Summary
Netflix’sOne Piece Live Action seriesbrought the world ofOne Pieceto life and managed to do so successfully. By all means, the show has been a massive success and will most likely continue in the coming years. It was incredibly difficult to bring Oda’s world to life, especially the powers that are present in it. Oda’sOne Pieceworld is filled with all sorts of mysterious powers that present itself in many different forms.
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Of course, the most popular form of power in the world ofOne Pieceare Devil Fruits. Fans have seen quite a lot of them in the first season of theOne Piece Live Action series, however, the most important fruit that has been introduced in the show so far is the Gum Gum Fruit,eaten by Luffy at the beginning of the story.This Devil Fruit was in possession of Shanks and there is a reason as to why he had it in the first place.
This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga.
How Luffy Ate The Gum Gum Fruit
Luffy ate the Gum Gum Fruit At the very young age of 7. At this time, Luffy used to insist on becoming a pirate by joining Shanks' crew. As seen in the story, Shanks did not allow this to happen, and this frustrated Luffy to the point where he went to the room where Shanks stored his treasure. One of the boxes ended up catching his eye and this box was the one inside which the Gum Gum Fruit was stored. The Devil Fruits have a certain aura about themselves and it is entirely possible that this aura is what attracted Luffy to consume it in the first place. For Luffy, however, the only reason why he ended up eating it was because he was hungry. Considering this fruit as dessert,Luffy ended up consuming it all, and moments later, he ended up gaining the powers of the Gum Gum Fruit.
Initially, Luffy felt no different after consuming this fruit. However, after Higuma had a scuffle with Shanks and went on to disrespect him, Luffy attempted to go after him. When Shanks grabbed his arm to stop him, it stretched like rubber. This was the first time that Luffy realized that something was wrong with his body and Shanks could immediately tell what it was. The powers of the Gum Gum Fruit had taken effect and turned Luffy’s body into rubber. In the later episodes, Luffy is seen practicing his Devil Fruit powers by learning the ability to stretch and squeeze slowly. This power would then go on to dictate his main fighting style and a decade later, Luffy mastered its powers completely.
Shanks' Acquisition Of The Gum Gum Fruit
While Luffy ate the Gum Gum Fruit inside the tavern bar where Shanks and the crew were partying, the fruit was not present there from the get-go. In fact, it is made very clear in the very first episode of the series that Shanks got this fruit from an enemy vessel. When looking at the box of the Devil Fruit, there is a Marine symbol drawn on it. This is a clear indication as to where Shanks got it from.Shanks and his crew, the Red Hair Pirates, raided a Marine vessel that was transporting this Devil Fruit for some reason. After plundering all their treasure, this Devil Fruit was also acquired by the Red Hair Pirates. It is also made quite clear that this Devil Fruit is worth quite a lot, and, in the manga, Lucky Roux emphasizes that quite clearly.
Immediately after raiding the Marine vessel, Shanks and his crew headed back to Foosha Village, which is where they had been staying for an entire year. Unloading all their cargo nearby, Shanks also placed the Gum Gum Fruit with the rest of the treasure that they had hoarded. That is precisely where Luffy ended up finding this Devil Fruit and consuming it.
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Curiously, in the manga, it is believed that some Devil Fruits have a will of their own and, thus, choose their wielder. This could very well have been the case with the Gum Gum Fruit as well. This Devil Fruit ended up choosing Luffy for a reason and there is a lot more related to it that gets explored later on in the story.
Why Shanks Acquired The Gum Gum Fruit
While fans know for a fact that Shanks acquired the Gum Gum Fruit from a Marine vessel, the reason as to why he went ahead with this plan is not quite clear at the moment. What makes this absurd is the fact that Shanks is seen as a very calm pirate. He is often seen making peace even between other pirates, as seen in the manga, especially. Yet, for some reason, Shanks decided to take things into his own hands and break his own rules by attacking a Marine vessel when he had absolutely no need to do so. It is quite clear that Shanks knew something about this Devil Fruit and that he ended up acquiring it for a reason.
Fans who have read the manga and are up to date would know that Shanks was also a member of the Roger Pirates. As such, he could be privy to the deepest and darkest secrets of theOne Pieceworld which also concern the Gum Gum Fruit, a heavily coveted Devil Fruit by the World Government. In the manga, it is also revealed to the fans that this Devil Fruit wasspecifically guarded by the CP9.This only goes to show that they were very careful about transporting it and Shanks had to have been tracking this Devil Fruit because he had plans for it. Logic would dictate that Shanks was on the goal to find the person who would inherit Joyboy’s will. It doesn’t appear as if feeding this Devil Fruit to Luffy was a part of the plan. However, things certainly did unravel in that direction. Despite everything that Shanks had planned, Luffy ended up becoming the person who consumed this fruit.
The Powers Of The Gum Gum Fruit
Whatever reason thatLuffy ended up eating the Gum Gum Fruitfor is something that will be explored later on in the story. For now, fans know for a fact that this fruit ended up becoming pivotal for Luffy on his journey as a pirate. His entire fighting style is based on the powers that this Devil Fruit offers. For one, the Gum Gum Fruit completely turned his body into rubber. This means that Luffy gains the power to stretch and compress at will. This also means that he gains immunity to blunt attacks. Since his body, including all his organs, are made of rubber, they cannot be damaged by blunt force. They simply end up retaining their normal shape and all damage is bounced back.
This is highlighted when Luffy fights against Alvida and gets hit on the head with her club. He is able to easily reflect the attack and show the fans that the vast majority of the attacks don’t work on him at all. That said, Luffy also becomes impervious to slash-based attacks when using the powers of this Devil Fruit. Rubber can be sliced and that becomes one of his biggest weaknesses. As the series progresses, so does Luffy’s control over the powers of this Devil Fruit. By stretching and squeezing his body in a variety of ways, Luffy gains various power-ups and learns new techniques.
The vast majority of abilities that Luffy has developed over the years see him make clever use of this Devil Fruit. For instance, the major power-ups of Gear Second and Gear Third that fans see later on in the story are completely accessible to him because of his fruit. The power of inflation gives him access to a whole new dimension of abilities and having a rubber heart as well as veins means that Luffy can increase his blood pressure by pumping blood faster without rupturing his circulatory system. The Gum Gum Fruit offers an array of abilities to Luffy that only someone with a curious mind such as his can make full use of. Fans can only hope that, as One Piece continues, Luffy continues to stretch and squeeze himself in goofy ways.
One Piece Live Action is available to watch onNetflix.
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