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One Piece's story takes Monkey D. Luffy on some wild adventures in the world of pirates as he seeks out the fabled titular treasure with his Straw Hat allies. As One Piece heads into its final saga with the Egghead Arc, the series is starting to reveal new, exciting details about the franchise's lore and the source of many characters' powers.
One of the key characters that has recently taken center stage in Luffy's One Piece journey is Dr. Vegapunk, the genius scientist whose laboratory is on the island of Egghead. Going forward, Luffy and his allies have been siding with Vegapunk, and the wisdom he imparts to them has given fans a deeper look into some of One Piece's most fascinating lore so far. In recent episodes, Dr. Vegapunk has shed some light on his extensive knowledge of Devil Fruits, while also revealing some of the secrets behind one of his most dangerous creations: the Marines' Seraphim Pacifista units.
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Dr. Vegapunk was One of the Marines' Leading Scientists
Vegapunk's Work Specialized in Devil Fruits and Pacifista Units
Over the years, Dr. Vegapunk has been one of One Piece's most mysterious characters working behind the scenes and having a huge impact on the main story. Employed for the Marines, he was the genius mind that discovered Seastone -- the naturally occurring mineral that negates Devil Fruit abilities. He also researched the powers of the Devil Fruits and made other scientific advancements that were said to be "500 years" ahead of One Piece's current technology.
Part of the reason for Vegapunk's immense knowledge comes from his own Devil Fruit powers. Thanks to the Nomi Nomi no Mi (literally, Brain-Brain Fruit), Vegapunk's brain is able to expand infinitely with new knowledge. Vegapunk's quest for scientific knowledge was so great that his brain eventually grew so large, forcing him to cut off the majority of his brain and connect it to his body via antennae. Now, Dr. Vegapunk's ever-expanding brain resides in his library on Egghead, granting him his immense knowledge without all the extra brain weight.
As Dr. Vegapunk stepped out of the shadows and into One Piece's main story, he's been sharing his knowledge with Luffy and the rest of the cast. His recent revelations about the origins of Devil Fruit powers and how they can be artificially replicated complicates matters for the Straw Hat Pirates and shows that the Marines' Seraphim units are even more deadly than thought possible.
Vegapunk Knows the Truth About Luffy's Devil Fruit Powers
Luffy's Real Devil Fruit was Erased from History
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Luffy activating Gear 5 has changed One Piece forever, and his new boost of power comes from his mysterious Devil Fruit. In Episode 1100, Vegapunk watches Luffy transform into his Gear 5 form and fight with Lucci via surveillance footage, and the genius scientist quickly realizes the true nature of Luffy's Devil Fruit. He explains to Nami and the other Straw Hat Pirates that there is no such thing as a "Gomu Gomu no Mi" Devil Fruit, citing his extensive knowledge of the Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
Vegapunk realizes that Luffy's Gear 5 form resembles the legendary sun god, Nika. This reminds Vegapunk of the original user of the Hito Hito no Mi, Model: Nika Devil Fruit -- Joy Boy. The Straw Hats have never heard of Nika, and for good reason: the name had been erased from history. The World Government renamed and reclassified the Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit, calling it the Gomu Gomu no Mi that fans have come to know and love over the years.
With the true identity of Luffy's Devil Fruit now revealed, One Piece is able to explore its origins with more depth, including the identity of Joy Boy. This character lived around 900 years ago and is believed to be the first ever pirate in One Piece's vast world. Before the main story began, the World Government was able to capture Joy Boy's Devil Fruit after an 800-year-long hunt, but it was eventually stolen by Shanks and, soon after, consumed by Luffy.
Dr. Vegapunk Theorizes Why Devil Fruits Exist
He Believes They are a Manifestation of Power and Desire
When Nami and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates are shocked to hear Vegapunk's belief that Luffy's Devil Fruit actually transforms him into the sun god Nika, Vegapunk goes on to share even more of his knowledge, theorizing about the true origins of Devil Fruits and their powerful abilities. Vegapunk explains that even though Nika's name had been wiped from history, the sun god still would exist as long as people "wished for him".
With that in mind, Vegapunk believed that Devil Fruits were also brought into the world from people's desires. According to Vegapunk, Devil Fruits came into the world as a means for human evolution, with someone desiring them before they ever existed. His mind-blowing theory extended even further, with Vegapunk concluding that Devil Fruit powers exist in different dimensions, with each one being dreamed up by other people.
Essentially, Vegapunk believes that whatever a person desires to have in their life, the universe creates the appropriate Devil Fruit for them. However, he didn't offer any theories about why consuming Devil Fruits makes the user an enemy of the sea, but his beliefs did provide a lot of food for thought — especially regarding Luffy's desires when he consumed his Devil Fruit at the start of One Piece's story.
The Truth about Replicating Devil Fruit Powers is Revealed
Vegapunk's Artificial Fruits Have Long Been Part of One Piece's Plot
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Following Dr. Vegapunk's revelations about Luffy's Devil Fruit, Episode 1101 continues the battle at the Fabiriophase level of Egghead, with Vegapunk observing the Seraphim units and the CP0 agents. He goes on to explain to the Straw Hats about how he was able to replicate Devil Fruits, creating Artificial Fruits that debuted hundreds of episodes ago during One Piece's Punk Hazard Arc.
Vegapunk explained that he was only able to recreate Zoan Devil Fruits because his process of manufacturing the Devil Fruit Powers was different to that of Caesar Clown, the other scientist attempting to create Artificial Fruits. Vegapunk was later able to replicate Paramecia-type Devil Fruits by synthesizing the blood of a Paramecia user's Lineage Factor — One Piece's version of DNA. Vegapunk's advancements in the creation and manufacturing of Artifical Fruits would go on to have far-reaching consequences, with this source of manufactured power boosting the already strong Seraphim units.
The Seraphim Clones Have Access to Devil Fruit Powers
Blood Transfusions Have Boosted Vegapunk's Strongest Creations
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One Piece's Seraphim units were developed by the Marines' Special Science Group and designed to replace the Seven Warlords of the Sea. These living weapons are clones of former Warlords, and Dr. Vegapunk revealed to the Straw Hat Pirates more about the Seraphim and their terrifying Devil Fruit abilities.
Vegapunk developed a substance called Green Blood that utilizes a Devil Fruit user's DNA, letting the Marines replicate Devil Fruit powers in the Seraphim units. Vegapunk believes the Seraphim are "the strongest form of humanity," and he divulges information about the Devil Fruit Powers they have at their disposal.
Vegapunk witnesses the S-Shark Seraphim using the powers of Sui Sui no Mi — Señor Pink's Devil Fruit. This leads the scientist to share with the Straw Hat Pirates that Señor Pink's powers were replicated via blood transfusion while he was imprisoned in Impel Down. With this in mind, S-Bear is able to use the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi (the Devil Fruit of Bartholomew Kuma), and S-Snake has access to Boa Hanco*ck's Mero Mero no Mi.
These revelations show just how deadly Vegapunk's Seraphim weapons truly are, especially when in the hands of the Marines. With their enhanced biology, Green Blood, and Artificial Devil Fruit Powers, the Seraphim are shaping up to be major threats to Luffy and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates in the Egghead Arc. Dr. Vegapunk's knowledge is definitely power for the Straw Hats, but only time will tell if they are strong enough to beat the Marines and their super-powered Seraphim allies.
One Piece (1999)
TV-14
Animation
Action
Adventure
Follows the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his pirate crew in order to find the greatest treasure ever left by the legendary Pirate, Gold Roger. The famous mystery treasure named "One Piece".
- Release Date
- October 20, 1999
- Creator(s)
- Eiichiro Oda
- Cast
- Mayumi Tanaka , Akemi Okamura , Laurent Vernin , Tony Beck , Kazuya Nakai
- Main Genre
- Animation
- Seasons
- 1
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Creator
- Eiichirô Oda
- Production Company
- Toei Animation
- Number of Episodes
- 1K+
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll , Hulu , Funimation , Adult Swim , Pluto TV , Netflix
