Luffy’s powers already got a major upgrade during his fight against Kaido, after he awakened the true abilities of his Devil Fruit. The awakening of the Gum Gum fruit, formerly known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, grants the user’s rubber-like body increased physical strength and freedom, limited only by the user’s imagination.
It is for this reason that the user is said to become the “Warrior of Liberation”, able to fight however they please and bring joy to those around them, making it “the most ridiculous power in the world”.
In Chapter 1046, Kaido explains the awakening as “What happens when your mind and body catch up to your powers.” How easy do you think it’s to awaken the Gum Gum fruit? And what is the fruit’s full potential?
“The warrior of liberation, they fight with the most freedom in the world”. It would take someone extremely resilient like rubber, someone who brought smiles and joy to people. Someone who is the embodiment of freedom. A perfect warrior of liberation the likes of JoyBoy! But there hasn’t been anyone like that for 800 years who had the fruit. Until now.
This is totally something Oda would do and it defeats the theory that the fruit made Luffy special along his journey. Instead it was Luffy’s resilience and Freedom on his voyage that evolved his character, personality, mind, body, and spirit that caused the first awakening in 800 years.
That’s why Shanks said Luffy was a bet!
It also makes sense that someone JUST having the rubber fruit isn’t a big deal, cause they don’t expect an awakening. It makes more sense why they didn’t hunt Luffy for having the fruit when every other didn’t awaken it. Maybe the person right after somebody awakened it, the Word government panicked and tried to assassinate and such, but eventually they realized it’s just improbable anyways.
Theory by LookSWtco (https://www.reddit.com/user/LookSWtco)
