One Piece Author Eiichiro Oda Reveals Who The Real User Of Gomu Gomu no Mi Was Supposed To Be Instead Of Luffy

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This article contains spoilers from the One Piece series.

The Gomu Gomu no Mi, the Devil Fruit that gives Monkey D. Luffy his powers, is incredibly significant in the world of One Piece. It’s arguably the most important fruit in the entire story, particularly because of its connection to the legendary Sun God Nika. Its true name is actually the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. When awakened, this fruit transforms the user into the Sun God, granting them extraordinary strength and freedom – essentially, the ability to do anything they can imagine.

As many fans are aware, Luffy ate this Devil Fruit when he was quite young. However, a recent chapter of One Piece revealed that someone else used the fruit before him. According to the author, Oda, Portgas D. Ace was most likely the original user of this Devil Fruit, and Luffy ate it by accident.

Luffy Ate The Gomu Gomu no Mi 12 Years Ago

As longtime fans will recall, Luffy ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi right at the beginning of the story. Shanks originally had the fruit, having obtained it from a defeated enemy ship with his crew, the Red Hair Pirates. We learned more about how they got it during the Wano Country Arc: Shanks attacked a Government ship while it was transporting the fruit, defeating Who’s Who, a member of CP9, and took the Devil Fruit for himself.

I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, so now I’m a rubber man. Look how much I can stretch. — Monkey D. Luffy

Shanks and his crew arrived in Foosha Village and stayed for over a year, which is where he first encountered Luffy. During this time, Luffy accidentally ate a Devil Fruit, granting him incredible, though initially uncontrollable, powers. Shanks sparked Luffy’s dream of becoming a pirate, and years later, Luffy began his own adventure – the start of the story fans know as One Piece.

As a One Piece fan, I’m so excited we’re finally getting some answers about why Shanks spent so much time in Foosha Village! It always struck me as really odd – why would a pirate as powerful as Shanks bother hanging around the East Blue? It’s the weakest of the four seas, so it just didn’t make sense what he was doing there for so long!

Shanks spent around a year in that location, likely searching for a specific person or object. He’d already obtained a Devil Fruit, but surprisingly, neither he nor anyone on his crew ate it. It’s heavily suggested, particularly in One Piece chapter 1169, that Shanks was holding onto the fruit for Ace.

Ace Was Supposed To Be The Real User Of The Gomu Gomu no Mi

  • Shanks Believed Ace To Be The Next Roger
  • The Devil Fruit Was Saved For Ace

I recently read chapter 1169 of One Piece, and it showed a scene from about 14 years ago with Shanks and Gaban in Elbaf. It turns out this was around a year before Shanks took the Gomu Gomu no Mi from the World Government. During their conversation, Gaban told Shanks that Roger had a son. They then revealed that Garp was raising the boy, and I could tell Shanks was genuinely happy to hear Roger’s bloodline continued.

So, Captain Roger had a son? That’s incredible he’s managed to avoid the Navy all this time! I have a feeling he’s destined to become the Pirate King! — Shanks to Gaban

Shanks saw Ace as a younger brother and confidently predicted he would become the next Pirate King – a belief Gaban didn’t share. Despite their differing opinions, it was clear Shanks cherished Ace and believed he would fulfill the legacy of Roger.

Shanks Was Looking For Roger’s Son After Learning About Him From Gaban

It’s pretty obvious that when Shanks took the Devil Fruit and went to the East Blue, he was already planning to find Ace. He was likely searching for Ace at that time, but Garp had done a good job of keeping him hidden. Shanks stayed for a whole year because Ace was hard to locate.

It’s funny, Shanks didn’t even know his name at first, which made things really tricky! Honestly, I always thought Shanks would have figured it out eventually, but Luffy actually ate the Devil Fruit before Ace did. That little detail is what really kicked everything off, and it’s such a crucial part of how the whole story unfolded!

It all becomes clearer when you consider what Roger himself said: he thought his son would be the one to find the One Piece. It’s obvious Shanks was grooming Ace to become the next Nika and ultimately, the Pirate King. While that didn’t work out, Shanks eventually found Luffy, who has now unlocked the power of Nika.

Ace Would Never Have Become Nika In One Piece

  • Zoan Fruits Have A Will Of Their Own
  • The Nika Fruit Chose Luffy

Even if Shanks had located Ace, Ace wouldn’t have become the current Nika. The Nika Fruit is a Zoan-type Devil Fruit, and like most Devil Fruits, it seems to have a will of its own, choosing only those it deems worthy of its power.

I’ve been thinking about the Nika Devil Fruit, and it’s incredible how it managed to stay hidden from the World Government for so long. It seems like it wasn’t random that it ended up with Luffy; it actually chose him. The fruit sensed a unique potential within Luffy, something it didn’t detect in anyone else. Even if Shanks had found Ace, the fruit wouldn’t have gone to him – their personalities just didn’t align, and Ace wasn’t the one the fruit was looking for. It really feels like this fruit was destined for someone with Luffy’s qualities, and that’s why he’s the one who possesses it now.

It’s fascinating to learn that Shanks didn’t just protect Ace, but also envisioned him as a future leader and even a potential savior. This highlights Shanks’ deep respect for Roger’s wishes and suggests he would have happily taken Ace under his wing as a younger brother if they’d met before Ace joined Whitebeard’s crew. Hopefully, the author, Oda, will reveal more about this connection later in the story.

Eiichiro Oda’s popular manga, One Piece, follows Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, on their adventure to find the legendary treasure, the One Piece. The story is currently in its final arc. A new chapter, 1170, will be released in this week’s issue of Weekly Shonen Jump on January 4, 2026. In Japan, it will be available at midnight on Monday, which translates to 11:00 AM Eastern Time or 8:00 AM Pacific Time. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump app, and doing so helps support the creator.

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2025-12-26 00:35