In the One Piece anime, Luffy really ramps things up again. In episode 1,100, we see for the second time how Luffy transforms into his Gear-5 form. This time, we can even see him fully transform. But this is not the only transformation in the episode.
Warning, there are spoilers here! In the following article, we will discuss the events from episode 1,100. The episode takes place during the Egghead Arc. If you haven’t reached that point yet and are afraid of spoilers, you can return later.
Why is the episode so good? In the episode, Luffy must face Rob Lucci. He is an agent of CP0, a secret organization of the World Government. Since the Devil Fruit user is a serious opponent, Luffy transforms back into his Gear-5 form.
This is the first time we see how it happens: Luffy drums on his chest, and we can hear drumming. His chest swells, and he begins to turn white from his hair. A ring of clouds grows around him, as is typical for the awakened powers of a Devil Fruit.
You can see his transformation in the following clip from newworldartur on Twitter, which I have already watched multiple times:
Luffy then receives his comic animations, as we know them from the fight against Kaido. He bounces around on the ground as if he is made of rubber. He can also change his size at will, and his eyes can pop out.
But he can also be serious: In the next moment, we suddenly see Luffy’s serious gaze reflected in Rob Lucci’s eyes. Then Lucci is sent flying with a massive blow against a wall.
The events are currently taking place on Egghead Island. You can tune into the storyline with the opening:
Rob Lucci also has an awakened Devil Fruit
What about his opponent? But that’s not all: There is a second Devil Fruit that is awakened. We see for the first time how Luffy’s opponent also uses his awakened powers. The transformation is truly a visual delight:
- Rob Lucci’s teeth turn into a terrifying set of fangs
- He gets a leopard’s fur with massive claws
- His hair turns into black flames
- He gets the typical arc around the head that users of awakened Devil Fruit powers have
The animations are at a very special level, and the sound is bombastic. Especially the part where Lucci transforms within the smoke cloud looks just epic. For these reasons, I have already watched the clip multiple times.
It’s no wonder that the transformation is so good: The animator Vincent Chansard is said to be responsible for the transformation (via Jason Klum on X). He has already proven his talent during the fight between Blackbeard and Trafalgar Law.
Since the animator has just received his visa for Japan (via Vincent Chansard on X), he is now allowed to work in Japan. It could be that we will see even more of his brilliant animations in the future.
The subsequent battle between Luffy and Lucci also brings hope for action-packed episodes in the future. Especially the fight against the unbeatable opponents should not be shortchanged in the anime: Luffy vs. World Government: One Piece hints at the strongest opponent yet
