Highlights
- Vegapunk joined the World Government to fund his ambitious scientific projects and continue his research without financial constraints.
- Despite working for a corrupt organization, Vegapunk believed there were still good and honorable people in the World Government, such as his friend Admiral Kizaru.
- Vegapunk joined the World Government to secretly continue the research on the Void Century, despite the risks involved, as he believed he was the only one capable of uncovering its mysteries with the government's resources.
Back in One Piece chapter 1066, Vegapunk told a story about the time he accidentally met Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, on the newly destroyed island of Ohara. They were there to pay respect to their late friend and one of the leading experts of the Void Century, an OHara researcher named Professor Clover. In this flashback, we find out that Vegapunk used to be the leader of a group of genius scientists called MADS, along with big names like Caesar, Vinsmoke Judge, Queen, and Stussy. They were at the forefront of advancement in every facet of science until the World Government disbanded them.
Not long after that, Dragon offered Vegapunk to join his newly created Revolutionary Army and go against the tyrannical World Government together. Vegapunk declined the offer and decided to join the World Government instead. So why did the greatest scientist in the world decide to join the enemy's rank?
To Fund His Ambitious Projects
There are a couple of reasons why Vegapunk decided to join the World Government. The first one is simply because the World Government could and would fund his projects. Some might say that it is unethical to work for a corrupt organization like the World Government, especially if said government was the one that crushed your previous organization.
However, Vegapunk has always been a pragmatic person. The most important thing for him is to continue his research and realize his visions. To achieve that, the most logical step was to join the wealthy World Government, not a cash-stricken organization like the Revolutionary Army. By the way, Vegapunk told this harsh truth directly to Dragon’s face. “You were always honest to a fault”, said Dragon to Vegapunk, amused.
It's not that Vegapunk suddenly agrees with the World Government’s horrific and questionable actions. But joining forces with them is the only way for him to freely create every weird and revolutionary invention that exists within his ever-expanding genius mind.
There Are Still Good People In The World Government
Another reason why Vegapunk agreed to join the World Government was because he truly believed that there were still kind, honorable, and law-abiding Marines in the government. He never mentioned any specific names, but from what we know about numerous people who were in the Marines at the time, we can safely assume that one of those persons was none other than Dragon’s father, Monkey D. Garp, the hero of the Marines.
Thanks to Vegapunk’s immense contributions to the Marines, he is actually quite close to numerous people from the World Government. People that he can consider as friends. The most notable person among his list of friends is one of the current highest-ranking officers of the Marines, a laid-back man named Borsalino, commonly known throughout the world as Admiral Kizaru.
Kizaru has been a close friend of Vegapunk since he was still a young man climbing through the ranks of the Marines. He was one of the people who were responsible for Vegapunk’s security at the time, which was when their friendship started to blossom. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen in recent chapters, as somebody who is working for the Marines, Kizaru has no choice but to comply with the order to capture or kill Vegapunk, who has been deemed a traitor by the World Government.
To Continue The Ohara Research
In between his time working on countless projects for the World Government (making Pacifistas, Seraphim, and other advanced weapons), and creating a futuristic island for himself and the people who work for him (the Egghead Island), Vegapunk secretly continues the research left behind by his late friend, Professor Clover. As you might’ve guessed, that research is about the Void Century and the advanced civilization that thrived and perished during that blank period.
We know from the aforementioned flashback that Vegapunk visited the library of the Elbaf pirates soon after he met with Dragon. The purpose of his visit was none other than to read countless books and research materials left behind by the people of Ohara. It’s clear that as a man of science, he was certainly interested in the mysterious technology of the past and wanted to uncover the missing chapters in history.
As somebody who witnessed what the World Government did to those who dared to look into the Void Century, Vegapunk was certainly aware of the risk of his secret project. And yet he still did it anyway. There are certainly lots of reasons behind this decision, but it’s safe to assume that as the smartest person on the planet, he realized that he was the only one who could undertake this massive project, and he could only do it with the help of the World Government’s unlimited resources. So in a way, Vegapunk joined the World Government in order to research the one thing that they tried so hard to hide was his way to spite his new employer.
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