[The Small One]

Originally Posted by ~Yami~

So Elders are just another zoan-type devil fruit users?? Little bit letdown because that means their weakness are also sea water.

Just because their powers resembles the powers of Devil Fruits, it doesn't have to be the same kind of power.
Assuming that the DF come from the defeated ancient kingdom, which was the enemies of what now became the WG, it may be possible, that their powers is something similar but still different.