Warning! Contains spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1,045!
Luffy has used many innovative attacks throughout the 1,000+ chapters of One Piece, but in the latest chapter he unleashes what is easily the most disturbing one yet. One Piece is a manga by Eiichiro Oda following the pirate Monkey D. Luffy as he recruits a crew and attempts to become king of the pirates. The series also features mystical fruits called Devil Fruits that give their users supernatural powers. Luffy has eaten one of these Fruits, but the exact nature of it has only been revealed in the last couple of chapters.
The current arc of One Piece has arrived at what appears to be its climax. Luffy has been fighting the main antagonist of the arc, Kaido, on and off for quite some time now, with the overwhelmingly powerful warlord knocking Luffy down for the count multiple times. However, while on the brink of death Luffy is able to awaken the true powers of his Devil Fruit, giving him a massive power-up. Throughout most of One Piece, Luffy’s Devil Fruit is thought to be the Gum Gum Fruit, but in actuality it is the Mythical Human Human Fruit: Model Nika. The awakened power of this Fruit apparently lets its user fight however they want to. In the time since Luffy awakened his fruit, he has been fighting in a more cartoonish manner, literally warping reality around him. While this has mainly been presented in a whimsical and humorous manner, one of Luffy’s attacks in the latest chapter show that this can easily take a disturbing turn as well.
In chapter 1,045, Kaido swallows Luffy while in his dragon form. While inside him, Luffy’s awakened powers let him grant Kaido’s body some rubbery qualities as well. This allows Luffy to wreak havoc on Kaido while inside him, bouncing around his digestive track and inflating himself like a balloon. It also apparently let him reach through Kaido’s pupils to grab the tip of his nose. This technique lets him propel himself outside of Kaido’s body, but it is also the most horrifying thing that Luffy has done with his powers.
While the image of Luffy’s arms sticking out of Kaido’s eyes is disturbing enough, the deeper implications of the panel make it even worse. Kaido’s eyes are distended, bulging out of his head implying that while Luffy may have made Kaido’s body rubbery, this move is pushing the limit of his eyes’ elasticity. This clearly causes Kaido great suffering as he is seen crying out in pain in both this panel and the next. So, in addition to looking horrific it also feels horrific for Kaido.
Luffy’s awakened powers herald a new evolution of his fighting style. Chapter 1,045 showcases a variety of new attacks that he now has access to. But while Oda has been mainly emphasizing the extremely whimsical potential of these new techniques, Luffy’s attack on Kaido’s eyes reveals that his new attacks can be some of the most disturbing in One Piece.