Nikyu Nikyu no Mi

The Nikyu Nikyu no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that grants the ability to repel anything via paws permanently manifested on the user's palms, making the user a Paw Human (肉球人間). The fruit was eaten by Bartholomew Kuma, who always wears gloves while his powers are not in use.

This fruit's abilities were duplicated in the Seraph S-Bear, via a transfusion of Green Blood.

Etymology

 * The fruit's name, Nikyu, comes from the word nikukyū (肉球) which means "pad" in Japanese.
 * In the VIZ manga and Funimation dub, it is called the Paw-Paw Fruit.

Appearance
The Nikyu Nikyu no Mi is a round fruit shaped like a three-digit paw print, matching the paw motif of the fruit's ability. It has a simple T-shaped stem that is curled on one end.

Strengths and Weaknesses


As explained by Kuma, this Devil Fruit bestows "the ability to send all things flying" (あらゆるものを弾き飛ばす能力) via invulnerable, five-digit paw pads on the user's palms; these are permanently manifested, leading the current ability user, Kuma, to always wear gloves when not using his power. Anything that touches (or is touched) by said paws can be pushed away at will with variable (but usually immense) speed and force, and will be automatically encased in transparent, paw-shaped energy bubbles.

Almost anything can be targeted by this ability and sent flying regardless of makeup, including tangible materials like people (even the ability user's own body) and objects, gases like air, completely immaterial targets like ghosts, and abstract targets like pain, fatigue, or memories. If something innate to a living being is targeted (e.g., pain or memories), it will not be blown far away but instead pushed out as a bubble that maintains itself close-by, allowing it to be accessed by someone touching it (and causing the touching person to feel whatever emotion was kept inside). It is shown that if untouched, a bubble will maintain its form indefinitely, even for years on end, and can thus be stored away for later access.



In combat, the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi's power affords its user a powerful defense, allowing them to deflect any and all attacks aside or back towards the attacker so long as they move their hands in the way fast enough, thus having their paws function like impenetrable shields. Beside defense, the user is able to harness their ability for offensive maneuvers, such as repelling the very atmosphere around them at "lightspeed" to create paw-shaped shockwaves that can pierce almost anything, to the point of leaving paw-shaped holes in bedrock. A user may also create massive paw bubbles around the air to compress down and then release as "bombs".



One misconception about the powers of the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi is that it allows its user to "warp" at will; this assumption is incorrect. Rather than teleport, Kuma uses his paws to propel himself, other people, and objects over certain distances and to chosen destinations at such immense speed that, to an observer, it merely appears as if Kuma (or another target of choice) "vanished" into thin air. This method of travel or transportation, however, is limited to an extent. Landmarks may get in the way of the flight trajectory, forcefully stopping a sent-away target from reaching their proper destination. For example, Kuma was unable to break past the Red Line, leading him to crash into it at high speeds and suffer heavy damage, while forcing him to climb up the continent to its summit in order to resume his voyage past it (though to be fair, the Red Line is considered nigh-indestructible).

While the ability user can deflect attacks, they may only do so using their bare hands. If their hands are otherwise occupied or not fast enough, or if the user is caught off-guard, they will receive damage from an attack that could have otherwise been averted. However, this weakness can be compensated if the user has other means of protecting their body, such as Kuma's transformation into a cyborg with stronger-than-steel armoring.

Aside from this, the user suffers the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses.

Bartholomew Kuma
Since his youth, Kuma has dedicated himself to using the powers he received from his Devil Fruit in order to save, heal, and free the oppressed, similar to the ancient figure of Nika. Because of Kuma's altruism and capability, Ivankov dubbed his friend as having the Hands of Liberation (解放の手).

However, the ability's potential for combat is undeniable and evident from how Kuma has been shown using it in the present. For attacks in particular, Kuma likes to target the very atmosphere to create attacks that, when executed, leave a paw-shaped imprints or holes in whatever lies in their path, matching the pads on Kuma's palms. In general, objects (or people) that are repelled by Kuma may travel at incredible speeds. According to Sentomaru, a person sent flying by Kuma will travel through the air for three days and three nights (although in practice, the flight time seems to vary) inside a paw-shaped bubble that protects them from any and all obstacles in their path until they arrive at a location designated by Kuma. Upon their arrival, the bubble will vanish, and the victim will land in the middle of a large paw print, completely unharmed.



Kuma is also able to use his powers to push virtually anything out of another person's body, including the sensations of pain and fatigue. These sensations are then manifested into a red bubble resembling a paw. With this technique, the pain the original person suffered can be transferred to another through direct physical contact with the bubble. This transfer leaves the recipient in agonizing pain, and the benefactor feeling healthy and energized, though their wounds remain unhealed. Kuma is also capable of pushing out his own memories into a paw bubble, which his friend Vegapunk had kept secret in a promise to the former Warlord.

Techniques



 * Pad Ho (砲): Kuma repels the air around him, sending a devastating shockwave toward his opponent at high speed. The shock wave can travel directly through the body of the victim and continue into the distance, leaving paw imprints in its wake. Anyone and anything that is in the path of the blast receives serious damage. This attack was first seen when it was used on members of the Thriller Bark Victim's Association. In the VIZ manga and Funimation dub, this is called Pad Cannon.




 * Puni (ぷに): Kuma's basic defensive maneuver where he moves his hands to repel and thus counter enemy attacks using his paw pads. This was first shown in the manga when Kuma used it to counter Zoro's swords. It remains unnamed in the manga (beyond matching the title of Chapter 484) but is named in One Piece: Burning Blood.




 * Tsuppari Pad Ho (つっぱり砲): Kuma first plants both feet firmly on the ground by means of a sumo-style foot stomp. Then, throwing his palms forward multiple times, he fires a vast number of "pressure shots" at the enemy. This technique was first seen used against Zoro. The way he pushes his palms forward and the stance he takes while performing this technique resemble those used commonly in sumo wrestling. Tsuppari is a thrusting open-handed strike about the upper chest and face, a technique in Sumo. In the VIZ manga and Funimation dub, this is called Thrust Pad Cannon.




 * Ursus Shock: A destructive attack where Kuma forms an enormous paw bubble in-between his outstretched arms, trapping a massive portion of air within. He then slowly compresses the air by repelling it over and over using his paws, causing the bubble to shrink rapidly. Once compact enough to fit between his hands, Kuma launches the compressed air bubble at his opponent(s), like a bomb. Once at the target, the air decompresses at once to cause a massive, paw-shaped explosion. The force of such blast was strong enough to knock out most of Kuma's "enemies" on Thriller Bark, smashing buildings, uprooting trees and shaking the entire island-ship. At Marineford, the attack critically injured Little Oars Jr., an enormous ancient giant, while also shattering the latter's blade, destroying the thick ice sheet he was standing on, and causing massive structural damage to the Marineford Bay. Unfortunately for Kuma, this attack requires a fair amount of time to complete given the amount of air needed and also leaves him vulnerable to attack in the meantime, as he has to use both hands to charge up the attack. However, in Kuma's specific case, that might not be a major issue due to his Pacifista resilience. Ursus is Latin for "bear" and the scientific name of a genus of bears. In the VIZ manga and Funimation dub, the attack is called Ursa Shock, as a possible reference to the constellation Ursa Major (also known as "The Great Bear"). The attack retains its name in the Funimation subs.

Video Game Techniques

 * Kuma no Te (熊の手): Kuma lands upon the ground from mid-air with great force. This sends a powerful shockwave that blows away the enemies around him. This technique was first used in Pirate Warriors 2.

S-Bear
S-Bear utilizes this ability bestowed by Green Blood in the same way as his genetic progenitor, Kuma, in providing high-speed travel and creating a compressed air bomb.

Techniques

 * Ursus Shock: The same as Kuma's technique, S-Bear gathers air with his palms and compresses it into a giant bubble which resembles a paw-print. Once the bubble is compact enough to fit within his hands, he releases the compressed air and sends it toward his opponent. The air quickly decompresses, causing a massive explosion in the form of a bear paw. It was first used against CP0. In the VIZ manga, this is called Ursa Shock.

History
38 years ago before the present storyline, the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, under the power of the World Nobles, was offered as one of the prizes for the 13th edition of the Native Hunting Competition that would take place in God Valley. The slave Ginny, who was spying on the Nobles' communication network, was able to identify said fruit and the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu as possibilities for allowing the hunted slaves and natives to escape the game. A young Bartholomew Kuma, one of the participating slaves of the game, volunteered along with fellow slave Ivankov to obtain one of those fruits.

Taking advantage of the chaos caused by the conflict between the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates, Kuma and Ivankov were able to sneak into the competition's central venue and obtain the fruits. Suddenly though, Linlin ambushed the boys and managed to take the Uo Uo no Mi for herself, but was unable to steal the Nikyu Nikyu due to Kuma quickly eating it at Ivankov's encouragement. After confronting Jaygarcia Saturn and making his own intentions to save people with his new powers clear, Kuma was able to escape the island, but not before saving 500 other victims of the hunt.

Trivia

 * In the anime, whenever Kuma uses Ursus Shock, a hum reminiscent of a bomb alert horn is used (either as the attack's sound or as a general sound effect), which adds to the bomb-like usage of the attack.
 * In SBS 59, a fan revealed that all the Straw Hats' Devil Fruits each have two numbers between one and ten, with 2 and 9 being the ones left out. Therefore, due to being the translation of the letters in "Nikyu Nikyu," this led to the belief that Kuma or someone with his power would later join or aid the Straw Hats. This is further implied when Oda tries to avoid commenting further on the discovery.
 * This Devil Fruit has the largest range potential of all known Devil Fruit powers, being able to send people across the world.
 * The technique where Kuma repels one's pain away from their body appears in Pirate Warriors 3 as a special attack named "Omae ni wa Jigoku o Miseru…" (「お前には地獄を見せる…」), in which Kuma throws the damage he has received at enemies, healing himself in the process. It is named after Kuma's quote from his meeting with Zoro. It is implied through many video games that Kuma can push out his own pain and fatigue, allowing him to endure a match much longer than he normally would. It is unknown if this aspect will show up in canon or not.
 * In One Piece: Burning Blood, Kuma's special attack Where would you like to travel? where he "teleports" someone to some faraway location acts as a one hit-KO when used on a single opponent. When fighting against a team of opponents, the attack will force the hit target to swap out.
 * This Devil Fruit is similar to Kuma's daughter's Devil Fruit and Big Mom's Soru Soru no Mi, as all three are able to manipulate conceptual aspects of their targets. Kuma can extract pain and memories, Bonney can change her age, and Big Mom can remove souls. It's also similar to the Memo Memo no Mi, since both can alter memories.

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