Worst Things About Eating A Devil Fruit In One Piece

In the world of One Piece, the devil fruits are practically a cheat code that allows regular people to attain tremendous power and a chance in the spotlight. That’s why most people, especially those who work as pirates or marines, are willing to do anything to get their hands on a devil fruit, as proven in Dressrosa Colosseum when they offer Ace’s devil fruit as the reward.

What many people don’t realize, however, is that having a Devil Fruit isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. These powers bring their fair share of challenges and shortcomings as well. So with that in mind, here are some of the worst things about eating a devil fruit.

7

A Big Ego Boost

Instant Power Can Lead to Arrogance

• Character Name: Bellamy
• First Appearance: Chapter 222

The most common, though rarely acknowledged, downside of gaining a superpower after eating a devil fruit is the big ego boost. After all, unlike Zoro who has to spend years sharpening his swordsmanship, or Jinbe who has spent countless hours perfecting his fishman karate technique, a power gained through devil fruit comes instantly. One moment you’re a regular human being, the next moment you’re a Superman. No wonder some people become arrogant after obtaining the power of devil fruits.

The best example of arrogance induced by devil fruit is none other than Bellamy, the former captain of Bellamy Pirates. His devil fruit ability allows him to move faster than a normal human. The momentum does increase his punching power, but it is far from remarkable. Yet because he only picks opponents who are weaker than him, he manages to rack up some wins, which gets to his head and boosts his ego even further. He stumbles upon Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hats on a small island called Mock Town. In his hubris, he picks a fight with our hero and gets a devastating punch in the face.

6

Can’t Touch a Seastone

A Weapon That Embodies the Sea

• Character Name: Smoker
• First Appearance: Chapter 97

The sea rejected those who consumed the Devil Fruits. More on that later. But since most of the battles happen on land, devil fruit users shouldn’t have to worry about the effect of the sea, right? Well, not really. You see, there is an extremely rare type of stone that exists only on certain parts of the ocean floor. This special stone absorbs the essence of the sea and basically becomes the embodiment of the sea itself. It’s called the Seastone.

Since seastone is practically the sea in a solid form, it has the same weakening effect on the devil fruit users, just like real seawater. That’s why people like Smoker, a Marine Vice Admiral, use a weapon made out of seastone in order to apprehend devil fruit users. This weapon proves to be extremely effective. Even Luffy becomes instantly powerless the moment Smoker lands a strike with his seastone Jitte.

5

Risk of Being Feared and Ostracized

Not Everybody is Familiar with Devil Fruits

• Character Name: Nico Robin
• First Appearance: Chapter 114

In most places, gaining a unique power through a devil fruit is the recipe to become famous—or infamous, depending on what they use the powers for. But there are people out there who live on a secluded island with barely any contact with the outside world. If you live in such places, showing people your newfound power might not be a good idea because it’s highly likely that you would end up being feared and ostracized by your own people.

This is what happened to Nico Robin. When she was small, Robin lived on a secluded island called Ohara Island. Although it is famous as the archeological hub of the world, most people who live on Ohara are unfamiliar with things that are commonplace to the outside world, such as the devil fruits. That’s why when Robin ate a devil fruit and gained the power to grow parts of her body at any surface she wanted, the people of Ohara feared, bullied, and ostracized her.

4

It Takes More than a Devil Fruit

It Takes Skill and Creativity

• Character Name: Charlotte Katakuri
• First Appearance: Chapter 860

Most people are under the illusion that once you eat a devil fruit, you’ll be unbeatable. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Forget about people who clearly have a power that is much stronger than yours, there are experts out there who can defeat a devil fruit user despite having no special power whatsoever, such as Sanji and Zoro. In order to maximize the potential of a devil fruit power, the user must develop suitable skills for their powers and have some creativity to push the abilities even further.

Take Charlotte Katakuri for example. At first glance, his ability to turn his body into mochi may seem ridiculous and can’t be used in combat. But thanks to his creativity, he can turn his mochi-like body into dangerous weapons. On the other hand, there’s Kin’emon. His ability allows him to create clothes out of stones and leaves. But since he mainly fights with a sword, he merely uses this ability to create simple clothing for himself and his comrades. Considering it is quite similar to Erza’s Requip Magic from Fairy Tail, it’s theoretically possible for Kin’emon to use his power to create powerful armors, just like Erza. Unfortunately, Kin’emon is not known for his creativity, so we’ll never know the full potential of his ability.

3

Nobody Can Teach You About Your Powers

Experimenting with Devil Fruit Powers can be Dangerous

• Character Name: Crocodile
• First Appearance: Chapter 126

Every devil fruit contains different powers. Some may be similar to each other, such as the Fire Fruit and the Lava Fruit, but every Devil Fruit is inherently unique. Because of that, it’s basically impossible to find somebody to help you understand and master your powers. You have to do countless trials and errors to find out the full extent of what your devil fruit powers can do. Experimenting with a new power may seem like a fun activity to do until you realize that there are extremely dangerous devil fruit abilities out there.

Take Crocodile’s Sand Power for example. At first, his power seems to be quite straightforward. He can transform his body into sand, and he can control the surrounding sand. But other than that, he can also absorb the liquid inside everything through the palms of his hands. Imagine manifesting this power for the first time, not knowing that it actually has a dangerous additional ability. He can grab the hand of his loved one and accidentally absorb every liquid in their body, effectively killing them in a matter of seconds. That’s how dangerous experimenting with a devil fruit power can be.

2

Can’t Change the Power

Once You Get It, It’s Yours for Life

• Character Name: Kelly Funk
• First Appearance: Chapter 704

People like famous pirates of high-ranking Marines, have access to a devil fruit database. After all, when a devil fruit user dies, their fruit reappears somewhere in the world, allowing them to be cataloged. This database allows these well-connected people to know what a devil fruit can do before eating it. That being said, the same thing can’t be said of regular people who simply stumble upon a devil fruit. To these kinds of people, eating a devil fruit is a gamble. You better hope that you have a decent ability, because once you get the power, it’ll be yours for life and there’s no way to change it.

It’s great if you stumble upon powerful devil fruits like Whitebeard’s earthquake power or Kizaru’s light power. But imagine if somebody like Smoker eats the Jake Jake no Mi, a devil fruit that allows its user to turn into a jacket that can be worn by other people. Not only is this ability extremely useless for him, but there’s also no way to change it with any other ability. He has to live the rest of his life with this ridiculous ability. Sure, he might have the skills and creativity to make this ability stronger than it actually is, but there’s really not much you can do with a weak power like this. All you can do is accept your fate and move on with your life.

1

Losing the Ability to Swim

Rejected by the Sea

• Character Name: Monkey D. Luffy
• First Appearance: Chapter 1

The worst thing about consuming a devil fruit has to be losing the ability to swim. According to Dr. Vegapunk, somebody who eats a devil fruit can no longer be considered a human. Therefore, the mother of nature, i.e. the ocean, rejects their existence completely. That’s why whenever a devil fruit user comes in contact with the sea, their energy will immediately leave their body. They still know how to swim, but they simply don’t have the energy to do it.

This weakness applies to every devil fruit user. No matter how powerful they might be, the moment they are thrown into the ocean, they will lose their energy and drown. Considering most of the world is made out of the ocean, losing the ability to swim is certainly a big deal. Of all the devil fruit users in the story, Luffy is the one we most often see drowning. Some of it is due to his own carelessness, but there are also times when the enemy manages to throw him into the sea. In such a situation, the other Straw Hats members who don’t consume a devil fruit—such as Sanji, Zoro, or Nami—have to jump and save their captain from drowning.