Large devil fruits with terrible users in one piece

Technically, there is no such thing as a weak Devil Fruit. The potential for each to be trained and in some cases awakened past a certain point is always there. That said, there is absolutely no such thing as a weak Devil Fruit user.

While some seemingly harmless materials like string or mochi can become a deadly weapon in the hands of the right fighter, the opposite is also true. Sometimes a worse user can pull down a Devil Fruit that at least has potential, if nothing else. These users are usually poor combatants, and their poor natural abilities can even undermine the awesome ones their Devil Fruits afford.

5 Buggy

Failure falling upward

• Debut: Chapter 9 (Manga); Episode 4 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Bara Bara no Mi
• Devil Fruit Class: Paramecia

Buggy is perhaps the poster child for weak pirates. His infamy often rests only on those he associates with, and his real strengths lie in brokering alliances and convincing others to fight for him. Even his rank as figurehead of the Cross Guild, the position he most recently forced himself into, resulted in him taking power back from the true leaders by energizing his crewmates to become enthusiastic about making him the Pirate King.

However, his own lack of skill as a fighter can make one overlook the potential that his Devil Fruit actually has. While Buggy doesn't fare too badly, with the ability to survive being cut and dismantled himself still works well with his own style of piracy, a more combat minded pirate could probably make better use of it. The Devil Fruit's extended range, ability to survive multiple cuts, and potential for improvisational combat can all be devastating in the hands of a more seasoned fighter. Yet, for Buggy the clown, they are more appropriately classified as comical.

4 Pierre

And the most abundant devil fruit goes to…

• Debut: Chapter 237 (Manga); Episode 153 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Uma Uma no Mi
• Devil Fruit Class: Zoan

Pierre is not a particularly bad fighter. He is the longtime companion of Gan Fall, the god of Skypiea, and bravely follows his master into battle. Using his Devil Fruit, he can transform his body into that of a horse, which acts as a mount for Gan Fall, as he rides his winged companion into battle. To the uninitiated, this may seem like a beneficial Devil Fruit for Pierre.

The only problem? Pierre was already big enough to fit Gan Fall in his bird form. While one can praise the aesthetic appearance of a pegasus that Pierre conjures, it ultimately has no bearing on his own fighting style, aside from the occasional bite he might give someone in horse form. A human or even another animal that can more directly benefit from a horse's assets would be a better choice than a bird that can already be mounted by its master.

3 Funkfree

A sentient sword

• Debut: Chapter 365 (Manga); Episode 254 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Zou Zou no Mi
• Devil Fruit Class: Zoan

Funkfreed is, in its base form, a rather large sword owned by Spandam, the former leader of Cipher Pol 9. Spandam's position in CP9 was notably given to him out of nepotism rather than skill. He is a notoriously poor combatant, possibly even one of, if not the worst in the series. His only means of self-defense is this very sword, which he is not skilled in using. However, through unknown means, this blade managed to “eat” a Zoan Devil Fruit and gained sentience, along with the ability to transform into an elephant.

Unfortunately, Funkfreed is as much a coward as its owner. It may be capable of deterring people or overpowering people in a select few cases. That said, it took some effort on Franky's part to turn the sword against its owner, even when it was in elephant form. Some may attribute this to the Devil Fruit itself, as zoans are said to have minds of their own. That being said, if a user comparable to the likes of Jack the Drought (using an ancient variant of Zou Zou no Mi) ate this Devil Fruit, they would likely be a much bigger threat than Funkfreed.

2 Gecko Moria

The Berries Of His Devil Fruit

• Debut: Chapter 449 (Manga); Episode 343 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Kage Kage no Mi
• Devil Fruit Class: Paramecia

Gecko Moria is a somewhat terrifying enemy. He can manipulate the shadows of others, create a number of powerful servants, and can augment himself with shadows to increase his size and strength. That said, for all his ability and reputation, Gecko Moria is pretty poor as a pirate when his Devil Fruit is taken out of consideration. Since his defeat at the hands of Kaido, which resulted in the death of his former crewmates, he has instead decided to become the Pirate King, specifically by relying on others. He often uses his Devil Fruit to manipulate his own shadow to fight in his place, and shows much more enthusiasm for directing others to fight for him.

His own difficulties dealing with the Straw Hats at Thriller Bark resulted in his colleague, Kuma, being directed there, against Moria's wishes, to deal with the problem instead. In the end, he was coldly dismissed from the Seven Warlords of the Sea for his incompetence. Doflamingo was accused of unsuccessfully executing him during the Summit War. Jimbei, another former warlord, noted that Moria had become weak due to his own lack of training. Recently, Moria and his crewmate, Perona, have escaped the clutches of the Blackbeard Pirates. It remains to be seen if Moria will try to make herself more worthy of her Devil Fruit powers.

1 Kurozumi Orochi

Wasted A Mythical Zoan

• Debut: Chapter 927 (Manga); Episode 921 (Anime)
• Devil Fruit: Hebi Hebi no Mi, Model: Yamata no Orochi
• Devil Fruit Class: Mythical Zoan

Kurozumi Orochi is first and foremost not a fighter. Although he shows some skill with a gun, he is an inferior combatant overall compared to Kozuki Oden, and has had propaganda created to counter this fact. He harnessed Kaido's power to become shogun, and instead used the Beasts Pirates, as well as his own servants, to intimidate others into obeying him. When Kaido no longer saw any use for the selfish Shogun, he beheaded him in an attempt to directly usurp his political power. That said, Kaido failed, due to the stupidly good Zoan Devil Fruit Orochi consumed. Orochi's Devil Fruit allows him to transform into the mythical Yamata no Orochi, an eight-headed serpent from Japanese mythology.

The fact of having seven extra heads is somewhat exaggerated, although it reflects the character's own insidious snake-like nature. Orochi was notably decapitated six times at once, by the Nine Red Skies. His last head (and his body along with it), died after being cut by Denjiro, and then burned alive by Kozuki Hiyori. Even if Orochi managed to drag out his defeat, a truly competent fighter might have managed to survive with at least a couple more heads intact.