Speculations The origins of Devil Fruits

[Sir Yasheen]

This is just speculation on one possible origin of the devil fruits, how the possibility is hidden in plain sight, and the impact this theory would have on the lore of the verse:

TLDR: The term Devil Fruits are an in verse mistranslation similar to Raftel and the true translation is Dragon Fruit and they were once hearts of the dragons.

Now where this idea comes from:
1. This idea came from a simple question, why are dragons so important in the story despite never appearing? Like seriously, we have them canonically existing in the verse from the Monsters one shot, the main villains of the verse are known as the Celestial Dragons, and Fishman island palace is called the dragon palace. So with all this in mind, where the fuck are the actual dragons?

- The possibilities I considered is that they’re either in hiding or have already gone extinct. Obviously, I prefer the more interesting option of them being in hiding. As to the where? I believe there are only two places in the entire verse that could hide creatures like dragons:
1. Raftel - Quite obvious location
2. Florian Triangle - I believe this to be a better possibility because it’s already shown to be the home of massive monsters and has been one of the most dangerous stretches of the sea for decades.

- The Florian triangle possibility is where I started to consider the connection between the terms dragon and devil. The Florian Triangles kanji is written as Devils Triangle, however, seeing how the Latin term Draco can be translated to both Devils and Dragon this is where the full connection came forth. And this is also a connection that’s already made in verse because of Dracule Mihawk. A character who’s based on Dracula known as son of the dragon and son of the devil.

2. Now that the connection between the terms Dragons and Devils came to mind, it made me reconsider when the word Devil is used in the story, and specifically the Devil Fruits. Once you change the term from devil Fruits to Dragon fruits, a lot of things come to mind.

- The first of these being a legend of why Pitaya is called Dragon Fruits in our world. For those who don’t know, the legend of Dragon Fruits is that in battle, a dragon would spit out a fruit that would be collected after the dragon is slain and then given to the emperor as proof of the kill. This felt scary similar to how devil fruits transfer owner where the fruit is created when its previous users dies.

- This legend of the fruit also mentions that after killing the dragon, soldiers would butcher the dragon and gain its strength as their own. Which again aligns with what we know of Devil Fruits.

- Next is what Vegapunk said about Devil Fruits being born from desire. Most of us who spend our time on sites like these discussing anime have seen multiple examples of dragons granting desires: Shenron and Purunga from Odas favorite manga as the prime example but these wish dragons share a long mythology of history beyond that as well. So the connection between Desires and Dragons is also there and can be commonly seen in other stories

- Finally combining these two, i believe this is a possible origin of Devil fruits and why the dragons are either extinct or in hiding, because in the ancient past killing and eating the heart or a part of the dragon would grant your desire in the form of a devil fruit ability.

 

[Yoho]

Interesting theory

I think they came from a primordial fruit i.e the first devil fruit and from the seeds of the original all the others spawned

I believe the original is currently being used by Imu

 

[Sir Yasheen]

Interesting theory

I think they came from a primordial fruit i.e the first devil fruit and from the seeds of the original all the others spawned

I believe the original is currently being used by Imu

Main issue I have with the original fruit theory is that where did that fruit come from, whoms desire? What was that desire? It feels like it leaves more questions than answers.

 

[Yoho]

Main issue I have with the original fruit theory is that where did that fruit come from, whoms desire? What was that desire? It feels like it leaves more questions than answers.

🤔 Top of the Adam tree maybe

 

[Sir Yasheen]

🤔 Top of the Adam tree maybe

Maybe but as Vegapunk said they came from desire. So that’s kinda the real question is who’s desire and how’s

 

[Moegara]

TLDR: The term Devil Fruits are an in verse mistranslation similar to Raftel

Raftel isn't in verse.

 

[Yoho]

Maybe but as Vegapunk said they came from desire. So that’s kinda the real question is who’s desire and how’s

🤔I think Vegapunk was just spit balling theories I'm not sure if that's actually the answer but if it is I guarantee it ties back to the original Nika somehow

 

[OykotsTreasure]

Honestly, I think you're on the right track. I've had similar ideas, myself on the matter.

Personally, though, I'm leaning towards thinking that the Devil Fruits have ties to Outer Space. Mostly due to what seems like the "terraforming" properties that they have. Like we've seen on Punk Hazard, with the environment changing after Akainu and Aokiji's fight. With the Devil Fruits basically containing information that can replicate Animals (Zoans), Elements (Logias), and Ideas (Paramecias) from some other world. It just seems to me like these Devil Fruits were MADE to try to change one world to be more like another. Possibly a way to turn other planets into being more like Earth by some space-faring version of Humanity.

Personally, I'm thinking that the One Piece World is a alien world that has "inherited the will" of the planet Earth. I think that Humanity might have changed this world to be more like their original homeworld. But, that's a long theory. And it's possible that Humans stole the Devil Fruit "technology" from the Dragons. I just find that unlikely since most of these Devil Fruits seem to be copying things that would have come from Earth. Earth Animals. Earth Fairy Tales. But, it's possible that the Humans just "reprogrammed" the Fruits that the Dragons gave to them. There's a couple different ways it could play out. The Devil's in the details.



As for the "Raftel" or "corrupted language" part of the theory, here's another option. What if instead of "Devil" Fruits, it was originally supposed to be "Devel" Fruits. As in, "Development" Fruits. Fruits made to "develop" uninhabitable worlds into something that could sustain human life? This is...a stretch, I'll admit. And I have NO IDEA if this works at all in Japanese. But, I do think it would be a interesting twist. And, again, it'd tie things into the whole "terraforming" idea. If that's the way the story ends up going.



As for where the Dragons could possibly be, I think we've already seen a hint. The hole in the ocean that are left behind when Uranos was used to destroy Lulusia. Which was probably also how Enies Lobby's hole was formed.

Personally, I think that these holes only make sense if the One Piece World is actually hollow inside. Hiding a secret underground world where the Dragon race has been imprisoned for centuries or millennia at this point. And from what we've seen of people's who's powers seem to come from the underworld, like Brook and V Nusjuro, this is likely a Frozen Underworld like the Eight Cold Hells of Buddhism.
https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/E/11

And what would happen if you fired a giant laser at a land that's made of ice? It'd melt, releasing a bunch of water. Explaining the rising sea levels.

And if there ARE a bunch of frozen dragons at the center of the planet, this actually might explain some of the various plagues that this world has seen. I mean...Sapphire Scale? That sounds like something you'd get if you were around a Dragon that looked a lot like Kaido, wouldn't it? And if the waters of the One Piece World are partially tainted by decaying bodies frozen in ice...that might explain where some of these diseases are coming from.

But, that might be what the Ancient Weapons were originally built for. It seems like Joyboy was originally planning on using the Ancient Weapons. But, what if they weren't supposed to be used as "weapons" at all? What if they're just tools that are supposed to be used to awaken the Dragons frozen in suspended animation? It's just that the World Government has raised the setting on these Ancient Weapons from "thaw" all the way to "charbroil".

So, I think the Dragons are actually trapped inside the frozen core of the planet. Waiting to be released. Waiting for a chance to see the sun again after being frozen alive in darkness long ago.



Or if you don't like that theory, there is one other place that the Dragons could be hiding. Right in plain sight.

I think the Dragons could actually be the Den Den Mushi/Transponder Snails.

I think it's possible that once upon a time someone had a Devil Fruit very similar to Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit, that allowed them to transform other people into snails. And we've seen with Hancock's Love-Love Fruit that sometimes the user is the only person who can transform people back to their original form. So, you COULD trap a entire race in this transformed state if you killed off the Devil Fruit user after they used this power on them. Think something along the lines of Ursula from The Little Mermaid turning people into sea worms, that kind of thing.

I've long harbored a suspicion against these snails. They're just too weird and ubiquitous to not be a plot point. They've been everywhere for so long that we've all just gotten used to them and accept them as a natural part of this world, not questioning how any of this came to be. And leaving something this big in plain sight is something Oda would LOVE to do, I think.

Plus, if there was some way to change them all back to their original state, that would mean they would appear in almost every home around the world. It's a ready made invading army that could be useful in driving up the stakes in the Final Saga.

Personally, I don't know if this is best used for the Dragons, though. I could see the Snails turning out to be the citizens of the Ancient Kingdom. Or potentially a "Fourth Endangered Race", like the Lunarians, Three-Eyes, or Buccaneers. The telling thing is that the Den Den Mushi seem to have some sort of psychic powers, being able to communicate with each other over large distances. Assuming that their "original forms" had similar powers, they would fit in pretty well with the other "Endangered Races". The Lunarians are Fire Starters/Pyrokinetics. The Three Eyes have empathic powers, being able to hear the Voice of All Things. And Buccaneers seem to have some power over their souls (maybe?), possibly the power to Astral Project or being able to leave a Psychic Imprint on objects? In most of these cases, these "Endangered Races" seem to have psychic powers, so the Telepathic Den Den Mushi would fit right in, in my opinion. Maybe this "Fourth Race" would have little antennas on their heads, like Namekians from Dragon Ball.



But, I agree with the overall sentiment. The Dragons ARE coming! And they WILL be amazing!

 

[trav]

Maybe but as Vegapunk said they came from desire

Vegapunk does not know shit. According to himself. Hes spitballing.
But he is referring to human desire specifically in his rambling.

 

[Bisoromi Bear]

Main issue I have with the original fruit theory is that where did that fruit come from, whoms desire? What was that desire? It feels like it leaves more questions than answers.

Maybe they're completely artificial and were based on the desires of the scientists who made them or on the desires humans might have in their everyday lives.

 

[Blax Blah]

Maybe they're completely artificial and were based on the desires of the scientists who made them or on the desires humans might have in their everyday lives.

I think Brook's fruit affecting the soul may not be possible if they are technology or devices, if science works the same in one piece, because science only mostly deals with nature,

 

[Vanlax]

Devil Fruits being revealed as dragon hearts would ruin it for me—it feels way too cliche. The concept of Devil Fruits is unique imo, and even Vegapunk’s vague explanation of them being born from people's desires ties into the theme of 'will,' which is central to One Piece.

Also then, why would sea be their weakness? Since Kaido, a dragon was said to be the WSC land, sea, and air. That means dragon's weakness isn't sea but just the devil fruit themselves.

However, reading this, first thing that comes to mind is it could actually be close to what Devil Fruits were inspired from when Oda was creating them, Dragon Ball and Goku. Kudos if it is.

 

[Sir Yasheen]

Devil Fruits being revealed as dragon hearts would ruin it for me—it feels way too cliche. The concept of Devil Fruits is unique imo, and even Vegapunk’s vague explanation of them being born from people's desires ties into the theme of 'will,' which is central to One Piece.

Also then, why would sea be their weakness? Since Kaido, a dragon was said to be the WSC land, sea, and air. That means dragon's weakness isn't sea but just the devil fruit themselves.

However, reading this, first thing that comes to mind is it could actually be close to what Devil Fruits were inspired from when Oda was creating them, Dragon Ball and Goku. Kudos if it is.

So the sea being their weakness may result from a curse put on by the dragons themselves. Ryujin is a Japanese mythological dragon who held domain over the ocean.

This dragons home is actually mentioned in the one piece world as his palace was the ryugu palace, same name as the palace in Fishman island.

So the sea hating devil fruit users also aligns with it as the sea is the domain of the dragons and would hate those who benefit from the dragons murders.

 

[Bisoromi Bear]

Devil Fruits being revealed as dragon hearts would ruin it for me—it feels way too cliche. The concept of Devil Fruits is unique imo, and even Vegapunk’s vague explanation of them being born from people's desires ties into the theme of 'will,' which is central to One Piece.

Also then, why would sea be their weakness? Since Kaido, a dragon was said to be the WSC land, sea, and air. That means dragon's weakness isn't sea but just the devil fruit themselves.

However, reading this, first thing that comes to mind is it could actually be close to what Devil Fruits were inspired from when Oda was creating them, Dragon Ball and Goku. Kudos if it is.

I doubt the devil fruits are dragon hearts. In the early concepts the gum gum fruit grew on a tree, I don't expecte Oda to make major changes here , all that's changed is the addition of other fruits.

 

[NexusLord]

Dragons are somewhat important if you ask me, but for something else. There was a filler arc in the Pre-TS that focused on millenium dragons.
- Grandpa Ryu was reincarnated as the new hatchling.
- The elixir granting eternal youth may have foreshadowed Imu's eternal youth.
- Apis has a Devil Fruit ability based on hearing the voices of animals which may have foreshadowed telepathy abilities like how Momonosuke and Shirahoshi can speak to and command creatures.

Sennenryu
The Sennenryu (千年竜, Sen'nen-ryū?, literally meaning "Thousand Year Dragon" or "Millennium Dragon") Funimation dub: "Millennial Dragon" are a species of dragon that originate from Dragon's Nest, under Warship Island.

Every 1000 years, they return to the nest to give birth and die. Their bones, when extracted to create an elixir, can grant eternal youth, which is what Nelson and Eric desired. The only named one is Ryu, though a huge group did gather during the Dragon's Nest's rising. They only appear in the anime in the Warship Island Arc, and first appeared in Episode 55, but are also referenced in the Ocean's Dream arc.

Their appearances in the series created a plot-hole, as Zoro later commented that he did not believe in the existence of dragons.

Concerning other elements of this post I have many things to say.

I will start with this

I think Brook's fruit affecting the soul may not be possible if they are technology or devices, if science works the same in one piece, because science only mostly deals with nature,

I would like to challenge your thoughts here, Blax Blah. Why do you think Brook's Devil Fruit affecting the soul cannot be possible if it is based on technology or devices? This is because you believe that science in One Piece works the same as in real life, isn't it? The word you used was "natural" to describe it.

I'll try to make what I'm saying as simple and as straightforward as possible - that's the problem. You're drawing a line between what is considered natural and what is considered supernatural. My feeling is that the ancient technology in the story blurs the lines between those very things. It creates a bridge between what would be considered normal science vs. pseudoscience. Science fiction often uses pseudoscience. It's par for the course.

Mysticism and spiritualism can be turned into science with science fiction by suggesting that what we would call "magic" is just advanced technology. This involves certain laws or rules in story making. One Piece is a story that involves occult themes like new age philosophy.

One of the only real clues concerning devil fruits and their inner workings involves the "rules" characters have told us themselves. Luffy, Sabo, and some others have repeatedly stated a certain line that says "Devil fruit abilities aren't magic."My feeling here is that they were not lying.

They're not magic. They're a form of advanced technology that is indistinguishable from magic. Though, the reverse can also be true. Careful reasoning should lead one to the conclusion that the ancient kingdom's beliefs and values involved certain elements of mysticism and spiritualism and that this form of knowledge permitted them to create mystical or spiritual technology. This is why the Devil Fruits can affect people's souls.

In 1962, in his book “Profiles of the Future: An Inquiry into the Limits of the Possible”, science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke formulated his famous Three Laws, of which the third law is the best-known and most widely cited: “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic”

The converse of Clarke's third law is Niven's Law, which states, "Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology".

The original fruit theory is interesting. I've also had similar ideas like others have. However, unlike others, I believe that the Voice of All Things was a constituent of it. Whoever had that ability also had mystical and spiritual knowledge about All Things. A person with that kind of ability may be able to use their own subtle energy or their own voice to create a Seed of All Things which would make a devil fruit tree. I imagine it may be something like that. This tree acts to filter out the separate voices inside all things. The voice bends the fruit of the tree to its will and this is how you get different fruits because each one is a vessel that can only contain 1 voice at a time.

This is a mystical tree if it truly exists in the story. The reason that these fruits don't actually create seeds is because they don't reproduce that way. That would be a natural form of reproduction. However, these are fruits that contain voices and subtle energy. Instead, they reproduce through metaphysical means. The reincarnation cycle. Normal fruits don't do that shit.

I mean if you really think about it this has happened before in stories. Naruto and Toriko come to mind. In Naruto, they have a straight up Chakra Fruit that gets created by sucking up the "energy" of a planet and all life on it. In Toriko, they ate Gourmet Food filled with Gourmet Cells that released Gourmet Energy. The Appetite Demons reproduced metaphysically as well through this process. The argument can be made for some of these stories that these are "natural" processes, but they're really highly advanced forms of evolution of a supernatural nature.

Here in One Piece that single rule that devil fruit abilities aren't magic should indicate that it was created by someone instead of being just a highly evolved fruit on its own.

Some ancient cultures believe that their understanding of the universe is ultimate. For example, in some eastern cultures, it is believed that the principles of Hinduism have always existed and will always exist. They have rules about cosmic laws and other such things that if you followed them you could be a heavenly king and that if you truly understood the rules of the universe then you could create unparalleled advanced technology. I figure that's what the ancient kingdom in the story embodies. Vegapunk noted that what he understood was infantile compared to what they did.

My feeling is that it was an experiment on Joyboy's own body. He was the seed itself or at least the precursor to the seed.

I may look at this more, but I'll post it for now.