In the One Piece story, Devil Fruits are one of the main sources of power for characters in the manga. Even before the concept of Haki became popular, fans of One Piece were first introduced to the power of Devil Fruits. It is no wonder that at the beginning of the story, Eiichiro Oda made Devil Fruit users seem unbeatable. This is because the Devil Fruit itself is capable of giving tremendous power to the character who consumes it. Devil Fruits also have different powers for characters in One Piece who eat them. For instance, Luffy possesses the Gomu Gomu Devil Fruit that enables him to become a rubber man, while Ace has the Logia-Type Devil Fruit “Mera Mera no Mi” which gives Ace the ability to control fire.
Despite the overwhelming power of Devil Fruits, they also have weaknesses. For instance, the person who consumes a Devil Fruit cannot swim. This is a disadvantage for pirates who spend most of their time on the sea. However, there is another reason why Devil Fruit users cannot swim apart from their inherent weakness. According to Dr. Vegapunk, everything on earth is born from human desires, and the same applies to Devil Fruits. Devil Fruits represent an evolutionary possibility desired by someone. Therefore, the sea, which is the mother of nature, despises unnatural desires. As a result, all Devil Fruit users are unable to swim in the ocean and can drown. This is because they are inadvertently cursed by the sea itself.
The powers possessed by Devil Fruits are varied, and they have unique abilities that make them intriguing as storytelling devices. Nonetheless, they also come with weaknesses that make their users more vulnerable. This aspect makes the One Piece story more compelling, as characters must balance out the benefits of their powers with their weaknesses. Ultimately, the sea curse applied to all Devil Fruit users provides an interesting dimension to the story. It enhances the plot by adding a mysterious element as well as a unique limitation to the characters’ abilities.
