One Piece Chapter 1198: ISLAND OF MONSTERS

Sanji has pretty much beaten Killingham, but the fight isn’t over. The Rain God is still on its way to kidnap the children, and if successful, the mission is complete. The Giants do their best to protect the children but their foe is massive. Killingham thinks Sommers will be there to back him up, but of course Zoro is dealing with him. In this moment we get one of those beautiful lines where we see the trust between Zoro and Sanji, the things they’d never say in front of one another but we know to be true, the deep respect they share.

Imu’s form has become even larger, more demonic and otherworldly. Long and lanky with the trademark piercing eyes. The hair has become straight, but he retains the pointy beard that matches Loki’s. Speaking of, Loki’s hybrid form is here, or seemingly one of multiple. Like Kaido, but also calling to mind Freeza from Dragon Ball for me. Loki doesn’t have what it takes to stand up to Imu, but listening to Imu’s internal monologue, much like we suspected, his time on the surface world is running out. It almost seems as though he blames Nika for this curse of his. Hajrudin goes to save Loki, and Usopp carries Gaban to safety. Gaban makes a comment about Luffy’s abilities that will become a little clearer later, he knows Luffy is a Zoan user, and something interesting may be happening to him, in my mind, something to do with the will of the fruit itself.

Jinbe thinks Loki is finished in this fight, and both he and Nami are shocked that Luffy is nowhere to be seen. Where they expect to see him, an entirely unfamiliar figure. A monkey… but not the one we know. Is this Nika himself? I think that Luffy may well have been possessed by the will of Nika, was Nika a monkey? It would be interesting. After Luffy named an attack the Bajrang Gun, it only made sense for something like this to happen. However I’m not sure what it means for Luffy’s own free will, is he in control? Was Gear 5th an incomplete transformation? Luffy, or the monkey that looks like Luffy, is able to swiftly take out the Rain God, as she shatters into a torrent of rain. Luffy has effectively become Hanuman, and also embodied the legacy of Son Goku and Sun Wukong on a meta level. These monkey figures of mythology and of Oda’s greatest influence, Dragon Ball have synthesised into this transformation of Luffy, and potentially with the figure of Nika in his full reveal.

From my cursory research, it seems like Luffy and Hanuman have a lot in common. Both in powers and in nature, their heroism, asexuality, and ability to change size, while a bit surface level for now, I will do more research for next time and come to more solid conclusions. A friend of mine pointed out that a few things from the prophecy have come to pass, Luffy now has colourful skin, and now has with him a sword and shield like the Nika of legend, however in the form of people, along with Imu’s huge new form matching the Harley’s illustration.