When Dr. Vegapunk was on the brink of death, he revealed that he had to share the truth about the One Piece world with the citizens and that he had prepared a pre-recorded video for it. As a result, when Vegapunk’s heart stopped beating, his message began to transmit (similar to a live stream) to people worldwide.
Since the One Piece manga has been taking several breaks over the past few months, we have been eagerly waiting to learn the complete truth from the message. However, the scientist has disclosed some unimaginable secrets in the last few chapters. So, if you’re wondering what is Dr. Vegapunk’s message to the world, you have come to the right place.
Spoilers Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers about ongoing Egghead arc in the manga. The article was last updated on May 27, 2024 at 5:00 AM PT to include Dr. Vegapunk’s message in Chapter 1115.
Vegapunk’s Message Broadcast to the World
With the Five Elders arriving and Straw Hats trying to escape Egghead Island, Dr. Vegapunk started broadcasting his message to the world in manga chapter 1113 of One Piece.
Dr. Vegapunk’s broadcast started with him saying that the message in the “video would connect the entire world.” At the time of writing, he essentially confirmed that he committed two grave sins and that this broadcast was programmed to only begin after his heart stopped beating.
Before we move to the message itself, here are Vegapunk’s initial words of the broadcast:
I have committed two sins. Therefore whether I’m arrested or executed, I shall program this message to be broadcast when my heart stops beating.
So when we were left to wonder if Dr. Vegapunk is dead or alive in One Piece, this key information proved that death knocked at his door. As expected, this sent shockwaves across every nation and shattered everyone’s hearts. While this was happening, the smartest man on the planet wanted to clear the air, so he added:
I want to make one thing clear first. Whoever may have rendered their judgement unto me, I am not trying to convince you that their intention is evil. Because I understand too little about HIM to begin with.
Now this is a tricky statement, as Vegapunk was struck by his colleague St. Saturn and later on by his friend Kizaru, thus, leading to his untimely demise.
Even before being killed on Egghead Island, the brilliant scientist mentioned that he didn’t consider the one demanding his life be taken away to be evil (we talk more about this character below). Right after sharing his perspective, Vegapunk dropped a major truth bomb that shook the entire world:
What am I about to tell you is so preposterous, you might even burst into laughter. However, you all have the right to know. To make a long story short, the world as we know it… will sink into sea!
Vegapunk asserted that the citizens deserved to know the truth about the world, however, it indeed sounded as absurd as he claimed. The fact that most of the landmass in the One Piece world was about to sink into the sea was not something that most people couldn’t wrap their minds around.
When Imu destroyed the Lulusia Kingdom, the sea level rose by 1 meter already. Now imagine what will happen if this gets repeated multiple times, I think that is what he meant by that.
Shocking Truth About the Void Century
Vegapunk’s statement about the world submerging into the sea sent people across the world into a frenzy. I mean, it is a natural reaction to that statement, right?
We returned to the broadcast in chapter 1114, where Dr. Vegapunk went on to reveal a lot more information about a topic considered taboo in the One Piece world. Yeah, Vegapunk defied the World Government and researched the poneglyphs to learn about the Void Century in the shadows.
But first, the scientist revealed that a massive earthquake will shake the planet, possibly being one of the causes of the rise in sea level. Vegapunk said,
Now, speaking of the near-future for me.. Assuming that the sensors I built are functioning correctly, there should be a most remarkable earthquake that strikes the entire planet.
Indeed, he was right on the money with that, as Imu destroying the Lulusia Kingdom increased sea level, and that directly resulted in the giant earthquake today in the One Piece realm. So, this genius was able to predict this calamity during the recording of this video, which again made people go crazy after listening to his predictions. He further elaborated:
As a result of that, the sea should rise about one meter around the world, rendering some islands uninhabitable. Beaches around the world will be lost for good. If I am wrong in this prediction, feel free to disregard the rest of this message. If this has happened, however you should heed my words very carefully!! This particular earthquake is not exactly what i would call… a natural phenomenon.
Not only did he predict the earthquake but also the disaster that was to follow in the fantasy world of One Piece. He reaffirmed that people could ignore his message if this catastrophe he predicted didn’t turn into reality. As it did happen, Vegapunk remarked that the earthquake that happened today was not a natural one as it was caused by someone’s actions (as we know, Imu’s). Moreover, Vegapunk followed this by stating the sins he had committed in search of world peace:
In my own way, I only ever hoped for peace. But this was the root of my first sin, I dreamt of a source of endless, eternal energy… to push the world forward into the future. I flew too close to the sun! Allow me to explain, that is happening to our world.
Dr. Vegapunk was a man of science who went to great lengths to achieve his goals and achieve global peace. To achieve this dream, he wished to make a source of endless energy, one that could see the whole world advance together. This dream is compared to Icarus in literature, who was warned not to fly too close to the sun and not to forget chapter 1114’s title, “The Wings of Icarus.”
Then the old man went on to explain the “Void Century” to the people who weren’t aware of it in the world, as people are prohibited from learning and talking about it.
From about 900 years ago to 800 years ago – a period of a century, there is a span of history that is completely and entirely blank. We call this the void century, because all records from this time were eliminated. The only means to know this lost piece of history is to find a message from the past in the form of ponegliffs scattered across the world and decipher its contents!
We, as readers, are well aware of what a poneglyph is and the locations of each poneglyph shown in the anime or manga so far. Vegapunk recapped the importance of this huge rock to the citizens and then revealed his second sin:
However, the world government has made it a crime of the highest order to decipher the message of the ponegliffs and despite being a member of the government myself I broke this law. That was my second sin. Through the sheer tenacity of a group of excellent archaeologists, I inherited some texts and a number of texts and a number of ponegliffs, which i have deciphered and continued studying to the best of my ability. I regret none of this! History, you see, tells a story…
Nico Robin has been chased by the World Government to be executed since she was 8 because she knows how to read poneglyphs. With the consequences in mind, Vegapunk went on to decode the mystery of poneglyphs.
The archaeologists he mentioned here are probably the people from Ohara who dedicated their lives to learning the truth and just like them, he didn’t have any regrets for learning and deciphering these poneglyphs. History is a story after all and Vegapunk shared the tale during the “void century” with the world:
In other words, what I know is an incomplete story of that 100- year void!! It would be dishonest to fill the blanks with my own speculation, so I will leave you only with the verified truth!! The main character of this story was born into a kingdom with an impossibly advanced civilization, 900 years ago. Like the Sun God Nika spoken of in elbaph legend, he fought with a body that stretched and contracted. His name was JOY BOY and he was the very first man on this sea to be called a pirate!!!
The Great War During the Void Century
In chapter 1115 of One Piece, Vegapunk resumed his message and revealed what happened during the Void century. He stated who were the Joy Boy’s enemies and how a war was waged between the two in the Void Century. As we learned before, it was none other than the army of the 20 kingdoms.
But as for why he was called a Pirate, I have only read from a handful of ponegliffs. But what I found there was the record of a breath-takingly vast war. Joy Boy’s enemy was the World Government of the present day!!! More accurately, it was the precursor to the world government… A provisional army put together by 20 kingdoms known as the “Alliance”!!
If you are wondering why there was a war between the ancient kingdom and the alliance, Vegapunk remarked that it was due to the “clash of two distinct ideologies”.
You might say they had no other choice, so robust was joyboy’s faction! Without knowing the spark that caused the war, I won’t say who was right or wrong, I’ll simply state that two competing ideologies came head-to-head.
It has been mentioned numerous times from the start of the Egghead arc that the ancient kingdom where Joy Boy was born was so advanced with time-transcending technology. So, after around 900 years, even the smartest man on the planet absolutely can’t reinvent those ancient weapons.
As I mentioned earlier, for its time 900 years ago, the country of joyboy’s birth… Was a startlingly advanced civilization. And the weapons that were used over the course of this 100-year conflict… Appear to be impossible to re-create with the latest of modern science. Even I, a humble genius cannot replicate them!! And therein lies the problem!!!
It is officially confirmed that the Void Century period ended when the Alliance of the 20 Kingdoms defeated Joy Boy. However, this Great War certainly scarred the entire world because it didn’t look like a series of islands scattered around the world before.
The Void Century came to a close with the defeat of Joy Boy. But not before leaving vast, permanent scars of war across the face of the world!!! The world is made up of a series of islands. Sailing between them is difficult, and many people never experience anything but their own culture at home! But this shared understanding of the world… Does not necessarily apply to the world of a thousand years ago!!
According to Dr. Vegapunk, a great disaster, i.e., the Great Flood, happened during this century and submerged the majority of the world. Hence, the inhabitants are currently living on top of the leftover ruins of the previously existing continents. The real world has sunk deep under the sea and exists to this day.
Because a cataclysm occurred during the void century.. …Causing the world to sink once before!!! We are currently living on the pieces of a continent…That existed long ago!!! The world of a millennium ago now slumbers unseen at the bottom of the sea!!!
So, Vegapunk again claimed that there used to be multiple continents in this realm similar to the real world we live in. The reason these continents were submerged is because the sea levels rose by over 200 meters during this period.
In fact, one can assume that in the past… There were a number of continents we know nothing about. If the world were still the same as it was in the past then the act of erasing 100 years of history… Would be simply unthinkable and impossible. However it makes much more sense… When you understand that the rise in sea level over that century… Was 200 meters!!!
As evidenced by Imu’s action against Lulusia before, it was the same case as well during the Void century. There is no proof in nature to write this off as a natural disaster.
As for why the sea level rose so much during that century… It would be natural to assume the work of a sudden natural disaster… But I can state for a fact that this was a man-made disaster!! If such a cataclysm were caused by natural forces… Then the initial disaster would have spanned several centuries… ..And inflicted slow but continual damage upon the world!! But by any measurement climatology geology, geology environmental and atmosphere science… This dramatic shift could not have happened within a single century!!!
The extensive usage of Ancient Weapons during the Great War resulted in this sudden increase in sea levels. This went on to the point that most of the continents sank under the sea.
And what’s more worrying is the fact that one of the ancient weapons (likely Uranus) is still under the possession of the World Government (aka Imu’s possession). Thus, the war that was started during the Void century still hasn’t concluded to this date.
So the cause is something else! And when I detected the rise in worldwide sea levels the other day.. I had my answer. I knew the cause… And confirmed its existence!!! The ancient weapons that sank the world into the sea 800 years ago.. …Still exist today, and await the moment that they stir once again!! In other words… The vast war that arose during the void century… Never came to an end!!!
The Ancient Weapons Still in Play
In chapter 1116 of One Piece, Dr. Vegapunk talks deeply about his life’s work, the Mother Flame. He explained his dream to create an infinite source of energy that would help this advance to the next level, just like it existed in the past.
I owe you all my deepest apologies. But I need you to understand why!! I wanted to create the energy that would power the industry of the world to come. And though it is still incomplete… I have atleast reached a practical stage of my life’s work… The Mother Flame, a fire that never goes out!! It is an source of energy that will one day in the future enrich the lives of people all over the world!
Vegapunk then explained the repercussions of this invention landing in the wrong hands. As predicted earlier, it was the stolen mother flame that used to power the Ancient Weapon, Uranus. It was with this weapon the entire Lulusia Kingdom was obliterated and vanished from the maps. However, Vegapunk didn’t intend to use Mother Flame for the mass destruction of the world.
Unfortunately, one little piece of that flame has been stolen! The fault of this entirely lies with me! Around two weeks after the theft of the flame, the sky over Lulusia shone with a powerful light and the kingdom vanished without a trace, according to reports. After that was when I observed the first signs of worldwide earthquakes!!! As a scientist, and with utmost pride in his development, I can tell you this, nothing but the mother flame could have created so much energy! The flame that I created was used to activate an Ancient Weapon!
The old man couldn’t stop himself from sincerely apologizing to the people of this world for his creation and actions. In an unexpected turn of events, his creation accidentally proved that man-made disasters using ancient weapons in the past can happen all over again now.
I know nothing about who might have carried this out… …But the results speak for themselves!!! My actions have led, directly or indirectly, to the loss of many human lives!!! A fact that weighs most deeply upon my soul!! I am so sorry!!! I have inadvertently proven that the man-made disaster that once sank the world.. …Is possible again!!!
He knew about the three ancient weapons that were passed down to the next generations and continued to ponder why Joy Boy wanted to preserve them this way. Still, the old man is totally unclear about who is right and wrong here, as evident from his words. However, he strongly believed that all of these questions would be answered when we reached the drowning stage.
In the past, there were three ancient weapons… And joyboy attempted to preserve them for the future!! Why would he do that for such dangerous things?! Have we not sunk far enough?! Who is the true evil here, and who fights the good fight?!! The day will come when time when all of the answers are laid bare! And I warn you–that moment will happen when we reach the very precipice of the world’s drowning!!!
Even after shedding great light on the Void Century, Vegapunk stated that there are still more mysteries about this void era. But some people who live among us know everything about this blank period. They are none other than Gol D. Roger and his pirate crew. Vegapunk questioned them about why they didn’t do something about it even after learning the whole truth.
The void century… is still ripe with mystery!! However, there are some who have learned the truth!!! The king of the pirates’ crew!!! When they learned all of the true history, why didn’t they act on it?
The Will of D
After shedding some light on Joy Boy, Void Century, Ancient Kingdom, Ancient Weapons, etc, Vegapunk had one last final message for the special people of One Piece, i.e., the members of the D clan. For years we have been teased about the meaning of the initial D and it is the same case with chapter 1117.
I know this information is in bits and pieces. But if I were to say more, it would be speculation. Lastly, I have one final message to impart. To those scattered throughout the world, who bear the name of D, within you there is….
As he was about to convey the special message to members of the D clan, one of the Five Elders knocked out the Ancient Giant Robot which had the transmission Den Den Mushi inside it. Thus, it resulted in the termination of the broadcast at the end. We will have to wait for chapter 1118 to see if this is really the end of Vegapunk’s transmission.
The latest chapters have unraveled the long-standing mystery about the legend of Joy Boy, Void Century, etc thanks to Vegapunk. If you are still wondering who is Joy Boy in One Piece, you can check out our dedicated article. He is now revealed to be the first-ever pirate in this world and also the man who left behind the legendary treasure One Piece.
That’s everything we know so far from Dr. Vegapunk’s message to the world up to chapter 1115. We now eagerly anticipate the release of chapter 1116, which will shed more light on the mysteries and questions surrounding this realm. That said, what do you think about Dr. Vegapunk’s message to the world? Let us know in the comments below.
Aparna Ukil
