One Piece: Oda Has Already Set Up the Straw Hat Pirate Blackbeard Wants the Most

In the world of One Piece, some mysteries stay hidden for years before suddenly becoming important. Tony Tony Chopper could be connected to one of those mysteries. Long before Chopper became a Straw Hat, Blackbeard and his crew attacked Drum Island.

However, the story never explained what Teach really wanted there. Now, with Blackbeard actively hunting powerful Devil Fruits, that old attack looks much more interesting. One popular theory suggests that Chopper’s Devil Fruit could have been the real reason behind the raid.

Blackbeard’s Drum Island Raid Connects Him To Chopper

Blackbeard’s attack on Drum Island is one of the strangest loose ends in One Piece. Before Luffy and his crew arrived, the raid itself was revealed in Chapter 133, where it was established that the Blackbeard Pirates had already attacked the country and forced Wapol to run away.

What makes the incident interesting is that Eiichiro Oda never gave a clear reason for the attack. That leaves a big question about what Teach was actually looking for. And one strong possibility is that he was actually after Chopper’s Devil Fruit.

At first, the Hito Hito no Mi looked like a fairly simple Devil Fruit. It allowed a reindeer to gain human abilities and eventually become the doctor of the Straw Hat Pirates. But One Piece has already shown that Devil Fruits can have hidden identities.

Luffy is the biggest example. In Chapter 1044, the fruit everyone believed was the Gomu Gomu no Mi was revealed to be the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika. The World Government had hidden its true name and nature for centuries. That reveal changed how fans look at other unusual Devil Fruits. Chopper’s fruit is naturally one of the biggest candidates for further speculation.

At the same time, Blackbeard’s attack on Drum Island also makes the theory more interesting. Teach has built much of his power around stealing and collecting Devil Fruit abilities. If he knew that Chopper’s fruit was something much rarer than an ordinary Hito Hito no Mi, Drum Island would suddenly make perfect sense as a target. Even though there is still no canon confirmation that this was Blackbeard’s goal, the fact that Oda left the reason for the attack unexplained gives the theory plenty of room to grow.

Chopper’s Devil Fruit Has a Major Final Saga Role

Chopper’s Monster Point in One Piece. | Credit: Toei Animation

The Forest God theory takes the idea even further. Some fans believe Chopper’s Hito Hito no Mi could actually be connected to a Forest God, similar to how Luffy’s Devil Fruit is connected to the Sun God Nika. This theory comes from the old god references in Skypiea, where the story mentions the Sun God, Rain God, Earth God, and Forest God. But after the Nika reveal, those old references suddenly became much more interesting.

Chopper also fits the idea surprisingly well. His story has always been closely connected to nature, animals, and medicine. His dream is to become a doctor who can cure any disease, while his Devil Fruit allows him to move between human and animal forms.

Since awakening the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika, Luffy has continued to develop new ways of using his powers, with Gear 5 giving him a completely different level of freedom. If Chopper’s fruit is also a hidden Mythical Zoan, its awakening should work in a similarly unusual way.

Rather than simply giving Chopper a standard human transformation, the awakening could bring out completely different form connected to the fruit’s true identity. While Chopper’s advanced forms, most notably Monster Point are the result of his medical genius with the Rumble Ball, a narrative awakening could recontextualize those abilities entirely during the Final Saga.

As we all know by now, One Piece has a long history of planting small details years before revealing their real importance. Blackbeard’s unexplained visit to Drum Island could be one of those details. If Chopper’s Devil Fruit really has a hidden secret, Blackbeard could eventually have a very specific reason to come after one of Luffy’s oldest crewmates.

Now the big question: Could Chopper become one of Blackbeard’s biggest targets in the Final Saga? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

One Piece anime is currently available to watch on Crunchyroll.