Highlights
- Key takeaways:
- The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is one of the most important Devil Fruits in One Piece, created through the wishes and wants of people for a certain type of human evolution.
- The Nika fruit was likely given rise to by the oppressed people of the world who wished for freedom and liberation. It is unclear how exactly these wishes were brought to life.
- Luffy is not the first Nika, and in the past, Joy Boy was also Nika, connecting to the prophecy of Oden and Toki. The Nika fruit has a will of its own, choosing its owner and evading capture by the World Government. Luffy was chosen because he embodies everything that Joy Boy represented, including freedom.
The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit that is of extreme importance in One Piece. This Devil Fruit was formerly known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi and fans know that it was eaten by Luffy at the very beginning of the story. In Wano, the true secrets of this Devil Fruit were finally revealed to the fans and it was made clear that this fruit was actually called the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika.
The true classification of this Devil Fruit was also revealed to be Zoan and its powers were put on full display in the Wano arc. Since then, quite a lot of the secrets related to Devil Fruits have been revealed in the series, and the creation of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika itself was touched upon as well.
How Was The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Created?
The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is quite easily one of the most important fruits in the series, if not the most important. Fans know that Devil Fruits most likely were created at some point in the past. This power did not always exist in the One Piece world which means, at some point, using some power, these fruits were given life itself. Vegapunk touches upon the creation of Devil Fruits in the Egghead arc itself and he explains that these fruits are various possibilities of human evolution. He terms them to be unnatural, which is very important to remember, because it confirms that Devil Fruits were created and were not present in nature by themselves. Since these Devil Fruits offer a possibility of a certain type of human evolution, it also means that the Nika fruit was created in the same way as any other Devil Fruit.
Essentially, Devil Fruits are given rise to by the wishes and wants of the people. For instance, if a person wished to be fire itself, then their wishes would give rise to the Mera Mera no Mi. How exactly this process works is something fans do not know at the moment, however, what they do know for a fact is that Devil Fruits were created from wishes of evolution.
This also means that the Nika fruit was given rise to by wishes as well. Specifically, fans know that this fruit offers freedom to the user and liberation to slaves all over the world. Essentially, it would then be easy to understand that the Nika Devil Fruit was given rise to by the people themselves. The many oppressed people of the world wished for a Warrior of Liberation, the Sun God, and they prayed to him. Essentially, that is what gave birth to this Devil Fruit. How exactly these wishes were brought to life is something that fans do not know, however, it is possible that this process could have been achieved either using an advanced weapon of the Ancient Kingdom, or, perhaps some other technology.
The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika During The Void Century
Luffy is not the first Nika and that is something that has been made quite clear in the story already. Fans know that Nika existed in the past as well and that is the person whom people prayed to. He saved countless people and liberated many slaves. In fact, the biggest confirmation of the fact that Nika existed in the past as well is Zunesha itself. This giant elephant was a companion of Joy Boy and when Luffy ended up awakening his Devil Fruit, Zunesha made it quite clear that he was glad to hear the Drums of Liberation once again throughout its lifetime. This means that in the past, Joy Boy was also Nika and held the same powers as Luffy. It also connects to Luffy fulfilling the prophecy of Oden and Toki, and freeing Wano country.
Once again, It was highlighted very well that the people of Wano were slaves and were in need of liberation. Luffy essentially went to them because they wished for liberation and he ended up freeing them in the process. That is precisely why Joy Boy likely became the first Nika as well. When the 20 Kingdoms combined their strength to combat the Ancient Kingdom, it is possible that they enslaved quite a lot of their ally countries.
This would then break out into a massive war, where Nika would then liberate quite a lot of countries but, eventually, die.
His will would then be passed on and that is what Luffy has inherited at the moment. It is unclear whether the first Nika had a Devil Fruit or whether he was turned into a Devil Fruit. Fans do know for a fact that Zoan types have a will of their own so it wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that they have souls inside them. It wouldn't be entirely a stretch to say that the Gomu Gomu no Mi would then have the soul of Joy Boy and that is why it ended up going to Luffy. Of course, it is also possible that the former Joy Boy simply ate this Devil Fruit too.
How The Nika Fruit Found Luffy
Regardless of whether the first Joy Boy ate the Nika Fruit or if he was Nika, to begin with, it doesn't make much of a difference. The fact is that the Devil Fruit was created at some point during the Void Century. This is something that is confirmed by the Five Elders holding a conversation about this Devil Fruit. They made it quite clear that they had been chasing this Devil Fruit for ages. This means that this fruit was given rise to quite a long time ago, likely during the Void Century itself or sometime immediately after it. For centuries, the World Government tried to go after this Devil Fruit, however, it never came into their grasp, simply because it has a will of its own. This Devil Fruit chooses its owner and it escapes the grasp of those who are not fit to wield it. This is very similar to how Teach claims he found the Yami Yami no Mi, however, his case is quite curious, given that his Devil fruit is a Logia-type, not a Zoan one.
Speaking of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, fans know that it evaded countless people and eventually found its way to Shanks, nearly 13 years ago now. Shanks stole this Devil Fruit from a Government vessel and he then went on to head to Foosha Village. There, he met Luffy and he ended up consuming this Devil Fruit, as fans see in the very first chapter of the series. Ever since then, Luffy became a rubber man and gained incredible powers that he trained for years.
Currently, Luffy is making full use of his abilities to bring freedom and joy to all of his friends and allies. This Devil Fruit only chose Luffy because he was the perfect embodiment of everything that Joy Boy represented. Luffy represents freedom itself, and he intends to be the most free person on the seas. That alone is enough reason for the Devil Fruit to choose him as its eater. Luffy was given a great ability, but he had to train his body and mind to put it to best use. At the end of the day, awakening could only be achieved by Luffy surpassing his limitations and widening his horizon, when it comes to imagination. Only his creativity and his incredible fighting prowess made him as strong as he is today.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1093, is set to be September 24, 2023.