In the pre-time skip of One Piece, we’ve started to become familiar with the Devil Fruit types. But sometimes, some details can mislead us to think that there are inconsistencies in the early days of our heroes. We are putting under the spotlight, the interactions between the Gomu Gomu no Mi and the Goro Goro no Mi.
Today, we are elaborating on the spark-heated debate about how Luffy was able to touch the Logia god-ish Eneru in the Skypiea arc.
Sharing thoughts, fan theories, and the passion that has kept us hooked on the series for years. And my personal experience of 15 years up to now was due to the endearing community of One Piece fans that we belong to.
I hope you’ll enjoy it and stay till the very end.
How did Luffy hit Eneru ?
Among the arcs of the One Piece series, the arc of Skypiea was an abundant source of information.
A new race, the Skypieans was first introduced, along with the discovery of a new poneglyph which are crucial elements on the road to Laugh Tale.
But, I’m quite sure that some details of this story arc raised some eyebrows.
We have seen Luffy landing punches over the logia and the “almighty god of memes” Eneru. Knowing that Haki wasn’t yet introduced, it can be blurry to get a clear insight into these interactions between Devil Fruits’ abilities.
One will say that the lore gave us a quick explanation, but that one wasn’t complete.
It was just about Luffy’s invulnerability to Eneru’s attacks, leaving a dark shade on how Luffy hits him.
How did Luffy and Eneru’s abilities interact ?
As the fourth logia introduced in the series, Enel was potentially one of the strongest foes of the pre-time skip.
Ruling over the Upper Yard and Skypiea, Enel ate the Goro Goro no Mi, allowing him to wield the power of lighting.
He was able to strike high-voltage thunderbolts, and practically teleport.
In addition, his mastery of the Color of Observation called “Mantra”, over the scale of an entire island comforted his usurped title of “god”.
It’s surely shocking when as “an almighty god”, you find out that a mere human can withstand the wrath of your power.
But, we know Luffy isn’t a mere pirate.
At such a point he can merrily jump into a “Genki dama-like” electric sphere, or safely run through Enel’s 200,000,000 Volt Amaru form.
The first time Luffy and Eneru met, none of the variety of lighting attacks hit the bull’s eye. Since Luffy is flesh and bones rubber-made, not a single voltage can go through his body, or cause significant damage.
It was a great way for Oda to introduce the incompatibility of Devil Fruits’ abilities in fights.
However, immunity doesn’t infer to necessarily have an upper hand on the meant element.
Indeed, Luffy was safe from electric waves, but he wasn’t meant to negate Eneru’s power.
This insight is almost impossible to notice without a thorough look, and answers seem to reside in science’s rules.
Considering electricity as a flow, a single disturbance of the stream and there’s no more flow.
Rubber can play this insulator role, but only locally.
Taking a closer look at the fight, Eneru’s reaction was far different from the one he had towards Wiper’s Seastone sliders.
Seastone weakened him, but rubber didn’t. The Gomu Gomu no Mi only allows Luffy to hinder Eneru’s intangibility, at a local scale.
That’s also why he was still able to melt gold at the same time.
It’s an interaction different from what water can inflict on Sir Crocodile, as an example. Thus, no need to use Haki in this case.
And, you can recall from a different angle the duel with Crocodile here !
By the way, at least 23,000 volts can melt rubber. But here, Oda is the lord, not Einstein.
Why did Luffy beat Eneru ?
Luffy’s victory was due to his Devil Fruit property, and Eneru’s recklessness.
First things first, Eneru as the self-proclaimed god he was, never encountered an opponent stronger enough to withstand his power.
Thanks to his six years of reign, his confidence broke the ceiling.
Thus, he was deeply unsettled after taking a strike from Luffy.
The face he showed at that moment was the icing on the cake, deserving a “meme award”.
Also note that it was the first time Eneru heard of rubber, especially for its insulator property.
It’s pretty similar to what would’ve happened to a Logia reaching a place full of Haki users without knowing his vulnerability to it.
It makes more sense that Eneru adopted a long-distance strategy, in the second part of the confrontation.
By the way, do you also remember how smoothly Luffy was dodging Eneru’s trident? Was it a kind of ultimate “ultra-instinct mode”? Only Oda knows.
The Skypiea arc is a perfect example of how the unique abilities of Devil Fruit users can create exciting and unexpected fights. A thrilling reminder of the depth and complexity of the One Piece world and its characters.
