It’s True: Oda Had Another User For Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika In One Piece

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This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf arc.

The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a truly legendary Devil Fruit in the world of One Piece. Interestingly, it’s also the very first Devil Fruit ever shown in the series, making it incredibly significant. While Luffy ate this fruit at the beginning of the story, its full power wasn’t revealed until much later, during the Wano Country arc in chapter 1044. For a long time, it was believed to be a simple Paramecia-type fruit that gave Luffy rubber powers. However, it’s actually a powerful Mythical Zoan fruit, connected to the ancient deity known as the Warrior of Liberation, the Sun God Nika.

Luffy’s Devil Fruit is exceptionally powerful, and it isn’t the only one of its kind to have been used by multiple people throughout the story of One Piece. Eiichiro Oda, the creator, originally intended to reveal the previous owner of Luffy’s fruit, the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, in 2022, but ultimately decided to hold off on that reveal.

Oda Wanted To Do A Movie For The Last Gomu Gomu no Mi User

The Movie Was Changed To Film Red

  • The Straw Hats would go back in time
  • Uta became the main character of the movie instead

Luffy currently possesses the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, a powerful Devil Fruit. However, like all Devil Fruits, it’s been around for ages, and many different people have used it throughout history.

I’m Monkey D. Luffy, and I’m going to become the Pirate King – I’ll be even greater than all of you! – Luffy, speaking to Kaido and Big Mom.

The Nika fruit, currently used by Luffy, once belonged to someone else, and Eiichiro Oda originally planned a story around this previous owner. According to director Goro Taniguchi, Oda envisioned the Straw Hat Pirates time-traveling to meet the person who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi before Luffy did.

The original plan for One Piece: Film Red centered around a different storyline. However, the focus shifted, and Uta became the central character instead. It would have been fascinating to see Luffy encounter the previous owner of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, and likely would have created a very thrilling film. This character would have also offered fans a glimpse into the history of the One Piece world, but that chance is now lost.

Vegapunk described Joy Boy as the original sailor and the very first person known as a pirate.

Joy Boy Is The Canon Last User Of The Nika Fruit

Joy Boy Had The Same Powers As Luffy

Because Eiichiro Oda hasn’t told the story of the person who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi before Luffy, it’s currently unclear if that backstory is still considered official One Piece lore. What we do know for sure is that Joy Boy, who lived about 800 years ago, was the original user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika – the same Devil Fruit Luffy now has. Joy Boy is a character we’ll almost certainly learn more about as the story of One Piece continues.

One Piece Chapter 1163 is scheduled for release this week, as usual on Sundays. While it becomes available in Japan at midnight on Monday (JST), most international fans will be able to read it on October 26, 2025. The official release date is October 26th, and the chapter will be available for free on Manga Plus.

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2025-10-23 13:35