Luffy has recently ascended to the throne of Yonko in One Piece and this came after he was able to defeat Kaido of the Beast Pirates. While Luffy lost quite a number of fights to him, he eventually managed to defeat him after he Awakened his devil fruit and tapped into Gear 5. When Luffy awakened his Devil Fruit, it was revealed to the fans that the true name of this fruit is Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
This devil fruit is incredible as it grants him the ability to fight with immense freedom, making him the Warrior of Liberation. While some powers of Nika Luffy are very obvious, there are others that only a handful of fans would have noticed.
6 Unique Awakening
Nika Luffy has a very unique awakening and one that nobody else in the world of One Piece possesses. Usually, Awakening depends greatly on the type of Devil Fruit that a person possesses. For instance, Paramecia type of Devil Fruit users can spread their power to the immediate surroundings using Awakening. Meanwhile, Zoan types gain unique transformations with their Awakenings while Logia Awakenings have just not been seen yet.
In the case of Luffy, for some strange reason, he can exhibit the Awakening types of both Paramecia and Zoan at the same time.
This means that Luffy can extend his rubbery powers to his surroundings, as a Paramecia would, and, at the very same time, he can also gain a unique transformation, which he calls Gear 5. This strange phenomenon surprised even Kaido and he couldn't figure out why Luffy was exhibiting the powers of both Awakenings at the same time.
5 Ability To Alter Physique
Nika Luffy has the ability to alter his physique however he wants. All this is a part of the freedom that the fruit brings to him and Luffy uses it to the fullest while fighting. This is especially evident when Luffy gains the body of a giant by inflating his limbs, as he would in Gear Third, without actually pumping air into his body.
He can also gain a very muscular form, akin to Gear 4, without inflating his muscles. Gear 5 allows him to alter his physique however he wants and switch between different forms without actually limiting him in any way. This is not as evident, given the fact that Luffy doesn't rely on it too much during his fight. However, he can easily change his body into whatever shape he likes.
4 Extending Awakening To Living Things
One of the most incredible powers that Nika Luffy has is the ability to extend his Awakening to other living things. So far, no person in the world of One Piece has demonstrated this ability and, once again, it surprised even Kaido himself. Fans have already seen quite a few Paramecia-type awakenings in One Piece and none have shown the ability to affect living things with their powers.
In Luffy's case, however, he can turn anyone in his surroundings into rubber by merely coming in contact with them, which is nothing short of staggering. Why exactly he can do this is something fans do not know the answer to just yet, however, Oda might give an answer to that later on in the story.
3 Extending Awakening To Intangible Things
Not only can Luffy extend his powers to living things, but he can also pass them to intangible objects as well. Once again, this is unique to Luffy's Devil Fruit Awakening, so far, at the very least. Luffy was seen being able to grab lightning and turn it into rubber while fighting Kaido. This resulted in being surprised at the level of freedom Luffy was fighting with.
So far, no other person has shown the ability to extend their Devil Fruit powers to intangible objects with their Awakening. This would potentially mean that Luffy can also do the same to fire, or even small amounts of water, if he so wishes. Once again, it just goes to show that his Awakening is unique and very overpowered.
2 Contagious Joy
One of the most underrated aspects of his Devil Fruit Awakening is his contagious joy. Luffy's Awakening allows him to spread joy and laughter wherever he goes at an even greater level. Fans could see the people on the Live Floor being affected by Luffy's happiness while he fought Kaido.
His joy is contagious and even Kaido, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, was affected by this. While this isn't an incredible power that helps Luffy triumph over his enemies, it is a key part of his personality and something that has helped him remain true to himself and his ideals for all these years.
1 Boundless Imagination
It appears that Nika Luffy has no limits other than his very own imagination. He has done things that seem impossible for others to do, such as running in mid-air and even creating things out of nothing, such as the goggles he managed to conjure during his fight against Rob Lucci.
This ability is staggering and fans do not know how it is possible for him to do this. However, the Five Elders have already mentioned that he can fight in whichever way he wants and can only be limited by his imagination.