One Piece by Eiichiro Oda has two major sources of power: a Devil Fruit and Haki. The former's abilities are unique to each user and have certain limitations when used. Their ultimate form, however, is an awakened Devil Fruit that grants the wielder more refined abilities. Trafalgar Law, for example, can summon a variety of special room spheres that are applied directly to specific objects rather than designated areas. Prior to his awakening, he could only create and manipulate one sphere at a time.
A Devil Fruit Awakening was extremely rare in One Piece, with only a few characters capable of mastering it. However, during the "Wano" arc, Luffy, Law, and Kid all experienced awakenings. Then, in the "Egghead" arc, CP 0 reappeared with more awakened powers, leaving fans wondering why there are so many of them. Kaido once stated that a Devil Fruit awakening occurs only when the user's mind and body catch up to their powers, demonstrating how rare it should be. Here's why there are so many newly awakened Devil Fruit users.
Every Significant Reference to a Devil Fruit Awakening in One Piece
The first time One Piece showed this phenomenon was in the "Impel Down" arc, where the Jailer Beasts were shown to have awakened Zoan powers. Crocodile, a former Warlord, explained that their abilities had awakened. After that, Doflamingo has shown awakening his own Devil Fruit powers. Then the pirates from the Worst Generation showed off their newly awakened abilities as well.
Recently, the One Piece manga revealed that the members of CP-0 had recently awakened powers. Similarly, the time interval between each mention is shrinking. It appears that the series will show more awakened Devil Fruit users before it concludes.
Why Are Devil Fruit Awakenings Becoming More Common in One Piece?
The reason for more awakened Devil Fruit users is simple -- as it inches closer to its ending, One Piece is growing more intense as it maintains that new powers are being introduced. Luffy and Law joined hands to defeat Kaido, who not only has a mythical Zoan Devil Fruit but is also a master in all forms of Haki. He earned the title of "King of the Beasts" and became a Yonko thanks to his unparalleled strength. Though Luffy and Law are both strong, one has to realize that because they are new pirates, going against a Yonko would be nearly impossible unless a miracle were to happen. Therefore, it was necessary to give Luffy, Law, and even Kid the powers of an awakened Devil Fruit.
Furthermore, Luffy grew so powerful that he could easily overwhelm even an incredible opponent like Kaido with his full power. Without these abilities, he would have been defeated in a fight he started, which is not ideal for a shonen leader. Now that Luffy is even stronger than Kaido, there are only a few people left in the world who can compete with him.
Although the final saga of One Piece has begun, Oda must occasionally introduce a few minor antagonists in order for the story to progress. Minor enemies who attempt to oppose Luffy will require more than just Haki or a simple Devil Fruit. As a result, the Devil Fruit awakening is becoming more common.
