In One Piece Chapter 1017, Who’s Who tells Jinbe that he was once a Cipher Pol agent and was imprisoned by the World Government after he failed to protect the Gomu Gomu no Mi from Shanks.
The Editor’s note pretty much asks the same question. What importance does the fruit have that the World Govt. would want it guarded by a prodigious assassin like Who’s Who? If you look back, this is not the first time the World government has placed special emphasis on obtaining a devil fruit.
The Ope Ope no Mi
During Law’s flashback, we learned that the World government was going to buy the Ope Ope no Mi from Diez Barrels for a whopping 5 Billion Berries.
The World government is willing to pay Whitebeard’s entire bounty just to obtain that one fruit. The reason for this could very well be because of the fruit’s connection to the National treasure of Mariejois. But when I think about both the Gum-Gum fruit and Ope-Ope fruit in conjunction, I believe there could also be another answer.
Attempted great cleansing?
What if the World government wanted to wage a major war against pirates after the death of Roger?
Gol D. Roger found Laugh Tale and the secrets of the world, but was not able to do anything about it, mainly because of his sickness and eventual death. But I think Roger’s exploits shook the government to its core. So, after his death, the World government wanted to put an end to everything that could expose the crimes they did 900 years ago. The first step was the destruction of Ohara, 2nd step is systematically destroying the people who are aspiring to reach Laugh Tale – Pirates.
Particularly, the 3 strongest pirates of that time, who were also on the ship of Rocks D. Xebec who was said to have had knowledge on the taboo subjects of the world : Edward “Whitebeard” Newgate, “Big Mom” Charlotte Linlin, and “King of the beasts” Kaido.
But these were absolute powerhouses. How exactly would the government beat them? Here is where the devil fruits come into play.
I believe, if awakened, the Gomu Gomu no Mi will serve as a perfect counter to the Gura Gura no Mi. Tremors are basically shockwaves, so rubber could nullify/absorb it if the surroundings are made into rubber like some paramecia awakenings do. This could be proved only when Blackbeard inevitably fights Luffy.
Thus, if a trained fighter like a Cipher Pol agent or high ranking Marine were to awaken it, they could be the ultimate support fighter against Whitebeard. If they were to nullify Whitebeard’s devil fruit, then people like Garp and Sengoku could definitely beat Whitebeard without having to suffer immense casualties.
The Ope Ope no Mi can serve as a great counter to Big Mom’s Soru Soru no Mi powers. Law can use his ability to switch personalities, so what if Law switches the personalities or even further, the souls of the homies? I think if Zeus and Prometheus switched bodies, they wouldn’t really know how to use the powers.
The homies are Big Mom’s main offensive force, if they are rendered useless, even for some amount of time, Big Mom becomes a much easier opponent to beat. I believe this is going to be a turning point in the ongoing Law and Kid vs Big Mom fight. Law messes with the homies while Kid keeps chipping away at Big Mom’s defense to finally finish her off with a big combined attack.
But the anomaly is Kaido. You see, the World government couldn’t find a fruit that could counter Kaido’s effectively. So what they did was, using Kaido’s lineage factor to create that devil fruit on their own.
It would also give a new dynamic to Vegapunk’s character. If Vegapunk knew that the World government was planning on going to war using the devil fruit he created, then it would explain why he lied about the fruit being a failure. Think about it. No other artficial devil fruit has ever been synthesised by the World government. No other… except the Dragon fruit.
Shanks’ Role
12 years ago, Shanks stole the Gomu Gomu no Mi from Who’s Who. I think this was because Shanks knew about the World government’s plans, so he intercepted the World government ships and stole the fruit.
I also believe Shanks talked the World government out of executing such a big war. Think about it. We saw what happened to the world when one emperor fell. What about three? Total chaos, and the World government would be weak at that point as well (if they were to win). No one wins. Everyone loses.
I think Shanks convinced them of this fact and also promised to act as a peacekeeper. A guardian of Laugh Tale. The World government wants no one to reach Laugh Tale. Shanks wants no one except Luffy to reach Laugh Tale. Thus, until Luffy eventually reaches Laugh Tale, the goals of the World government and Shanks is the same. Prevent people from reaching Laugh Tale.
Theory by General-Aspect6286 (https://www.reddit.com/user/General-Aspect6286)
