Bonney's Devil Fruit is far from broken in One Piece, and her road to unlocking its true powers proves it

Recent week releases for author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s best-selling One Piece manga series have seen the fandom locked in debate over Jewelry Bonney’s Devil Fruit powers. Following her demonstrating the ability to transform into a “copy” of Sun God Nika, fans have been alleging that her Fruit is broken in terms of its potential power and limits.

However, this isn’t quite accurate, as the One Piece manga has been very clear about what Bonney can and can’t do with her Devil Fruit, via both implicit and explicit writing. While all readers are entitled to their opinions on the Fruit, to call it broken is to ignore the rules that Oda has laid out for fans regarding its use.

Bonney’s Devil Fruit powers in One Piece are limited by her knowledge and understanding of what she’s “copying”

Bonney's Fruit originally started out as simply being able to control the ages of herself and those she touched (Image via Toei Animation)

Firsly, it’s worth explaining what Bonney’s Devil Fruit is in One Piece. Also known as the Age-Age Fruit, the Toshi-Toshi no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to manipulate the ages of their targets. However, this is only the foundation of its powers, as it can truly allow the user to transform into any possible future forms while aging themselves or others forward in time, regardless of physical limitations.

However, there are two main weaknesses here, with the first being one’s imagination. As they grow and accept reality more, the possible futures they envision become narrower in scope. The second weakness, which has been made clear by Bonney’s latest transformation into a copy of Sun God Nika, is that the user must fully understand the concept of what they’re becoming.

To transition into the topic at hand, Bonney wasn’t able to transform into Sun God Nika (or “Joy Girl,” as many fans are calling this form) because she didn’t fully understand Nika as a concept. Her faith was strong, but not fully rooted as she didn’t understand the true nature of what it means to be Nika. However, Luffy helped her figure out this true nature, which is why the panel of him discussing how he looks like that when he’s free preceded her transformation in recent One Piece issues.

Luffy, as Nika, helped Bonney learn what it meant to be Nika and the power of being "completely free" (Image via Toei Animation)

This change in thought is evident in the words she used to spark her transformation in One Piece. During her prior unsuccessful or partial transformations, she’d call upon a “Nika-ish” future, simply trying to copy the concept without understanding it.

Yet as soon as her understanding deepened and she called upon a future where she’s totally free, she was able to successfully and fully transform into her “Joy Girl” form.

In other words, she’s only able to transform into the future of something she fully understands and wholeheartedly believes in. For example, she wouldn’t be able to just demand an “Imu-ish” future and begin commanding the Gorosei as a result.

This is due to her not fully understanding anything about who Imu is or what they stand for, let alone their existence in general. However, even if she knew of their existence, it still wouldn’t be enough since she doesn’t understand it. While the Fruit’s potential is undoubtedly one of the most limitless in One Piece, it is heavily balanced by her belief and understanding, which are foundational to one’s perception of something.

This is evident by her “-ish future” phrasings which only allow her to tap into a rough and primitive idea of what she’s trying to copy. The difference in her asking for a “Nika-ish” future versus a future where she’s totally free serves as proof of this balance.

To reduce Bonney's Fruit to a "cheat code" belies the development she has undergone during the Egghead arc (Image via Toei Animation)

Her phrasing is also used to portray and distinguish this difference in understanding. For example, asking for an “X-ish future” gives her a portion of her rough idea of what something might be, which can be bogged down by her lack of truly understanding something. What happens when she asks for a “Nika-ish” future helps to prove this.

Yet when using a phrase that encapsulates the spirit of something fully and completely in its most essential form, she’s able to achieve a future where what she wants is fully realized.

In other words, Bonney’s abilities emphasize the power of one’s perception and how a shift in perspective can make a world of difference. In turn, it proves that her Fruit is far from broken in One Piece, and in reality, has several implicit rules that make its true potential difficult to achieve.