One Piece theory cracks down on first character with Zoan awakening

One Piece mangaka Eiichiro Oda brought the Devil Fruits back to prominence when he introduced the fact that they can be Awakened. Prior to that, Haki seemed to be able to outperform most of the Devil Fruit abilities, with no negative side effects.

According to a very recent fan theory, the first Devil Fruit to be Awakened was Pell's Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Falcon.

Fans of One Piece are familiar with Oda's habit of introducing concepts without naming or explaining them for a long time. However, he does this in a way that the concept can be found throughout the series.

This was certainly true for Haki, whose existence can be found as early as the first chapter of the series. Thus, fans have been able to go back to earlier chapters and look for hints of a future event or revelation.

Disclaimer: This article contains One Piece spoilers.

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According to one theory, Pell was the first to Awaken his Devil Fruit in One Piece

Pell in Falcon form as seen in the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Following Kaido's explanation, Reddit user u/motion_picture_st posited that Awakening requires both the Devil Fruit user and the Devil Fruit's will to be in concurrence. They use the characters Luffy and Lucci as examples. According to them, Lucci's carnivorous Zoan is a great match for his vocation as a ruthless assassin for the World Government.

In contrast, Luffy's Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Devil Fruit has a history of liberating people from oppression, which corresponds to exactly what he has done all throughout the series and his dream of freedom.

According to this line of thought, Pell's Falcon form is a representation of an Egyptian guardian deity which is consistent with Pell's desire to protect Arabasta.

Next, the Reddit user points out that Pell should have died as a result of the bomb that Crocodile had planted. The bomb was made of metal and had over a two-and-a-half-kilometer explosion radius.

According to the theory, Pell was dead for some time before he Awakened his Devil Fruit since his final sacrifice perfectly matched the character of his Devil Fruit. Even Luffy had to die for his Devil Fruit to be Awakened during his fight with Kaido.

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Is there a counter-argument?

Pell from the One Piece anime (Image via Toei Animation)

Because of its length, numerous unsolved mysteries, long-kept secrets, and large cast of characters, One Piece has been a fertile breeding ground for fan theories. However, because they are speculative in nature, fan theories are typically easier to discard unless Oda confirms them.

Surprisingly, this theory has received no internal critiques. This means that people have not found any problems with the theory while reading the manga itself.

However, there is an external factor that is more likely to explain why Pell did not die without relying on the notion that Oda had planned out Devil Fruit Awakening over twenty years ago while writing Arabasta.

The explanation is that Oda despises killing characters and, more problematically, does not commit to the deaths. He always finds a way to bring back characters, undermining the significance of their deaths. The most recent of these cheap tricks is Saul, who was confirmed by Vegapunk to have survived and assisted in transporting the books from Ohara to Elbaf after the Buster Call.

Thus, Pell's death is more likely just Oda being himself, but it is these unintentional resonances, of which there are many in One Piece, that make it such an enjoyable read.

Oda may not have planned or even imagined the concept of Devil Fruit Awakening initially, but his story now appears to have always contained the seeds of such a power.