Ito Ito no Mi

The Ito Ito no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit which allows its user to create and manipulate strings, making the user a String Human (糸人間). Ito (糸) means "string". In the FUNimation subs, it is called the String-String Fruit. It was last eaten by Donquixote Doflamingo.

Its power was first seen in the Jaya Arc and then several times afterwards, but not named or explained in any way until the Dressrosa Arc.

Appearance
The Ito Ito no Mi is a gourd-shaped fruit with several swirl patterns embedded on it and a curly stem on its top.

Strengths and Weaknesses
The Ito Ito no Mi provides the user the ability to manipulate people with strings by attaching them to their spines, similar to puppetry. Offensively, the strings can be used to cut through matter such as body parts or weapons. The strings can also be used to connect to clouds, thus providing aerial transportation. The maximum length of these strings is unknown, but they can be made long enough to reach from Green Bit to Dressrosa, as well as connect to the clouds. The strings can be compressed in bundles for various constructions. It is also unknown if there is some sort of limit to the amount of string Doflamingo can generate at once. Doflamingo admits that the strings are indeed versatile, as he can even perform an emergency stitching of his internal organs should they be damaged.

The strength of these strings is such that the victims are unable to resist Doflamingo hijacking their mobility, while sharp enough to cut through the flesh and bones of Little Oars Jr. and firearms with ease. Until Luffy did by sheer force, none of Doflamingo's victims were able to resist his body-manipulation powers and therefore was rendered completely helpless. This ability is even powerful enough to stop the physically strong "Diamond" Jozu in his tracks, preventing him from further attacking Crocodile. Not even one of Issho's meteors can damage the strings, let alone penetrate the cage they formed.

Additionally, because Doflamingo has "awoken" his Devil Fruit, he can turn parts of the surrounding area, such as the ground and buildings, into strings as well. Luffy states such a feat makes it no longer resemble the powers of a mere Paramecia.

As stated by Law, one of this ability's weaknesses is that if there are no clouds in the sky, Doflamingo has nothing to attach his threads to, which in turn prevents him from being able to travel in mid-air. Also the strings alone are only sharp enough to deeply lacerate the skin and flesh, unless they are pulled together into a rope or if used in a sawing motion. The strings are also incapable of cutting through Seastone, since the material nullifies Devil Fruit powers. Busoshoku Haki also helps defend against the strings, as Zoro was able to use his Haki on his swords and strike the Birdcage without them being cut. Also, constructs created from string using this ability will disappear if the user loses consciousness, as seen when the Birdcage surrounding Dressrosa disappeared after Luffy defeated Doflamingo. Besides that, the user is still affected by the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses.

Usage
Doflamingo usually bends his fingers to move his strings as he pleases for either manipulating people like puppets or to bifurcate his targets. The strings appear to be extremely thin or may even be invisible, making it almost impossible to notice and avoid them; most people who are unaware of Doflamingo's powers become unaware of how their bodies are moving against their wills. He has shown himself capable of controlling more than one person at the same time without apparent effort.

He can make his victims move to his will by moving his fingers accordingly. Doflamingo mainly uses this power to force comrades to fight (and even kill) each other, while Doflamingo himself sits at the sidelines and watches. When faced with multiple opponents, he may use his string clones in addition to his puppets. He may also use both his puppets and string clones against a single opponent to create a 2 vs. 1 situation or make them fight alongside him for combo-potential.

The strings can also be used for cutting, in a way similar to piano wire, allowing Doflamingo to effortlessly slice off body parts and destroy weapons. He managed to cleanly sever Little Oars Jr.'s right leg in one swift motion and decapitated Crocodile. Later, Doflamingo was shown to be well capable of cutting a Logia type as he brutally injured Smoker by combining his Haki with his strings. When Issho brought down a meteorite on Green Bit, he crossed his strings to form a net, and sliced the meteorite into small pieces to protect himself from harm. He can also compress the strings to create a giant whip or even a perfect clone of himself, capable of fighting alongside him, moving its mouth and transmitting his voice to appear to be talking, and unraveling for his ultimate technique.

Doflamingo has completely mastered his powers of the Ito Ito no Mi and has thus managed to achieve the rare phenomenon of "awakening". This allows him to turn the ground and buildings around him into strings for attacks, extending his range and attack volume.

Aside from offense and defense, Doflamingo can also use his strings to stitch together his internal organs should they be damaged, which acts as a rudimentary form of first aid; however, this is only a temporary measure, as this does not heal him.

Offensive Techniques

 * Parasite (寄生糸（パラサイト）): Doflamingo attaches his strings onto his opponents and manipulates their movements like puppets. This was first seen used to force Vice Admiral Mozambia to attack Vice Admiral Stainless. The strings used are so thin they seem invisible, and are so strong they can completely disable the likes of Jozu and Sanji, even keeping his victims trapped floating in midair, and none of his shown victims were able to resist at all, until Luffy did so by sheer brute force of his Gear Fourth. Furthermore, this technique can be enhanced when used in combination with the Birdcage technique, where the strings can spread all across the entirety of Dressrosa and control multiple people across the island at the same time without any apparent strain on Doflamingo. The string seems to attach to the targets spine at the base of the neck. As such, the controlled can still control their head, but everything below the neck is manipulated by Doflamingo, as seen when the controlled are still able to talk and make their own facial expressions, which contradicts their own actions. The technique's name was revealed in the flashback during Doflamingo's takeover of Dressrosa ten years ago, when he demonstrated the ability to take control of King Riku and many of his soldiers at the same time, and from far away. Though Doflamingo is commonly seen moving his fingers, in a similar manner to how a puppeteer manipulates a marionette, whilst controlling the target(s), it doesn't seem to be necessary, as shown when he did mass control over several people in Dressrosa. This attack was incorrectly named Marionette (マリオネット) in One Py Berry Match.
 * Goshikito (五色糸（ゴシキート）): Doflamingo slashes his target with five strings coming out from his fingers. In the anime the strings appear to be merely a spider web white color, but a shimmering of colors within each string can be seen. It was first clearly shown being used against the G-5 Marines on Punk Hazard and named while he was using it against Sanji. In the Viz Manga, it is called Penta-Chromatic String.
 * Overheat (超過鞭糸（オーバーヒート）): Doflamingo shoots a thick rope made of strings from his palm and whips it at the target. Overheat's range can go from the sky of Green Bit all the way to Dressrosa, a distance of many kilometers, and is strong enough to cut through a building at that range. It was first seen being used in his fight against Sanji in an attempt to finish him off. The anime has an added effect of the whip exuding high amounts of heat, causing it to glow a fiery orange and steaming. In the FUNimation subs, the first time it was used they called it Overheat, but the second time (in the same episode) it was subbed as Excess Whip String. In the video game One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3, Doflamingo stretches the rope far back, then slams it onto the ground causing a powerful explosion upon impact.
 * Tamaito (弾糸（タマイト）): Doflamingo points at his opponent with his index finger and fires a string from it, as if he were firing a gun. He can shoot multiple rounds from both hands at the same time. It was first seen being used in the fight against Law on the iron bridge. It was used earlier in the anime when Doflamingo was chasing Law on Green Bit. The attack's power and effect are similar to Shigan, but it has the advantage of the longer range of a normal gun.
 * Black Knight (影騎糸（ブラックナイト）): Doflamingo forms a clone of himself, made entirely out of string. Doflamingo can then manipulate the clone with other strings. The technique was used to survive Kyros' attempted decapitation, and Viola remarked that she had never seen it before herself, suggesting it is rarely used given her ability to see everything going on in the country. Doflamingo has shown great skill in manipulating his clone to orchestrate combined attacks with his real body, such as a double Goshikito. Apparently, even a single clone is very strong, able to simply swat a Jet Pistol from Luffy. Viola called it Marionette (操り人形（マリオネット）), while Law similarly referred to it as a "string puppet". Trebol referred to it as Ito Joker (糸ジョーカー) when he asked Doflamingo where it had flown off to, after one of them confronted Luffy and Law. It was formally named when Doflamingo created a clone in his battle against Law and Luffy.
 * Fulbright (降無頼糸（フルブライト）): Doflamingo creates five detached strings from his hand and throws them downwards to impale his target from above. This attack was first used against Trafalgar Law in their second encounter at Dressrosa's royal palace. In the anime, a similar unnamed attack was used against Trafalgar Law during the battle at the bridge.
 * Itonoko (糸ノコ): Doflamingo creates a string from the heel of his foot and attaches the other end to his leg. Holding the opponent down with his arms, he then uses the taut string as a saw to sever the opponent's limb. The produced cut is rather jagged, making it very hard to reattach any severed limbs. This was first seen used to cut off Law's right arm, and named by Trebol. This attack gets its name from the real world cutting tool called the fretsaw, which consists of a metal frame and a thin blade held under tension.
 * Athlete (足剃糸（アスリイト）): Doflamingo attaches several long strings to his foot and kicks his opponents, cutting them. This was first seen used against Luffy, who, despite blocking the blow with his arms while also using Busoshoku Haki, still took damage and fell into Trebol's trap.

Awakened Techniques

 * Break White (荒浪白糸（ブレイクホワイト）): Doflamingo creates two large, thick sheets of string that wrap around his opponent and crush them. This was first used to attack Luffy in midair, but Luffy managed to avoid it.
 * Off White (盾白糸（オフホワイト）): Doflamingo creates two large masses of strings from the ground near him before swiping at an opponent with them. This was first used to counter Luffy's Gomu Gomu no Double Culverin.
 * Billow White (大波白糸（ビローホワイト）): Doflamingo turns several buildings into towering masses of strings before sending them at an opponent. This was first used against Luffy.
 * Ever White (海原白波（エバーホワイト）): Doflamingo kneels and touches the ground with his hands before turning a vast amount of the surrounding area into string. This was first used against Luffy.
 * Flap Thread (羽撃糸（フラップスレッド）): Doflamingo condenses the vast amount of string from Ever White into countless points before sending them at his opponent in the formation of two wings. He likens this technique to "a thousand arrows". It is possibly a homage to his childhood while he was being tortured as someone wanted to fire a thousand arrows at Doflamingo and his family. This was first used against Luffy.


 * God Thread (神誅殺（ゴッドスレッド）): Doflamingo summons sixteen thick strings which he refers to as "holy ammunition" (聖なる凶弾) before sending them at his opponent in a piercing formation. It is possibly a homage to his childhood while he was being tortured as a father cried out that the Celestial Dragons shot his son sixteen times with a pistol; Doflamingo's cruel way to mock the said father. This was first used against Luffy, but was broken through by his King Kong Gun.

Other Techniques

 * Sora no Michi (空の道): Doflamingo attaches his strings to clouds, allowing him to move through the air. He was first seen using the technique to travel from Dressrosa to Punk Hazard, but there were not enough clouds for him to be able to complete the journey. When Doflamingo was attacking the Straw Hats and Law at Green Bit, Law instructed the Straw Hats to sail along a route without any clouds, as doing so would prevent Doflamingo from pursuing them.
 * Torikago (鳥カゴ): Doflamingo's ultimate technique. He exudes a massive amount of strings from the center of his palm or a previously created string construct, such as a string clone, which then shoots into the sky. The individual strings then diverge to cover a large area, even an entire island, creating a massive razor-sharp, wire-domed force-field, slicing anyone who tries to pass through it and severing even the signals of Den Den Mushi to the outside world. The bars are incredibly strong, with even multiple meteorites being unable to damage it. Additional strings can then be spread into the cage's confines, attaching to selected people within and allowing Doflamingo to use his Parasite technique at a mass scale to force his victims to kill each other. The Birdcage is Doflamingo's last resort for any desperate situation where he can not allow anyone in the area to escape, such as when he prevented his brother from escaping with the Ope Ope no Mi (unaware at the time it was eaten by Law), or in the event that Sugar fainted, the effects of the Hobi Hobi no Mi were cancelled and the reconverted citizens rebelled, so that he could kill everyone so no one would be able to reveal the country's dark secrets. The Torikago will remain standing only as long as Doflamingo is conscious and should he desire, he can cause the cage to slowly but surely close in, eventually cutting anything inside apart, as when he desired for the endgame after his entire crew (sans Trebol and himself) were defeated; Doflamingo can also increase the shrinking rate if necessary. The cage does not contract towards its original center point: instead, it slowly converges on Doflamingo's position as it shrinks. With enough physical force, the Torikago can be halted for a brief duration. One can also escape the Torikago if one is immune to cutting damage, as Buggy can do so via his Bara Bara no Mi powers.
 * Kumo no Sugaki (蜘蛛の巣がき): A defensive technique. As the name implies, Doflamingo creates a huge web made of string that protects him from incoming projectiles. This was first used to block a massive piece of the Dressrosa Royal Palace, thrown at him by Law's powers. When Issho brought down a meteor, Doflamingo used a similar technique by crossing his two Goshikito together to form a net-formation, though smaller in comparison, and unlike Kumo no Sugaki, can slice through matter.

History
When Doflamingo was 10 years old, he awakened his Haoshoku Haki, knocking out a mob set out to torture him. The four children — Vergo, Trebol, Diamante and Pica — who would be the future elite officers of Doflamingo's crew, became awed by the rise of one who is worthy to be their new king. Trebol offered Doflamingo power to be their king and to kill everyone who offended him, which took the form of the Ito Ito no Mi and an obsidian-black pistol with luxurious gold plating.

Trivia

 * Out of all of the Devil Fruits named in the series so far, this fruit has had the longest gap between its first demonstration and when it was named, spanning 490 chapters (and 504 episodes) and more than eleven years.
 * Several of the named techniques are puns, ending with ito (string) in the Japanese pronunciation.
 * The abilities of the fruit are very similar to the string clouds that Shura uses in his Ordeal of String as they are invisible and can stop people from moving. Also, the "Birdcage" is very similar to the Ordeal of Iron used by Ohm, another of God's Army, as both moves consist of trapping people inside a dome-shaped cage of sharp material.
 * In One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World, Donquixote Doflamingo is considered a Paramecia Devil Fruit user. This was long before his powers were revealed to be from the Ito Ito no Mi.
 * This is the first Paramecia Devil Fruit to be shown as awakened.

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