The world of One Piece is full of characters of many different shapes and sizes. One unique group of characters in Eiichiro Oda’s story are those who ate a Devil Fruit. As such, these people are called Devil Fruit users. A Devil Fruit is a mysterious fruit that, when wholly ingested, gives the eater supernatural abilities, but at the cost of becoming weak to anything from the sea, and can drown when fully submerged in seawater.
Although there are many Devil Fruit users in One Piece, there are also many characters who never ate Devil Fruit. Some fans argue that these characters are intriguing because of their lack of Devil Fruit powers and that giving them powers will only serve as a detriment to what makes them special. For one reason or another, fans agree that some One Piece characters are better off never eating a Devil Fruit.
10 Carrot
An ally of the Straw Hats and current leader of the Minks, Carrot is a rabbit mink warrior with the innate ability to produce and attack with electricity. Much like her fellow minks, Carrot has a Sulong form, a transformation that significantly enhances their power caused by looking at a full moon.
Carrot has proven she can handle a fight since her popular Sulong transformation in the Whole Cake Island arc. So if Carrot were to eat a Devil Fruit, most fans would agree that while it could be a neat addition to her abilities, they would ultimately be unnecessary. So although it’s amusing to think about, a Devil Fruit-empowered Carrot is best left as only a fun idea.
9 Rayleigh
Silvers “Dark King” Rayleigh was once the first mate and close friend of the King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger. The retired pirate’s extraordinary strength matches his title, and he trained Luffy for two years to help him strengthen his Haki abilities.
Much of Rayleigh’s strength comes from his natural physical prowess and ability to use all three types of Haki. Because of his lack of Devil Fruit powers, Rayleigh’s status as a former Pirate King’s crew member is exemplary. So while the addition of Devil Fruit powers wouldn’t affect his past accomplishments, they would diminish the Dark King’s current legendary notoriety.
8 Koby
From a cowardly teenager to a marine captain, Koby has been around since the very beginning of One Piece. His journey is one that many anime fans find endearing. The best example of Koby’s growth is during the brief Reverie arc, where he swims at a torpedo and casually redirects it away from a Royal convoy.
The gap between Koby then and now took a long time to reach. Were Koby to ingest a Devil Fruit, he would be unable to swim and have to figure out how to use his newfound abilities from scratch. Even though fans have enjoyed Koby’s growth, for him to have any setbacks now would undoubtedly be a controversial decision.
7 Garp
Monkey D. Garp is a world-renowned “Hero of the Marines”, whose strength, in his prime, is compared to Gol D. Roger. The Vice Admiral even gave the Pirate King trouble back in the day. Despite his old age, Garp is still considered a significant threat by many pirates.
Although his Haki is also notably strong, Garp’s raw brute strength is also legendary. In the unlikely event that Garp should eat a Devil Fruit, his strength would be no different to One Piece fans than the upper-rank marines. With Garp on his way to rescue Koby from Marshall D. Teach, the heroic marine will want to have the advantage of being able to swim on his side.
6 Shanks
The last of the original four Emperors of the sea, Shanks’ popularity is well-earned. His rise to power has been a lifelong journey to becoming the leader of one of the most powerful pirate crews. Shanks accomplished all this despite sacrificing his left arm to save Luffy.
Shanks’ Conqueror Haki is so powerful that he was able to paralyze Aramaki from miles away during the Wano arc. If Shanks were ever to eat a Devil Fruit, he would become a less intriguing character. It would also go against the themes he and other characters have established since the beginning and how it takes more than the power of a Devil Fruit to be the Pirate King.
5 Mihawk
In spite of his overwhelming popularity, fans know very little about Dracule Mihawk. However, Mihawk has more than earned his title of “The Strongest Swordsman in the World.” Mihawk takes pride in his skills and wields a single-edged black blade called Yoru, which he has used to perform countless feats befitting his title.
Because of his status, he stands in opposition to Zoro, who also desires to become the strongest swordsman. Many swordsmen Zoro has faced so far are usually Devil Fruit users too. So for Mihawk to also become one would surely disappoint many fans. For now, however, it’s unlikely that this sword master will ever eat a Devil Fruit and will be more than worth the hype he has garnered.
4 Zoro
Roronoa Zoro is Luffy’s first mate and has been with him nearly since the start of the story. Zoro has achieved fame with his odd but effective choice to wield three swords and continues to grow stronger with every fight. His most recent victory was against Kaido’s right-hand man, King, during the Wano arc.
Zoro’s opponents usually have the advantage of being Devil Fruit users. What makes these fights entertaining for fans is Zoro overcoming these hurdles to continue his progress to becoming the strongest swordsman. However, it is unlikely that Zoro would welcome the idea of eating a Devil Fruit for these very same reasons and will choose to fight opponents without these powers to test his mettle.
3 Sanji
“Black Leg” Sanji is the exceptional cook of the Straw Hat pirates. Aside from his impressive physical capabilities as a fighter, Sanji is best known for his cooking skills. Sanji also dreams of finding the All Blue, a place in the sea rumored to contain a wide variety of wildlife, a paradise for chefs.
Sanji has often come to rescue his Devil Fruit user allies whenever they are drowning under seawater. However, if he were to eat a Devil Fruit in the future, this could hinder his ability to help his companions. Furthermore, being unable to interact directly with All Blue would also likely upset the kindhearted cook.
2 Shirahoshi
The princess of the Ryugu Kingdom, Shirahoshi, previously spent most of her life raised inside a tower until Luffy and the Straw Hat pirates saved her. Unfortunately, Shirahoshi remains in danger from various threats. One example is during the Reverie arc, where a Celestial Dragon tried to, unsuccessfully, kidnap and enslave her.
Shirahoshi is also the reincarnation of the ancient weapon Poseidon, which, thankfully, very few people know. So eating a Devil Fruit on top of this would only cause more harm than good for the young mermaid princess. Of course, being unable to swim in seawater would also sadden her, but if such an event were to occur, she would surely have the love and support of her family.
1 Jinbe
A former member of the Sun pirates and fish-man pirate warlord, Jinbe is the most recent and welcomed addition to the Straw Hat pirates. He is a master of fish-man karate, a martial art with several devastating underwater moves designed to suit fish-men’s enhanced strength and speed in their natural environment.
Being a Devil Fruit user would mean that Jinbe could not use any underwater-based attacks with fish-man karate. It would also be unfortunate for a fish-man like Jinbe to be unable to swim and drown in the ocean. In any case, it’s doubtful that Jinbe would ever eat a Devil Fruit of his own volition, as the last thing he would want to be is a living oxymoron.
