WhistleBlower
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I’m not going to beat around the bush – I’m convinced Vegapunk is coming to Wano. This, I know, is pretty controversial: “Why would the Government ever risk bringing Vegapunk to Wano?”
The World Government has no reason sending arguably one of their biggest assets to Wano. When the idea was first proposed back in chapter 929, I don’t recall anyone taking the idea seriously. However, I do think it isn’t fair to dismiss the possibility entirely solely because the idea, at first glance, is stupid.
Allow me to play Devil’s Advocate. I want to explore the legitimacy of Vegapunk coming to Wano, starting by addressing the very counterpoint I mentioned above – Why would the Government risk letting Vegapunk out of their sight?
Enter Sentomaru.
1-SENTOMARU
Sentomaru was first introduced to us as Vegapunk’s Bodyguard. This is very interesting because why would Vegapunk need a bodyguard if he’s supposedly never allowed to leave his lab? Better yet, what is his bodyguard doing on Sabaody, running around with Pacifistas, instead of doing his job? Simple – Sentomaru only acts as Vegapunk’s bodyguard when Vegapunk needs protection. When would this be? When he’s out of his lab, either on some Government mission or conducting some sort of experiment.
Sentomaru’s character design also screams Wano.
He has the same cross-pretzel thing Oden wore and is one of the few characters who actively uses Advanced Armament Haki, something that’s prominent on Wano. His name is also uniquely Japanese, a naming quirk Oda has only really predominantly given to those who are from Wano. I think because of the connections, it’s fair to speculate that Sentomaru could either be from Wano, or is at least connected to the island in some way.
So let me ask you this – Would the Government still refuse to let Vegapunk go to Wano even though he has a bodyguard? Someone we know possesses the only known technique that can potentially damage both Big Mom and Kaido, the two threats he’d encounter on the island? Who is also possibly somehow connected to the island in question?
Sentomaru is arguably the perfect person to bring Vegapunk to Wano. He literally calls himself the man with the strongest defense in the world.
Chapter 987 showed us that you can use Ryuo to pierce a Yonko’s defences; Luffy learned it for this very reason. Since Rayleigh also described it as a barrier that protects your body, I think it’s fair to assume Sentomaru could use the technique’s protective nature to successfully shield himself from a Yonko’s attack.
Just the kind of guy the Government would want protecting their best asset.
2-CAESAR’S GIANT CHILDREN
Even if we ignore Sentomaru for a second and continue with the possibility that the Government doesn’t want Vegapunk on Wano, what’s stopping Vegapunk from going if he wants to?
First off, what do we know of Vegapunk anyway?
In Chapter 592, Kitton and his grandfather – the duo Franky meets while on Vegapunk’s home island – describes the scientist as the kind of man who would physically weep because he was unable to help the people of his island. They also mention that the one roadblock Vegapunk encountered when trying his experiments on his home island was a lack of funds and technology.
We later learn from Punk Hazard that Vegapunk was against Ceasar’s dangerous experiments and took full responsibility for the destruction of Punk Hazard. Yonji later tells Sanji during Whole Cake Island that Vegapunk was actually arrested by the Government for discovering the Bloodline Elements, and has likely been working for them ever since.
Lastly, he was weirdly sympathetic towards Kuma and granted him one final wish: a single programming of his choice.
All of this, to me, paints the image of a man who wants to use his knowledge and pursuit of science for good, but was forced to work for the World Government in order to avoid arrest because his discoveries threaten their rule. They struck a deal: in exchange for providing him with the resources he lacked, he’s allowed to continue his pursuits of various branches of science on the condition that they make use of his discoveries. However, despite knowingly working for corrupt individuals, his sense of justice pushes him to use his knowledge for good wherever he can, such as with Kuma.
So what happens when Smoker and Tashigi bring this man a boat full of children who fell victim to Caesar’s gruesome experiments?
The children are significant because they bring knowledge of everything Caesar was doing on Punk Hazard. Vegapunk would know he continued to experiment with weapons of mass destruction. He would also learn that Ceasar explored the creation of fake Devil Fruits. Hell, Vegapunk could even know that Momonosuke ended up eating the fake fruit he left behind because one of the young girls saw Momo eat it.
Vegapunk, to me, seems like the sort of character who would want to undo the injustices Caesar created. The man who once wept over not being able to help those in need finally has the resources to do so. Once he learns that Ceasar tried to recreate his attempt at creating fake devil fruits, and recognizing his own failures at having done so (remember – Momo’s fruit was considered a failure), I see no reason why Vegapunk wouldn’t insist on going to Wano to investigate how far reaching the consequences of Caesar’s experiments have become.
As it happens, Vegapunk is likely the only person in the story who could and would undo what happened to the people of Ebisu town.
3-THE SPECIAL SCIENCE GROUP
I’ve now established why Vegapunk would want to go to Wano and why Sentomaru would protect him during the trip. Coincidentally, Sentomaru told us in chapter 601 that he recently officially joined the Marines, and he’s listed as being part of their science unit. This is likely the same unit that houses the SSG, Vegapunk’s latest science division. A perfect fit.
We’ve had multiple chapters now seeing debate within the Marines about whether or not they should get involved with the events unfolding on Wano. The latest report they heard from Drake, through Coby, was that Big Mom and Kaido were in the process of forming an alliance. Essentially, the return of Rocks.
I’m not going to speculate on the rest of act 3 and how that unfolds, but I think it’s very likely that the intermission between acts 3 and 4 sees us jumping out of Wano once more. What stops Drake, who’s been mysteriously absent since this raid started, from reporting what’s been unfolding to SWORD? During Act 3, he saw Kaido make a proclamation that he’s going to be teaming up with Big Mom and start making moves to find the One Piece. Imagine the Marines and the Government catch a wind of this. Why wouldn’t this immediately become priority number 1?
Let’s assume for a moment that things on Wano have escalated to a point where Sakazuki decides it necessary to send the SSG to Wano to deal with Big Mom and Kaido. You already have Sentomaru as part of the unit, and elsewhere you have Vegapunk insisting on going to Wano himself in order to see the full effects of Caesar’s experimentations with fake devil fruits. The Perfect Storm.
Why would CP0, knowing that the rulers of Wano are demanding Vegapunk, not take advantage of this opportunity? They can essentially have Vegapunk arrive first under Sentomaru’s protection, his cover being doing surveillance and research on the island, while the Marines mobilize the SSG in secret to defeat the allied Yonko forces.
Only to have Luffy beat them to the punch.
4-DEVIL FRUITS AND SMILES
So now we have a scenario where Vegapunk goes to Wano. What purpose does the narrative of the story have for bringing him here? Simple, he’ll explain everything he knows about Devil Fruits.
I think we can all agree that there’s a good likelihood that all the unresolved plotlines of Punk Hazard will be resolved in Wano, since this is the arc Punk Hazard had been building towards. The fight against Kaido, Kin’emon and Momonosuke, the alliance with Law – it’s all set to climax in Wano. Interestingly, Punk Hazard was also the first arc where Oda started planting the seeds for finally revealing to us how Devil Fruits work.
Back in Punk Hazard, Oda gave us our first concrete evidence for how a Devil Fruit is born once a fruit user dies by having us witness Smiley’s death and the subsequent resurrection of its fruit. Later, during Dressrosa, Oda has a character explicitly tell us how the process works. This is also when he first revealed the term Bloodline Elements. Two arcs later, in Whole Cake Island, Yonji provides us additional information on the matter.
Essentially, since Punk Hazard, Oda has slowly been sowing a narrative thread explaining the formation of Devil Fruits. As with all other Punk Hazard plotlines, he likely plans to have it climax in Wano alongside Vegapunk’s arrival. It makes no sense for everything else to be resolved and yet the questions unique to Vegapunk are left for a future story arc.
If anything, Vegapunk’s arrival to Wano – the island where the crew is fighting fake Devil Fruits – marks the perfect time for him finally answer the following:
Lastly, the final point I want to address is how Vegapunk’s arrival will be a boon to the Straw Hats. I think I’ve made it clear my belief that Vegapunk will ultimately be a good-ish character, and I also think he’ll use his wealth of knowledge to help the crew, something that would benefit a good chunk of the Straw Hats.
However, the biggest contender I think is Franky and his ultimate role in the arc. If you assume for a moment that Vegapunk comes to Wano, wouldn’t this be the perfect setup for Franky’s 1v1 of the arc?
Franky spent the timeskip researching Vegapunk’s old designs on his home island. He was also the one to discover Kuma still protecting the ship, and later stressed the importance that Kuma was their benefactor by scattering them on Sabaody two years prior. However, his respect for Vegapunk could go even deeper than that because Vegapunk, by honoring Kuma’s wishes to protect the Sunny for two years, literally saved Franky’s dream during a time where Franky wasn’t there to do it himself.
So let’s assume a scenario where Vegapunk comes to Wano. Wano, being the ultimate culmination of everything since Punk Hazard, is finally the arc where we get individualized 1v1s for each Straw Hats. Just like with Luffy remembering Rayleigh during his fight with Katakuri, each of the Straw Hats would push themselves to new limits by remembering the struggles they endured during the timeskip to find the resolve during their fight against the Beasts Pirates.
Franky specifically could remember his time on Vegapunk’s island while pushing himself to the extreme to protect/rescue the man who in turn protected his own dream by allowing Kuma’s final wish. It would make for one hell of a Franky fight.
All this to say, I think Oda is crafting a perfect storm to finally bring Vegapunk into the story. Now is the time to do it. I hope I was able to convince you why I think it is.
You must be registered to see images
The World Government has no reason sending arguably one of their biggest assets to Wano. When the idea was first proposed back in chapter 929, I don’t recall anyone taking the idea seriously. However, I do think it isn’t fair to dismiss the possibility entirely solely because the idea, at first glance, is stupid.
Allow me to play Devil’s Advocate. I want to explore the legitimacy of Vegapunk coming to Wano, starting by addressing the very counterpoint I mentioned above – Why would the Government risk letting Vegapunk out of their sight?
Enter Sentomaru.
1-SENTOMARU
You must be registered to see images
Sentomaru was first introduced to us as Vegapunk’s Bodyguard. This is very interesting because why would Vegapunk need a bodyguard if he’s supposedly never allowed to leave his lab? Better yet, what is his bodyguard doing on Sabaody, running around with Pacifistas, instead of doing his job? Simple – Sentomaru only acts as Vegapunk’s bodyguard when Vegapunk needs protection. When would this be? When he’s out of his lab, either on some Government mission or conducting some sort of experiment.
Sentomaru’s character design also screams Wano.
You must be registered for see images
He has the same cross-pretzel thing Oden wore and is one of the few characters who actively uses Advanced Armament Haki, something that’s prominent on Wano. His name is also uniquely Japanese, a naming quirk Oda has only really predominantly given to those who are from Wano. I think because of the connections, it’s fair to speculate that Sentomaru could either be from Wano, or is at least connected to the island in some way.
You must be registered for see images
So let me ask you this – Would the Government still refuse to let Vegapunk go to Wano even though he has a bodyguard? Someone we know possesses the only known technique that can potentially damage both Big Mom and Kaido, the two threats he’d encounter on the island? Who is also possibly somehow connected to the island in question?
Sentomaru is arguably the perfect person to bring Vegapunk to Wano. He literally calls himself the man with the strongest defense in the world.
You must be registered for see images
Chapter 987 showed us that you can use Ryuo to pierce a Yonko’s defences; Luffy learned it for this very reason. Since Rayleigh also described it as a barrier that protects your body, I think it’s fair to assume Sentomaru could use the technique’s protective nature to successfully shield himself from a Yonko’s attack.
Just the kind of guy the Government would want protecting their best asset.
2-CAESAR’S GIANT CHILDREN
You must be registered for see images
Even if we ignore Sentomaru for a second and continue with the possibility that the Government doesn’t want Vegapunk on Wano, what’s stopping Vegapunk from going if he wants to?
First off, what do we know of Vegapunk anyway?
In Chapter 592, Kitton and his grandfather – the duo Franky meets while on Vegapunk’s home island – describes the scientist as the kind of man who would physically weep because he was unable to help the people of his island. They also mention that the one roadblock Vegapunk encountered when trying his experiments on his home island was a lack of funds and technology.
You must be registered for see images
We later learn from Punk Hazard that Vegapunk was against Ceasar’s dangerous experiments and took full responsibility for the destruction of Punk Hazard. Yonji later tells Sanji during Whole Cake Island that Vegapunk was actually arrested by the Government for discovering the Bloodline Elements, and has likely been working for them ever since.
You must be registered for see images
Lastly, he was weirdly sympathetic towards Kuma and granted him one final wish: a single programming of his choice.
All of this, to me, paints the image of a man who wants to use his knowledge and pursuit of science for good, but was forced to work for the World Government in order to avoid arrest because his discoveries threaten their rule. They struck a deal: in exchange for providing him with the resources he lacked, he’s allowed to continue his pursuits of various branches of science on the condition that they make use of his discoveries. However, despite knowingly working for corrupt individuals, his sense of justice pushes him to use his knowledge for good wherever he can, such as with Kuma.
You must be registered for see images
So what happens when Smoker and Tashigi bring this man a boat full of children who fell victim to Caesar’s gruesome experiments?
The children are significant because they bring knowledge of everything Caesar was doing on Punk Hazard. Vegapunk would know he continued to experiment with weapons of mass destruction. He would also learn that Ceasar explored the creation of fake Devil Fruits. Hell, Vegapunk could even know that Momonosuke ended up eating the fake fruit he left behind because one of the young girls saw Momo eat it.
Vegapunk, to me, seems like the sort of character who would want to undo the injustices Caesar created. The man who once wept over not being able to help those in need finally has the resources to do so. Once he learns that Ceasar tried to recreate his attempt at creating fake devil fruits, and recognizing his own failures at having done so (remember – Momo’s fruit was considered a failure), I see no reason why Vegapunk wouldn’t insist on going to Wano to investigate how far reaching the consequences of Caesar’s experiments have become.
As it happens, Vegapunk is likely the only person in the story who could and would undo what happened to the people of Ebisu town.
3-THE SPECIAL SCIENCE GROUP
You must be registered for see images
I’ve now established why Vegapunk would want to go to Wano and why Sentomaru would protect him during the trip. Coincidentally, Sentomaru told us in chapter 601 that he recently officially joined the Marines, and he’s listed as being part of their science unit. This is likely the same unit that houses the SSG, Vegapunk’s latest science division. A perfect fit.
We’ve had multiple chapters now seeing debate within the Marines about whether or not they should get involved with the events unfolding on Wano. The latest report they heard from Drake, through Coby, was that Big Mom and Kaido were in the process of forming an alliance. Essentially, the return of Rocks.
You must be registered for see images
I’m not going to speculate on the rest of act 3 and how that unfolds, but I think it’s very likely that the intermission between acts 3 and 4 sees us jumping out of Wano once more. What stops Drake, who’s been mysteriously absent since this raid started, from reporting what’s been unfolding to SWORD? During Act 3, he saw Kaido make a proclamation that he’s going to be teaming up with Big Mom and start making moves to find the One Piece. Imagine the Marines and the Government catch a wind of this. Why wouldn’t this immediately become priority number 1?
You must be registered for see images
Let’s assume for a moment that things on Wano have escalated to a point where Sakazuki decides it necessary to send the SSG to Wano to deal with Big Mom and Kaido. You already have Sentomaru as part of the unit, and elsewhere you have Vegapunk insisting on going to Wano himself in order to see the full effects of Caesar’s experimentations with fake devil fruits. The Perfect Storm.
You must be registered for see images
Why would CP0, knowing that the rulers of Wano are demanding Vegapunk, not take advantage of this opportunity? They can essentially have Vegapunk arrive first under Sentomaru’s protection, his cover being doing surveillance and research on the island, while the Marines mobilize the SSG in secret to defeat the allied Yonko forces.
Only to have Luffy beat them to the punch.
4-DEVIL FRUITS AND SMILES
You must be registered for see images
So now we have a scenario where Vegapunk goes to Wano. What purpose does the narrative of the story have for bringing him here? Simple, he’ll explain everything he knows about Devil Fruits.
You must be registered for see images
I think we can all agree that there’s a good likelihood that all the unresolved plotlines of Punk Hazard will be resolved in Wano, since this is the arc Punk Hazard had been building towards. The fight against Kaido, Kin’emon and Momonosuke, the alliance with Law – it’s all set to climax in Wano. Interestingly, Punk Hazard was also the first arc where Oda started planting the seeds for finally revealing to us how Devil Fruits work.
You must be registered for see images
Back in Punk Hazard, Oda gave us our first concrete evidence for how a Devil Fruit is born once a fruit user dies by having us witness Smiley’s death and the subsequent resurrection of its fruit. Later, during Dressrosa, Oda has a character explicitly tell us how the process works. This is also when he first revealed the term Bloodline Elements. Two arcs later, in Whole Cake Island, Yonji provides us additional information on the matter.
You must be registered for see images
Essentially, since Punk Hazard, Oda has slowly been sowing a narrative thread explaining the formation of Devil Fruits. As with all other Punk Hazard plotlines, he likely plans to have it climax in Wano alongside Vegapunk’s arrival. It makes no sense for everything else to be resolved and yet the questions unique to Vegapunk are left for a future story arc.
If anything, Vegapunk’s arrival to Wano – the island where the crew is fighting fake Devil Fruits – marks the perfect time for him finally answer the following:
- What are Devil Fruits, where do they come from, and how do they grant you their powers?
- Why is it that Caesar’s fruits are only Zoans. Why are the fruits Vegapunk fed to objects only Zoans? Is there a correlation?
- Why was Momonosuke’s fruit considered a failure? If Caesar truly did use this fruit as his basis for his SMILES, where did he **** up so badly? If both fruits are failures, why doesn’t Momo have any side-effects?
- Is it possible for a user to have their powers taken without them dying? This is essentially what would need to happen to the people of Ebisu Town for them to be cured.
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Lastly, the final point I want to address is how Vegapunk’s arrival will be a boon to the Straw Hats. I think I’ve made it clear my belief that Vegapunk will ultimately be a good-ish character, and I also think he’ll use his wealth of knowledge to help the crew, something that would benefit a good chunk of the Straw Hats.
You must be registered for see images
- Nami knows to question him about his discoveries with Sea Stone and how it can be used to navigate the Calm Belt. Coincidentally, Wano’s the island that mines and processes Seastone.
- Sanji can talk to him about his time with his father and provide some history to Germa.
- Chopper can talk to him about his Rumble Ball and discover that his Monster Point is actually him awakening his fruit. Maybe Vegapunk could teach him how to access it without the candy. Vegapunk would also likely want to meet the doctor who took his time to rescue and save the children of Punk Hazard.
- Usopp and Robin could also both be greatly interested in talking with him simply due to their characters.
You must be registered for see images
However, the biggest contender I think is Franky and his ultimate role in the arc. If you assume for a moment that Vegapunk comes to Wano, wouldn’t this be the perfect setup for Franky’s 1v1 of the arc?
Franky spent the timeskip researching Vegapunk’s old designs on his home island. He was also the one to discover Kuma still protecting the ship, and later stressed the importance that Kuma was their benefactor by scattering them on Sabaody two years prior. However, his respect for Vegapunk could go even deeper than that because Vegapunk, by honoring Kuma’s wishes to protect the Sunny for two years, literally saved Franky’s dream during a time where Franky wasn’t there to do it himself.
You must be registered for see images
So let’s assume a scenario where Vegapunk comes to Wano. Wano, being the ultimate culmination of everything since Punk Hazard, is finally the arc where we get individualized 1v1s for each Straw Hats. Just like with Luffy remembering Rayleigh during his fight with Katakuri, each of the Straw Hats would push themselves to new limits by remembering the struggles they endured during the timeskip to find the resolve during their fight against the Beasts Pirates.
Franky specifically could remember his time on Vegapunk’s island while pushing himself to the extreme to protect/rescue the man who in turn protected his own dream by allowing Kuma’s final wish. It would make for one hell of a Franky fight.
All this to say, I think Oda is crafting a perfect storm to finally bring Vegapunk into the story. Now is the time to do it. I hope I was able to convince you why I think it is.
