Boa Hancock is a beloved One Piece character, famed as the Pirate Empress. As the leader of Amazon Lily, the Snake Princess is the head of an all-female pirate crew, known as the Kuja Pirates. They are feared across the world as every single member of the crew is a Haki user. The Pirate Empress was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea until recently and the only female one at that. This group of pirates that was in affiliation with the World Government is one of the Three Great Powers that maintains order and balance all across the seas in the One Piece world. With the recent dissolution of the Shichibukai system, all the members see themselves targeted by the Marines once again.
In the recent chapter 1059, the focus was taken away from Wano, where the Straw Hat had set sail from, and put onto Amazon Lily, the island of women where Hancock stood her ground against the continuous Marines' invasion. While she was able to swiftly stop almost everyone, she was caught by surprise by Yonko Blackbeard and was almost killed. At the same time, he had an eye on her devil Fruit, the Mero Mero no Mi. Hancock's Devil Fruit has always been very overpowered and Blackbeard wanting it only further confirms that this fruit is, in fact, very dangerous.
What Is The Mero Mero No Mi?
The Mero Mero no Mi was forcefully fed to Boa Hancock over 15 years ago for the entertainment of the Celestial Dragons when she was captured as a slave. As a child, Hancock and her two sisters, Boa Sandersonia and Boa Marigold were captured and sold as slaves to the World Nobles, also known as the Tennryubitos. During their time as captives, they were marked with the hoof of the dragon on their backs, making them slaves. They endured enormous abuse at the hand of the World Nobles, so much so that just the recurring thoughts sent them into a panic. In the end, they were freed by a Fishman, Fisher Tiger, who was aided by some others as well.
Shortly after, Hancock grew in both strength and ranking. She learned to control her fruit better and used its powers to her benefit. The fruit being a Paramecia, works in unconventional ways. The main concept of this Love Love Fruit is that it has the capacity to turn anyone and anything into stone. It is also heavily inspired by the story of a mythical figure. In general, Hancock's Devil Fruit and the overall snake theme around her crew and herself are reflective of the Greek mythical character that she was based on, Medusa.
Medusa was a woman who endured countless waves of abuse before being turned into a snake-haired monster with the ability to turn anyone who looks into her eyes into stone. The similarities between these two characters don't just end at her powers, but also extend to their stories. Hancock and her sisters are called the Gorgon Sisters, and in Greek mythology, this is a reference to three sisters with snake-coiling hair – also bearing the ability of turning people to stone. It's also interesting to note that Medusa was known for her hatred of men, just like Boa Hancock.
The Abilities Of The Mero Mero No Mi
The general overarching ability of the Mero Mero no Mi is the power to turn people and objects into stone. This, however, can be achieved in many ways, whether long-distance or short. One of the first and most memorable abilities Boa Hancock showcases with her fruit is her Mero Mero Mellow. She activates this power by holding her hands in a heart shape. This emits a heart-shaped beam capable of turning anyone who experiences lust towards her into stone. This ability can be overcome if someone experiences an emotion stronger than lust, such as fear, or if they simply don't feel lust towards her, which is highly unlikely as she is the most beautiful woman in the world, making both men and women fall in love with her.
Contrary to popular belief, all her abilities do not require lust for them to work. That condition is only required for her Mero Mero Mellow to work, seeing as she does not only turn humans into stone, but objects as well, ranging from canon balls to Pacifistas. Some other abilities under her belt can be categorized into long or short-range attacks. For short range, she uses her Perfume Femur, where she combines her agility and powerful kicks to turn all to stone with swift actions.
When it comes to long-range, besides her Mero Mero Mellow, she has abilities like Pistol Kiss, where she fires small projectiles by touching her lips and then shooting with her hand. Another ability would be her Slave Arrow, where she draws a large pink heart from between her lips and uses it like a bow that explodes into smaller arrows, hitting its targets and turning them all to stone.
An interesting new fact that was discovered about her fruit is that whoever was turned to stone by her can only be turned back to normal by her. Even if someone else was to consume her Devil Fruit, they would not be able to turn back Hancock's victims, making this a powerful bargain she can use to her advantage. Clearly, Hancock's Devil Fruit is overpowered in more ways than one and pounds will certainly find out more about it as the story progresses further.