Disclosure - This is not my theory. It is by u/MRRCLAMS on reddit - https://www.reddit.com/r/onepiecetheories/comments/1obht6w/what_if_the_phoenix_fruit_only_ever_had_one_true/.

I am thinking of posting some of great onepiece related stuff from reddit, and felt this theory is a good starting point. in case mods or community does not like it, i shall discontinue this, and I apologise in advance.

[Theory]

In Chapter 1162, during the God Valley flashback, we see Marco appear — and it got me thinking about something deeper regarding his Devil Fruit, the Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix.

What if… the Phoenix Fruit has only ever had one true user — the original soul who first consumed it at the dawn of Devil Fruits?

Each time that user dies, the fruit doesn’t seek a new host like others do. Instead, it reincarnates that same soul into a new body, stripped of its memories, doomed to live again and again — reborn eternally, unaware of its past lives.

That would mean Marco isn’t just the latest wielder of the fruit — he is the original Phoenix, endlessly cycling through life and death.

It would also make Marco’s quiet line in Wano,

“Once again, I survived,” hit way harder.

It’s no longer just a comment about surviving the war — it’s a reflection of an eternal existence, a curse disguised as immortality. Every “rebirth” would be another chapter in an endless story, a soul that can never truly rest.