@Robby:
Man, Luffy just punched Krieg through his spike shield! He didn't try to dodge or anything he just took the hit! Why did Luffy just tank that to get a hit in instead of dodging around it? Is he even trying not to get hit?
http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2020/06/8-Luffy-vs-Krieg.jpg
I can't even tell if that hurt Luffy or not.
Ah yes! THE scene and THE moment that made me a die hard fan.
For a very long time Luffy and the gang never seemed like the underdogs to me. It was one of the most enduring aspects about the story. This crew was relatively unknown around the world but they just kept doing things that surprised the heck out of enemies and allies alike. Knowing how Luffy grew up just trying to survive, getting the ship beat of out of him by all manner of animals, the Pirate King's son and one of the Pirate King's rivals it just put the East Blue and many parts of Paradise into a new perspective.
When I first saw Don Krieg and that spiked cape, I just knew it would be an episode or two of figuring out how to over come such a defense. Then a new episode with Krieg bringing out a new weapon to be overcome. My teenage mind was blown watching Luffy smash through that while barely acknowledging the pain. I was like who is this little guy and how is he destroying this big ol' man?!
I used to have this notion in my mind that no one could beat Luffy. My brother had spoiled me that he lost to Aokiji and I was like "no, impossible! No one can beat Luffy!"
I thought I had some overarching idea or point to tie into this current discussion and now I got nothing…
Each of Luffy's 3 power ups feel definitely earned as far as I'm concerned. Rio being one thing he was taught some time ago. Conqueror coating being another that he figured out after feeling it. With Awakening, I really liked what Kaidou said about the mind, body and fruit becoming one or what have you. My martial arts teacher taught me some really neat things over the years. Some of which just seemed impossible. On paper we had all the tools to succeed. Mentally some of us had the mind to work out what was asked of us but physically not able. Physically some of us had the body to do it but mentally not able. Some people had both and still couldn't pull off the technique. Coach used to say "I can show you and explain until I'm blue in the face but it's never going to happen until your mind and body are conditioned and they work together." He'd say things like "It's going to happen without you even noticing."
Now Luffy wasn't trying to awaken his powers but the way it worked in the story just seemed so real to me. All his life Luffy had been perfecting what the Gum Gum fruit could do. Constantly stretching in creative ways and beaten within an inch of his life time and time again. Actively pursuing awakening or not something was going to give, either his life or the fruit. Asking why it didn't awaken when Magellan poisoned the shiatsu out of Luffy is trying to reduce the awakening to arbitrary mathematical equations. Person A practices front kick 10,000 times and fails to reach lightning speed. Person B practices front kick 100 times and manages lighting speed. It happens when it happens. Who knows what other factors contributed. Thats how I like to think of Luffy's awakening.
Even unconscious or in a state of death I buy Luffy's Awakening whole sale. The trigger was involuntary or out of some strange reflex but sometimes things like that are.
¯_(ツ)_/¯