Monkey D Luffy, despite being the main character in the popular anime series One Piece, is not the strongest character right off the bat. Throughout the series, Luffy has to work hard to create various powerful techniques using his devil fruit ability, which is later revealed to be Mythical Zoan Nika. The techniques that Luffy displays in One Piece are known to have various effects, making him vulnerable.
For instance, take the Gear 2 technique that reduces Luffy’s age as it forces his heart to work extra hard. Even after using Gear 2, Luffy becomes weak and is susceptible to attacks from his opponents. This effect is also seen in Gear 3 and 4 where Luffy turns into a child and becomes immobile for ten minutes, respectively.
However, such negative effects disappear when Luffy unleashes the power of the Mythical Zoan Nika. After using this devil fruit, Luffy becomes one of the most overpowered characters in the One Piece universe. With this fruit, Luffy seems to have unlimited stamina. When his stamina level is near-empty, Nika replenishes it by making Luffy’s heart beat faster.
But with the advantages that Luffy gains from using the devil fruit, there are negative effects too. Nika is not as perfect as expected by its fans. Luffy turned into an old man when he reverted to his normal form after using Nika to fight Rob Lucci in Egghead. Moreover, the old form of Luffy shown by Eiichiro Oda through Bonney’s devil fruit effect is not what was expected. Contrary to Garp, Luffy seemed vulnerable. This is because Luffy over-exerts himself while fighting, which is one of the negative effects of the devil fruit.
Another negative effect of Nika will be seen in One Piece 1087. Luffy suddenly turns into a child while in Nika form when he confronts Gorosei Saturn. This is due to Luffy’s heartbeat that changed again. However, unlike the negative effects of Gear 3, Luffy becomes even more potent when he transforms into a Nika child form. This change shows that Luffy still needs to master the devil fruit’s power and control it properly.
In conclusion, while the Mythical Zoan Nika devil fruit has its advantages, the negative effects of using it cannot be overlooked. Luffy needs to learn how to control the fruit’s power and minimize the negative side effects. His journey to becoming the King of the Pirates is far from over, and the Mythical Zoan Nika is his ultimate key to achieving that goal.
