Highlights

- The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is a special Devil Fruit that belongs to Luffy and grants him the power of a rubber human.
- Luffy has evolved and mastered the abilities of this Devil Fruit, creating powerful forms like Gear Second, Gear Third, and Gear Fourth.
- The first user of the Nika fruit was Joy Boy, who spread laughter and joy and left behind a treasure on Laugh Tale for the next Joy Boy to find.

The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, also known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, is a very special Devil Fruit that exists in the One Piece world. Currently, this Devil Fruit belongs to none other than Luffy, the protagonist of the story and the series has, lately, delved into what this power offers and its true nature.

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Luffy has brought out the very best of this ability, starting from the Wano Country Arc, where he crushed Kaido. He continues to use this power to the utmost best in the Final Saga of the story. However, before, there was another user of this amazing ability and this person holds the key to the Void Century.

What Is The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika?

Luffy Gear 5 Pirate King One Piece - Featured

The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika is an amazing Devil Fruit that belongs to Luffy. This Devil Fruit is of the Mythical Zoan subclass, however, it was previously believed to be of the Paramecia class. It was reclassified by the World Government to hide its true nature and, as a result, its name was also changed. This Devil Fruit, much like every other Zoan, is believed to have a will of its own. Zoan Devil Fruits can choose their users and they can even elude those who they deem unworthy. They are somewhat special and the fact that this fruit belongs to Luffy is no mere coincidence.

This Devil Fruit deemed Luffy worthy of being Nika and was thus in his possession. This Devil Fruit was once in the possession of the World Government, however, Shanks attacked the vessel and ended up stealing it. Once he managed that, Shanks took this fruit with him to the East Blue, for unknown reasons. It is possible that Shanks wanted someone else to consume this Devil Fruit, likely Roger's very own son. However, in a twist of fate, it was Luffy who ended up consuming this Devil Fruit, and ever since then, he was granted the power of the Hito Hito no Mi, model: Nika.

This Devil Fruit was believed to hold the power of rubber at first. That was all that it offered, according to the description that is commonly spread in the One Piece world. The Devil Fruit, known as the Gomu Gomu no Mi, turned the user's body into rubber and made them a rubber man. However, the true power of this Devil Fruit is much greater than that. This Devil Fruit turns the user into a rubber human, and it also grants them the ability to fight however they want. It grants them immense freedom and the ability to spread laughter and joy wherever they go.

It turns them into the Warrior of Liberation, who frees people from their misery and spreads laughter and joy among them. Essentially, this fruit holds the power of a God, the Sun God, Nika. There is no limitation to what this fruit can and cannot do. The only limitation of this fruit is the imagination of the user. As long as the user can imagine things that could be seemingly impossible for others, they can pull them off and Luffy has already shown that when he has done things such as run in mid-air or, produce things out of nothing, such as manifesting goggles, among other things.

Luffy's Usage Of The Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika

Luffy Nika Gear 5 Oda Freedom One Piece 1103

Luffy's usage of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika has been nothing short of extraordinary. He has utilized this Devil Fruit to the absolute best. From the very beginning, Luffy was up to the task and even though it took him some time to get used to its ability, through years and years of training, he managed to gain a grasp over its basic abilities. It took Luffy around 10 years to master this Devil Fruit to a decent degree. From there onwards, Luffy used his imagination and creativity in the face of danger to evolve the powers that this Devil Fruit offered him.

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Luffy not only utilized the firepower that this fruit offered him, but he also evolved the fruit to the next level using the many properties of rubber. He created Gears, such as Gear Second, Gear Third, and when he learned Haki, he combined the essence of it with his Devil Fruit and created things such as Gear Fourth and its many forms.

Luffy created the powers of Bounceman, Snakeman, Tankman, among others, and this was just a glimpse of what his creativity could let him do in battle. When Luffy continued to train these powers to the absolute maximum, his mind and body caught up with the ability, and that led to the awakening of the Devil Fruit. After losing the battle against Kaido for the third time and dying, Luffy awakened this Devil Fruit and brought forth the true power of the Nika fruit, leading to the return of Joy Boy.

The Former User Of The Nika Fruit

One Piece - Robin First Uttering The Name Joy Boy That She Read From A Poneglyph

When Luffy awakened the Devil Fruit, Zunesha confirmed that this was the return of Joy Boy. This means that Luffy was not the first person to hold the power of Gear 5 and there was someone before him who could use this power as well. This person was none other than the first Joy Boy, who was also famed as Nika at the time. It is the legend of this Nika that is passed down among the Buccaneer folk and many other races, such as the Lunarians of the One Piece world as well. Joy Boy and Nika were most definitely the same person, however, the name of this individual is not known. Joy boy was most certainly a title that was given to this individual and Nika was the name of the power that he wielded.

The true name of this person is not known, however, Binks is a very good guess, as that is an individual who existed in the Void Century as well. Regardless, the first user of the Gomu Gomu no Mi, or the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika was Joy Boy himself, and just like Luffy, he managed to awaken its powers. He became the Sun God Nika and he spread laughter and joy all over the world in One Piece. He befriended so many people that his legends were passed down centuries, and still exist today. He promised the Fishmen that he would bring them to the surface and, he did a lot of good in his life.

Unfortunately, the first Joy Boy ended up being crushed by the World Government and the collaboration of the Founding 20. Joy Boy ended up falling, however, he knew that his will would be inherited. He left his treasure behind at the Final Island, Laugh Tale, and he knew that in 800 years of time, someone would come and become the next Joy Boy, fulfilling destiny itself.

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. Since One Piece is going to be on break, the release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1104, is set to be January 21, 2024.