With hundreds of devil fruits scattered throughout the world of One Piece, one or two among them are certainly not recognized for their true potential. And just listening to the long list of powerful abilities that these devil fruits grant to their users makes it hard to pinpoint a specific strength just by the name.
For example, the Buku Buku no Mi, despite its seemingly weak abilities, is actually one of the most powerful fruits in the entire One Piece series.
An underappreciated ability in One Piece
The Buku Buku no Mi is a Paramecia-type devil fruit that allows the user to manipulate books, effectively turning them into a “book person.” It was consumed by Charlotte Mont-d’Or, a son of Big Mom.
Mont-d’Or can make books fly in the air, using them to assist his own ability to fly. However, this power can also trap individuals within the pages of a book, essentially imprisoning them. In an extreme situation, the Buku Buku can confine a character within a story depicted in a book, or trap them in a book that resembles a prison cell.
Theoretically, this ability doesn’t seem particularly special. Many devil fruits in One Piece provide the ability to manipulate matter in some way without being breakable. However, the capabilities of the Buku Buku were prominently displayed in the Cake Island arc, where it was able to significantly hinder Luffy’s initial attempts.
The powers of the Buku Buku no Mi in One Piece are limited only by the creativity of the user
First, as we have seen in One Piece, any power that allows direct control over a substance is a powerful ability in itself. For example, the Mochi Mochi fruit is strong, even though it primarily controls a basic substance. With books and a user who can utilize Haki, it’s not far-fetched to see someone wielding the Buku Buku fruit defeat enemies by manipulating books.
Moreover, the illusions and prisons created by the Buku Buku fruit are particularly difficult to escape from, requiring specific creative methods to break free, such as burning the book that the individual is trapped in. Furthermore, if someone is trapped in this ability and is not surveilled properly, it would almost be impossible for them to find a way out.
This makes the Buku Buku a truly perfect devil fruit in terms of utility. This fruit also grants a set of other abilities, the majority of which remain undefined, such as interacting with books and summoning specific objects and characters from the books.
Furthermore, the powers of the Buku Buku fruit make it one of the most helpful devil fruits. As Charlotte Mont-d’Or has demonstrated, a user of the Buku Buku doesn’t need to be particularly strong to make it effective. They only need to combine it with a strong ally that can neutralize opponents after they are trapped in the illusion created by the book. In this way, the Buku Buku can operate in conjunction with the Hobi Hobi no Mi fruit owned by Sugar.
Oda once said about Charlotte Mont-d’Or: “He has a unique ability that can cause every book to come to life.”
Ultimately, the Buku Buku is one of the most creatively potent devil fruits in the series. This fruit, through its use to trap individuals in various narratives, has considerable potential. However, due to Charlotte Mont-d’Or’s lack of skill, the full potential of this remarkable devil fruit remains largely untapped.
