One Piece has released its latest manga volume in Japan, and as with every new volume, it includes the SBS section, where creator Eiichiro Oda answers many random questions about the series. While most of the questions featured in the SBS are funny and lighthearted, there are a few that Oda answers seriously, offering a new perspective on the story. Volume 115’s SBS also included an intriguing question, and Eiichiro Oda’s answer solves a mystery that had lingered for 25 years. During the Alabasta Arc, when Pell was introduced as a Zoan Devil Fruit user with the ability to fly, he mentioned that there were only five Devil Fruits in total that granted the power of flight.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Fans took this statement very seriously at the time and considered flight an important ability. However, as the series progressed, it introduced many Devil Fruit users capable of some form of flight, even within the Zoan category alone, and when other types are included, the number is clearly far greater than five. Finally, Oda has explained what Pell’s dialogue from the Alabasta Arc actually meant, and it is a clever response that almost makes sense while also serving as a retcon to fix the continuity error.
Oda Finally Answers One Piece‘s Flying Devil Fruit Mystery
In his response to the question in the latest SBS, Oda explains that Pell’s claim came solely from his own knowledge, as he was unaware of what the outside world, especially the New World, had to offer. He adds that most characters do not travel beyond their own islands to expand their knowledge, meaning the statement was based entirely on Pell’s perspective. However, Eiichiro Oda also provides a clever meta explanation. He explains that since the series is about pirates, with boats and ships being a major part of its world, widespread flight abilities would hinder the narrative in many ways. That is also why, despite the world’s scientific advancements and technology, there do not seem to be aircraft.
Meanwhile, the exact reason Oda used the number five for flying Devil Fruits was that he wanted to remind himself not to go overboard with flight abilities, as they would not complement the narrative’s structure. It is indeed a clever response that is easy to accept, though it is difficult to believe that Oda had fully thought through, 25 years ago, how many Devil Fruits with flying abilities would appear as the series expanded.
That said, Oda has been very careful with flight abilities throughout the series. Flight has never been overused and instead comes with the limitations of specific Devil Fruits, making it a clever use of these powers. The series has, in many ways, stayed true to its original foundation, though it is evident that not everything was planned out from the beginning. Fortunately, fans have the SBS, where Oda continues to answer such intriguing mysteries of One Piece, just as he did in the latest volume by explaining a 25-year-old Devil Fruit mystery.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum
