As the sun set, Foxy continually sweated, and the sky gradually darkened. In the end, Foxy smiled because he successfully achieved nine kicks with his right foot within 0.36 seconds, just one step away from ten. Now, he was in a great mood, feeling as if all his exhaustion had vanished, maintaining a state of high spirits.
If he continued like this, he might learn “Soru” within two months. Once he mastered “Soru,” his offensive and defensive capabilities would significantly increase, which Foxy desperately needed. Although learning “Soru” in two months might seem unimpressive compared to the average person, it was already an extraordinary talent.
Stretching lazily, with the smell of sweat clinging to him, Foxy walked to the freshwater river, intending to take a bath. He only dared to immerse himself up to his thighs, not any further, because even freshwater could make him weak.
The first time he took a bath, Foxy almost drowned. That’s right. Not only could the sea make Foxy lose his strength, but freshwater could, too. Foxy found that as long as most of his body was covered by the river water, his strength would drain away significantly. If only part of his body were submerged, the impact on his strength would depend on the extent of the coverage.
At first, Foxy cursed loudly. Wasn’t it said that Devil Fruit users would only lose their strength when submerged in the sea? Why did freshwater have the same effect?
What Foxy didn’t know was that the setting for Devil Fruits was established from the very first episode and could be considered the foundation of the entire work. The sea would despise a Devil Fruit user and would never be able to swim again.
This was the initial setting.
As the story progressed, more issues emerged. After all, being a pirate means spending a lot of time at sea, making it impossible to avoid water. This led many to believe that Devil Fruit users were only afraid of seawater, not freshwater. Foxy thought so, too.
However, this viewpoint is justified. The reasoning is as follows:
The setting states that after eating a Devil Fruit, one cannot swim because the sea abandons them. Freshwater is not seawater, so it shouldn’t be a problem. If even freshwater was a problem, wouldn’t it be impossible to bathe or drink water?
Luffy had been drenched in rain during many of his sea adventures due to bad weather, yet he could still use his powers.
But in reality, Devil Fruit users fear both seawater and freshwater, which have the same effect. In the movie “One Piece Film: Z,” Luffy and his crew are in a hot spring, and they become weak, similar to being submerged in the sea. Admiral Aokiji also said, “If I were here to kill you, I wouldn’t be meeting you in a hot spring where we can’t use our abilities.”
When Aokiji exited the hot spring, he had to recreate his left leg, which he had lost due to Akainu. This shows that he couldn’t use his abilities in the hot spring and didn’t have his leg while in there.
Thus, Devil Fruit users fear both seawater and freshwater equally. A small amount of water may not have much effect, but being submerged halfway or more would completely drain their strength.
There’s also the particular case of Seastone. Seastone is a crystallization of the sea’s power, representing the solid form of the sea. A Devil Fruit user doesn’t need to be submerged in a lot of Seastone; even a tiny piece will immediately negate their powers. This is different from seawater, where the user must be submerged halfway. Seastone is highly dense, meaning a small piece isn’t equivalent to a drop of seawater but to a large amount of seawater, causing duplicate power suppression.
There are many battle scenes in the anime where it rains, such as during the Cake Island arc when Luffy fought Big Mom’s subordinates in the rain while trying to retrieve Sanji. He was lively and used his powers just fine. They also bathe and drink water usually, so how do they manage?
According to Oda, Devil Fruit users fear all types of water, including freshwater and seawater. Water limits their power usage. Even though they fear water, it depends on the situation—whether they are fully submerged, partially submerged, or scattered.
If fully submerged, they can’t use their powers and become weak. If partially submerged, using their powers becomes difficult. If it’s just scattered, like rain, the effect is minimal.
Drinking water might feel like drinking a carbonated beverage to them—making them feel slightly weak, but it’s not a big deal after a while.
Seastone reflects this, too. Some Devil Fruit users can’t use their abilities when wearing Seastone handcuffs but still retain their physical strength, which varies among individuals.
Therefore, Devil Fruit users fear any type of water, and bathing and drinking do affect them, but to different extents.
Moreover, in the Cake Island arc, Jinbe used seawater to attack Prometheus, significantly reducing its power. He also drenched Big Mom with seawater, making her look quite pitiful. However, these actions seemed practical but were later contradicted in episode 891. In episode 891, Big Mom and Prometheus were almost unaffected by seawater, retaining their strength.
Isn’t Big Mom a Devil Fruit user? Why isn’t she afraid of seawater? This involves the volume of water. Whether it’s seawater or freshwater, if the volume is sufficient, it can render a Devil Fruit user powerless. Conversely, if the volume is insufficient, it won’t have much effect on them.
What volume is enough? According to Oda’s SBS, it’s “more than half the body.” If only half the body is submerged or just the hands and feet are in water, the weakness won’t be as severe. If more than half the body is submerged, the user will become completely powerless.
However, flowing water doesn’t have this effect. For instance, rainwater that flows over the user’s body won’t make them lose strength or ability.
That’s why when Jinbe drenched Big Mom with seawater, it didn’t significantly affect her. It’s like rainwater—it can’t immerse Big Mom for long so she won’t become weak, or perhaps Big Mom is too strong to be visibly affected.
Later, when Big Mom was knocked away, Zeus caught her, indicating she feared falling into the sea, proving she still feared water.
Therefore, the truth is that Devil Fruit users are restrained by any water, seawater, or freshwater, depending on the amount!
When Foxy first arrived at Marineford and trained with the soldiers, he bathed with a shower. Although he felt uncomfortable, he didn’t pay much attention after the bath. He didn’t realize this issue until later.
Then, at the academy, they soaked in blood medicine baths, which contained the blood of Sea Kings and various medicinal ingredients. Though the blood had water content, it was too little to cause significant discomfort.
Foxy also noticed this issue when fetching water in the village but didn’t take it seriously at the time. However, this time, he nearly drowned while bathing, and with solid evidence, he had to accept the truth.
Additionally, Brook can run on the sea, and Aokiji and Big Mom’s fourth son, Charlotte Oven, can heat seawater with their hands. Big Mom can even create massive waves. These are anomalies.
So, Foxy cursed Oda more than once. The setting that Devil Fruit users fear seawater or water, in general, is either a pitfall or a flawed setting.
Now, Foxy doesn’t dare to immerse his whole body while bathing unless he has someone trustworthy nearby. Otherwise, it’s just courting death.
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