This article contains spoilers from One Piece's Elbaf Arc.
One Piece is currently in the Final Saga, and it is there that the author, Eiichiro Oda, is finally revealing the strongest of enemies for the Straw Hat Pirates to face. With the likes of Blackbeard sailing the seas and the ever-present threat of Imu sailing the seas, fans know very well that Luffy needs to be stronger than ever before. Even though Luffy already has access to the power of all three Haki types and even Gear 5, the fact is that he still lacks what it takes to beat Imu.
In fact, Luffy won't be the strongest until he addresses the biggest weakness he has, which has been directly confirmed by Oda himself. Accordingly to the narrative set up by Oda himself, Luffy's biggest weakness at the moment is his stamina. It goes without saying that Luffy is strong and that he can rival anyone in the world of One Piece, but what he truly lacks is enough stamina. Luffy can't maintain his powers for long, nor can he use Haki all the time. This weakness of his must be addressed in Elbaf.
Oda Has Already Shown Luffy's Stamina Is His Biggest Weakness
For Luffy, his stamina has always been a big factor when it comes to why he struggles to take down high-level enemies quickly. That's not to say that Luffy's Stamina is bad. If anything, Luffy has absolutely immense stamina, possibly one of the best in the series. However, the powers that he possesses take an immense toll on his stamina, which means he can't keep them up for long.
He's strong, but he's using too much Haki! — Law on seeing Gear 4
Oda confirmed this many times, first through Gear 4. Whenever Luffy used Gear 4, he had a time limit, and this is essentially because Luffy's mass of Haki increased when using this form. By pushing out Haki of the highest mass, Luffy's Stamina drained quite quickly and this became a big drawback.
Now, Luffy has access to Gear 5, and this issue still exists. Gear 5 is a transformation that stems from his Devil Fruit Awakening and while the power itself is great, the fact is that it takes a toll on his stamina and even ages him rapidly once he's done using it.
Luffy Can't Maintain His Gear 5 For Long
Luffy has already shown that he can't maintain his Gear 5 for long. In Wano, he almost ran out of it in the battle against Kaido and had to force his body to keep going. In Egghead, Luffy ran out of it after minutes of fighting against Kizaru, forcing him to knock him down. And later down the line, Luffy ran out of it again when he fought the Elders. Clearly, Gear 5 not lasting long enough is an issue. On top of that, using Conqueror's and Armament Haki also takes up big chunks from his stamina pool, meaning that Luffy drains his powers even faster.
A power with a time limit! That's interesting. How long can you maintain it for? — Charlotte Katakuri to Luffy
Luffy Will Overcome His Stamina Weakness In The Final Saga
Luffy's biggest weakness at the moment has been highlighted by Oda time and again. If he is to fight in high-level battles against the likes of Imu, Shanks, or Blackbeard, then he must improve his stamina drastically. Luffy's already great stamina must be taken to the next level.
When he learns how to do that, only then will he truly be able to bring out his best. To put that into perspective, once Luffy improves his stamina, he can bring out Haki with extremely high mass, and couple it with Gear 5, which gives him a massive boost. Using these powers together means that Luffy can break through any barrier, and at the same time, still maintain the ability to fight.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece will be on break next week. One Piece Chapter 1166 will be out in two weeks. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1166 is November 23, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Network
- Fuji TV
- Directors
- Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou
Cast
-
Mayumi TanakaMonkey D. Luffy (voice) -
Kazuya NakaiRoronoa Zoro (voice)
WHERE TO WATCH
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, in order to become the next king. The manga's popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichiro Oda
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll, Netflix, Hulu, Pluto TV
