One Piece Episode 1097 Review

The Will of Ohara!

One Piece Episode 1097 confirmed something I predicted about Dr. Vegapunk last week. In my review of Episode 1096, I said that I got the feeling that the main thing Vegapunk cared about was knowledge. He’ll side with whoever allows him to continue his quest for knowledge.

I said this in regards to whether or not Vegapunk would assist the Straw Hats. The World Government funds all of Vegapunks research and inventions. So, from his perspective, why would he help the Straw Hats destroy that? It wouldn’t make much sense for someone as logical as Vegapunk.

Now, I do think that Vegapunk will help the Straw Hats to an extent. But, we also now have direct evidence that Vegapunk thought the way I predicted in the past. Apparently, he turned down joining Dragon and instead joined the World Government. Why? Because they funded his research.

Until this point, the reason Vegapunk was affiliated with the World Government was unclear. Did he work for them of his own free will? Or, was he threatened or otherwise coerced into working for them? For a long time, I assumed Vegapunk was essentially a hostage of the World Government.

But, it seems that’s not the case. Vegapunk knew what he was doing when he agreed to work for the World Government. And, he even attempts to justify his choice when talking to Dragon. He points out that the World Government isn’t the enemy. The World Nobles are.

Just because Vegapunk works for the World Government doesn’t mean he opposes Dragon. And, in the same way, it doesn’t mean he opposes the Straw Hats. The World Government can continue to exist and benefit the people of the world after the fall of the nobles. It’s not an inherently evil organization.

Vegapunk’s Brain-Brain Fruit

For some reason, I never considered the fact that Vegapunk would have a devil fruit ability. We’ve been hearing his name for hundreds of episodes by now. And, there’s been plenty of time to theorize about him. But, this is something I never thought about.

I assumed that he was a very smart guy who was interested in devil fruits but hadn’t eaten one. Why wouldn’t he have eaten one? I don’t know. I don’t have a good answer to that question. It’s just what I thought. However, in Episode 1097, we learn that he does have a fruit.

Vegapunk ate the Brain-Brain Fruit, which causes his brain to continuously grow. As he learns new information, his brain gets larger to store it. That’s why he had such a giant head in the past. But, today, his brain is too large to store within his head.

Instead, his brain can be found within the Punk Records building of Egghead Island. And, Vegapunk and the Satellites communicate with this central brain wirelessly. That’s why they all refer to themselves as Dr. Vegapunk. They’re “clones” who share the same brain. They all are Dr. Vegapunk.

Something I’m curious about, though, is when Vegapunk ate the Brain-Brain Fruit. Was he already a successful scientist when he ate it? Was he already interested in uncovering the secrets of the devil fruit? Or, was eating the Brain-Brain Fruit what sent him down this path? That would be interesting to find out.

It’s also surprising that the World Government hasn’t blacklisted this devil fruit. They tried to do that to the Human-Human Fruit Model: Nika by renaming it the Gum-Gum Fruit. But, why not the Brain-Brain Fruit? As they say, knowledge is power — this is a powerful devil fruit.

The Inherited Research

Alright, so how exactly is the Brain-Brain Fruit powerful? And, why would the World Government need to blacklist it? Think of it this way: What’s the World Government (World Nobles and Im) most afraid of? They’re afraid of the citizens of the world gaining knowledge.

They don’t want people to know anything about the void century. That’s why Ohara had to be destroyed. And, that’s why Im obliterated Lulusia — he couldn’t let Sabo reveal the truth. If the people of the world learned the truth, they might try to rise up.

The Brain-Brain Fruit grants the power to gain an extraordinary amount of knowledge. Dr. Vegapunk knows more about the world than anyone else. Well, except for maybe Im. And, that makes him a threat to Im’s rule. Why do you think Cipher Pol says they’re going to assassinate Vegapunk at the end of this episode?

But, if Vegapunk was the only person with all of his knowledge, that wouldn’t be that bad. Up until now, the World Government has been able to use him and his brain. His existence has been a net positive for the ruling class.

Unfortunately for them, the direction Vegapunk is going in isn’t a positive one for them. His ultimate goal is to make it so everyone in the world can connect to Punk Records. That would mean that everyone in the world would know what he knows. And, the World Government can’t have that.

This is why I’m surprised that the World Government has allowed this fruit to exist for so long. Sure, the Nika Fruit inspires people and ignites their desire for freedom. But, the Brain-Brain Fruit gives people the power to question the state of the world. That’s equally as dangerous to a dictator.

Final Thoughts

What do you think of One Piece Episode 1097? Were you surprised to see that Saul is still alive? Which do you think came first, Vegapunk’s genius or him eating the Brain-Brain Fruit? And, do you think everyone being able to connect to Vegapunk’s brain is a good idea?

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My review of Episode 1098 is available now.