What if Luffy’s Devil Fruit Power wasn’t rubber?

Warning! Massive spoilers for One Piece Chapter 1043 to follow! A play reached the climax of the Land of the Wa arc and now the only fight left to settle is the one between Luffy and Kaido on the roof of the Skull Dome. The more Luffy pushes his body beyond its limits and the full extent of his Gear Fourth form, the more Kaido can counter. As Luffy begins to lose and the next phase of their fight is about to begin, the series has sparked an interesting new type of question that could shake the foundations of the series as a whole.

There have been some intriguing teases about Luffy’s Devil Fruit in the series over recent arcs, and the more we learn about Wano’s potential ties to the One Piece treasure itself, the more it puts Luffy under a new type of light. He’s gotten so much attention from the government for a number of reasons thus far, and as the ending of chapter 1043 sees him either transforming or tapping into what’s likely Joy Boy’s legendary power, it’s calling back questioning Luffy’s power. What if Luffy had eaten something that only looks and acts like the Gum-Gum Fruit? What if it was another kind of power?

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After #A playFrom the last cliffhanger, I’m starting to think that Luffy’s Devil Fruit isn’t rubber at all…but I don’t know what it could be either. After that line from Kaido about punching Luffy and that gooey thing at the end of #ONEPIECE1043 that’s all i can think of pic.twitter.com/qv1ToA5Khf

—Nick Valdez (@Valdezology) March 14, 2022

The most curious recent bit of information comes during Chapter 1042 when Luffy uses his Gear Fourth Snakeman punches on Kaido. The Emperor wonders how Luffy bends the trajectory of his attacks, and curiously notes that “Given the nature of rubber, that’s impossible”. It might come as a little bit of a shock from the Emperor, but as fans of this series know, any small detail can be a major foreshadowing. Add to that the fact that it’s been revealed that the Gum-Gum Fruit was previously in the possession of the World Government before Shanks took it (and Luffy ate it, of course) and it deepens the mystery even further. .

At the end of Chapter 1043, Luffy’s heart starts beating in such a way that Zunesha recognizes it as Joy Boy from 800 years ago. Luffy smiles despite having been completely unconscious before, and his body either begins to turn and ooze or become covered in it. This further complicates matters because “given the nature of rubber”, as Kaido would say, this slime doesn’t have any kind of visual cue that it’s some kind of Gum-Gum ability either. If Luffy’s Devil Fruit was anything other than rubber, that would also make him being a prime target all the more logical.

He was not only marked as a major threat by the World Government like any other pirate, but he was made to be the target of assassination by the Ancients themselves. It’s so recent that it happened too that it doesn’t seem like it’s suddenly more important either. Luffy did the same thing he did the entire series and simply defied the authorities of the higher scales in the law and outlaw worlds, and yet he was never interrupted in his way of life. ‘be here. A member of CP0 had to interrupt the fight with Kaido because for some reason now is where a Luffy victory is a big deal.

Not to mention the fact that we learned at the end of the Reverie that Luffy (and Shirahoshi) had drawn the wrath of the king to the center of the world, and all of that begs the question of why now. Why is it now that Luffy has become so important? It all goes back to his Devil Fruit. There are so many mysteries about how they work, and specifically how alarm clocks work. What if Luffy’s Devil Fruit power wasn’t fully awakened yet? What if he should… essentially mature? But then the question becomes, if Luffy’s Devil Fruit power isn’t rubber… what could it be?

It would have to be something that didn’t conduct electricity and a substance that would allow Luffy to fight like he does now. So what do you think? Do you think Luffy’s Devil Fruit has any hidden power? What if his element was something other than rubber? Let us know all your thoughts on this in the comments! You can even contact me directly about all things anime and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!