Devil Fruits form the primary power system in the world of One Piece and were introduced in the very first chapter of the series on July 18, 1997, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 34. Since then, Devil Fruits have been expanded upon greatly, and Eiichiro Oda has elaborated upon the classes and subclasses of these mystical fruits.
Devil Fruits themselves come with a set of rules that, in the vast majority of cases, must be obeyed by those who consume them. However, there are some Devil Fruit rules that can be broken. In One Piece chapter 1198, released officially on November 8, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump issue 50, one such major Devil Fruit rule was broken pertaining to the Mythical Zoan class. Up until now, Eiichiro Oda led us to believe that Mythical Zoan fruit users get a new transformation in their awakened state. Now, Oda is expanding upon this concept and adding new rules to it, changing how we see Zoan awakenings forever.
Eiichiro Oda Breaks The Zoan Awakening Rule In The Elbaf Arc
Devil Fruit awakenings as a concept were first mentioned in the Dressrosa arc by Eiichiro Oda, specifically in Chapter 785 on May 11, 2015, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 24. Back then, Doflamingo showed us the Devil Fruit Awakening of the Ito Ito no Mi, which was a powerful Paramecia Devil Fruit. Upon witnessing this awakening, Luffy mentioned that his Devil Fruit was starting to behave unlike a Paramecia type. As the story continued, more Devil Fruit awakenings were revealed to us, such as Charlotte Katakuri’s Mochi Mochi no Mi in the Whole Cake Island arc and eventually Monkey D. Luffy’s very own Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika awakening.
Doflamingo: Listen closely, boy!! There’s another stage entirely to the power of Devil Fruits: Awakenings! It is very rare, but some abilities awaken and start affecting objects aside from their wielders.
Luffy: Everything is turning into string! It’s like he isn’t a Paramecia!
— Doflamingo explains Devil Fruit Awakening, One Piece Chapter #785
In One Piece Chapter 1044, released on March 28, 2022, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 17, Luffy awakened the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and gained access to a transformation called Gear 5. Up until this point in the story, we were led to believe that Luffy’s Devil Fruit was a Paramecia. However, immediately upon awakening, it was confirmed that this Devil Fruit actually belonged to the Mythical Zoan class.
“Since you can transfer your power to your surroundings, it is safe to assume that you have awakened your Paramecia fruit. But something is off! Transformations like these are typical of a Zoan Awakening!” — Kaido explains Zoan Awakening, One Piece Chapter #1045
It was around this point in the story that Kaido, one of the Four Emperors of the Sea, visually mentioned that Paramecia Awakenings allow the user to affect their surroundings, while Mythical Zoan Awakenings grant a new transformation to the user when awakened. This remained consistent with Luffy, and after him, in the Egghead arc of One Piece, when Rob Lucci showed his Devil Fruit awakening, it manifested with a new transformation. Similarly, Kaku showed a new transformation in the form of his Devil Fruit awakening, showing consistency along the line.
Now, Eiichiro Oda has expanded upon this rule using Monkey D. Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, in the Elbaf arc. The specific rule of granting a new transformation to the user in their awakened state is being changed for a select few Gods, such as Monkey D. Luffy. In One Piece chapter 1198, which was officially released on November 8, 2026, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 50, Monkey D. Luffy took his awakening to a completely new level as the spirit of the real Sun God Nika took over his body. Up until now, Luffy’s Devil Fruit awakening granted him access to an all-white form known as Gear 5.
“He’s a Zoan type! He must’ve reached the critical stage as a Zoan!” — Scopper Gaban explains Luffy’s New Transformation, One Piece Chapter #1198
Now, however, Luffy has gained access to his full Zoan form after achieving awakening, essentially unlocking a brand-new stage and breaking standard Devil Fruit Awakening rules for the Zoan type. This also sets up yet another new transformation for Luffy that we have yet to see but will most likely go on to witness in the climax of the Elbaf arc.
Why Luffy’s Zoan Awakening Is Special
Monkey D. Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, is quite a special Devil Fruit for more reasons than one, and that likely explains why this Devil Fruit is able to break certain rules. For instance, Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, was initially classified as a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit but was switched to Mythical Zoan.
On the surface, one would assume that this was only done by the World Government to cover up the true nature of this fruit. Yet upon awakening, Luffy’s Devil Fruit manifested the powers of both a Paramecia and a Zoan-type fruit. For instance, with his Devil Fruit Awakening, Luffy can affect his surroundings and turn them into rubber, but at the same time, he also gains a new transformation, which is a telltale sign of a Zoan awakening. This was also pointed out by Kaido, who was confused about how Luffy has two different types of Devil Fruit awakenings.
Furthermore, the Road to Laugh Tale magazine volumes 3 and 4 specifically focus on Monkey D. Luffy and point out that he exhibits properties of both a Paramecia and a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit. In essence, Luffy’s fruit can be classified as both a Paramecia and a Mythical Zoan. In particular, the Paramecia part of the Devil Fruit is what we see all the way from Gear 2 to Gear 5, but once the Devil Fruit is awakened, it automatically switches to a Mythical Zoan.
“Awakening [the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika] further strengthens their rubber body and gives them even more freedom, limited only by their own imagination. It is allegedly the most ridiculous power to exist in the entire world!” — Gorosei explain Luffy’s Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Awakening, One Piece Chapter #1044
This explains why Monkey D. Luffy received a new transformation, despite Gear 5 being his peak. In other words, Gear 5 acts as his new base form post-awakening, while the full Nika form that has taken over his body is his full beast form. This also implies that Monkey D. Luffy will get a brand-new transformation that acts as his new hybrid form, combining the features of the Monkey God Nika and his base. The reason as to why this fruit acts so differently has not been revealed to us yet, but given that it acts entirely based on the imagination of the user, as has been shown time and again in the series, it makes sense for the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika to be special.
Why More Devil Fruit Rules Will Be Broken In One Piece’s Final Saga
Monkey D. Luffy isn’t the only character who has broken Devil Fruit rules. In the Elbaf arc, Eiichiro Oda has shown Nerona Imu manifesting various transformations, and these forms don’t particularly fit into any class. There are also other characters like Blackbeard who directly break Devil Fruit rules by consuming more than one ability. At the end of the day, Devil Fruit rules are meant to be followed, but there will always be exceptions. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans to see someone, by the end of One Piece, who can even swim in water despite having a Devil Fruit ability.
All things considered, as the Elbaf arc heads into its climax and we await the release of One Piece chapter 1199 on November 22, 2026, Monkey D. Luffy’s unique and rule-breaking Devil Fruit awakening will continue to be explored by Eiichiro Oda, and that is something we are eagerly waiting to see.
All chapters of Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece series are available for fans to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.