One Piece: Kaido’s Rescue of Luffy Proves Mythical Zoan Devil Fruits Choose Their Users
As One Piece sails into its final saga, a fan-favorite theory is catching fire: Devil Fruits—especially Mythical Zoans—may have a will of their own, choosing their wielders instead of the other way around. Fresh hints are fueling the debate on who’s really in control.
One Piece has been quietly nudging a wild idea for years, and the latest manga chapters make it feel less like fan theory and more like the text winking at us: some Devil Fruits might be making their own choices. And in a very weird domino effect, Kaido snagging his dragon fruit may have actually kept Luffy alive long enough to become, well, Luffy.
The long-teased idea: Mythical Zoans have a will
When the Five Elders finally dropped the truth about Luffy's fruit, they did more than rename it. They said the so-called Gomu Gomu no Mi had slipped out of the World Government's hands for 800 years like it knew what it was doing. One Elder, Ju Peter, flat-out said Zoan fruits carry a will, and this one literally bears the name of a god: Sun God Nika. Given what we now know about the Elders and their own Mythical Zoan forms, they would know.
"It was as if the fruit was trying to escape."
And then there is Luffy's origin story with his fruit: he stumbled into it by accident, eating it from the stash the Red-Haired Pirates were hauling. It was not intended for him. But the way it all fell into place, it feels less like chance and more like the fruit picked its guy.
How Kaido eating the dragon fruit may have saved Luffy
Chapter 1162's God Valley flashback adds a twist that reframes a lot. Lin Lin (Big Mom) wanted the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu for Katakuri, specifically as a cornerstone power-up for the pirate empire she was building. Before she could lock that in, Kaido swiped the fruit and ate it himself. Yes, it rocketed Kaido to absurd power levels. But it also set him on the path to losing to Luffy later.
Why does that matter? Because Katakuri ended up with the Mochi Mochi no Mi instead, and even that nearly stopped Luffy in Whole Cake Island. That fight was razor-close, and Luffy barely pulled it out. If Katakuri had the Seiryu Mythical Zoan back then, Luffy simply did not have the experience or tools to beat him. He probably loses, story over. Because Kaido took the dragon fruit, Luffy faced Katakuri at a winnable moment and Kaido much later, after massive growth. If you buy the 'fruits have a will' idea, the Seiryu fruit basically avoided Katakuri to preserve the future outcome.
The bigger read
Put it together and it looks like both Luffy's and Kaido's Mythical Zoans nudged history. Luffy's fruit evaded capture for centuries and practically fell into his lap. Kaido's dragon fruit dodged Katakuri and landed with someone Luffy would meet after his biggest power-ups. It's a neat, slightly eerie throughline as the series heads into its final saga: the fruits aren't just powers, they're players.
- Luffy - Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika: Turns his body rubbery and unlocks abilities tied to Sun God Nika.
- Kaido - Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu: Azure dragon transformation with flame clouds, flame breath, and other elemental attacks.
Do you buy that Mythical Zoans have their own agenda, or is this just the best kind of narrative coincidence? Drop your take below.
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