A growing body of canon breadcrumbs suggests Eiichiro Oda has effectively identified the “first” Devil Fruit in One Piece — the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika — reframing Luffy’s power as more than a quirky rubber ability.

Devil Fruits have been central since chapter one, granting unique abilities at the cost of the user’s ability to swim. Across the Final Saga, Oda has layered new context: Vegapunk explains that Devil Fruits emerged from human desires long ago, and the story confirms they existed during the Void Century — the same era tied to Joy Boy. Readers can follow these developments in the official serialization on Manga Plus.

Devil Fruit origin in One Piece canon

Canon establishes a few key pillars. Devil Fruits confer singular powers that pass on when a user dies. They’ve been around for centuries, and Vegapunk frames their emergence as the manifestation of human hopes and ideas — not a modern invention. That places their origin well before the present day, aligning with the world-shaping events of the Void Century.

Why Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika stands out

Luffy’s fruit was reclassified in-story as the Mythical Zoan Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, and the World Government hid its identity for roughly 800 years. The narrative also ties Joy Boy — a figure from the Void Century — to the same power set Luffy now wields. Layered with Vegapunk’s “born from desire” framing, the Sun God’s theme of liberation and joy makes Nika the leading candidate for the first Devil Fruit: a power born from a fundamental, persistent human desire for freedom.

Void Century timeline and known users

The series has identified at least two Devil Fruit users originating from that era: Joy Boy with the Nika fruit and Toki with the Toki Toki no Mi. That confirms the technology or phenomenon behind Devil Fruits was established by the Void Century. The Government’s centuries-long effort to suppress and recapture the Nika fruit further elevates its historical primacy within the story’s mythology.

What remains unconfirmed

Oda hasn’t explicitly stated which fruit appeared first, nor has the series fully detailed the mechanism that brought Devil Fruits into the world. Theories that expand on the “human desire” premise remain plausible but unverified in specifics. For now, the strongest textual throughline points to Nika’s Zoan as the earliest or foundational Devil Fruit, with future chapters poised to clarify the exact sequence and origin.

If that reading holds, One Piece isn’t just centering Luffy’s power for narrative effect — it’s positioning his fruit as the archetype that defined the system from the very start.