What is Luffy’s fastest gear?

Luffy’s fastest gear is Gear Second. In this form, Luffy pumps his blood rapidly through his body, allowing him to move much faster than normal. Gear Second made its debut in Luffy’s fight against Blueno during the Enies Lobby arc. Since then, it has become one of Luffy’s signature techniques and most powerful assets in battle.

What is Gear Second?

Gear Second is an ability Luffy developed over the 2-year timeskip during his training with Silvers Rayleigh. It allows Luffy to pump blood through his body at a much faster rate using his legs as a pump. This causes his body to take on various physiological changes:

  • His skin turns a pinkish red due to increased blood flow.
  • Steam rises from his body due to the exertion of pumping his blood faster.
  • His metabolism accelerates, allowing him to move and attack at a much faster rate.

By increasing his blood circulation, Luffy can speed up all bodily processes. This allows him to gain incredible speed and power, making his attacks much stronger and faster than before. However, there are some drawbacks. Using Gear Second puts immense strain on Luffy’s body and consumes large amounts of energy and stamina. He also cannot maintain this form for prolonged periods.

When did Luffy first use Gear Second?

Luffy first unveiled Gear Second during his fight against Blueno, a member of CP9, at Enies Lobby. At the time, Luffy was outmatched by Blueno’s Soru technique, which allowed him to move at extremely high speeds. In order to match and surpass Blueno’s speed, Luffy came up with Gear Second on the spot.

Activating it for the first time, Luffy managed to overwhelm Blueno with his newfound speed and defeated him with Gear Second enhanced versions of his Gum-Gum Pistol and Gum-Gum Bazooka techniques. This fight demonstrated the massive increase in Luffy’s speed and attack power in Gear Second, making it a revolutionary power-up for him.

How Does Gear Second Increase Luffy’s Speed?

There are a few key ways that activating Gear Second allows Luffy to move significantly faster than his normal speed:

Accelerated Blood Flow

Pumping blood around his body quicker delivers more oxygen and nutrients to Luffy’s muscles and organs. This gives them an energy boost, allowing them to operate at heightened performance levels. His muscles can contract faster for movement, while processes like ATP production speed up to provide energy rapidly.

Enhanced Muscle Contraction

The extra blood flow caused by Gear Second also increases the efficiency of Luffy’s muscle contractions. More oxygen reaches his muscles, reducing fatigue and allowing them to flex at a quicker rate. This complements the accelerated nerve signals for movement, enabling sharper and faster reflexes.

Faster Metabolic Rate

Gear Second kicks Luffy’s metabolism into overdrive, causing it to operate at a much faster rate. This rapid metabolization of energy and nutrients enables Luffy to gain bursts of enhanced speed and power. His body essentially starts working in overdrive, granting augmented capabilities beyond his normal limits.

Increased Adrenaline

The heightened pumping of blood also elevates Luffy’s adrenaline levels. Adrenaline is known to trigger the body’s fight-or-flight response, causing effects like increased heart rate, pupil dilation, and energy mobilization. This gives Luffy temporary physical boosts in strength, speed, and reaction time when using Gear Second.

Notable Uses of Gear Second

Throughout the series, Luffy has utilized Gear Second in many significant battles to overwhelm his enemies with speed and power. Some noteworthy uses include:

Against Rob Lucci

During their epic clash at Enies Lobby, Luffy activated Gear Second multiple times to match the speed of CP9’s strongest weapon, Rob Lucci. The Jet Gatling and Jet Stamp attacks he used in this form inflicted heavy damage and ultimately allowed Luffy to claim victory.

Against the Gorgon Sisters

On Amazon Lily, Luffy had to use both Gear Second and Gear Third simultaneously to defeat the Gorgon Sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold. It was the first time Luffy combined both forms for devastating results.

Against Hody Jones

During their battle underwater, Luffy activated Gear Second to keep up with and pummel the super-powered Hody Jones. The increased speed allowed him to avoid Hody’s vicious shark-based attacks.

Against Doflamingo

In perhaps Luffy’s toughest battle yet, he had to use Gear Second extensively against Doflamingo. Attacks like Jet Culverin and Jet Gatling did massive damage at high speed, though Doflamingo’s resilience still prolonged the battle.

Against Charlotte Katakuri

At Whole Cake Island, Luffy unveiled a new Gear Second technique called Snakeman. This form allowed even faster and more unpredictable attacks to land blows on Katakuri, who could otherwise evade normal attacks with his Observation Haki.

Speed Feats with Gear Second

Throughout his exploits, Luffy has accomplished some incredible speed feats thanks to Gear Second. Some noteworthy examples include:

Dodging Lasers

During his raid on Enies Lobby, Luffy managed to dodge lasers from the island’s defense system thanks to Gear Second enhancing his speed and reaction time. Lasers typically move at the speed of light, showing how fast he can be.

Blitzing Enemies

Luffy has blitzed and overwhelmed numerous enemies before they could react when using Gear Second. Foes like Blueno and Hody Jones had no time to counter or defend against his high-speed barrage of attacks.

Reacting to Explosions

When Mr. 3’s Candle Champion exploded, Luffy managed to react in time and escape the blast radius while carrying Robin. He did this using Gear Second’s enhanced speed and reflexes.

Catching Artillary Shells

In a stunning display of speed, Luffy caught an artillery shell fired at him from behind using Gear Second. Artillery shells can reach over 2500 feet per second, meaning Luffy reacted and moved his arms at similar speeds.

Scaling Skyscraper

During his encounter with Blueno, Luffy shot himself into the air and ran all the way vertically up a large tower in seconds while in Gear Second. This displayed the technique’s incredible mobility and speed amplification.

Speed Feat Explanation
Dodging lasers Lasers typically move at the speed of light, showing how fast Gear Second makes Luffy.
Blitzing enemies Luffy overwhelms foes before they can react when using Gear Second.
Reacting to explosions Luffy escaped a blast radius using Gear Second’s enhanced reflexes.
Catching artillery shells Artillery shells can reach over 2500 fps, yet Luffy caught one with Gear Second.
Scaling a skyscraper Ran vertically up a tower in seconds while using Gear Second.

Comparison to Other Forms

While Gear Second is Luffy’s fastest form, his other Gears also provide unique benefits in battle. How does Gear Second compare?

Vs. Base Form

Luffy’s normal form pales in comparison to the high speed granted by Gear Second. While strong and versatile, Base Luffy cannot match the reaction time and movement pace of Gear Second’s enhanced physiology.

Vs. Gear Third

Gear Third focuses on destructive power over speed by inflating Luffy’s limbs. While attacks hit harder, the bulky inflated limbs are much slower than Gear Second’s speedy blows. Mobility is also reduced in Gear Third.

Vs. Gear Fourth

Gear Fourth offers a balance of strength, speed, and maneuverability. However, in terms of raw speed, Gear Second still surpasses Gear Fourth’s movements due to its simpler bodily modifications. Gear Fourth divides focus between multiple attributes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Luffy’s fastest gear form is without a doubt Gear Second. By pumping blood rapidly throughout his body, Luffy attains extraordinary speed and reaction time exceeds his regular capabilities. This allows him to gain the upper hand against many foes and perform blazing fast attacks exceeding human limits. While other Gears have different advantages, Gear Second specializes in speed, making it Luffy’s fastest mode in battle.

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