In chapter #1103 of One Piece, translated by Stephen Paul with lettering by Vanessa Satone, the Elder Saturn is holding Bonney trapped, on the cusp of killing her. In response, Bonney strikes out with her Devil Fruit ability, transforming herself into a Nika-like future version of herself, but her attack is ineffectual. Saturn tells her that this is because her Devil Fruit powers only let her transform into futures that she actually believes can occur.

Thus, as the future becomes more set in stone and her death becomes imminent, those powers will be less and less useful. This drawback also applies to the futures she would give others.

One Piece‘s Drawback to Bonney’s Fruit is Brilliant

This is an important drawback, given how powerful the Age-Age Devil Fruit seemed without it. While Bonney has used the powers of the Fruit to flash forward her enemies to the moment of their deaths, if she can’t imagine a powerful enemy like Saturn dying or coming to harm, she won’t be able to affect him. In addition, while as a ten-year-old child, she has a myriad of possible futures available to transform into, but as she ages many of these futures will become impossible to attain, weakening the effects of the Devil Fruit on herself.

This is the best type of power restriction as it makes a lot of sense given everything fans knew about Bonney and her Devil Fruit. When Bonney’s age was revealed it was somewhat controversial, and while this reveal doesn’t completely answer the complaints that many fans had about it, it at least gives a reason for that detail beyond Oda just wanting her to be younger. In addition, it potentially sets up some great moments later in the series as Bonney could potentially begin to believe in a powerful future for herself. It’s easy to anticipate that, once Bonney sees Luffy in his Nika form, she will believe in the mythical god again, thus reinforcing her powers.

One Piece Proves Again That It Handles Its Powers Well

One Piece has always handled its fantastical Devil Fruit abilities well, which is quite a feat given how absurd some of those powers are. This latest reveal is yet another example of this and proves that there is always more to a given Devil Fruit’s powers than meets the eye. A big underlying message in One Piece is that the dreams and hopes that come with youth must be preserved. As the youngest character in the main cast, Bonney and her powers are clearly a metaphor for this, while Saturn represents the dangers of growing up and giving up on one’s dreams and imagination.

As Bonney continues to get a spotlight in the Egghead Island arc, One Piece fans will likely get to see even more of her Devil Fruit in action and watch as she overcomes or succumbs to its inherent weakness.