"So you see, the Heavenly Dao of this realm was unseated, and the immortals and deities entered the cycle of reincarnation. Yet they left behind contingencies, so that when the time is ripe, they can seize a body and be reborn."
"You mean, First Master, that Devil Fruits are actually the contingencies left behind by these deities of the Heavenly Dao?"
"More or less. When I acquired this Devil Fruit, alongside the laws of the Great Dao, there was also a trace of spiritual energy, though it vanished very quickly. No doubt some entity within the fruit fled the moment I discovered it."
Chapter 122