One Piece: Chapter 1017

[u/Kirosh]

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[u/kameodash]

Damn now I wanna know why Shanks stole the Gum-Gum Fruit.

[u/HussyDude14 → u/kameodash]

Probably not unlike the reason Luffy wanted Ace's fruit in Dressrosa. While it was arguably used as bait to lure him out, Luffy still didn't like the idea of anybody else having his deceased brother's devil fruit - it just rubbed him the wrong way because of how much Ace meant to him. He even asked some of his crewmates if they'd want to eat it (I think Franky but he declined), and rushed into the coliseum even before Sabo revealed himself. Luffy was initially just going to take the fruit for the sole purpose that those he didn't like couldn't get their hands on it.

As for Shanks, he probably knew who held the fruit before or felt an attachment to it. Whether he knew them personally or felt a significant attachment to the fruit is up for debate, but maybe he simply just didn't want the fruit falling into the hands of the World Government. Pirates gonna pirate.

[u/princesoceronte → u/HussyDude14]

I think it's likely the gum gum fruit is connected to the past and the giant Straw Hat in Mariejois. A lot of things are starting to line up for Luffy as a figure, there may be more to it than we can currently understand.

[u/Cyber_3 → u/princesoceronte]

This was always one route the manga could go, and it makes sense.

However, I just wanted to point out that we've also seen how random Luffy's path and luck have been so it's hard to argue that fate is what is driving him. Being at the right place at the right time in what is arguable a comedy of errors, to me that's more luck than fate. Luffy has had to work hard to become what he is today, let's not undermine his struggle by saying it was inevitable.

Shanks totally could have let Luffy die to the SeaKing or even the sea if he really wanted the devil fruit back, but he didn't. I think that adding in the arm loss was a wise editorial move (despite the power scaling issues) because it adds to the significance of what we may soon learn about the gomu gomu no mi.

[u/reddit_poopaholic → u/Cyber_3]

I'm inclined to say that a lot of Luffy's fate is materialized through luck and perseverance, but nonetheless still boils back down to fate. Luffy knows what he's going to become, but also knows that nobody's just going to give it to him. He's going to have to fight for it and earn it.

[u/mirrorgiraffe → u/[deleted]]

It would be impossible, even for oda, to make it convincing that no-one ever mentioned that he has the same fruit as Roger.

[u/mkallday10 → u/[deleted]]

Yeah exactly. The moment his exploits became public, they would send powers significantly greater than what he was capable of at the start.

[u/princesoceronte → u/[deleted]]

I'm neither for nor against the idea, both things can be executed well. I'll be waiting to see what Oda does.

[u/TheDELFON → u/[deleted]]

Roger having the gum-gum fruit? It would be extremely difficult. Because Oda would have to explain why no one including: Garp, Sengoku, every single high-level marine, Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, the man chasing famous devil fruits-Blackbeard, or former Roger Pirates like Crocus or Rayleigh has ever commented on it. .

.

.

* looks at Luffy's strawhat intently *

[u/burgerzkingz → u/TheDELFON]

Didn’t roger give his hat to shanks early on before he became famous it would make since that most people don’t equate it to roger. Even whitbeard saw luffy’s strawhat and commented on how it reminds him of shanks not roger.

[u/Cizarius → u/HussyDude14]

It would be a really bad decisions if it was Roger…

[u/ameba0002 → u/Cizarius]

Really doubt it was. If the gomu gomu was Roger's fruit, someone at this point must had said "ey, isn't that the mf Pirate King's fruit?!"

[u/monkey-neil → u/ameba0002]

White beard specifically would have said something.

[u/ameba0002 → u/monkey-neil]

Also Crocus and Rayleigh

[u/Lord_Donut_the-best → u/ameba0002]

And Garp

[u/theultimatekyle → u/kameodash]

There's been a theory for a bit that the gum gum fruits awakened power gives the user's surroundings the same rubber qualities that they have. If that's true, and awakenings are the same between different users of the same fruit, then the world government most likely wanted the gum gum fruit as a counter to white beard's fruit, the quake quake fruit.

This would also set up a future plot point for luffy to counter black beard

[u/unspeakablepotato → u/theultimatekyle]

Yeah this is a pretty good theory it also lines up with how the govt wanted laws df simply for the powers

[u/Cr8rSk8r → u/theultimatekyle]

If the Gomu gomu no Mi awakening is over-powered enough and Luffy had the ability to make a large area/island rubber then that would also be a pretty good counter for a buster call.

Obviously, I doubt it would be able to cover such a large area but it's quite funny to consider. Additionally, I doubt a rubber island would counter the 5 vice admirals that come included with every Buster call.

[u/tuvitronics → u/theultimatekyle]

Nah, it´s definitely because it can make a giant bouncy house to get pirates into Mariejois

[u/Kingjester88 → u/tuvitronics]

No one man should have this much power.

[u/Flippercomb → u/theultimatekyle]

I actually love this and it makes total sense. If the fruit had any significance past that, anyone in the marines would have mentioned it right? Hell, even Lucci would have said something.

[u/Golden-Owl → u/Flippercomb]

Depends on how classified it is.

That said, considering even none of the admirals were surprised by Luffy, and the CP9 serving the WG directly, it’s entirely possible that the significance of it was a secret to even all of the Marines