One Piece's Devil Fruits give those that consume them many different powers, from the logical to the strange. However, one of the most fascinating Devil Fruit powers belongs to Basil Hawkins, as his powers have some very unique uses and extremely interesting downsides.
Basil Hawkins is an infamous pirate who is nicknamed "The Magician," and one of the 12 pirates who make up the Worst Generation. Hawkins is enigmatic and rarely shows emotion, even when confronted with stunning situations. This is reflected in his no-nonsense attitude, including his hatred of jokes and unruly behavior. First appearing during Chapter #498 of the manga and Episode 392 of the anime, Hawkins is an antagonist during the Wano Country Arc.
Hawkins' Devil Fruit is the Straw-Straw Fruit. This Paramecia-type Devil Fruit gives the user the ability to create and manipulate straw at will. While on the surface, this may seem like an extremely niche power, it can be used to pull off several impressive tricks. At the basic level, the straw the user creates can be used to hold objects such as a sharp, dart-like weapon. It can also be thrown in someone's face to act as a distraction.
However, this isn't where Hawkins' powers end. Using the Strawman skill, he can make up to ten straw dolls and store them within himself. Each of these dolls is linked to a specific person, and by using the Life Minus technique, Hawkins can redirect incoming damage, forcing one of the dolls, and thus the person linked to it, to take the pain for him. This power allows Hawkins to fight without worry, but he can also use his foes' friends and loved ones as bargaining chips in battle, forcing enemies to lay down their arms or harm a friend.
Hawkins can also use the straw to power himself up. By using the Demon Face skill, he can coat himself in a thick layer of straw, turning him into a scarecrow monster with long metal nails. Alternatively, he can use Straw Sword to wrap his sword in straw, making it a more powerful weapon.
Hawkins can also use a technique called Straw Man's Card. This allows him to combine his magic with his straw powers by forming a massive straw monster that copies Hawkins' movements exactly, but with massively increased strength. However, this monster is affected by the tarot cards Hawkins draws. So, while The Fool, Reversed causes people linked to Hawkins to attack each other, The Hierophant will cause the target to escape from the monster, obviously putting Hawkins at a disadvantage.
Despite his powers, Hawkins is far from invincible. The straw created by his ability isn't very durable, so many people, including Roronoa Zoro, can easily cut through it. Moreover, while the straw dolls are powerful, Hawkins can only carry ten at a time and each can only be used only once, meaning that he has to think carefully, as a ruthless opponent with no care for allies can quickly tear through them and damage Hawkins. Furthermore, the dolls work both ways, so if the person linked to the straw doll is hurt, their doll gets destroyed.
This means that people targeted by Basil can remove his defenses by giving themselves minor injuries. Finally, the Straw-Straw fruit isn't a Logia-type Devil Fruit, meaning the user can't turn themselves into straw. This means that Hawkins can't avoid physical attacks easily -- someone who can attack quickly can easily pin him down and easily destroy all of his dolls.
Hawkins' powers are some of the most fascinating in the entire One Piece universe because they open up so many different approaches to combat, from the simple to the extreme. The combination of magic and straw means that those who fight Hawkins must think carefully, as simply charging at him could mean harming friends or allies, while his monster forms are also some of the most visually interesting powers in the franchise as a whole. Even in a world filled with oddities, Hawkins is that much odder than the rest.
