10/01/2026
Did Blackbeard Invade Drum Island Looking for Chopper’s Devil Fruit?
Blackbeard once explained that he had studied the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and memorized the appearance of the Yami Yami no Mi. That is why he immediately recognized the fruit when Thatch found it and knew it was the ability he had been waiting for.
We also know that the Blackbeard Pirates attacked Drum Island before the Straw Hats arrived. Their reason for invading has never been revealed, but the attack forced Wapol to abandon his kingdom. Interestingly, Chopper had already eaten the Hito Hito no Mi and was living on the island at that time.
This makes me wonder: Was Blackbeard searching for Chopper’s Devil Fruit?
Blackbeard rarely appears to make moves without a reason. His crew eventually became known for hunting powerful Devil Fruit users, so it is possible that this activity began much earlier than we realized. Perhaps Teach learned that a mysterious Human-Human Fruit existed on Drum Island and attacked the kingdom hoping to find it.
If that is true, Chopper’s fruit might be more important than its simple name suggests.
Chopper’s Hito Hito no Mi has always behaved strangely. Instead of having only the three transformations normally associated with Zoan fruits, Chopper can access numerous specialized forms by manipulating the fruit’s transformation wavelengths with his Rumble Balls. His Monster Point is especially unusual, giving him an enormous form with tremendous strength.
However, there is currently no confirmation that Chopper’s fruit is a Mythical Zoan or possesses a hidden model. Canon still identifies it as the ordinary Hito Hito no Mi, which grants a nonhuman user human intelligence and transformation abilities.
Another possibility is that Blackbeard was searching for a different Human-Human Fruit. He may have heard rumors that a powerful Hito Hito no Mi was located on Drum Island without knowing its exact model. If he was actually searching for the Nika fruit, the World Government’s false “Gomu Gomu no Mi” name could have prevented even him from realizing that Luffy already possessed it.
Of course, this remains a theory. We have no evidence that Blackbeard knew about Chopper, targeted his fruit, or even visited Drum Island because of a Devil Fruit. He may have attacked it for its medical knowledge, resources, strategic location, or another reason that Oda has not revealed.
Still, the connection is suspicious. A man who carefully studies Devil Fruits attacked the island where a highly unusual Zoan user lived, and the story has never explained why.
Maybe Chopper’s fruit really is an ordinary Human-Human Fruit made extraordinary by his intelligence. But if Blackbeard eventually reveals that Drum Island was part of his Devil Fruit hunt, Chopper could become far more important to the Final Saga than anyone expected.
