As a One Piece fan, you might have come across the mysterious Rumble that the cutty Dr. Tony Tony Chopper created. The small ball has the power to enhance the abilities of Zoan-type Devil fruit users for a limited time.
With the recent end of the Wano arc, a large number of fans are now wondering the painful question: Can Luffy eat a Rumble ball?
In this blog post, we will answer this question and explore what kind of benefits Luffy can draw from the Rumble Ball.
Since 2008, I’ve been a One Piece lover and I will put all my energy and mind to give you the best analysis on this subject.
So, take a seat, and let’s sail.
What is the link between the Rumble Ball and Luffy?
First introduced in the Drum Island arc, the Rumble Ball is a drug created to enhance the abilities of a Devil Fruit user.
Although it was an accidental breakthrough, the drug eventually proved to be a key asset of Chopper in battle.
Since the only user of this drug is Chopper himself, it seems to have a limited effect on Zoan types, as the Hito Hito no Mi belongs to this category.
As a quick reminder, Zoan types are devil fruits that allow the user to transform into another species or hybrids.
What revelations about Luffy’s Devil Fruit led to a reassessment of the Rumble Ball’s use?
From the debut of the One Piece franchise to the recent arc of Wano, we knew Luffy as the owner of a paramecia Devil Fruit.
But a shocking revelation changed the way we think about the Gomu Gomu no Mi, in a drastic way.
In chapter 1044, the Five Elders revealed the true nature of Luffy’s Devil Fruit.
Instead of the so-called Gomu Gomu no Mi, Luffy ate the Hito Hito No Mi, model: Nika. The mythical Zoan grants its user the abilities of the mysterious « God Nika », and one of the most « insane » awakenings of the One Piece World.
You can learn more about this unique Zoan which fooled us reading our article « How is Luffy a zoan type ?«
Another special fact is that the Hito Hito No Mi, model: Nika has both Paramecia and Zoan attributes. Just as Kaido noticed during his amazing fight with Luffy.
From the moment, he is secretly known as Hito Hito No Mi, model: Nika is a Zoan, there is a huge probability for Luffy to benefit from the Rumble Ball.
By the way, you’re right if you noticed the similarities between Luffy’s Devil fruit and Chopper’s. More than just being Zoan-types, they are variants of the Human Human Fruit.
How does the Rumble Ball affect the Zoan-type Devil fruit users?
Chopper’s Rumble Ball was already ahead of the story, even on Drum Island.
The way the drug worked was based on the change in the Lineage Factor, which is explained later in the story. The Lineage Factor is simply the NDA-like factor common to all living things and beings.
This was properly clarified by Law in chapter n°698, which elaborated on this idea.
When Chopper ingests the Rumble Ball, his overall abilities are enhanced, resulting in six forms, in addition to the normal Hybrid and Beast forms.
And that’s a record!
Moving on to the interactions of the Rumble Ball with other Zoan-type users, it’s almost impossible to expect a result.
The Rumble Ball is designed according to Chopper’s Devil Fruit lineage factor. Since it knows that they vary from one being to another, it couldn’t adapt unless these fruits are related.
Therefore, a Zoan-type user may eventually die in the process. Even if they survived, the side effects would not be negligible.
The only way to reduce the risks is to develop a Rumble Ball that matches each Zoan-type lineage factor. Even then, misusing the Rumble Ball will most likely result in serious drawbacks.
With a bit of luck, you might be able to survive and gain additional forms.
What if Luffy eats a Rumble Ball?
Come to think of it, it’s pretty surprising that it hasn’t already happened. Like Luffy accidentally eating a Rumble Ball led by curiosity.
There are some huge chances to witness an unexpected match with Luffy, contrary to most of the other Zoan-types.
Could Luffy survive a Rumble Ball?
In this context, one particular detail would probably lean on Luffy’s side: the relationship between Luffy and Chopper’s Devil Fruit.
We already mentioned the relationship between these two fruits.
Since the Hito Hito No Mi, model: Nika is also a variant of the Hito Hito No Mi, there’s a silver lining for their two Lineage factors to be similar.
And thus, Luffy could take the Rumble Ball with fewer side effects.
What power-ups could Luffy gain from eating a rumble ball?
Let’s say that Luffy successfully ingested a Rumble Ball with a favorable turn of events.
Since he is a Zoan-type user, he could benefit from some possible buffs, especially with the latest Awakening aka « Gear 5 ».
Be it the Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun or the stunning Gomu Gomu no Gigant, we saw Luffy stretching to a mind-blogging level, but for a few seconds.
Wonder what he could do if that time limit could be extended.
Literally a crazy amount of destruction!
Let’s not forget that the aforementioned Gomu Gomu no Bajrang Gun was almost the size of Onigashima Island.
There are also some possibilities for Luffy to get a beast form, considering his usual form as a hybrid. But there’s still a lot Oda has to reveal about the new nature of the Gomu Gomu No Mi.
Finally, from a real point of view, it would be pointless to add more forms to Luffy.He already has the Gears, which were ingenious ideas to increase his abilities and strength. Maybe he could get a slight increase in power, but it would not be noticeable.
Conclusion
With the Hito Hito No Mi, model: Nika being a variant of the same fruit that Chopper has, there is a chance Luffy’s lineage factor is similar enough to survive ingesting a Rumble Ball with fewer side effects.
As a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user, Luffy could potentially gain additional forms and buffs, including the possibility of extending the time limit of his dreadful stretching abilities seen in Gear 5.
We’ll be on the lookout, to see if Luffy grabs a bite of the Rumble Ball.
Meanwhile, keep sailing Otakus!
