Do I need perfect pronunciation to become fluent?

You need to be understood, not to sound native. Clarity comes from repetition out loud, not from accent drills.

No. You need to be understood on the first try. That is a much lower bar than sounding native, and you reach it faster than you think.

What actually matters

Vowel clarity and stress. Get those right and people stop asking you to repeat yourself.

How to get there

Say the sentence out loud, hear yourself, adjust. The correction loop only exists when you are speaking — which is why silent study never improves an accent.