It's a well-known fact that Marines and pirates are mortal enemies in One Piece, which is why they often clash. Now, Marine admirals are extremely powerful and are among the strongest characters in the series, but so are many pirates. In this article, we'll compare Admiral Borsalino, also known as Kizaru, with Monkey D. Luffy in his Gear 5 mode to determine who would win: the Marine or the future Pirate King.

Gear 5 Luffy is currently stronger than Kizaru and would win a fight against him. When they first encountered Kizaru, who could transform into light thanks to his Devil Fruit, the Straw Hats were almost killed and were saved by Silvers and Kuma; ever since, Luffy has been afraid of Kizaru and his powers. But now that Luffy has managed to activate the true nature of his Devil Fruit, as well as Gear 5, which have both given him ridiculously powerful new abilities, it can be deduced that he could now defeat the powerful Admiral, since Luffy now possesses abilities that meticulously define almost all natural laws, so Kizaru's abilities with light could also be useless against Luffy's incredible abilities.

Now that you have the short answer, the rest of the article will provide you with a more in-depth and detailed analysis of the problem at hand. Through several categories, you'll see who is the stronger of the two and why our answer is the way it is—that is, why we believe Luffy in his Gear 5 mode would be able to defeat Kizaru, and he probably will, given how the manga foreshadows their clash.

Physical powers

Luffy possesses incredible physical strength, allowing him to shatter steel with his bare hands and lift enormous boulders. He attributes some of his physical prowess to the exercises his grandfather Garp put him through when he was young, training him to fight enormous and ferocious monsters and survive dangerous situations.

He defeated adults as a child and tolerated Polchemy's abuse. As demonstrated in his conflicts with Arlong and Hody Jones, whose physical prowess was still superior to that of the average person in their race, his physical strength is sufficient to defeat even the most powerful foes. In Gear 5, Luffy's physical abilities become even greater as he gains additional strength and astonishing defensive abilities, allowing him to become virtually invincible, as demonstrated in his fight against Kaido.

Kizaru also possesses great physical strength, having held Whitebeard's Bisento with a single foot. He has also demonstrated good endurance, having received a kick from Marco enhanced by Armament Haki without sustaining any injuries. He also possesses exceptional hearing, having picked up the Whitebeard Pirates' underwater movements before the Battle of Marineford began. During the later stages of the war, he also demonstrated excellent aim, managing to destroy the key Luffy was holding with a laser beam despite the great distance.

We wouldn't go so far as to say that Luffy is stronger than Borsalino in Gear 5, but we would go so far as to say that Luffy's defensive capabilities in Gear 5 exceed Kizaru's offensive capabilities, so this point will go to Luffy.

Points: Kizaru 0, Luffy 1

Devil Fruit

Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu Devil Fruit, which made him rubbery, allowing him to stretch his body parts and strike his enemies from long distances. Although he struggled to fully control its power as a child, after over a decade of intense training, Luffy was able to use the fruit to exponentially improve his physical strength and agility, making him a dangerous opponent. It was later revealed that his Gomu Gomu no mi is actually the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, which gave Luffy even more powers and abilities. This was best seen when he combined it with Gear 5, as the awakened form of his Devil Fruit gave him extraordinary abilities, including size modification and breaking natural laws, all seen in his battle against Kaido.

Borsalino ate the Logia-type Pika Pika no Mi, which grants him intangibility, as it allows him to transform into light, causing enemy attacks to pass through him and decomposing his body into its own element, in this case, into particles of light. Precisely because he has the ability to move and attack at the speed of light, his power is very high, to the point that he can cause explosions capable of destroying buildings and uprooting enormous plants.

Thanks to him, Borsalino easily managed to intercept Luffy in Gear Second and violently kick him.

This is the biggest debate we're having here, and we'll have to split the points here. Theoretically, Kizaru's Devil Fruit is more powerful, as seen in their first clash, but since Gear 5 allows Luffy to break the laws of physics, it could be that Kizaru's transformation doesn't really matter in the long run. We'll just have to split the points since we don't officially know.

Points: Kizaru 1, Luffy 2

RIGHT

Rayleigh taught Luffy how to use Haki proficiently. He is skilled with Observation Haki, which he intuitively used against Mihawk to avoid a blow that would have severed his arms. Additionally, he has achieved significant levels of mastery over Armament Haki, making it a crucial component of Gear Four. Luffy can even set his fists ablaze using this skill in conjunction with his own Devil Fruit abilities, thanks to its friction. He is also proficient in the use of Conqueror's Haki, the rarest variety of Haki and his preferred one.

He could neutralize a total of 50,000 fish-men at once. Gear 5 doesn't affect this aspect much, but it certainly increases Luffy's overall power.

During the war, Kizaru demonstrated the ability to use Armament Haki, along with that of the other two admirals, to block an attack from Whitebeard aimed at the gallows Ace was standing on. He is one of the few characters to have demonstrated the ability to use it to strike the target without direct physical contact, indicating his skill with it. He can also use Observation Haki, but not Conqueror's Haki.

We don't have much to say here since Luffy can use all three types of Haki, while Kizaru can only use two. So Luffy must win this point because he outperforms Kizaru here.

Points: Kizaru 1, Luffy 3

Weapons

Luffy rarely uses weapons in combat, mainly because he lacks expertise and cannot use them. The most advanced weapon he has successfully used was probably a metal pipe he held as a child. Luffy briefly attempted a sword fight in Arlong Park but failed horribly.

However, Nightmare Luffy could use weapons, which was a significant development for Luffy as a warrior as he could now wield a sword without making a fool of himself.

With his Devil Fruit, Kizaru can also create a sword made of light to counter the attacks of swordsmen capable of using Haki. He has proven himself highly proficient in its use, having fought on par with Silvers Rayleigh.

There's absolutely no doubt that Kizaru wins the latter category, as Luffy's weapon skills are absolutely horrendous, while Kizaru has proven to be very skilled in this aspect.

Points: Kizaru 2, Luffy 3

It would be a closely contested fight, but Gear 5 Luffy could probably defeat Kizaru, something he couldn't have done earlier.

When Luffy first faced Kizaru, he nearly died. While powerful, it was no match for Kizaru's Devil Fruit, and Luffy was amazed at how easily Kizaru's light shattered his defenses and powers. Had Luffy remained at the same level, it would have been a complete mismatch, as Kizaru would have easily won.

But, by activating Gear 5, Luffy gained some interesting abilities, many of which allowed him to completely ignore natural laws and the fundamental laws of physics, as we saw in his battle with Kaido. It also made him significantly stronger, allowing him to fend off Kizaru in this regard as well. Would he defeat him? We think so, but that answer isn't entirely clear.

Luffy still doesn't have a known way to counter Kizaru's Devil Fruit abilities, as light is specific, but we believe he'll now have a chance in Gear 5 as he has the ability to break the laws of nature, which is something that could prove to be a decisive advantage in this case, as Luffy could use it to defeat Kizaru one way or another. Either way, we'll just have to wait and see what Oda has in store for us.