'One Piece' Fans May Know What Gear Fourth's New Form Looks Like

It looks like Monkey D. Luffy is ready for a new power-up. The captain is still working to improve his Observation Haki, but Luffy has something special lined up for Katakuri. The manga revealed the hero is due to debut a new Gear Fourth form in its next chapter, but here's the thing...

Fans of One Piece might have sussed out the mysterious form already.

Over on Twitter, one fan-theory regarding Luffy's new form is making the rounds. The theory points back to a recent chapter of One Piece and questions if Luffy may copy Katakuri to make his Snakeman form.

Here is a theory about why Oda chose "Snake"man as Luffy's new Gear 4th form😋 pic.twitter.com/6qLbQu5l5Z

— sandman (@sandman_AP) February 12, 2018

According to the user Sandman, Oda may have sewn seeds for Luffy's new form in chapter 883. The fan explains Katakuri used an attack then called Kagami Mochi. The term refers to a traditional New Year's decoration in Japan, but part of the phrase is translated literally as "mirror mochi."

The "mirror mochi" bit is an important one for the theory. The attack — and the decoration — are called mirror mochi since their shape is similar to a bronze mirror which the ancient Japanese treasured. The item was meant to bolster fortune, and folklore scholars say the mirror mochi's shape was based on a coiled snake.

If the theory is right, then Luffy will Gear Fourth and debut his snake-inspired form in a mirror world against a mochi fighter. All of those key words align with the theory and Oda's unique adoration for puns. So, it is possible Luffy will debut his Snakeman form as a last-ditch effort to beat or escape Katakuri. There's no telling what kind of power the form will give the captain, but fans are already eager to see how the Sweet Commander responds to the power-up.

Eiichiro Oda's One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has been collected into 87 volumes, with a few chapters yet to be included. It has been a critical and commercial success worldwide with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan. The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best selling manga series worldwide with 430 million copies sold worldwide.

What are your thoughts on Luffy's upcoming form? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!