Why The Gomu Gomu no Mi Was Stolen From Elbaf, Explained

The Gomu Gomu no Mi, rarely known by its real name of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, is a legendary Devil Fruit in the One Piece world. Although it was believed to be a rather ordinary Devil Fruit in the beginning, in the Wano Country Arc, it was revealed that this fruit was actually renamed and that its original status was of a god fruit, renamed by the Government to hide its existence and powers. The Gomu Gomu no Mi is a mighty ability, wielded by the protagonist of the story, Luffy.

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Fans know him to be a powerful individual, and over the years, he’s most definitely made the ability his own. This isn’t a surprise, as the Gomu Gomu no Mi seems fully compatible with Luffy. This fruit is a Zoan type, meaning it has a will of its own and it went to Luffy specifically because of him having the perfect personality type for it. However, the origins of this Devil Fruit still remain a mystery. The truth is that the Gomu Gomu no Mi could actually have come all the way from Elbaf to the East Blue.

How Shanks Stole The Gomu Gomu no Mi

• Shanks Stoke The Gomu Gomu no Mi 13 Years Ago
• The Devil Fruit Was Eaten By Luffy

Shanks is a character who fans know very little about, yet, one who is most certainly deeply involved with the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. This Devil Fruit was first seen with Shanks, and that’s not surprising at all. After all, the Wano arc revealed to the fans that it was Shanks who stole the Devil Fruit from the World Government. 13 years ago, the Gomu Gomu no Mi, also known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, was being transported across the East Blue, for some reason. The fruit was on a tightly guarded Government vessel, and the CP9 was taking charge of the mission to take it to the Government. However, somehow, Shanks knew all about the Devil Fruit and went ahead to steal it.

It is unknown how exactly Shanks knew where the fruit was and who was transporting it. But, this was most definitely a calculated move by him. Upon the Government ship being attacked by the Red Hair Pirates, the Devil Fruit was stolen, and Who’s Who was left in shame, which eventually led to him being stripped of his position and even imprisonment in the Holy Land of Marijoa.

Meanwhile, Shanks kept the Devil Fruit, and as fans know, he set up base in the East Blue for about a year. This is when he acquainted himself with Luffy, a young kid who eventually went on to eat the Gomu Gomu no Mi for himself, kicking start the story of One Piece.

How Luffy Ate The Gomu Gomu no Mi

Luffy Mistook The Fruit For Dessert

Luffy eating the Gomu Gomu no Mi isn’t a surprise at all. Fans saw this happen very early on in the series, right in the first chapter. When Shanks hung out with the Red Hair Pirates, he was attacked by Higuma the Mountain Bandit once. Although he was insulted, Shanks didn’t fight back, and this annoyed Luffy, as in his mind, Shanks looked like a coward. Back then, Luffy didn’t realize that some battles simply aren’t worth fighting. Regardless, in his frustration, Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi unknowingly, thinking it was dessert, and that is when his whole life turned upside down. Luffy had gained the powers of rubber, and could now stretch. Although Shanks was frustrated at first, it was immediately clear that he had actually started putting his trust in Luffy. In fact, Shanks even sacrificed his left arm for him, which went to show how much faith he truly had in the kid. Entrusting his hat to his, Shanks dared Luffy to become a Great Pirate, and surpass him so that he can return the hat to him one day.

As the story continued, fans saw Luffy develop his abilities greatly. Over the next ten years, Luffy’s strength grew dramatically, and he reached infamy in the East Blue as soon as he set out on his journey. Luffy became the most wanted man in the East, having acquired na bounty of 30 million berries. Soon, 30 million turned to 100 million, and that figure skyrocketed to 300 million as the Straw Hat Pirates continued their journey of destiny across the Grand Line.

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Luffy even got to 400 million, and then 500 million in Dressrosa, finally being recognized as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea in Whole Cake Island, where he received a bounty of 1.5 billion berries. Finally, Luffy beat Kaido and acquired a 3 billion berries bounty. Curiously enough, it is here that the true nature of the Devil Fruit was revealed to the fans, as Luffy awakened the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and descended as Joy Boy upon the world.

Elbaf, Nika, and The Legendary Devil Fruit

The Gomu Gomu No Mi Could’ve Come From Elbaf

If there’s one thing that fans know about Elbaf, it is that this country is deeply tied to Nika, because the tales of the original Nika seem to stem from this country. This country even has the Harley, which tells the story of the Three Worlds. More than that, Nika is worshipped in this country so much that everyone wants to become the Sun God. However, there are more interesting things to note. It is said that the royal family of Elbaf has a legendary Devil Fruit that is passed down from generations. This fruit is likely save for the chosen one who would eventually go on to become Nika. Fans know that Loki ate this fruit, yet, somehow, Luffy is Nika, and not Loki. This is where things get interesting.

Clearly, both Luffy and Loki couldn’t possibly have the same power. This means the ability that Loki has isn’t the actual Sun God power. But, that doesn’t necessarily mean that Elbaf never held the power of the Sun God. It is entirely possible that the Devil Fruit was once in Elbaf, long ago. Loki killed King Harald 14 years ago, and it is said that this is when he consumed the Devil Fruit. But, what if the Devil Fruit was swapped long ago?

Deep under Aurust Castle, there is a treasure room where Loki’s key was. This room had multiple empty boxes, showing that it was raided. Perhaps, that Gomu Gomu no Mi was here once. But, why would the fruit have made it out? The reason is simple. As seen recently, King Harald was implied to have been on somewhat friendly terms with Shamrock. This could’ve been the reason why he was killed by Loki. Moreover, it is highly likely that Shamrock wanted to get his hands on the fruit and take it to the Government. But, the chaotic battle saw to it that the fruit was saved, possibly by Loki, or even someone like Scopper Gaban, and released into the sea.

The World Government must’ve tracked it down and acquired it within a year, but since Shanks is connected to Shamrock, he could possibly have figured it out through his brothers’ movements, and stolen the fruit, eventually delivering it to Luffy.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus apps. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1141, is set to be March 2, 2025.

One Piece

Release Date

October 20, 1999

Network

Fuji TV

Directors

Hiroaki Miyamoto, Konosuke Uda, Junji Shimizu, Satoshi Itō, Munehisa Sakai, Katsumi Tokoro, Yutaka Nakajima, Yoshihiro Ueda, Kenichi Takeshita, Yoko Ikeda, Ryota Nakamura, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Takahiro Imamura, Toshihiro Maeya, Yûji Endô, Nozomu Shishido, Hidehiko Kadota, Sumio Watanabe, Harume Kosaka, Yasuhiro Tanabe, Yukihiko Nakao, Keisuke Onishi, Junichi Fujise, Hiroyuki Satou

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  Mayumi Tanaka

  Monkey D. Luffy (voice)

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  Kazuya Nakai

  Roronoa Zoro (voice)