Its power was first seen in the Jaya Arc[3] and was seen several times afterwards, but was not named or explained in any way until the Dressrosa Arc.[2]
The Ito Ito no Mi provides the user the ability to manipulate people with strings, as well as use the strings as means to cut through matter such as body parts or weapons. The strings can also be used to connect to clouds, thus providing air transportation. The maximum length of these strings is unknown, but is 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.[2]
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.[4] and firearms with ease. Every one of his victims being controlled was unable to resist his 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.[5]
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.[2] Besides that, the user is still affected by the standard Devil Fruit weaknesses.
Usage
Doflamingo uses his strings against a meteorite.
Doflamingo usually bends his fingers to move his strings as he pleases for either manipulating people like puppets[3] or to bifurcate his targets[4]. The strings appear to be extremely thin or may even be invisible, making it almost impossible to notice and avoid them. He has shown himself capable of controlling more than one person at the same time without apparent effort.[6]
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.[3][7] It is currently unknown what the limitations of his abilities are.
The strings can also be used for cutting, 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[4] and decapitated Crocodile,[8] though Crocodile's powers only made this a nuisance, due to them not being imbued with Busoshoku Haki; this does not mean Doflamingo cannot, as he brutally injured Smoker by combining his Haki with his strings.[9] 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.[10] He can also compress the strings to create a giant whip[2] or even a perfect clone of himself, capable of fighting alongside him, moving its mouth to appear to be talking, and unraveling for his ultimate technique.[11]
Offensive Techniques
Goshikito (五色糸（ゴシキート）,Goshikīto?, literally meaning "Five Color Strings"): Doflamingo's basic attack despite its name it has yet to be seen in colors other than spider web white color, he slashes his target with five strings coming out from his fingers. It was first clearly shown being used against the G-5 Marines on Punk Hazard [9] and named while he was using it against Sanji.[2] In the Viz Manga, it is called Penta-Chromatic String.
Overheat (超過鞭糸（オーバーヒート）,Ōbāhīto?, literally meaning "Excess Whip String"): 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.[2] 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.
Tamaito (弾糸（タマイト）,Tamaito?, literally meaning "Bullet String"): Doflamingo points at his opponent with his index finger and fires a string from it, as if he were firing a gun. It was first seen being used in the fight against Law on the iron bridge.[12] It was used earlier in the anime when Doflamingo was chasing Law on Green Bit.[13] The attack's power and effect are similar to Shigan, but it has the advantage of the longer range of a normal gun.
Other Techniques
Doflamingo uses Parasite to stop Jozu.
Parasite (寄生糸（パラサイト）,Parasaito?, literally meaning "Parasite String"): 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.[3] The strings used are so thin they seem invisible, and are so strong they can completely disable the likes of Jozu[5] and Sanji, even keeping his victims trapped floating in midair,[2] and none of his shown victims were able to resist at all. Furthermore, this technique can be enhanced when used in combination with the Birdcage technique, 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 at all.[11] 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.[6] This attack was incorrectly named Marionette (マリオネット,Marionetto?) in One Py Berry Match.
Sora no Michi (空の道,Sora no Michi?, literally meaning "Sky Road"): 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,[14] but there were not enough clouds for him to be able to complete the journey.[15] 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.[2]
Ito Joker (糸ジョーカー,Ito Jōkā?, literally meaning "String Joker"): 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,[16] 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.[11] Apparently, even a single clone is very strong, able to simply swat a Jet Pistol from Luffy.[17]Viola called it Marionette (操り人形（マリオネット）,Marionetto?), while Law similarly referred to it as a "string puppet". Trébol referred to it as "Ito Joker" when he asked Doflamingo where it had flown off to, after one of them confronted Luffy and Law.[18]
Torikago (鳥カゴ,Tori Kago?, literally meaning "Birdcage"): Doflamingo's last resort over Dressrosa, in the event Sugar faints and the citizens rebel, which is meant for him to entrap and kill everyone before they could escape and reveal the country's dark secret. From a clone of himself, which he created from a massive bundle of strings, it unravels itself and spreads into the sky. The strings then spread over the outside borders of Dressrosa island, creating a massive razor-sharp wire domed force-field, slicing anyone who tries to pass through it and severs the signals of the Den Den Mushi to the outside world. The strings would then spread into the cage's confines, attaching to the victims within, allowing Doflamingo to use his Parasite technique at a mass scale, forcing them to kill each other.[11]
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 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.
↑ 3.03.13.23.3One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 25Chapter 234 (p. 2) and Episode 151, Doflamingo uses his Devil Fruit ability to cause Vice Admiral Mozambia to attack Vice Admiral Stainless.
↑ 6.06.1One Piece Manga — Vol. 73Chapters 727–728, Doflamingo uses Parasite to take control of King Riku and his army.
↑One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 32Chapter 303 (p. 4-8) and Episode 207, Doflamingo controls Bellamy and Sarkies and make themselves fight each other to the death for failing him.
