One Piece‘s story revolves around Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they search for a mythical treasure on the high seas. Along the way, their adventures have them run into many other pirates also vying to find the One Piece, which has kept the series full of action and adventure.

There are many reasons why One Piece is widely considered one of the best anime of all time, including its amazing storytelling and rich, diverse characters. One of the most intriguing characters has been Dr. Vegapunk, a genius scientist whose identity has been shrouded in mystery. More information about the character has recently come to light in One Piece’s Egghead Arc, and fans should know more about the man who has been working behind the scenes to shape One Piece‘s world in exciting ways.

10Dr. Vegapunk is From the Grand Line

Dr. Vegapunk was born on the Karakuri Island on the first half of the Grand Line, known as Paradise. Karakuri Island is also known as the “Future Country,” and it is a wintry island, usually covered in snow.

After leaving Karakuri, Vegapunk researched the island of Punk Hazard in the New World. While his character design has only been revealed fairly recently, his silhouette was even quietly shown back in One Piece‘s Punk Hazard Arc. Lastly, Dr. Vegapunk resided in the New World island of Egghead, which is said to be “500 years in the future” thanks to its scientific and technological advancements.

9Dr. Vegapunk Created One Piece’s Legendary Living Cyborg Weapons

Dr. Vegapunk was the genius mind behind the creation of the Pacifista and Seraphim in One Piece‘s story. The Pacifista were human weapons that were clones of the Warlord Bartholomew Kuma, who were later enhanced into cyborgs. The Seraphim were a special type of Pacifista cloned from former Warlords and designed to replace them.

Both the Pacifista and Seraphim have amazing powers at their disposal thanks to the fact that they are genetic clones of some of One Piece‘s most powerful characters. Their association with the Marines has made them a significant threat, with the Seraphim in particular playing an important role in One Piece‘s recent Egghead Arc.

8Dr. Vegapunk Had a Love for Mythological Dragons

Dr. Vegapunk had a soft spot for dragons, and he even used his scientific mind to bring the creatures to life during his time on Punk Hazard. Monkey D. Luffy and his crew even run into one of these dragons during their time at Punk Hazard, with Dragon Number Thirteen proving to be a pretty ferocious beast.

Vegapunk’s love of dragons even led him to create an artificial Devil Fruit that had the power to turn its user into one of the beasts. While it had the chance to be one of many strong Devil Fruits in One Piece‘s story, Vegapunk ultimately considered his creation a failure because the dragon form it bestowed on its user was not identical to that of the original Devil Fruit he copied.

7Dr. Vegapunk Knew The True Nature of Luffy’s Devil Fruit

Dr. Vegapunk’s scientific research gave him immense knowledge about Devil Fruits and how they work. After witnessing Luffy’s awakened form, Dr. Vegapunk becomes the only known person other than the evil Five Elders to understand Nika and the true nature of Luffy’s Devil Fruit.

Vegapunk also had many theories about Devil Fruits, their powers, and different ways to use them. He discovered how the powers of a Devil Fruit can be transferred over to a user, and he also developed a method to give Devil Fruit powers to inanimate objects.

6Dr. Vegapunk Was Able to Replicate Devil Fruit Powers

Dr. Vegapunk was able to make man-made Devil Fruits that could replicate the powers of the real thing. The only other character who has attempted this scientific feat was Caesar Clown, and the two characters had remarkably different approaches and results, with Caesar mass-producing his SMILE fruits while working for the evil Donquixote Doflamingo.

Dr. Vegapunk’s research led him to create the Artificial Devil Fruits using the Lineage Factor of existing Devil Fruit users, which allowed him to produce Zoan-type and Paramecia fruit powers. The creation of these artificial fruits proved to be extremely difficult, even for Vegapunk’s genius mind, but he still hypothesized that any Zoan Devil Fruit — including the Mythical ones — could eventually be made artificially.

5Dr. Vegapunk’s Devil Fruit Gave Him Infinite Knowledge

Dr. Vegapunk ingested the Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Nomi Nomi no Mi (literally Brain-Brain Fruit). This allowed him to retain all the knowledge inside his brain, at the cost of his head expanding to accompany the information. Considering how highly he valued knowledge and scientific exploration, the Devil Fruit was perfect for him, and it seems that Dr. Vegapunk didn’t mind the side effects at all.

Thanks to his Devil Fruit and his aptitude for knowledge, Dr. Vegapunk became known as the smartest man in the world. His brain eventually grew so big that he cut off the majority of it, connecting it to his body through antennas. By doing this, he was able to move around more freely while his brain was still able to continue expanding safely at Punk Records in Egghead.

4Dr. Vegapunk Pioneered Seastone for the Marines

While fans of One Piece know that Dr. Vegapunk became a huge ally to the Straw Hat Pirates during One Piece’s Egghead Arc, Vegapunk previously worked for the Marines and pioneered the usage of one of their most powerful weapons: Seastone. This rare mineral has the ability to negate Devil Fruit abilities, making it an amazing weapon in the Marines’ repertoire as they fight to keep peace on the seas and keep pirates at bay.

Seastone has the same effect on Devil Fruit users as if they had fallen into the sea, effectively weakening them and making them much easier to subdue for the Marines. As a result of Dr. Vegapunk’s research into Seastone, the Marines were able to build many weapons from the mineral, including handcuff restraints, cages, and even spears.

3Dr. Vegapunk’s Character is Based on Real-Life Revolutionary Scientists

Much of Dr. Vegapunk’s character is derived from real-life scientists who have made incredible contributions to our world. His appearance greatly resembles Albert Einstein, from his white hair, facial features, and even his tongue that resembles a famous Einstein meme.

The apple on Vegapunk’s head likely references Isaac Newton, the scientist who discovered gravity. Throughout the story, Vegapunk also had the goal to provide the world with free energy — a goal he shared with real-world scientist Nikola Tesla.

2Dr. Vegapunk’s Name and Satellite Bodies Reference Astronomy

One of the most fascinating parts of Dr. Vegapunk’s genius was how he was able to split his being into six different satellites that shared his brain through Punk Records. While they all identify as Dr. Vegapunk, they each have their own unique names, like Edison and Pythagoras, which have obvious nods to Vegapunk’s scientific roots.

The choice to call his other bodies satellites has ties to astronomy, where satellites revolve around a larger body. Vegapunk’s alias, Stella, also means “Main Body” in astronomical terms. Even the name Vegapunk likely has ties to the stars, with Vega being the brightest star to shine in the Lyra constellation.

1One of Dr. Vegapunk’s Inventions May Reference Another Popular Anime Franchise

While most people notice Dr. Vegapunk’s resemblance to Albert Einstein, there’s another hidden reference in his character design. The character wears purple DOM shoes which are lightweight and can be moved remotely or even propel their wearer into the air.

These shoes, along with their hover function and design, seem to be a reference to the mobile suits from Gundam. Even the name appears to be a homage, with Vegapunk’s DOM shoes coincidentally sharing a title with Gundam’s MS-09 “Dom” suit.