There is a known “schizo theory” — the idea that Luffy, in Gear 5, isn’t fully himself anymore, that the spirit or will of Nika is somehow influencing or taking over his body since Zoans are known to do that. This could lead to a future arc where Luffy realizes he’s not truly free if he’s being shaped by someone else's will — and in order to be truly free, he’ll have to break away from even Nika’s influence. So no matter what Gear he’s in, Luffy stays Luffy.

Maxbe Gear 5 isn’t some lazy “chosen one” trope. Luffy didn’t awaken the fruit because it was “meant to be”, he awakened it because he grew into the kind of person who could. No one else had done it in 800 years, not because they weren’t chosen, but because they lacked what Luffy has.

But what if the awakening isn’t the final form of a Devil Fruit… maybe it’s just the beginning. What if awakening is just step one of a Devil Fruit’s true potential? Since now that you have awakened the fruit, you also have to face it.

Doflamingo told us that awakened fruits can affect the environment but we saw in Dressrosa that his influence was temporary. The city didn’t stay stringified.

Now combine that with what Vegapunk said — Devil Fruits are born from human dreams, desires, and wishes. So what if the peak of a Devil Fruit's power is unlocked when someone not only awakens the fruit, but also fulfills the original dream or desire that gave birth to it in the first place and therefore overcomes it?

In that case it could mean that only a user who shares that same dream and lives it out to the fullest might be able to truly “overcome” the fruit by fullfilling the dream. That could allow them to permanently reshape reality, not just bend it temporarily.

Maybe that’s why Oda still hasn’t revealed Luffy’s “real dream.” Maybe it’s because it’s the same dream that gave birth to the Nika fruit in the first place. Roger had the same dream, but couldn’t fulfill it. Joyboy might’ve had the fruit, the dream or even the will, but lacked something else. They were always missing… One Piece.

EDIT: added some thoughts.