One Piece is a story about pirates, so it would be weird if one of them couldn’t swim, right?
It might be in the real world, but in a world full of mysterious islands exploring the sea is the number one enemy of pirates, especially if you have a Devil’s fruit.
This time we will answer the question : Can Luffy swim? In exploring the possibility of Devil fruit carriers swimming, or if the use of armament haki could help them to do so, so far there is no evidence of this but there are cases where users can use their abilities for a short time in the sea since fifteen years ago I watch One Piece and this question has run through my mind several times, can Luffy swim?
So take a seat and let’s sail!
Can devil fruit’s eater swim?
The short answer is: no. A devil’s fruit user cannot swim.
At the beginning of one piece Oda explains that they are mystical fruits that offer the consumer special powers depending on the fruit he eats, in a conversation between Shanks and Buggy, the redhead comments that the fruits are said to be incarnations of the Sea Devil and consequently make them unable to swim, while Vegapunk suggests that the fruits are hated by nature and therefore the users are doomed to not be able to float or swim in the water.
The reality is that the true origin of devil fruits is not yet known, but it is a fact that they are considered a curse.
Can Luffy swim in freshwater?
Previously, it was believed that sea water and sea stone was the only thing that managed to weaken a carrier, however, during the SBS of volume 28, Oda was asked if Crocodile took a shower -since because of the Suna suna no mi fruit, his natural enemy is water-, and he explained that when he refers to the sea hating users he implies that all kinds of water from swimming pools, baths or rivers, they cannot use their powers, let alone move their bodies, although rain does not affect them.
This means that any concentration of water is a danger to those who have eaten a devil fruit.
We know that Luffy is capable of taking a bath and we have even seen him on several occasions defy the water and use his abilities, although many times he ends up exhausting all his energy and strength. During the Arabasta saga, Mr. 3 was shown floating on water, which implies that users do not necessarily sink all the time.
For example, in the fishmen saga he had a fight against Surume in which he uses the Gear Third, inflates his arm, and coats it with haki even while inside the sea, on another occasion, during Film Z, he is seen at ease sharing with the rest in a sauna, we also see him in several chapters using swim devices to float on the water without a problem and not run the risk of sinking.
The fruit would be no impediment to Luffy in shallow water where he can have control, however, swimming involves putting his whole body in the water to get from one point to the other, so he would have to be able to put his whole body into a pool which makes this task difficult.
Even fishmen that have consumed devil fruits are destined to be unable to move in the sea without help, this is demonstrated when Jack ends up at the bottom of the sea unable to drown because with his gyojin abilities, he can breathe, but because of his fruit, he can’t even walk.
Can Luffy swim with haki?
The first time we see Luffy use armament haki underwater was in his fight against Surume, if we go back to that battle Luffy is inside an oxygen bubble which helps him fight and, when using the Gear Third, he coats his arm with haki.
Another occasion in which Luffy managed to use his abilities underwater was during the fight against Hody, Luffy uses the Red Hawk and coats it with haki, there are theories in which it is believed that any user who uses armament haki can withstand and survive longer underwater.
Even without the haki, Luffy even manages to pull Sanji from the sea back to the Sunny, although he says he is powerless in the ocean, it is remarkable his ability to resist after the time skip and, perhaps from there derives his strength to endure, although there is not enough evidence that the haki can fully counteract the power of the sea, so Luffy would lose his strength at some point.
Also, we have never seen Luffy use the full body armament haki so we would have to assume that he would use an oxygen bubble to be able to swim while covering his arms and legs to endure some time underwater, honestly, I think he could do it that way although he would have few seconds or minutes until he gets tired and gives up.
Why can’t luffy swim ? Final words :
With all this information I could even assure you that a sufficiently powerful user could withstand a long time underwater, if he coats himself with haki, of course. However, we would have to solve one problem first: Luffy can’t swim.
Even before he ate the Gomu gomu no mi, Luffy showed no intention of learning to swim despite his dream of being the king of pirates, for Ace and Sabo it was ridiculous for him to have taken such a risk -although in the end, they both became users, oh, the irony-, as they saw the fruits more as a weakness than a reward.
Among the mugiwaras, all those who are not users know how to swim, they even have Jimbe, so it would not be a problem to find a teacher good enough to teach Luffy. So in a pool a few meters high, with an oxygen bubble, and using haki in feet and arms, Luffy would be able to learn to swim, at least until his strength is exhausted.
Which mugiwara do you think would teach Luffy to swim?
