Rewatching this episode this week for that making Luffy v Lucci fight and it brought up an another thought in my head. I hate Vegapunk.
Hate may be strong, and he’s definitely well written don’t get me wrong, Oda has not let me down there. The problem is that Vegapunk, like many of the character’s in the show, are too well written. Vegapunk is the clear representation of science and the pursuit of knowledge in the way it primarily exists.
It definitely foils with Robin’s pursuit of knowledge in that she’s is the ideal form of the pursuit of knowledge because she displays empathy. Her whole arc in W7/EL was meant to be her biggest selfish act of wanting to live after giving up herself and her dream for her crew.
Vegapunk, on the other hand, chases life and knowledge by any and all means. He has up until Egghead, been a willing tool of the government past his own morals (as seen with Kuma’s upcoming story). And only now has he decided to defect because his third for knowledge fully encrouched on the devil’s apple that is the lost century.
That undying thirst isn’t what makes me dislike him, it’s his lack of empathy. He brazenly asks for passage on the ship of an emperor after being responsible for for the devices behind their separation. Worst of all is how he pulls in the favor form Sentomaru, It’s not merely covering his back, he knows he’s asking him to risk his life and to sign his own death warrant because at some point Vegapunk lent a hand. To be ready to sacrifice someone else because you see yourself as worth more is the ultimate hubris of modern science.
Those working in STEM and majoring in it often don’t’t see the point in classes about ethics, they tend to ignore and push out “diverse data” that makes their hypothesis less likely to come true because it’s easier than finding a real solution. Those diverse factors are every opressed group from gender based to race based to age based to sexuality based. Those points of data are sacrificed in this pursuit of what definition of worthy knowledge that exists.
Vegapunk never thought of all the people suffering when he turned down Dragon, only of his research and the money the government could provide. And now that the government is in his way he’s sacrificing his colleagues to get away and seek more knowledge.
Of course as we see later in the manga he had contingencies for all scenarios that allow him to look heroic, but make no mistake, his plan was to make to it out of Egghead alive to learn another day, at the willing sacrifice of many.
This got very long unexpectedly but TL;DR Vegapunk is a representation of modern day science and its lack of empathy.
this clip is so luffy bc yes he’s a fool but he’s a powerful fool but before you can be awed by his power he quickly reminds you that he is in fact, a fool
The way I stopped breathing when the drums of liberation went silent and then gasped when Luffy appeared in front of Lucci to punch the shit out of him. I love One Piece so much.