Summary
Throughout Eiichiro Oda’sOne Piece, theVoid Century has been a lingering mysterywhich has fueled the curiosity of many different characters across the world for differing reasons. Furthermore, the strict ban on any investigation into this period, as imposed by the World Government, has led to serious repercussions for quite a few of these characters, with the latest victim among them being Dr. Vegapunk.
Following his initial refusal to assist the archaeologist Professor Clover in his research, Vegapunk displayed a massive change of heart once the Ohara Incident took place. He then went on to continue the work of the scholars of Ohara on his own, which was somewhat out of character for him. With this in mind, let’s take a look atwhy Vegapunk chose to endanger himselfin attempting to uncover the true history behind the world ofOne Piece.
Clover’s Revelation About The Will Of D.
Chapter 1120 ofOne Piecestarted with a flashback to a conversation between Vegapunk and a young Professor Clover, on the island of Punk Hazard. At the time,Vegapunk had chosen to work forthe World Government, after the dissolution of his earlier research group MADS. Turning back the clock by 26 years, this blast from the past commenced with Clover begging Vegapunk to join forces with him.
Noting that his research would require expertise in several different fields, Clover pleaded withVegapunk, explaining that there was no one bettersuited than him. He reiterated his firm belief that they had a duty to remove the veil that had shrouded the Void Century for so long, as the world deserved to know the truth. Unfortunately, Vegapunk was unconvinced at that time, and stated that Clover was digging graves for himself and his allies by continuing his work.
This prompted Clover to share an incredible secret that he had been withholding, regarding his own heritage, and how it fueled his lifelong ambition. Revealing his true name to be Claíomh D. Clover, he looked back on how his elder brother had been murdered right before his eyes for possessing the initial “D.” within his name. Declaring that he refused to accept a world where people would be persecuted just for having the wrong name, Cloverdesperately implored Vegapunk to joinhim in his quest.
Sadly,Vegapunk had resolved to turn him down, since his status as a Marine scientist prevented him from taking any sort of action that would invite suspicion. Promising to forget what he had heard, Vegapunk wished Clover well. Not satisfied by this, Clover angrily declared that he would one day arrive at the truth and force Vegapunk to acknowledge his folly. This gave Vegapunk considerable food for thought at the end of what might have been their last conversation.
The Tragedy Of Ohara And Clover’s Death
Just 4 years after this exchange,the scholars of Ohara found themselvesin grave peril, after reports about their research on the Void Century came out. Upon reaching the ears of the World Government’s highest authority, the Five Elders, a decision was taken to purge Ohara’s inhabitants — including Professor Clover — as well as all its archived knowledge, through a Buster Call on the island.
WhenVegapunk first heard of Ohara’s destruction, he was visibly shaken and shed tears as he recalled Clover’s parting words. Interestingly, the Ohara Incident seemed to have played a huge role in changing his mindset, as he finally started to see the merit of Clover’s beliefs, after the latter’s death. Vegapunk later paid a visit to the island where he witnessed a group of giants salvaging all the books that the scholars had thrown into a nearby lake, and this effectively convinced him that it was his duty to ensure that the scholars' deaths were not in vain.
Carrying On The Will Of Ohara
Once he traveled to Elbaf and collected all the information contained within the remaining texts, Vegapunk commenced his own research into the Void Century in secret. He was aided in this endeavor by his Devil Fruit, the Nomi Nomi no Mi, which allowed him to continuously store knowledge within his brain, which acted as a sort of data bank. This also created a second copy of all the research that the scholars of Ohara had done, which isnow likely contained within Punk Records.
While it is hard to determine exactly what changed his mind, the scholars' last ditch effort to preserve their work even as they faced certain death, was something that had aprofound impact on Vegapunk’s perceptionof the World Government. Earlier, he had been more than happy to comply with their demands despite how he was well aware of the corrupt and morally compromised philosophy with which the World Government functioned inOne Piece.
However, the tragedy of Ohara struck a chord within his mind, and he realized his duty as a scientist to uncover thetruth behind the Void Century and shareit with the world, which changed things forever. This can also be seen in his desire to flee Egghead Island alongside the Straw Hat Pirates, as well as the broadcast he set up in the event of his death, triggered in a way resembling a dead man’s switch. Hence, even in death, Vegapunk continued to believe that the scholars were justified in their attempts to uncover the truth, which is a drastic shift from his earlier perspective.
The Void Century Causes Vegapunk’s Own Demise
It is quite impressive that Vegapunk managed to do all of this in secret on a government facility like Egghead Island, without anyone finding out for so long. If not for York’s betrayal, news ofVegapunk’s illicit research might not havereached the ears of the Five Elders, which would have been an incredible feat. Regrettably, this was not to be, as Vegapunk had all-but signed his own death warrant when he elected to continue the scholars' work.
At first, Vegapunk was saved from death on several occasions by members of the Straw Hat Pirates, who thwarted the assassination team from CP0 consisting of Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Stussy. He was also saved from Saint Jaygarcia Saturn by Monkey D. Luffy, who desperately tried to fulfill hispromise of taking Vegapunk out to seawith them.
For a time duringOne Piece’sEgghead Arc, it seemed as if he might actually survive, until his luck ran out, and he was eventually killed by the combined efforts of Saturn and Kizaru. Fortunately,Vegapunk’s final contribution to the scholarsstill remained in the form of the broadcast he had arranged, through which he managed to share some of their most important findings with the entire world.
