Luffy’s Awakened Gear 5 Form Looks Different from Others Because it’s Not a Devil Fruit at First Place (Theory)

SUMMARY

One Piece chapter 1114 has finally revealed the purported weapon, Mother Flame, which has surprised the One Piece fandom.

According to one theory, Luffy’s Devil Fruit and the Mother Flame are related.
It also clarifies why Luffy’s Gear 5 appears distinct from other Devil Fruit abilities that have awakened.

One Piece chapter 1114 has finally revealed the alleged weapon, Mother Flame, and it has shocked the One Piece fandom. The Mother Flame, when introduced, had a lot of renditions that were supposed to be used for different purposes, like an unlimited energy source, but being controlled by Imu and the World Government, it is only being used for destruction.
The Mother Flame in One Piece | Viz Media
Not much is known about the mysterious power except the fact that it is incredibly strong and could wipe out entire planets. However, since its revelation in the latest One Piece chapters, many new theories have been devised by One Piece fans about the origin of Mother Flame and its overall role in the One Piece narrative.

One such theory connects the Mother Flame to Luffy’s Devil Fruit and points out that Luffy’s Devil Fruit is not a Devil Fruit but the opposite of it, and it is the perfect enemy of Imu and the Five Elders. It also explains why Luffy’s Gear 5 looks different from other awakened Devil Fruit powers.

One Piece Theory States Mother Flame is the Enemy of Mother Sea

According to the theory, Mother Flame has shown some aspects that hint that the mysterious power is actually the enemy of Mother Sea. The first of them is the Mother Flame’s ability to burn under water. Normal fire won’t be able to burn underwater, but since Mother Flame can easily burn even underwater, it makes it the sea’s natural enemy.

The second aspect that proves that the Mother Flame is the enemy of the sea is Saturn’s reaction after seeing the Mother Flame. When Saturn first saw the Mother Flame in One Piece, chapter 1114, he was startled. As mentioned by Shanks and Jabura in the past, Devil Fruits are the incarnations of the Sea Devil.
Saturn Being Afraid of the Mother Flame | Viz Media
There is a theory that Imu possesses the Devil Fruit of the Sea devil Umibozu and Imu’s connection to Saturn makes it highly plausible that Saturn is afraid of the Mother Flame, thus making it a natural enemy of the sea.

Luffy’s Gear 5 is Different Because it is Connected to the Mother Flame

Many One Piece fans might not know this, but Luffy’s Devil Fruit was initially called a Dream Fruit in the Romance Dawn One Shot manga. Looking at Eiichiro Oda’s foreshadowing over the years, there is a high chance that Oda carried the Dream Fruit element in the One Piece storyline to make Luffy’s powers different from other Devil Fruit users.
Luffy in Gear 5 in One Piece Anime | Toei Animation
According to the theory, if the Devil Fruits are the incarnations of the Sea Devil, then Luffy’s fruit is the incarnation of the Mother Flame (hence the name “Sun” God Nika). This is why Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers look different from those of other awakened Devil Fruits. The biggest example of this is the white cloud around Luffy in Gear 5 mode.
Luffy’s power as the incarnation of the Mother Flame fits perfectly in the narrative of One Piece, as it makes him the natural enemy of Imu and the Five Elders. It also hints that Luffy’s powers might be incomplete, and he might get another power-up that may help him defeat the final boss of One Piece.