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Devil Fruits have always been one of the most important aspects ofOne Piece, both as a power system and in terms of lore. With hugely significant Devil Fruits, like the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika, heavily impacting the course of the story, fans are always on the lookout for any new impactful Devil Fruits. Searching for the next God Devil Fruit, trying to pin down the abilities of new Devil Fruits, or even predicting Devil Fruits that will appear in the story are all activitiesOne Piecetheorists commonly take part in.
However, one thing that mostOne Piecefans missed is a secret Devil Fruit that Oda seemingly hid in plain sight. This Devil Fruit, coming from a cover story, has only been shown once and was very small in its initial debut. Due to this,this mysterious Devil Fruithas become something that most fans miss inOne Piece.
Hachi Has A Cover Story That Was Never Animated In One Piece
This Bridges The Gap Between Arlong Park And Sabaody
Hachi debuted inOne Piece’sArlong Park Arc as a member of Arlong’s crew. However, despite being a minor villain for Zoro to fight, Hachi, who was incredibly kind compared to his allies, surprisingly remained plot-relevant, returning duringOne Piece’sSabaody Archipelago Arc, where he became a fairly major ally to the Straw Hat Pirates. However, watching the anime, there is little to no explanation of how Hachi managed to escape the Marines who had intercepted the Arlong Pirates after their defeat.
Hachi receives a thank-you gift of meat. - Cover Story of One Piece Chapter 185
Luckily, Hachi’s escapades were previously revealed in aOne PieceCover Story that was never adapted to the anime. In this Cover Story,the formerOne Piecevillain, Hachi, manages to escape from the Marines, before going on an undersea adventure. Soon after escaping, Hachi helps out a shark who rewards him with some meat, before the octopus Fishman continues on his travels.
A Shark Has A Secret Devil Fruit In His Fridge
Hachi Didn’t Even Notice It Was There
While this may not seem like an insignificant detail, the shark that Hachi helped out harbors a secret in his fridge. Hiding inside his fridge, near the fish, is a large fruit, possessing the trademark stem andswirls of aOne PieceDevil Fruit. However, being a Cover Story exclusive detail, and not being mentioned during the only scene it was featured, nothing is known about this Devil Fruit, outside of the fact that it exists, and a shark owns it.
Though the ability of the Devil Fruit is currently unknown, there may be a possibility that this Devil Fruit could be relevant at some point in the future. Some fans have even predicted that this Devil Fruit may be themythicalOne PieceWater-Water Fruitthat often circulates many theories in the community. Others believe that the shark will consume the fruit, becoming the first fish with a Devil Fruit, though no one knows how the weaknesses of Devil Fruits would affect the shark.
This Devil Fruit Probably Won’t Return In The Story
It Has Been Gone For So Long In One Piece
Still, being from so long ago, with the chapter featuringthisOne PieceCover Storyreleased in 2001, it seems highly unlikely that this Devil Fruit will return to the story. Additionally, it seems like this Devil Fruit was more of an obscure detail to make the scene look more fantastical, rather than being the seeds of 25 years of foreshadowing. Plus, some fans believe that the fruit itself is actually a strangely shaped pot, and has absolutely no significance whatsoever.
I wanted to make it up to Nami, even just a little. - Hachi
Still, it is interesting thatthe author ofOne Piece,Oda, included a mysterious Devil Fruit in a random Cover Story. It’s especially strange that this seemingly random fruit is currently in the possession of a shark and has never returned to the story, even 25 years down the line. Whether this fruit is the mythical Water-Water Fruit that fans have always kept an eye out for, or something much simpler, it seems like nobody will ever figure out the true purpose behind this Devil Fruit. In the end, hopefully, fans will get a little closure on this Devil Fruit inOne Piecebefore the end of the series.
One Piece
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One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
