One Piece discussion

Devil Fruits:
Devil Fruits are said to be the fruits of the Sea Devil and that the secret to their power is hidden in the Grand Line. Because encounters with them are rare (especially outside the Grand Line), a number of rumors about them have risen, making it difficult to tell whether some things are fact or fiction. The average person knows nothing or very little about what they are or what they do. Because of their power, if sold they can expect to reach well over 100,000,000 and Devil Fruit users themselves are sold at market prices as slaves. There are more than 100 types of Devil Fruit.
One running theme with Devil Fruits, however, is the fact that they taste unimaginably horrible, to the point of making it seem like the user had taken poison. The Devil Fruit, when consumed, gives the consumer a power or special trait, though they will not immediately become aware of; a person who has eaten a Devil Fruit and gained its powers is known as a Devil Fruit User. They come in different shapes and colors, and all Devil Fruits have swirl marks or patterns, presumably, on them of some kind. The only known exception is the Devil Fruit made by Vegapunk, which had ring patterns on it. There can be only one of each type of fruit at a time. Only one bite is needed for the user to gain the power of a Devil Fruit, after which the Devil Fruit becomes a simple, useless, disgusting fruit. Swallowing the fruit whole, as Buggy did, has the same effect, as well as peeling off the skin and eating it piece by piece, such as Kaku and Kalifa did, also works. After ingesting the fruit, the powers within affect the eater's lineage factor.

Weaknesses:
With this new power comes a weakness: the sea rejects the new Devil Fruit user and they become helpless while submerged in water (or "become a hammer," in Japanese parlance). Oda stated in SBS that Devil Fruit users are susceptible to all types of water, not just seawater. This includes the white sea surrounding Skypiea. He elaborated on this, saying that "moving" water, like rain or waves, does not weaken Devil Fruit users, while standing water does.
Oda also said in SBS that it is not until a Devil Fruit user is knee deep in water that they become immobilized, this is seen with the Gorgon sisters and Luffy in Boa Hancock's bath. Brook was also seen slowly losing his strength as the water levels in the floods the Ryugu Palace, demonstrating that being in contact with the sea does not instantly rob their strength unless it reaches a certain level.
Kairoseki, a special substance that emits the same energies of the sea, can also cancel out Devil Fruit powers through physical contact with the user. Depending on how much physical contact the users has with the Seastone, the more their movement is weakened. In addition, all other Devil Fruit users will have their powers nullified when they are grabbed by the user of the Yami Yami no Mi.

Consequences of Consumption:
The main attraction to eating a Devil Fruit is the powers bestowed upon the user with many spending their entire lives seeking out just one type of fruit. More often than not, the power is far more useful than never being able to swim again. However, due to lack of information known by most, and with Devil Fruits still unknown, the average consumer plays Russian Roulette consuming one and there is no way of changing what power you get once consumed. With no way of removing the curse, all Devil Fruits users are labeled as "freaks", "Devils", and "monsters" for the remainder of their lives. All Devil Fruit users have to be trained to a certain degree from simple activation control to full battle techniques.

Another problem with the Devil Fruits is that a few of them offer "weird" or "useless" powers. While many citizens can be fascinated by their powers, others may leave a consumer leading a miserable life full of discrimination from those around them. However, due to the lack of information within some societies and cultures, misconceptions on how this power was achieved can lead to manipulation of individuals for that users own purposes.

I still want to try a Devil Fruit. I'm a risk-taker, it's what I do.