One Piece reveals a fatal flaw in Bonney's Nika form, and it's exactly what was needed

Modified Jun 27, 2024 16:31 GMT

One Piece reveals a fatal flaw in Bonney's Nika form, and it's exactly what was needed (Image via Toei Animation)

Throughout this week, fans have seen the spoilers for chapter 1119 of author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga series leaked in various forms and capacities. This started earlier in the week with the initial spoilers and was followed by the full summary spoilers on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

Within, One Piece fans finally saw Bonney utilize her Nika form, launching a group attack with Sanji, Franky, and Luffy, which she contributed to via her “Nika Punch” move. However, shortly thereafter, it was revealed that she had already reverted to her child form, saying it was too exhausting to maintain her Nika form for long.

While some fans are upset about this since they wanted to see Bonney’s full combat potential in this form, in reality, it’s one of the smartest moves One Piece can make with her powers. Doing so sets the expectations of how her powers will be used early, and also prohibits the series from becoming over reliant on throwing two Nikas at every problem the Straw Hats face.

One Piece makes its best choice yet with Bonney’s powers in chapter 1119

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To further expand on why this decision is good for the health of One Piece, it’s first worth assessing what Luffy has been able to do since unlocking Gear 5. This includes standing up to the Gorosei (even if not being able to defeat them), defeating a fellow Yonko in Kaido, handling CP0 member Rob Lucci with ease, and more. In other words, it’s clear that Gear 5 has allowed Luffy to reach new heights as the reborn Sun God Nika.

Meanwhile, Bonney based her Nika form on Luffy’s Gear 5 appearance as Sun God Nika, which suggested to many fans that she could match his power and proficiency with the form. In other words, many fans were apprehensive of Bonney’s potential being equal to Luffy’s, especially in an immediate sense.

These fans were right to do so when considering that One Piece is in its endgame and the impact a second Nika amongst the Straw Hats could have on the series’ power balance. Yet, with such a subtle detail, Oda has eliminated this concern by confirming that Bonney can only maintain her Nika form for an incredibly short time. It’s a fatal flaw, meaning her form can’t be overly relied on by either Bonney herself or anyone else in the series.

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It also maintains the status of Luffy’s Gear 5 form somewhat, demonstrating that even with a power as limitless as Bonney's, it can’t be simply copy and pasted onto someone else. In turn, this helps to maintain Luffy’s status in the series as the next Joy Boy and, to a lesser degree, alleviates concerns about the dilution of his efforts thus far.

While one can argue that Bonney not being able to use her Nika form for extended periods of time removes any purpose behind it, this somewhat ignores Bonney’s origins and backstory. By achieving her Nika form, Bonney is leading the life that Kuma wanted for her and sacrificed himself for. In turn, her achieving the form in front of Kuma also provides closure to his own character arc, justifying his unyielding faith in Nika throughout his entire life.

This is also what makes the fatal flaw of Bonney’s Nika form such a masterful play by Oda. Doing so allows Bonney to contribute in battle, but not to the point where she is comparable to Luffy or any other top-tier fighters in the series. It also maintains the aforementioned narrative significance of her achieving the form, striking a literary balance that clearly considers multiple aspects of the story in its execution.