So if we look back in the series, it's kind of easy to piece together what's going on here.
I spoke about this extensively back during Dressrosa, but nobody really wanted to entertain the thought back then, but with this chapters turn of events, I think it's a good topic to bring back up into discussion.
So when Luffy was in the tournament fighting for the Mera Mera No Mi, Sabo asked him one very important question. Was it OK for him to eat the Mera Mera no Mi, and inherit Ace's will.
Now I've done theories on the matter of Devil Fruits actually containing the souls of the people who ate them prior, and as the generations pass, the current user has basically "Inherited the Will" of all users who came before them.
This chapter furthers that suspicion, and even heavily implies that "Joy Boy" of 800 years ago, was the user of the Gomu Gomu No Mi. So essentially, Luffy eating that fruit, means he inadvertently inherited Joy Boys will. The missing piece of the puzzle is how would that manifest itself. Well it looks like we have our answer. It's awakening.
Luffy wasn't linked to any crazy fate. His Devil Fruit was. Luffy just so happened to be the one to have eaten that Fruit during the promised time, thus becoming the one to inherit and fulfill Joy Boy's Will.
