Ok, so this is a theory I've had in mind that I've wanted to do ever since I did my first Final Fantasy connection theory way back in 2016. I briefly brought up the concept in my initial theory by touching upon the parallels of magic and Magicite from Final Fantasy VI, but never delved too deep into it. Now as the story of One Piece is moving forward to EoS, and I see more and more things popping that reaffirm my suspicions, I've decided to finally buckle down and make this theory.
So to begin with, I want to break down what the concept of Magic and Magicite is in Final Fantasy, and how it can perfectly explain how Devil Fruit abilities came into existence. Now in Final Fantasy VI, magic is widely used throughout the World, however it is not a universal ability that the people within the World are capable of possessing on their own. In order for a person in FFVI to use magic, they have to possess what is known as "Magicite" or rather, a "Magic Stone." It is after acquiring these stones that your character (And also NPC's) are capable of wielding Magic in the World.
Now, Magicite isn't just random stones that came into existence in the World through some unknown means, nor did it manifest itself out of nowhere. Magicite is actually tied to an ancient Race in FFVI, known as the Espers. 1000 Years prior to the events of FFVI, there was a great War that happened within the World. It was known as the War for Dominance. The War was a battle between The Warring Triad, which were also known as the "God's of Magic." In this war, the Humans got caught up between the battle of these three God's, were enslaved, and given Magical abilities, and thus the Espers were created.
The Espers didn't need magicite to use magic, as they were given their abilities by the God's themselves. However though, it is through the Espers, that magicite is born. You see, when an Esper is killed, their ability manifests itself in the form of a crystal, and as you can guess, that Crystal is what is known as Magicite. So to paraphrase, the magical abilities that current humans in FFVI can use stem from Magicite, which is born through an Espers death. Basically, Espers could use magic freely, while Humans 1000 years in the future, need the remains of the Espers in order to use magic.
One more thing I want to note, that in FFVI, there is a race of humans in the Future who are capable of wielding magic, but it is to a very small degree, and is basically a watered down version of what the Espers were capable of. These Humans were actually direct descendants of the Espers, and as the years went on from the war that happened 1000 years prior, their magic grew weaker.
So with that out of the way, how does this connect with One Piece? Well the answer is pretty simple. Throughout the series, we are steadily seeing characters use "Magical" abilities, despite the fact that they don't have Devil Fruits. We have Sanji with Diable Jambe, The Mink's with Electro, Ideo who can cause explosions with his fist, Fishman who can manipulate Water, King, who can manifest fire at will, Big Mom and Bobby Funk with seemingly unbreakable skin, etc.. etc...
Of all the things that are the biggest mystery in the series, the fact that characters can use abilities without a Devil Fruits are at the top of the list. How is this possible? I believe the answer to that is "Lineage Factor." Now, while a whole lot isn't currently known about "Lineage Factor" in One Piece, what we do know is that by manipulating it, one can grant people access to "special abilities." This is proven by not only Judge, with his experiments done on his own kids, but also by Vegapunk by being able to Clone Devil fruits.
So now that we've gotten the synopsis of both FFVI and One Piece out of the way, lets connect the two. In FFVI, you had original magic users (Espers) who were capable of using magic freely. The descendants of those Espers were still capable of wielding said magic, but to a much lesser degree. In One Piece, we have characters capable of using "Devil Fruit" like powers, but without any devil fruits. I would liken these characters to the descendants of the Espers in FFVI. If we look at King's Race, it is said that his descendants were all capable of manipulating Fire. But to what degree could these guys do it? Was it like King, or was it much much more powerful, like say, Mera Mera no Mi levels of power? The same thing with the Minks. They can manipulate Electricity to a certain degree, but then there is a Devil Fruit that exists that makes the Minks electricity look like a carpet shock. The Goro Goro no Mi, is thousands of times more powerful than what the Mink's can achieve.
So remember when I was talking about Magicite? Well there is one thing I omitted to state. Not only does Magicite allow someone to use Magic, but it allows them to use it to the same degree as the original Espers who wielded those powers. It's not a watered down version like the Espers descendants, but rather the full blown abilities.
So my theory here, is that roughly 900-1000 years ago in the One Piece World, people were capable of using the full power of Devil Fruit abilities without actually eating a Devil Fruit. In fact, I'll be as so bold as to say, that these guys are the ones who actually created the Devil Fruits. Just like how the Espers of FFVI left their powers behind in the form of Magicite, the ancient races of the One Piece World left their powers behind in the form of Devil Fruits.
How is that possible? Well I think we already have the answer to that as well, and that answer lies in Haki, Vegapunk, Zoro and Sanji. From what we've seen with Haki, people are capable of imbuing their Haki inside inanimate objects. Haki is known as a manifestation of someone's Willpower, and yet somehow, characters can force their willpower into objects. With Vegapunk, he was able to extract that "Soul" of a Devil Fruit, and actually place it inside of an inanimate object.
So where do Zoro and Sanji come into play? Well, we have Asura, and Diable Jambe. Now even though there is no real known explanation for Asura, there is somewhat of an explanation for Sanji. His Diable Jambe is attributed to his "passion" which allows for him to produce his flames at will. That to can be seen as a form of manifesting ones willpower. I believe that is the same explanation for Zoro. His Asura stems from manifesting his willpower. So if you can take the manifestation of Willpower via "Haki" and place it in an inanimate object, then why wouldn't you be able to do the same for something like Sanjis "Diable Jambe" or Zoro's "Asura"?
I think it would be completely plausible for something like that, and would perfectly explain how Devil Fruits came to be. "Devil Fruit" abilities were actually regular abilities back during the Void Century. Abilities that came about by people manifesting their Willpower. I think the War of the Magi, and the One Piece War from the Void Century would be pretty similar. The Ancient Kingdom and allies were essentially the "Espers" and upon losing the war, they left their abilities behind, much like the Espers did when they lost the War of the Magi.
Now I don't think the inspiration stops at just FFVI, as I believe there is some influence from FFVII that ties into all of this as well. Materia in FFVII, functions very much like Magicite in FFVI. Materia, is what is known as Crystalized Mako. Mako is the primary energy source of the FFVII, and it comes from the lifestream. The lifestream itself is a collecting of energy of the souls of the people who have died. The crazy part is, is that Materia, when equipped and used by people, actually grows stronger over the years, and the Materia moves from one person to another. Essentially, when a new person equips Materia, that someone previously had, they are inheriting not only the abilities of that Materia, but the life force that the previous user instilled into it. I don't know you about, but that is eerily similar to "Inhertiing Wills" in One Piece. Sabo wanted to eat Ace's Devil Fruit, so he could inherit his Will. As Materia is passed down through one person to the other, the new person "Inherits the life force" of the previous user.
Now in FFVII, there is an Ancient Race of people known as "The Cetra" who very much resemble that of the Espers of FFVI. The Cetra themselves were able to wield magic on their own, while after they disappeared, the only way to be able to wield Magic, was to utilize Materia. The crazy part is, is that the reason the Cetra were able to wield magic on their own, is because they could actually commune with the "Lifestream" and the planet. Essentially, they were able to draw upon the powers of the Lifestream, while those who weren't apart of the Cetra Clan, could not.
I think this could tie into the whole concept of the "D Clan", as I believe they are the parallels of the Cetra in FFVII. I think the only people in the One Piece World who were capable of using DF abilities naturally, were the D Clan, much like the Cetra were in FFVII. They are the ones who created Devil Fruits. With this, we can surmise, that the "D Clan" is actually known as the "Devil Clan." Those who were God's natural enemy, were the Devils. Hence the reason the name of the fruits that can grant people "Magical abilities" are known as "Devil" Fruits, as they were born from the "Devil Clan."
So to recap, I believe that The D Clan, were originally capable of wielding Devil Fruit abilities, naturally. At some point during the Void Century, a massive war happened, and in an effort to preserve their powers, they imbued their abilities into Fruits, in order for them to be passed down through the ages, in preparation for the "Promised Day."
And one last thing I want to mention, if this is all true, then the fact that Blackbeard is a "D" could heavily play into why he is capable of eating two Devil Fruits. If Blackbeard is a direct descendant of those who could use Devil Fruit abilities at will, then there might not be any kind of drawback for any "D" who eats a second Devil Fruit. Blackbeard is just the only one who had the balls to test it out.
Edited:
So to begin with, I want to break down what the concept of Magic and Magicite is in Final Fantasy, and how it can perfectly explain how Devil Fruit abilities came into existence. Now in Final Fantasy VI, magic is widely used throughout the World, however it is not a universal ability that the people within the World are capable of possessing on their own. In order for a person in FFVI to use magic, they have to possess what is known as "Magicite" or rather, a "Magic Stone." It is after acquiring these stones that your character (And also NPC's) are capable of wielding Magic in the World.
Now, Magicite isn't just random stones that came into existence in the World through some unknown means, nor did it manifest itself out of nowhere. Magicite is actually tied to an ancient Race in FFVI, known as the Espers. 1000 Years prior to the events of FFVI, there was a great War that happened within the World. It was known as the War for Dominance. The War was a battle between The Warring Triad, which were also known as the "God's of Magic." In this war, the Humans got caught up between the battle of these three God's, were enslaved, and given Magical abilities, and thus the Espers were created.
The Espers didn't need magicite to use magic, as they were given their abilities by the God's themselves. However though, it is through the Espers, that magicite is born. You see, when an Esper is killed, their ability manifests itself in the form of a crystal, and as you can guess, that Crystal is what is known as Magicite. So to paraphrase, the magical abilities that current humans in FFVI can use stem from Magicite, which is born through an Espers death. Basically, Espers could use magic freely, while Humans 1000 years in the future, need the remains of the Espers in order to use magic.
One more thing I want to note, that in FFVI, there is a race of humans in the Future who are capable of wielding magic, but it is to a very small degree, and is basically a watered down version of what the Espers were capable of. These Humans were actually direct descendants of the Espers, and as the years went on from the war that happened 1000 years prior, their magic grew weaker.
So with that out of the way, how does this connect with One Piece? Well the answer is pretty simple. Throughout the series, we are steadily seeing characters use "Magical" abilities, despite the fact that they don't have Devil Fruits. We have Sanji with Diable Jambe, The Mink's with Electro, Ideo who can cause explosions with his fist, Fishman who can manipulate Water, King, who can manifest fire at will, Big Mom and Bobby Funk with seemingly unbreakable skin, etc.. etc...
Of all the things that are the biggest mystery in the series, the fact that characters can use abilities without a Devil Fruits are at the top of the list. How is this possible? I believe the answer to that is "Lineage Factor." Now, while a whole lot isn't currently known about "Lineage Factor" in One Piece, what we do know is that by manipulating it, one can grant people access to "special abilities." This is proven by not only Judge, with his experiments done on his own kids, but also by Vegapunk by being able to Clone Devil fruits.
So now that we've gotten the synopsis of both FFVI and One Piece out of the way, lets connect the two. In FFVI, you had original magic users (Espers) who were capable of using magic freely. The descendants of those Espers were still capable of wielding said magic, but to a much lesser degree. In One Piece, we have characters capable of using "Devil Fruit" like powers, but without any devil fruits. I would liken these characters to the descendants of the Espers in FFVI. If we look at King's Race, it is said that his descendants were all capable of manipulating Fire. But to what degree could these guys do it? Was it like King, or was it much much more powerful, like say, Mera Mera no Mi levels of power? The same thing with the Minks. They can manipulate Electricity to a certain degree, but then there is a Devil Fruit that exists that makes the Minks electricity look like a carpet shock. The Goro Goro no Mi, is thousands of times more powerful than what the Mink's can achieve.
So remember when I was talking about Magicite? Well there is one thing I omitted to state. Not only does Magicite allow someone to use Magic, but it allows them to use it to the same degree as the original Espers who wielded those powers. It's not a watered down version like the Espers descendants, but rather the full blown abilities.
So my theory here, is that roughly 900-1000 years ago in the One Piece World, people were capable of using the full power of Devil Fruit abilities without actually eating a Devil Fruit. In fact, I'll be as so bold as to say, that these guys are the ones who actually created the Devil Fruits. Just like how the Espers of FFVI left their powers behind in the form of Magicite, the ancient races of the One Piece World left their powers behind in the form of Devil Fruits.
How is that possible? Well I think we already have the answer to that as well, and that answer lies in Haki, Vegapunk, Zoro and Sanji. From what we've seen with Haki, people are capable of imbuing their Haki inside inanimate objects. Haki is known as a manifestation of someone's Willpower, and yet somehow, characters can force their willpower into objects. With Vegapunk, he was able to extract that "Soul" of a Devil Fruit, and actually place it inside of an inanimate object.
So where do Zoro and Sanji come into play? Well, we have Asura, and Diable Jambe. Now even though there is no real known explanation for Asura, there is somewhat of an explanation for Sanji. His Diable Jambe is attributed to his "passion" which allows for him to produce his flames at will. That to can be seen as a form of manifesting ones willpower. I believe that is the same explanation for Zoro. His Asura stems from manifesting his willpower. So if you can take the manifestation of Willpower via "Haki" and place it in an inanimate object, then why wouldn't you be able to do the same for something like Sanjis "Diable Jambe" or Zoro's "Asura"?
I think it would be completely plausible for something like that, and would perfectly explain how Devil Fruits came to be. "Devil Fruit" abilities were actually regular abilities back during the Void Century. Abilities that came about by people manifesting their Willpower. I think the War of the Magi, and the One Piece War from the Void Century would be pretty similar. The Ancient Kingdom and allies were essentially the "Espers" and upon losing the war, they left their abilities behind, much like the Espers did when they lost the War of the Magi.
Now I don't think the inspiration stops at just FFVI, as I believe there is some influence from FFVII that ties into all of this as well. Materia in FFVII, functions very much like Magicite in FFVI. Materia, is what is known as Crystalized Mako. Mako is the primary energy source of the FFVII, and it comes from the lifestream. The lifestream itself is a collecting of energy of the souls of the people who have died. The crazy part is, is that Materia, when equipped and used by people, actually grows stronger over the years, and the Materia moves from one person to another. Essentially, when a new person equips Materia, that someone previously had, they are inheriting not only the abilities of that Materia, but the life force that the previous user instilled into it. I don't know you about, but that is eerily similar to "Inhertiing Wills" in One Piece. Sabo wanted to eat Ace's Devil Fruit, so he could inherit his Will. As Materia is passed down through one person to the other, the new person "Inherits the life force" of the previous user.
Now in FFVII, there is an Ancient Race of people known as "The Cetra" who very much resemble that of the Espers of FFVI. The Cetra themselves were able to wield magic on their own, while after they disappeared, the only way to be able to wield Magic, was to utilize Materia. The crazy part is, is that the reason the Cetra were able to wield magic on their own, is because they could actually commune with the "Lifestream" and the planet. Essentially, they were able to draw upon the powers of the Lifestream, while those who weren't apart of the Cetra Clan, could not.
I think this could tie into the whole concept of the "D Clan", as I believe they are the parallels of the Cetra in FFVII. I think the only people in the One Piece World who were capable of using DF abilities naturally, were the D Clan, much like the Cetra were in FFVII. They are the ones who created Devil Fruits. With this, we can surmise, that the "D Clan" is actually known as the "Devil Clan." Those who were God's natural enemy, were the Devils. Hence the reason the name of the fruits that can grant people "Magical abilities" are known as "Devil" Fruits, as they were born from the "Devil Clan."
So to recap, I believe that The D Clan, were originally capable of wielding Devil Fruit abilities, naturally. At some point during the Void Century, a massive war happened, and in an effort to preserve their powers, they imbued their abilities into Fruits, in order for them to be passed down through the ages, in preparation for the "Promised Day."
And one last thing I want to mention, if this is all true, then the fact that Blackbeard is a "D" could heavily play into why he is capable of eating two Devil Fruits. If Blackbeard is a direct descendant of those who could use Devil Fruit abilities at will, then there might not be any kind of drawback for any "D" who eats a second Devil Fruit. Blackbeard is just the only one who had the balls to test it out.
Edited:
So things just got a lot more interesting. I was searching through some SBS' because I had an idea for a thread, and happened to stumble upon this comment from Oda, that gives credence to this connection, and my assumption that Humans actually use to have "devil fruit" abilities before they became actual devil fruits.
D: Do all Devil Fruit have that swirly pattern on them?
O: That's right. It's what distinguishes them from other fruit. Sometimes I wonder if Sanji himself is a Devil Fruit.
Now this SBS happened so long ago (Volume 45) that most people just chalked it up as a joke. But now that we have gotten much further in the story, and with the introduction of lineage factors, and what's currently happening to Sanji in regards to that, it seems like this "Gag" SBS, might not been such a joke after all.
These abilities that Sanji and his brothers have, heavily mirror that of Devil Fruits powers. Judge was able to give this to his children by manipulating their lineage factor.
So whose to say that in the distant past, the same principle couldn't have been applied in the actual creation of devil fruits? We had humans who were naturally gifted with these abilities, and their lineage factor was taken from them, and placed inside Fruits. But they couldn't be fully manipulated, and this came with a drawback of being weakened by the sea. Much like how SMILE devil fruits causes people to SMILE uncontrollably.
It makes perfect sense for this to happen, and also for all these Scientist to actually know the truth about it. Perhaps Kaido and Doflamingo's SMILE operation is based on the very principle of how Devil Fruits were initially made, but they can't get it right. Vegapunk on the other hand, successfully created a Dragon Fruit, using Lineage Factor from Kaido's DNA, although it was thought to be a failure.
It's all starting to come together.
D: Do all Devil Fruit have that swirly pattern on them?
O: That's right. It's what distinguishes them from other fruit. Sometimes I wonder if Sanji himself is a Devil Fruit.
Now this SBS happened so long ago (Volume 45) that most people just chalked it up as a joke. But now that we have gotten much further in the story, and with the introduction of lineage factors, and what's currently happening to Sanji in regards to that, it seems like this "Gag" SBS, might not been such a joke after all.
These abilities that Sanji and his brothers have, heavily mirror that of Devil Fruits powers. Judge was able to give this to his children by manipulating their lineage factor.
So whose to say that in the distant past, the same principle couldn't have been applied in the actual creation of devil fruits? We had humans who were naturally gifted with these abilities, and their lineage factor was taken from them, and placed inside Fruits. But they couldn't be fully manipulated, and this came with a drawback of being weakened by the sea. Much like how SMILE devil fruits causes people to SMILE uncontrollably.
It makes perfect sense for this to happen, and also for all these Scientist to actually know the truth about it. Perhaps Kaido and Doflamingo's SMILE operation is based on the very principle of how Devil Fruits were initially made, but they can't get it right. Vegapunk on the other hand, successfully created a Dragon Fruit, using Lineage Factor from Kaido's DNA, although it was thought to be a failure.
It's all starting to come together.
Last edited: