Key things
- Pacifists created by Dr. Vegapunk, they are vital in the fight against pirates and are linked to Bartholomew Kuma's past.
- Vegapunk's genius is evident in the creation of highly advanced pacifists who show off their technological prowess.
- Kum's sacrifice to become the first pacifist reveals a treacherous deal with the World Government.
The Pacifists have been a key part of the World Government's force in their fight against the Pirates since their creation by Dr. Vegapunk. Modeled after Bartholomew Kuma, these enormous cyborgs serve the marines and have been a constant thorn in the side of the new generation of pirates since their debut in the Sabaody Archipelago arc. However, there are still many mysteries surrounding their origin.
Many pirates still believe that the Pacifists are actually Kuma, except for those who have encountered several at once or have faced Kuma and seen his Devil Fruit in action. With the introduction of the higher-level Pacifists in the Egghead arc, they will play an important role in the story's conclusion, and fans must understand what is behind their creation if they are to fully digest Eiichiro Oda's masterpiece.
The mind behind the creation of the pacifists is unmatched in one piece
The smartest man in the world
Pacifists represent some of the most advanced technology in the One pieceand the person responsible for bringing such a futuristic design to life is none other than Dr. Vegapunk. His identity was only recently explored in the Egghead Arc, but his reputation far predates him. He is well known in the Grand Line for being at the forefront of scientific advancement, often inventing technology decades ahead of his contemporaries.
Vegapunk's intellect is said to be “500 years ahead of the world”, evident in the design and functionality of his Pacifistas, which can even harness the power of Admiral Kizaru's Pika Pika No-mi to shoot laser beams. An army of cloned cyborgs to regulate the world order was one of his dreams, but he didn't have the means to create his perfect army until one faithful day he ran into Bartholomew Kuma.
Bartholomew Kuma's past and how he became associated with vegapunk
How Kuma became the face of pacifists
Batholomew Kuma was the third pillar of the revolutionary army who faced a difficult childhood due to being born a buccaneer. As a child, he was part of the infamous God Valley incident where he met Ivankov and Ginny, Bonney's mother, and over the years they formed a strong bond. After Ginny's death from a very rare disease called Sapphire Scales, Kuma swore to protect Bonney and adopted her to honor the memory of his dear friend. Soon after Bonney began to develop the same condition, Kuma asked to resign from the Revolutionary Army and sail the seas in search of a cure.
He became known as a wanted pirate due to his ties to the Revolutionary Army, and was targeted by bounty hunters and marines alike. Dragon eventually came up with some information on the whereabouts of Vegapunk, a genius scientist with a mind unlike any other, and offered it to Kumo, believing that if anyone could find a cure for such a disease, it would be Vegapunk. Bartholomew set out with Bonney to find the new Vegapunk lab located on Egghead after the Punk Hazard incident. There, Kuma met Vegapunk, who agreed to cure Bonney's illness, but on one condition.
How the Pacifista project was born
A treacherous deal that saw Kuma lose his personality
During their time on Egghead Island, Vegapunk became interested in Kumo's size and physical abilities, and later discovered that the mountain-sized man was a Buccaneer, a race of physically gifted humanoids thought to be extinct. Coincidentally, this was the missing part of Vegapunk's super soldier dream. He then informed Kuma of his dream and asked for permission to use Kuma's DNA to achieve his goal in exchange for using a special stem cell treatment to cure Bonney's condition. Kuma accepted his terms and the cyborg soldiers were to be named Pacifist, referring to his nature as a pacifist.
Unfortunately, Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders of the World Government, overheard their conversation and with Kumo's reputation as a pirate, decided to send Kizata to Egghead to interfere with the deal. He agreed that Kuma would be a good ally for the World Government, but frankly, Kuma needed them more than they needed him. Saturn saw this as an opportunity to add three more conditions to the deal that would see Bonney cured by Vegapunk. Kuma was to become one of the Seven Warriors of the Sea, a group of bounty hunters operating under the jurisdiction of the World Government. Kuma was also to become the first pacifist and have his personality erased, effectively becoming the world government dog. He was also supposed to stay away from Bonney after her treatment was successful to prevent the possibility of betrayal due to heightened emotions, which meant she would be kept under World Government surveillance until Kumo's mind was completely rewired.
Vegapunk protested Saturn's conditions, but Kuma had already made up his mind as he would do anything to protect his adopted daughter and asked to be able to take her back to their home in Sorbet once her treatment was complete. Once that was out of the way, Kuma began his transition into a pacifist, with each of his boy parts modified one by one, while still fulfilling his duties as one of the Seven Warriors of the Sea and feeding the revolutionary army with information. It was named the PX-0 as the original Pacifista, and by the time of the Summit War of Marineford, Vegapunk had created at least twenty more that were already in service.
One piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.