way to become a Yonko in the near future.

Defeating Rob Lucci

Despite His Body Being At Its Limit, Luffy Unleashes One Final Barrage Of Punches

At the beginning of the Water 7 arc, Luffy and Zoro are both utterly humiliated by Rob Lucci after he reveals his true affiliation as an undercover marine. Realizing that he would have to take Lucci down if he wanted any chance of saving Robin, Luffy made sure to focus on his training as much as possible to acquire the strength needed to deal with CP-9, and most importantly, their leader.

By the time the two finally come face to face, it initially feels like it’s going to be a repeat of their first battle with Lucci using his unique fighting style to obliterate Luffy, almost killing him. However, in one final desperate attempt, Luffy activates Gear 3 to enlarge his limbs before letting out a devastating Jet Gatling Gun; pummeling Lucci with a barrage of punches before sending him flying through the tower. This was clearly a big win for Luffy since it seemed highly likely he was down for the count at one point, so to come back swinging with such a devastating attack just goes to show how far the plucky protagonist will go to save his nakama.

Activating Gear 2

Luffy Knew He Had To Evolve To Take On CP-9

No longtime fan will ever be able to forget the moment Luffy first activated Gear 2 in his fight against Blueno. It’s important to remember that, up to this point in the story, Luffy had not activated any power-ups that changed this form, so it was certainly a surprise when he unleashed Gear 2 out of nowhere, only to then obliterate Blueno in their fight.

The scene of Luffy punching his fist into the floor as steam rises from his body is one of the most epic sequences in the entire show, and the perfect way to emphasize the underlying power that is surging through his body. Despite Blueno’s best efforts, he was unable to avoid Luffy’s immense speed and strength, being taken down in no more than a few seconds thanks to the captain’s new form.

Revealing Snakeman

Luffy Goes All-Out To Try And Keep Up With Katakuri’s Insane Speed

While Luffy ran into several tough opponents during his rescue mission on Whole Cake Island, he managed to take down all of them without too much trouble, that is, until he met Katakuri. As someone who could peek into the future thanks to his Observation Haki, Katakuri was able to effortlessly dodge Luffy’s attacks before he could even throw them out, prompting him to reveal yet another new Gear 4 form, which could greatly enhance his speed and strength.

While Snakeman is definitely one of Luffy’s best forms in terms of its overall design, it’s also downright shocking just how much damage he can output when he enters this form. Thanks to his increased range, Luffy is able to shoot his arms into nearby walls where they will then ricochet at lightning speed, to the point where even Katakuri had trouble avoiding his blows, considering they are far too fast for the naked eye to even see. Just when it seemed as though Luffy had shown off all the available forms that are included with Gear 4, he then surprises fans with one of the strongest of the bunch, which is an absolute joy to watch in action.

Knocking Out A Horde Of Fishmen

After The Timeskip, Luffy Doesn’t Even Need To Move A Muscle To Take Down His Opponents

Luffy had actually used his Supreme King Haki back in the Marineford War to knock out a group of soldiers, though he wasn’t aware of the ability at the time, and was unable to fully control it. After finishing his two years of training under Rayleigh though, Luffy had become accustomed to using this type of Haki at will, as he demonstrated when he managed to knock out thousands of armed Fishmen with just a single stare.

Usually, Luffy will decide to take down his opponents with a myriad of explosive punches and kicks, so to see him defeating an entire swarm of enemies without even moving a muscle was shocking to say the least. Even Zoro and Sanji, who are both absurdly powerful in their own right, were taken aback by Luffy’s Haki expertise, with this still standing as one of the most jaw-dropping showcases of power and strength in the entire series.

Using Gear 4 Against Doflamingo

Luffy Steps Up A Gear And Becomes A Destructive Powerhouse

Though Luffy had already faced off against a fair number of Warlords by the time he reached Dressrosa, it was evident that Doflamingo was on a whole different level. As someone who was easily able to outmaneuver his opponents thanks to his String String Fruit, getting close to Doflamingo, let alone damaging him, was much easier said than done, to the point where Luffy would be forced to unleash his latest form, that being Gear 4.

To put it simply, Luffy transforms into an absolute powerhouse in this form, with his Haki-covered arms being more than capable of flattening anyone who dares to stand in his way, especially when he uses his Gatling techniques. Not only that, he’s also able to turn his legs into springs so that he can bounce around the environment and counter his opponent in the blink of an eye. In the end, not even Doflamingo could stay on his feet after facing Luffy’s greatest form at the time, with the transformation itself, and the beating that comes after, remaining as an extremely memorable moment which showcased Luffy’s newfound power in all its glory.

Entering Gear 5

Luffy Finally Reaches God-Like Status

The question on everyone’s lips for pretty much the entire stretch of the Yonko saga was how on earth Luffy was going to topple Kaido. After all, Kaido was considered to be the strongest being in the entire world, and considering he defeated Luffy on more than one occasion in the Wano arc, many began to have their doubts about whether Luffy could even get the job done at all. Thankfully, he had one last ace up his sleeve to defeat Kaido once and for all, though it certainly wasn’t as a surprise that anyone could have expected.

With his heart beating in the rhythm of the drums of liberation and white smoke flowing from his mouth, Luffy awakens the true hidden power of his Devil Fruit and enters Gear 5. When in this form, everything in Luffy’s proximity becomes his own personal cartoonish playground, including Kaido, whom he embarrasses by swinging around and slamming into the ground plenty of times over. Considering this Devil Fruit is related to the Sun God Nika, seeing Luffy wield god-like power proved why he deserved to earn the status of Yonko, with this dazzling showcase of power being one that will go down as one of the most memorable in the history of anime.