If you have been a longtime follower of the One Piece series, then you must be familiar with Oda’s Japanese wordplay with his characters. For starters, Nami’s birthday is July 3, which comes from her name Na (7) and Mi (3). This is just the tip of the iceberg, as the author has a lot of cleverly hidden numberplay in the series, and one of those hints at our beloved Straw Hats sniper, i.e. Usopp, receiving the Paw Paw devil fruit.
As such, one of the fans figured out Oda’s witty remarks with the Straw Hat Pirates earlier. Years later, fans are bringing up this connection again to theorize a connection between Bartholomew Kuma and Usopp. Keep reading to discover more about this theory, and we promise it will blow your mind.
Spoilers Warning:
This post includes spoilers for the story and characters in One Piece. We suggest you read the manga and watch the anime to avoid ruining the intended experience.
The Hidden Number Code Behind the Straw Hat Crew’s Devil Fruits
Fans very well know that only four of the current Straw Hat members are confirmed to be devil fruit users, namely Luffy, Chopper, Robin, and Brook. All the devil fruits used by the Straw Hat crew members will fall within the numbers 1-10, which are:
- Luffy’s Gomu Gomu (5.6.5.6),
- Chopper’s Hito Hito (1.10.1.10),
- Robin’s Hana Hana (8.7.8.7), and
- Brook’s Yomi Yomi (4.3.4.3).
The only missing numbers here are 2 (Ni) and 9 (Kyu) in Japanese, which would be Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, Kuma’s devil fruit.
During the SBS Volume 59 interview, a clue-chasing fan pointed out this hidden connection and asked Oda if Kuma would join the Straw Hats crew. According to the Fandom page, Oda replied:
Whaaat?! Gosh that surprised me! Why was I surprised?! NO COMMENTTTTTTT!!!!!!!! NEXT!!
Oda was genuinely caught off guard when a fan noticed this connection. Taken aback by the fan’s observation, he swiftly changed the subject without offering a proper explanation. Oda’s unusual behavior, remaining tight-lipped and brushing past a valid question, and leaving the fans hanging, has made this connection all the more plausible. So, will Kuma join the Straw Hats as hinted by this underlying number pun?
Who Would be the Next Paw Paw Devil Fruit User?
Bartholomew Kuma has always wanted to be the guy who saves people. The savior already has the most tragic backstory in One Piece history, making him automatically eligible to join our beloved Straw Hats. After the events of the Egghead arc, we anticipated Kuma or Bonney to join the Straw Hats, but the duo only travelled with them to Elbaf.
After everything Kuma has gone through, fans wanted him to live in peace after reuniting with his daughter, Bonney. So, it’s safe to say neither Kuma nor Bonney would enroll to become a Straw Hat at the moment.
Lilith has promised to restore Kuma to his normal self by developing a laboratory on Elbaf Island. But Elbaf has become a war-torn nation with the arrival of God’s Knights and Imu. So Kuma won’t be able to return for a long time. This has made the fans come up with new theories that Kuma won’t be revived; instead, he will be eradicated in the ongoing Elbaf arc for a purpose that is his devil fruit might be inherited by a non-Devil Fruit user from the Straw Hat crew.
Credit to u/TasumiThierl, the redditor highlighted that Usopp would be the ideal candidate to inherit the Paw Paw fruit’s powers if the worst happens to Kuma. Since Van Augur of the Blackbeard Pirates is Usopp’s final opponent, our sniper needs a big upgrade to defeat a highly skilled Titanic captain with teleporting powers. Thus, Nikyu Nikyu no Mi’s powers are a perfect match for Usopp, and he can use all of its warping abilities in tandem with his sniping skills.
The redditor also highlighted that there is no hope for Usopp to win against Van Augur if he doesn’t receive his most-awaited power-ups in the Elbaf arc. Moreover, they made a valid point that Usopp’s proficiency with dials will come in handy to master the power of the Paw Paw fruit, as it is almost similar. You can visit the linked Reddit theory post to find more evidence that backs his claim. So, does this mean Kuma’s death is inevitable now?
After Figarland Shamrock’s reveal in the story, fans speculated that Shamrock could be the World Noble who forcefully married Ginny and gave birth to Bonney based on a piece of solid evidence. So everyone started to panic that Kuma’s life was in danger once again until Shamrock was ordered to leave the island. Thus, a major crisis has already been averted, and we believe Oda would go to the lengths of massacring Kuma just to give Usopp his deserved development.
As you can see in the post’s comments, many fans like the idea of Usopp being the next Paw Paw fruit user, but aren’t completely on board with sacrificing Kuma for that to happen. If there is one character who deserves a happy ending out of all the characters in One Piece, it has to be Kuma. So that brings us to the question: if Kuma doesn’t die, how can Usopp access the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi powers?
Well, we already learned that Dr. Vegapunk can easily replicate the powers of any Paramecia devil fruit by creating an artificial devil fruit. With Lilith in Elbaf, who also plans to revive the old man using one of his satellite bodies, they can produce an artificial Nikyu Nikyu no Mi devil fruit. In that way, Usopp can get a broken Devil Fruit power, which will automatically make him one of the best snipers in the endgame.
Oda is known for subverting his audience’s expectations, but the creator dodging the tricky question makes us believe that the number pun will eventually become a reality in the end. That said, who do you think should get the Paw Paw Devil Fruit power next? Let us know in the comments below.
