This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf arc.
Summary
- Shanks stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi
- Luffy found and ate the Devil Fruit
- Previous users of the Nika Devil Fruit hinted at in Film Red
One Piece is in the Final Saga right now and it is here that fans are slowly finding out all the major secrets of the world. One of the biggest elements of surprise in One Piece’s Final Saga comes in the form of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, also known as the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
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This Devil Fruit is legendary in nature, given that it holds the power of a God. Fans know that Luffy wields the power of the Nika Devil Fruit, but he isn’t the first user of this ability. There have been others in the past with the Nika Devil Fruit, with one already having been confirmed in the story recently, and the other being hinted at by Oda in one of his recent works.
How Luffy Found And Ate The Gomu Gomu no Mi
- The Gomu Gomu no Mi Was Stolen By Shanks
- Luffy Found And Ate The Gomu Gomu no Mi
Fans know that the Gomu Gomu no Mi was eaten by Luffy quite early in the story. This fruit wasn’t made out to be special at first, however, eventually, its true nature was revealed to the fans, and with that, its true power as well. As far as Luffy and the Gomu Gomu no Mi go, fans know that he ate the fruit right at the very beginning. Shanks and his crew stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi long ago, and they set up camp in the East Blue, Fushia Village for quite some time. Luffy came across the Devil Fruit there and eventually ended up consuming it.
The one I truly hold a grudge against is Shanks, who stole the fruit from me 13 years ago! — Who’s Who
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In the Wano Country arc, it was revealed to the fans that the true name of the fruit was Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and that this Devil Fruit was actually a Godly power. When Luffy awakened its true power, fans could finally see what the Sun God Nika was capable of.
How Oda Almost Revealed The Previous Gomu Gomu no Mi User
Film Red Was Originally Supposed To Be About The Fruit
Right now in the story, fans already know that the Gomu Gomu no Mi, or the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a special Devil Fruit. However, at the same time, they still don’t know much about its previous users. Curiously enough, fans know one user of the fruit that’s already been confirmed, and that’s Joy Boy. Joy Boy had the fruit before Luffy in the Second World of One Piece after the Forest God led to the creation of the Devil Fruits. He had the power to shrink and stretch and with that, he became the Sun God Nika. Joy Boy was also the last known awakened user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi before Luffy. However, that doesn’t mean Joy Boy was the last user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi before him.
Just like Nika from the tales of Elbaf, Joy Boy had the power to shrink and stretch! — Vegapunk
Curiously enough, in Oda’s original plans for One Piece: Film Red, he intended to explore a story around the previous user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. This might sound bizarre, but Luffy and his crew were supposed to go back in time to meet the previous user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. However, this idea eventually never made it to the screen.
Any fan who knows Oda knows that he would never reveal Joy Boy or the events of the Void Century in a movie. There is absolutely no way that Film Red would’ve taken fans back to the Void Century. This is precisely why there is a big possibility that Oda wanted to take fans to the past and then have Luffy meet the person who held the ability before him.
Although Joy Boy was the first user of the Nika fruit, he wasn’t the only one besides Luffy, if Oda’s own plans are to be taken into consideration. It is highly likely that there were other users of the Gomu Gomu no Mi. But, one thing that Oda specifically clarifies is that the fruit was last awakened during the Void Century. This means Joy Boy was the first awakened user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and Luffy became the second one after 800 years.
Whether fans will ever get to see the person who held the fruit before Luffy or not remains to be seen. But for now, it can be said that the idea lies with Oda and the scriptwriter for Film Red.
One Piece chapter 1145 will be out very soon, later this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on the upcoming Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on April 6. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1145 is April 6, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus.
- Release Date
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October 20, 1999
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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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)
