In the world of One Piece, there are two groups of pirates that receive special treatment from the World Government. They are the Seven Warlords of The Sea, and the Four Emperors of The Sea. That being said, while each of the Seven Warlords is incredibly powerful, the Four Emperors are in a league of their own. After all, Big Mom, Kaidou, and Whitebeard used to be members of this group.

After beating Kaidou at Wano Country, the World Government gives Luffy the title of one of the Four Emperors. Honestly speaking, the Luffy from before Wano did not deserve such a lofty title. After all, his Gear 4th can barely hurt the awakened Doflamingo, one of the Seven Warlords. That being said, now that Luffy himself has awakened his Devil Fruit and gained a tremendous amount of power in the form of Gear 5th, he is more than worthy to be crowned as one of the Emperors of the Sea.

In One Piece, beside the main Straw Hats’ saga, there are also a couple of other subplots that are going on at the same time. One of the most important ones is Robin’s quest to uncover the true history behind the Void Century, a period of about one hundred years where not a shred of historical records exists in the world.

During her long journey around the world as a member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Robin found numerous clues and pieces of the puzzle, one of which is about a mysterious figure named Joy Boy. It is said that Joy Boy was a major figure in the Void Century, and he is also closely associated with Nika, the mythical Sun God. Nika is also known as the Warrior of Liberation who brings smiles and joy to everybody.

We later find out that Luffy’s Gomu Gomu fruit is actually the Hito Hito fruit Model: Nika. Not only that, but Zunesha, the colossal elephant where Zou is located, acknowledges Luffy as the second coming of Joy Boy. So it’s clear that the stories that Robin has uncovered about Joy Boy and Nika are not merely legends or hearsay, and Luffy is deeply connected to them both.

Luffy’s power began to take a toll on his body ever since he discovered Gear 3rd, a technique that allows him to dramatically increase the size of his limbs. After using that power, the size of his body will drastically decrease to the point of him becoming the size of a dog for at least a couple of minutes.

Likewise, Gear 4th, a technique where he combines every skill that he has accumulated thus far, also takes a huge toll on his body. After he reaches the time limit for Gear 4th, Luffy will revert back to his usual form. However, he won’t be able to move nor use his Haki for at least 10 minutes.

As you can imagine, the risk of Gear 5th is even bigger than that. For starters, once the time limit is reached, Luffy will turn into a wrinkly old man who can barely move his body or use his abilities for at least a couple of minutes. Not only that, but just like other awakened Devil Fruit powers, there’s a chance that his mind and spirit will be consumed by the tremendous power of Gear 5th.

The biggest drawback of Luffy’s awakened Devil Fruit power, by far, is the fact that it proves to the readers that he has been relegated into being a cliché shonen protagonist. Because as it turns out, he suffers from the same trope as other cliché shonen protagonists, which is the fact that he has apparently been the “Chosen One” all along.

You see, one of the most interesting parts about One Piece is the fact that it is actually an underdog story. Luffy may have incredible strength, but he’s just a rubber man in a world where people who can cause earthquakes, summon molten meteors, and snatch souls, exist and thrive. The odds are always stacked against him. And yet he still survives through the sheer power of his will, grit, and determination.

As it turns out, though, Luffy was a God all along. His power merely hadn't awakened from its slumber yet. He was designed right from the start to become a man who obtains the power of a God, and fights the whole world with it. At this point, Luffy’s grandfather, Garp, is more fitting of the title of underdog hero than him. Because unlike Luffy, Garp is still a human who never ate a Devil Fruit and only uses Haki and his innate strength to become a Marine Hero, and a Vice Admiral.

Don’t get us wrong, he is still the usually goofy and muscle-headed Luffy that we all know and love. But we now know that his story is not a story about an underdog who rises from zero to hero. Because from his lineage to his powers, he is clearly blessed with a lot of things. He is truly the chosen one. Just like that boy who has the power of a nine-tailed fox in his belly, or that other boy whose father turns out to be a Shinigami captain while his mother is a pure blooded Quincy. No wonder they’re so strong.