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For the chapter of the same name, see Chapter 615.

The Mato Mato no Mi[2] is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that makes the user capable of aiming at whichever "target" he decides upon from any location and at any time with anything at ease. It was eaten by Flying Pirates captain Vander Decken IX.[3]

Due to Decken telling others that this power is a "curse", it has also been referred to as the Mato Mato Curse (マトマトの呪い, Mato Mato no Noroi?, Mark-Mark Curse in the English versions).[4]

Etymology[]

  • Mato (?) means "mark" or "target" in Japanese.
  • In the Viz Manga and FUNimation adaptations, it is called the Mark-Mark Fruit.

Strengths and Weaknesses[]

Strengths[]

Mato Mato no Mi in Use

The power of the Mato Mato no Mi.

This fruit makes the user capable of aiming at whoever they touch with their hands. The user can also memorize as many targets with as many hands as he has (in Decken's case, two).

After the user's hand is imprinted with the memory of the target, the user is able to target the person from any location and at any time with anything at ease, regardless whether or not they are aware of the target's actual location. Even if the targets move away from their current locations, the thrown objects will pursue them, immediately changing their trajectory in order to chase their targets.[5] Furthermore, as shown with Noah, the user does not even need to actually throw the object for it to fly towards the target. All Decken had to do was touch the giant ship with a memorized hand and the ship itself rose off the sea bed without any assistance, aimed towards Shirahoshi.[6] Outside of combat, the power can serve as a sort of homing device to find the target's location. Vander Decken IX used this idea to find Shirahoshi when he realized she was not in the tower. He threw a large piece of coral and then jumped on it, riding it to Shirahoshi's location.[7]

Decken's 2-Bladed Axe

Luffy struggling to deflect Decken's axe.

Depending on the distance and acceleration of the projectile the user is sending, it can be a very dangerous ability for it can actually provide great force in its attack. Decken sent a heavy axe towards princess Shirahoshi, where its acceleration gives a greater, potentially-lethal force to the axe blow. Apparently, the longer the distance between the user and the user's target the greater the resulting momentum of the projectile thrown. Even a person as strong as Luffy stated that the force behind the axe Decken threw was quite powerful.[1] Also, if the target the user has chosen happens to be anywhere near them, the thrown projectile will actually even swerve back in a manner not unlike to a boomerang coming back to its thrower.[5] Furthermore, while the user is affected by the sea water, the objects used to target the recipient(s) can still travel underwater, without the sea affecting or decreasing the intended function.[1][5] Though any object can be thrown as projectiles, whether inanimate or living beings, this power cannot mark inanimate objects as targets, as Decken used his hands to mark his targets, only for that hand to touch the projectile he intends to throw without changing the mark.[8]

Weaknesses[]

Decken meat shield

Hody using Decken as a meat shield.

While this ability is capable of sending objects to the target, it does not give the user the capability of controlling the direction or trajectory of the item, just following a path to the target, moving past every thing along its way. Despite this, the thrown object is not guaranteed to hit even particularly fatally; even at point blank range, a knife thrown at Shirahoshi only hit her in the shoulder.[9] Also, despite the incredible force of the thrown projectiles, they can still be blocked by obstacles or people of sufficient strength, in which the effect of the fruit will be nullified, and the item reverts back to being stationary. It will not always act completely like a homing device, and as admitted by Decken himself, there are ways to protect one's self from his power. This is shown when an axe Decken threw stopped following its target, in this case Princess Shirahoshi, after Luffy blocked it.[1] Hody has taken advantage of the fire-and-forget concept of his projectiles and used Decken himself to block the path of a thrown axe.[10]

In order to keep being able to target a certain person, the user must keep the hand that touched them from physically touching anyone else.[5] Reasonably, owing to the fact that Decken must "mark" the target by touching them with his hands, he can be heavily disadvantaged in long-range combat against someone whom he had never marked before.[11] The user can only mark living creatures, and when a target dies, the ability of throwing is removed, which was how Decken became aware that Shirahoshi was still alive in spite of the repetitive projectiles that he kept sending at her, all of which were successfully deflected by Luffy.[12] Also, should the user die or fall unconscious while an object is following its target, the effect will be cancelled, as shown when Decken fell unconscious and Noah stopped chasing Shirahoshi, sinking back to Fish-Man Island.[13]

Other than all that, the user is still affected by the standard Devil Fruit weakness, as shown when Decken has to coat his ship and leave his ship in a Flutter Kick Coating, despite being a fish-man.[14]

Usage[]

Mato Mato no Mi Memorizing Ability

One of the user's hands "locked on" a target, this being Shirahoshi.

Decken had been using this fruit's power to launch projectiles at Shirahoshi from great distances, in order to threaten her for marriage, and even aiming to take her life. This was the reason why the princess was locked up in the Hard-Shell Tower for a decade, to block off all incoming projectiles.[15] Due to Decken keeping his right hand memorized with Shirahoshi's touch, he can only use his left hand to memorize other targets.[5] Shirahoshi, not knowing about Devil Fruits, referred Decken's power to be a "curse" named Mato Mato, a statement that Decken also tells others.[4]

Trivia[]

  • This Devil Fruit marks the first time a Devil Fruit was consumed by a fish-man in the current storyline, and the first Paramecia fruit to make a debut after the timeskip.
  • Like Bartholomew Kuma, Decken has to wear gloves to control some of the effects of his Devil Fruit. Also, like Kuma's Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, the hands of the user play a crucial role in implementing this fruit's power. It even follows the theme where the user can send objects and people away.
  • This Devil Fruit is the second occasion in which one was mistaken to be a curse, the first being the three fruits consumed by the Gorgon Sisters.
  • Similar to Bentham's Mane Mane no Mi, this fruit also follows a "memorizing" theme that the user must initiate with the use of their hands. Unlike Bentham's power, however, either hand can be used for the same ability, whereas with Bentham's power, each hand is used for different abilities.
  • This fruit is also similar to Shiki's Fuwa Fuwa no Mi, as they both allow the users to levitate objects by simply touching them.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 62 Chapter 613 (p. 2-6) and Episode 532, Vander Decken IX first demonstrated his powers.
  2. One Piece Blue Deep: Characters World (p. 225), the name "Mato Mato no Mi" is confirmed.
  3. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 63 Chapter 615 (p. 7) and Episode 534, Decken himself tells the humans captured by Hody Jones that his powers is a "curse".
  4. 4.0 4.1 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 62 Chapter 613 (p. 9) and Episode 532.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 63 Chapter 615 (p. 10-13) and Episode 534.
  6. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 64 Chapter 632 (p. 18-19) and Episode 552.
  7. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 63 Chapter 616 (p. 16-17) and Episode 535.
  8. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 640 and Episode 561, Decken uses the same hand he marked Hody to throw an axe.
  9. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 637 (p. 16-17) and Episode 558.
  10. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 639 (p. 3-5) and Episode 560.
  11. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 63 Chapter 618 (p. 9-11) and Episode 537, Luffy made quick work of Decken upon their first confrontation.
  12. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 64 Chapter 631 (p. 2) and Episode 551, Decken claims that all his projectiles keep flying at Shirahoshi because she is still alive.
  13. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 65 Chapter 640 (p. 17-19) and Episode 561.
  14. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 62 Chapter 613 (p. 16-17) and Episode 532.
  15. One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 62 Chapter 612 (p. 16) and Episode 531, the Hard-Shell Tower's front gates are riddled with weapons thrown by Decken.

External Links[]

  • Track & Trace - A Wikipedia article on the device that is similar to Decken's ability.

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