In this article I’ll cover: Luffy wasn’t rubber; how the misdirection was constructed; the implanted image of a Paramecia awakening; Luffy is a Zoan-type user; the Zoan-exclusive “Mythical Beast” subtype; Devil Fruits that have a “will”; the true nature of the “inherited will”; and whether the “fifth member” title is also waiting for an awakening.
Not Rubber
Impervious to blunt force, immune to lightning, a body that stretches and changes size — all because he ate the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit “Gomu Gomu no Mi” and became a rubber man.
…or so we were led to believe.
“I can’t be crushed by anyone.”
“Because I’m rubber.”
Against Big Mom:
“Straw Hat!! Why doesn’t lightning affect you?!”
“Because I’m rubber!!”
That “rubber man” premise, after 25 years of serialization, is now being overturned.
We readers expected to see “the Gomu Gomu no Mi awaken” during the fight against Kaido — but what’s unfolding now surpasses even that betrayal.
So why did we expect the Gomu Gomu no Mi to awaken in the first place? Let’s unravel this misdirection.
The Implanted Image of a Paramecia Awakening
The line that first made us readers expect Luffy’s ability to awaken was Doflamingo’s: “Listen up, rookie — there’s a stage above Devil Fruit powers called ‘Awakening’…!!”
That’s equivalent to saying “The Gomu Gomu no Mi can get even stronger.” And like a diligent student heeding Doflamingo’s generous lesson, Luffy eagerly observed and studied the Awakening that was used against him.
Then came a line that seemed to emphasize he’s the same Paramecia type as Doflamingo. Looking back now, that’s the scene where I fell right into Oda’s misdirection.
And the finishing blow was the Katakuri fight. When Luffy stole Katakuri’s ability to see the future with his Observation Haki, a Paramecia Awakening attack was leveled at him once again.
“Any ability user with a bounty over a billion has awakened.”
“Luffy’s bounty hit 1.5 billion, so he must be close to awakening.”
It’s completely natural that readers had those expectations. And plenty of people seriously worried: “If Luffy awakens, will the ground turn to rubber? Will his crewmates become rubber people?” — “Is that even strong?”
The Rivals Who Had Already Awakened
The final nail in the misdirection was the awakening of his rivals. Kid and Law — both Paramecia-type — had awakened and were teaming up to push Big Mom to her limit.
In the “captain’s rivalry” that began at the Sabaody Archipelago human auction, it couldn’t happen that Luffy alone was “unawakened” and falling behind.
The three-way rivalry that began at the Human Auction House on Sabaody — it couldn’t be that Luffy alone was “unawakened” and left behind. Yet Luffy showed no sign of awakening and remained on the back foot.
Not an Awakening as a Paramecia…
Knocked down again and again, then recovering — his trademark is abnormal toughness and recovery. If Kaido’s flames had no effect because of the physical enhancement granted by his ability, that would make perfect sense.
He shares properties with “rubber” but is not rubber. He keeps a human form and takes damage from physical attacks, so he’s not a Logia type.
Luffy, displaying abnormal toughness and recovery, was a Zoan-type ability user.
The final panel where Luffy begins to transform represents the same thing as the Jailer Beasts — awakened Zoan-type users — where the “demon” starts to overtake the body.
Characteristics of the Zoan Type
The more you train, the more your “power” amplifies. In close combat, the Zoan type is the strongest class.
Come to think of it, if Luffy — who specializes in close-quarters combat — is actually a Zoan type that enhances physical abilities, the synergy between his fighting style and his power is insane.
So what animal is it? In a past fight against Kreig, there was a brief glimpse of something “monkey-like”…
“It turns out Monkey D. Luffy was actually a Saru Saru no Mi user!” — that wouldn’t be very interesting. And I’ve never heard of a monkey’s body being elastic and resistant to lightning.
So it must be a Zoan, but among the Zoans, it’s probably “that subtype” that suddenly power-inflated starting from the Wano arc.
Mythical Beast Zoans Gathered in Wano
Fleet Commander of the Beasts Pirates, Kaido of the Beasts
Zoan Mythical Beast — Fish Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon
Former Commander of the 1st Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, “Phoenix” Marco
Zoan Mythical Beast — Bird Bird Fruit, Model: Phoenix
Shogun of Wano Country, Kurozumi Orochi
Zoan Mythical Beast — Serpent Serpent Fruit, Model: Yamata no Orochi
Daughter of Kaido, “self-proclaimed” Kozuki Oden
Zoan Mythical Beast — Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Okuchi no Makami
The Top Candidate for Luffy’s Ability
Former Fleet Admiral of the Navy, current Inspector General
“Buddha” Sengoku
Zoan Mythical Beast — Human Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu
With a different model for this ability, you could have Asura, Myō-ō, Enma, Thousand-Armed Kannon, and so on. But the case for elasticity and lightning immunity is weak for those deities.
So it must be an original “god,” after all. The flag for a sun god who liberates slaves has already been raised.
Before I reach my conclusion, please bear with me for a bit more on Devil Fruit theory.
[Foreshadowing Payoff] Do Zoan Types Have a “Will”?
The “Gifters” who were lucky enough to become ability users via the artificial Devil Fruits “SMILE” created by Caesar. SMILE is exclusively Zoan-type, and many Gifters couldn’t control the animal’s “will.”
This raises the question: Is this a phenomenon specific to the artificial Devil Fruit SMILE, or do natural Zoan-type Devil Fruits also harbor an “animal’s will”?
Verification 1: The Ferocity of Carnivores
According to Dr. Chopper, a “carnivore” Zoan type increases aggression. In other words, the animal consciousness slightly controls the person — the animal’s will is there to some degree.
So Devil Fruits seem to have a “will,” though not to the extent of overtaking human consciousness entirely.
Verification 2: The Technology of Feeding a Devil Fruit to Objects
“Lasso” was a gun that ate the Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Dachshund. It walked, sneezed, wagged its tail happily when petted. Since a gun has no will of its own, this is clearly the Devil Fruit’s will at work.
Since the gun itself has no will, that’s clearly the Devil Fruit’s will.
“Funkfried,” the elephant sword created by feeding the Elephant Elephant Fruit to a sword — when it backed down from Franky’s threat and retracted its trunk, that was Funkfried’s will acting. In other words, the Devil Fruit’s will.
Lasso remained a half-dog, half-gun figure throughout, while Funkfried could transform into elephant form, sword form, and a half-and-half form. That difference comes down to the trainer’s skill.
There’s also Smiley, who cried tears at the reunion with Caesar — that was 100% the Devil Fruit’s will, not the will of the poisonous gas. No need to explain that one.
Conclusion: Zoan Types Do Have a “Will”!
Zoan-type Devil Fruits possess a will. Vegapunk, who was researching artificial Devil Fruits, must have realized this.
That’s probably why he called the artificial Devil Fruit Momonosuke ate a “failure” — because the will of the Azure Dragon didn’t dwell within it.
The “Will” Inherited Through Devil Fruits
“Don’t bother — you can’t kill me.”
“When do you think people die? When they’re shot through the heart with a pistol? No. When they’re afflicted with an incurable disease? No. When they drink a deadly poison mushroom soup? No!!”
“Even after I’m gone, my dream will come true.” “The hearts of the suffering people of this country — they’ll surely be saved.” “Why are you crying, Dalton?”
“…I wonder if the same is true for a country…”
“…Weh weh… Only if there’s someone to inherit the will…”
Summary
- What Luffy ate was not the Gomu Gomu no Mi
- Given his abnormal toughness, recovery, and enhanced physical abilities, it can only have been a Zoan type
- Zoan-type Devil Fruits harbor a “will,” and those who awaken them change in appearance
- Luffy’s true ability is the Hito Hito no Mi, Mythical Beast subtype, Model: Sun God Nika
- The World Government changed its name so the world would forget its existence
- Those who “inherit” that devil’s will are called Joyboy
What About Chopper…?
- Luffy and Chopper standing together on the cover of Volume 16, titled “Inherited Will”
- Both share the commonality of being Hito Hito no Mi users
- Chopper may also be a Mythical Beast type
- When he awakens, he might finally be counted as “1 person” rather than “1 animal” — and the title “5th member” could be bestowed?
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