Luffy has gone through countless battles in the span of the last 1000+ chapters of One Piece. From receiving severe injuries to returning from the doors of death, there isn’t a single feat he hasn’t achieved.
While all of these are commonplace tactics of Shonen heroes and are somehow expected of them, it still doesn’t make everything right. Luffy’s frequent use of his Gear techniques has taken a heavy toll on his body, and no one knows how long he has left.
In fact, Rob Lucci pointed out early in the series that the techniques will eventually take their toll on Luffy’s body. However, given the troubles he and his crew face daily, Luffy never had the time to think about it. Yet, what if the damage suddenly catches up on his body in a crucial fight? How will he live? Has Eiichiro Oda been building up to Law’s sacrifice all along?
Negative Effects of Gears 2, 3, 4, and 5 on Luffy’s Body in One Piece
Luffy developed Gear 2 and 3 during the Enies Lobby arc. Gear 2 allows him to increase his attacks’ potency and speed by pumping more blood into his heart. It is a technique developed only for a rubber man, but it pushes his body past its limits. He later strengthened his body to deal with the adverse effects, but it is doubtful if there are no more side effects or if he has become better at hiding them.
While using Gear 3, Luffy inflates a body part and uses it to fight. In between attacks, he brings the air back to his chest and then transfers it to another body part. Once again, this passage of air through the chest or heart cannot be healthy. The immediate side effect during the initial battles was shrinking. Luffy also bypassed this phase through training, but it still raised red flags.
Luffy combines his Devil Fruit power with Busoshoku Haki to achieve Gear 4, which enhances his power, speed, and defense far beyond his normal limits. This technique tends to make Luffy sleepy, so it is used sparingly. Because of the side effect, Luffy is vulnerable after Gear 4 depletes. Luffy also cannot use Haki for 10 minutes after using Gear 4.
Last but not least is Gear 5, which drains Luffy’s energy so fast that his face looks aged and sags like an old man afterward. Relying on Gear 5 too much drains Luffy’s lifespan. All of his Gears are lethal to his body on different levels. But Gear 5 has to be the worst so far.
Ivankov Used Luffy’s Lifespan to Save Him
During the Impel Down Arc, Luffy was seriously injured and on the brink of death. His savior came in the form of a crazy okama called Ivankov. He healed Luffy by changing his hormones. This process made Luffy writhe in pain for 10 hours straight and took 10 years off his life. He was alive, purely because of his will to live.
In addition to Ivankov taking off 10 years, Luffy has definitely caused more damage to himself as well. He uses all the Gear techniques quite often, which must have also affected his health and lifespan quite a bit, making fans question how long he has left to live.
Will Law sacrifice himself for Luffy in One Piece?
If Luffy’s health damage from using the Gear techniques frequently catches up to him at a bad time, he might face death again. However, Eiichiro Oda has already introduced an element that can save lives and grant immortality: the Op-Op fruit in Trafalgar Law’s possession.
The Op Op fruit can grant an individual immortality, at the cost of the user’s life. The introduction of the fruit means that it will be used at some point, so Law might have to sacrifice his life to save someone. However, it’s not confirmed whether he will have to save Luffy or someone else. Luffy’s inclination to live life on the edge, as well as his generosity, might prevent him from accepting Law’s powers too.
Luffy’s ideology is, “if you believe something, you better be willing to put your life on the line.” So he will probably choose an eventful life over a long one, but in a huge battle, he might not be given a choice.
Now the readers can just wait and watch if Lucci’s prediction is true and Luffy is indeed chipping away at his life force, or if the plot armor is strong enough to protect him.
You can read the One Piece manga on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
