One Piece: Who is Dr. Vegapunk?

❘ Published: 2024-02-09T15:54:06

Prepare for major spoilers for One Piece, as we give you the rundown of who Dr. Vegapunk is – he’s more than just the smartest person in the world.

As One Piece progresses into its final saga, things are coming to their peak on Egghead Island as a mysterious arrival brings allies while the Marines are pushed back and Luffy has reentered the fray. While the scene is set for a massive battle, let’s check in on the most intelligent man in the world, Dr. Vegapunk.

For those unaware, a significant portion of the Egghead Island arc revolves around the Straw Hat saving Dr. Vegapunk from the clutches of the World Government as they send forces to capture the genius and lay waste to his island to cover their tracks. We’ll be looking into who Vegapunk is and how he got into this situation.

Who is Dr. Vegapunk?

Dr. Vegapunk is the smartest man in the world of One Piece after he ate the Brain-Brain Devil Fruit, which grants him the capacity to learn possibly everything and an eidetic memory, so he’ll rarely forget anything. He saw the aftermath of O’Hara and learned what devastation research into forbidden knowledge can cause.

His natural aptitude for scientific research and experimentation, along with his ability, led Egghead Island to become a futuristic utopia and him to invent such advanced creations that seem over 500 years beyond One Piece’s time. His capacity for science also led to the creation of the Vegapunk Satellites.

Vegapunk reluctantly works with the World Government as he can’t pass up the chance to research the unknown and fund his Pacifista project until he outlives his usefulness and needs to be silenced for what he knows. He also has a close relationship with the revolutionary army leader and Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, Marine Admiral Kizaru, Sentomaru, Bartholomew Kuma, and Jewelry Bonney.

What are the Satellites?

The Satellites are Vegapunk’s solution to being unable to do two things simultaneously. He “stores” parts of his personality into different individuals to give him more capabilities and, most importantly, more time for science; they all refer to themselves as Vegapunk as well as their own individual names.

All the satellites appear to be robotic in some form, possess unique personality traits, and perform their set tasks in their own way. At the same time, the original Vegapunk, referred to as the “Stella,” meaning “main body,” after splitting up, dedicates more time to his research and experimentation.

Edison

Edison’s main role is the “Thinker” of the group, he comes up with ideas for inventions that the main Vegapunk could work on. His small stature makes data collection and escaping from a pinch a breeze for Edison as he tries to develop ideas that said data can be applied to.

Pythagoras

Often seen working alongside Edison, Pythagoras is Vegapunk’s “Wisdom,” he has a very nervous demeanor, and his primary role is data recording and research as he tries to make all the applicable ideas that Edison comes up with reality.

Atlas

Embodying Vega punk’s “Violence,” Atlas resembles a tall, robotic girl who’s extremely short-tempered, prone to violence, and easily frustrated with those who don’t appreciate her inventions. Her strength may be helpful in a fight, but Atlas also has a lot of poor judgment of the situation, as she’s outmatched when the Marines come knocking on Egghead’s front door.

Lilith

Lilith is Vegapunk’s “Evil” side, despite being rather friendly. Lilith takes charge of defending Egghead Island from would-be intruders, stealing all treasure on board and justifying her behavior as funds for Vegapunks research. Lilith often clashes with Shaka over her activities because they go against Vegapunk’s morals.

York

Like most normal people, Vegapunk needs to eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. York’s responsibility as a Satellite is to make sure Stella has enough rest and doesn’t skip meals, making more time for science.

York is Vegapunk’s “Greed,” and that comes back to bite him as she conspires against Vegapunk, following her own desires regardless of who she needs to step over and kill to get what she’s hungry for, be it food or a higher station.

Shaka

Resembling a member of Daft Punk, Shaka wins the coolest design prize in the Satellite lineup.

The leader of the satellites and personification of Vegapunk’s “Good” side, Shaka maintains Egghead Island keeping the other Satellites in line. Shaka appears to have an excellent judgment of the situation and character, predicting his own potential death and putting faith in the Straw Hats when they prove themselves trustworthy.

That’s everything we know about Dr. Vegapunk and his Satellites; we’ll need to wait for the next exciting chapter of One Piece to learn more about the smartest science team on the Grand Line. For more One Piece, see how you can save big on One Piece manga box sets, how fans handle the wait with odd theories, and catchup on the story with a fan-made status chart of the main characters.