What Was Bon Clay’S Devil Fruit?
Introducing Bon Clay
Bon Clay, whose real name is Bentham, is a major character introduced in the Alabasta arc of One Piece. He was an officer agent of Baroque Works, the criminal organization led by Crocodile that attempted to overthrow the Alabasta Kingdom. Bon Clay made his first appearance in Episode 126 of the anime and Chapter 165 of the manga.
Bon Clay stood out for his flamboyant personality and fighting style. He ate the Clone-Clone Fruit (Mane Mane no Mi) devil fruit, which allowed him to transform into an exact copy of anyone he touched. This power made him a formidable foe and master of disguise. Though originally an antagonist, Bon Clay later became an ally of the Straw Hat Pirates and helped them infiltrate Impel Down prison.
With his creative use of the Clone-Clone Fruit and unwavering loyalty, Bon Clay left an indelible mark on One Piece despite limited screen time. His sacrifice to enable Luffy’s escape from Impel Down earned him respect from fans.
Bon Clay’s Devil Fruit Power
Bon Clay ate the Mane Mane no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that gives him the ability to transform into an exact physical copy of anyone he has touched before.1 This allows him to perfectly imitate the copied person’s appearance, voice, and mannerisms. Once transformed, Bon Clay can switch between his normal state and any copied form at will.
The fruit grants Bon Clay incredible versatility in combat. By turning into his opponents, he can confuse them, mimic their abilities, exploit their weaknesses, avoid their attacks, and mount psychological warfare. However, the Mane Mane no Mi does not actually copy abilities or Devil Fruit powers – it is purely based on physical imitation.
Overall, the Mane Mane no Mi allows Bon Clay to be a master of disguise and deception. He uses it to create chaotic battles where allies and enemies cannot tell each other apart. This creative power complements Bon Clay’s flamboyant personality perfectly.
Unique Properties of the Fruit
The Mane Mane no Mi allows the user to physically transform into another person after touching them. Bon Clay is able to take on the physical form, voice, memories, and abilities of anyone he touches. This gives him a very powerful and versatile ability to transform into and imitate others.
According to the One Piece Wiki, the Mane Mane no Mi is classified as a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that gives the user the ability of “clone-cloning”. Bon Clay can transform into a perfect copy of anyone after touching their face, and he retains his impersonated form even after the person dies or becomes injured. This allows him to transform into both living and dead people.
A key property of the fruit is that Bon Clay also copies the subject’s memories when he transforms. This allows him to convincingly impersonate them in voice, behavior, fighting style, and personality. However, while Bon Clay gains their memories, the subject retains their own memories as well and is not mentally affected by the duplication.
Overall, the unique properties of the Mane Mane no Mi give Bon Clay a very versatile power with both combat and infiltration applications. By copying people’s physical forms and memories, he can gain immense advantages in deception, disguise, and copying fighting techniques.
As history in the fandom tells it, Bon Clay used his Devil Fruit powers for the first time in the Alabasta arc of the show. According to the One Piece Wiki, he ate the Mane Mane no Mi which allowed him to physically transform into any person he touches. During his time infiltrating the rebels in Alabasta undercover for Crocodile, he transformed into one of the rebellion leaders, Koza, in order to sow distrust amongst their ranks.
This was the first time viewers witnessed the extent of his powers, as he was able to flawlessly impersonate Koza’s appearance, voice, and fighting style. Bon Clay leveraged the confusion and chaos from this deception to help complete his mission for Crocodile. However, after his initial impersonation, he quickly shed his Koza disguise and revealed his true flamboyant self, no longer needing to keep up the facade. This first thrilling usage of his powers demonstrated the potential for infiltration, deception, and disguise that his Devil Fruit abilities offered him.
First Usage of His Powers
Notable Uses of His Power
One of the most notable uses of Bon Clay’s Mane Mane no Mi devil fruit powers was when he disguised himself as Nefertari Vivi to help the Straw Hats escape Alabasta. After befriending the crew, Bon Clay used his powers to transform into a perfect copy of Vivi in order to draw away the Baroque Works agents who were pursuing the Straw Hats (https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Mane_Mane_no_Mi). This act of self-sacrifice allowed the crew to escape undetected. Bon Clay was able to flawlessly impersonate Vivi, demonstrating his mastery over the Mane Mane no Mi. Even though this meant being captured himself, Bon Clay proved his unwavering friendship and loyalty to Luffy and the Straw Hats through this clever use of his powers.
Creative Applications in Battle
Bon Clay demonstrated immense creativity in utilizing his Mane Mane no Mi devil fruit powers in battle. His signature move was Okama Kenpo, a unique martial arts style combining ballet dancing and kicks. This enabled more dynamic movement and feints to trick opponents. According to the Mane Mane no Mi One Piece Wiki, Bon Clay could also transform into his opponent to perfectly mimic them, then switch back to his own form to confuse them.
Infiltration was another strength, as Bon Clay impersonated various characters like Mr. 3 and Hannyabal with ease. On one occasion described on Reddit, he disguised himself as Usopp to sneak aboard the Navy’s ship and surprise attack them. His mastery of this fruit allowed endless creativity, blending deception, agility, and strong kicks to gain an edge and outwit formidable foes.
Important Role in Impel Down
Bon Clay played a crucial role in helping Luffy infiltrate and escape from Impel Down during the Impel Down arc. After meeting Luffy in Level 3, Bon Clay disguised himself as the Chief Guard Hannyabal using his Mane Mane Fruit powers. This allowed him to trick the guards and help Luffy reach Level 5 where Ace was being held (Bentham | One Piece Wiki | Fandom).
Bon Clay continued to assist Luffy every step of the way, from disguising as Magellan to buy time to defeating the Wolf Unit guards. His powers proved invaluable in staging Luffy’s infiltration and escape. Most importantly, Bon Clay stayed behind in Impel Down to buy time for Luffy and the other escapees even at the cost of his own freedom. His sacrifice allowed Luffy to reach Marineford and try to save Ace, playing a pivotal role in that saga of the story.
Risks and Weaknesses
Bon Clay’s Mane Mane no Mi devil fruit does come with some notable risks and weaknesses that limit its potential. One of the biggest weaknesses is the massive drain on stamina that comes with maintaining transformations.
According to the One Piece Wiki, transforming into another person puts significant strain on Bon Clay’s body. The longer he stays transformed, the more his stamina is drained. This forces him to be strategic in when and how long he uses his powers in battle.
Additionally, while transformed, Bon Clay takes on some of the inherent weaknesses of whoever he is impersonating. As noted by CBR, this could allow opponents to more easily exploit and damage him if he transforms into a weaker character.
His powers are also useless against opponents that are unfamiliar with who he is impersonating. The transformation has to be convincing to work as a deception in battle.
Comparison to Other Fruits
Bon Clay’s Mane Mane no Mi allows him to physically transform into another person, mimicking their appearance, voice, and mannerisms. This makes it very different from Ms. Goldenweek’s Color Trap, which is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows her to manipulate emotions through use of colors.[1] While Ms. Goldenweek can influence a person’s emotional state, Bon Clay’s fruit enables him to fully transform into that person for disguise and infiltration.
The Mane Mane no Mi has more similarities to Mr. 1’s Supa Supa no Mi, another Paramecia-type fruit that allows the user to transform parts of their body into blades.[2] Both fruits give the user the ability to transform their physical body in some way. However, Mr. 1 can only transform into blades while Bon Clay can transform into a wide range of people. Additionally, Bon Clay’s transformations mimic voices and mannerisms, making his fruit uniquely suited for espionage compared to other transformation fruits.
Overall, while other Devil Fruits allow for emotion manipulation or blade transformations, the Mane Mane no Mi stands out for its applicability in disguise and impersonation, showcasing Bon Clay’s creative fighting style.
[1] https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Color_Trap
[2] https://onepiece.fandom.com/wiki/Supa_Supa_no_Mi
Bon Clay’s Legacy
Despite only being allies with the Straw Hats for a brief time, Bon Clay made a lasting impact that exemplified his heroic spirit. During the Straw Hats’ raid on Enies Lobby to save their crewmate Robin, Bon Clay disguised himself as various Navy officers using his Mane Mane powers to enable the crew to infiltrate effectively. This bought them time and helped lead to the successful rescue of Robin.
However, Bon Clay’s most enduring legacy was his selfless sacrifice to enable Luffy’s escape from Impel Down. After resuscitating Luffy from his near-death state from excessive poisoning, Bon Clay held off a swarm of guards so Luffy could progress. He proudly declared that he had no regrets helping his friend and accepted his presumed demise with dignity. This act of sacrificing himself for Luffy demonstrated Bon Clay’s unwavering loyalty and cemented his reputation as an invaluable ally of the Straw Hats.
Though presumed dead, a cover story later hinted Bon Clay survived. If true, this would only add to his legendary willpower and tenacity. Regardless, his moving sacrifice and transformation into an admired martyr has cemented his noble spirit as an enduring part of his legacy.
