We've long known that upon its user's death, a Devil Fruit would manifest itself again in the world. We've seen this happen with Ace's fruit after his death at Marineford, but the exact process (the details) as to how this happens was still a mystery. Or rather, it was a mystery until now…
For a long time, to some people even to this day, the belief was that Devil Fruits are just randomly reborn in the world upon their user's death. This belief was shaken up during the Punk Hazard Arc where we actually get to witness the exact process as to how this happens when the Axolotl fruit, upon Smiley's death, is reborn into a nearby apple. And thus, the belief that Devil Fruits don't just respawn randomly in the world but rather into the nearest fruit was born.
However, the Egghead Arc proved both of these ideas to be false because the Devil Fruits neither respawn randomly into the world nor do they respawn into the nearest fruit; they are reborn into the nearest fruit to the person with the desire for its powers.
Bonney wished to grow up faster because she was told that at the age of 10 she was going to get cured of her disease. Her desire to be older drew the Age-Age Fruit to manifest right next to her because, as we have learned, the Devil Fruits were born out of people's desire (or dreams) to be or do something.
It's not uncommon for people to share the same dreams (how many people want to be the Pirate King) so, it's quite likely that Bonney drew an already existing Devil Fruit to respawn right next to her and she, and everyone around her, were oblivious when and how she ate it because otherwise someone would've noticed if they brought one to her.
This would also explain the curious case of the Clone-Clone and Barrier-Barrier fruits, the Devil Fruits wielded by Mr. 2 and Bartolomeo respectively; or rather, the two fruits wielded by Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru.
It's no secret that Wano is an isolationist country. So, the question always was how would two Devil Fruits wielded by its citizens end up outside of it. That must mean that the Devil Fruits respawn randomly in the world, right? But then, if they respawn randomly in the world, what amount of coincidence is necessary for Smiley's fruit to manifest right next to it upon its death? The answer is simple - We owe it all to desire.
20 years ago when Kurozumi Higurashi was killed in Wano for deceiving Oden, somewhere else in the world a 12-year-old Bentham, not wanting to be shackled by the world's binary view of gender, wished to neither be a man nor a woman while also being both. And so, their desire would end up manifesting the Clone-Clone fruit near them, allowing them to change their body and face into either of the sexes, effectively fulfilling their dream.
For a long time, to some people even to this day, the belief was that Devil Fruits are just randomly reborn in the world upon their user's death. This belief was shaken up during the Punk Hazard Arc where we actually get to witness the exact process as to how this happens when the Axolotl fruit, upon Smiley's death, is reborn into a nearby apple. And thus, the belief that Devil Fruits don't just respawn randomly in the world but rather into the nearest fruit was born.
However, the Egghead Arc proved both of these ideas to be false because the Devil Fruits neither respawn randomly into the world nor do they respawn into the nearest fruit; they are reborn into the nearest fruit to the person with the desire for its powers.
Bonney wished to grow up faster because she was told that at the age of 10 she was going to get cured of her disease. Her desire to be older drew the Age-Age Fruit to manifest right next to her because, as we have learned, the Devil Fruits were born out of people's desire (or dreams) to be or do something.
It's not uncommon for people to share the same dreams (how many people want to be the Pirate King) so, it's quite likely that Bonney drew an already existing Devil Fruit to respawn right next to her and she, and everyone around her, were oblivious when and how she ate it because otherwise someone would've noticed if they brought one to her.
This would also explain the curious case of the Clone-Clone and Barrier-Barrier fruits, the Devil Fruits wielded by Mr. 2 and Bartolomeo respectively; or rather, the two fruits wielded by Kurozumi Higurashi and Kurozumi Semimaru.
It's no secret that Wano is an isolationist country. So, the question always was how would two Devil Fruits wielded by its citizens end up outside of it. That must mean that the Devil Fruits respawn randomly in the world, right? But then, if they respawn randomly in the world, what amount of coincidence is necessary for Smiley's fruit to manifest right next to it upon its death? The answer is simple - We owe it all to desire.
20 years ago when Kurozumi Higurashi was killed in Wano for deceiving Oden, somewhere else in the world a 12-year-old Bentham, not wanting to be shackled by the world's binary view of gender, wished to neither be a man nor a woman while also being both. And so, their desire would end up manifesting the Clone-Clone fruit near them, allowing them to change their body and face into either of the sexes, effectively fulfilling their dream.