When I read 998 I found it weird how Oda displayed Black Maria’s devil fruit.
Every other Tobiroppo in this chapter was portrayed in their full zoan form Who’s Who was a Tiger, Sasaki a triceratops, and so on; meanwhile Black Maria was in a strange transformation that mixed full zoan and full human.
Her design involved a face and fanged spider head and her whole human body we’ve seen throughout Wano. This was when I started thinking that the human body is fake as this breaks the laws of Zoan devil fruits we’ve been accustomed too. For it’s not a hybrid form that combines the two forms into one; rather it specifically looks like two distinct forms.
Once I started thinking of them separately I considered what we’ve seen of Black Maria so far and how she used a lure and trap to grab Sanji. This is when I started contemplating that this is Black Maria’s preferred style of taking down enemies through the use of bait and switch. This is when I realized it’s fully possible that the beautiful woman Black Maria is just another way to bait enemies while the true Black Maria defeats them.
Now let me discuss why I think she’s a puppet: It’s no secret that Wano is based off of a Kabuki play theme. However, along with Kabuki there existed a second prominent play type known as Bunraku, traditional puppet theater.
The main part of Bunraku involves 3 roles and the puppets.
1. The puppets and puppeteers
The puppets are different than the typical marionettes the western audience is thinking about. Their size typically ranges from half of a grown adult to 3/4 the size and uses multiple puppeteers to control. The puppets basic design is a typical geisha wearing a black robe, similar to Black Maria’s design.
2. The other roles
Black Maria does share similar to the other two roles of a typical Bunraku show. The Tayu and Shamisen.
A shamisen is an individual who plays the three stringed guitar we’ve seen throughout Wano; however, there’s a difference between the shamisen typically played in a Kabuki play and in a Banraku show. Size and tone.
The shamisen used in Bunraku is slightly larger than other kinds of shamisen and has a different sound, lower in pitch and with a fuller tone.
Knowing this I looked back at the two times we’ve seen shaimsens played.
When Black Maria played it in Onigashima yes it was larger, but you can say that’s because Black Marias size; however, Oda did change the sound.
Black Maria’s shamisen makes the Du Dun sound meanwhile when Hiyori played it on chapter 909 it made a Pe Pen sound. Black Maria made the lower fuller tone typically associated with Banraku.
Now let’s discuss the second role the Tayu. The Tayu is in charge of explaining the feelings and giving visual facial reactions of characters. Similar to how Black Maria performed her song in Onigashima.
However, the real kicker is the type of plays Bunraku are used for. The medium is best set for Lover Suicide stories. Like the two lovers who wish to meet on a moonlight snowy night and Kaido’s desire to commit suicide.
Finally; how is Black Maria using her puppet with only one puppeteer when a typical puppet requires 3 people or 6 arms. Easy, webbing and spider limbs. I think the entire time within the puppet; Black Maria has the inside of her puppet webbed to the Max and uses her spider abilities to perfectly mimic normal human movement.
So Black Maria is a puppet based off of the Bunraku art form of Japan. And the form we saw in the chapter was Black Marias full Zoan form.
*Theory by GreenLanturn73
