The World Government’s weapons of mass destruction were initially supposed to serve a different purpose, so what went wrong?
When the World Government introduced the Pacifista back in the Sabaody Archipelago arc, it instantly caught the attention of everybody around the world. After all, the Pacifista was the most advanced piece of weaponry that the world has ever seen. It’s not even an exaggeration to say that the Pacifista single-handedly tilted the balance of power in the World Government’s favor.
What most people may not realize, however, is the fact that the Pacifista was never intended to be a weapon of mass destruction. The World Government was actually the one who ruined the original purpose of the Pacifista and turned them into what they are today.
What Are the Pacifista?
A Pacifista is a robot that was created by Marines’ top scientist, Dr. Vegapunk, based on one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma the Tyrant. Kuma is one of the few remaining descendants of the Buccaneer, a race known for their superior physical prowess. As a clone of Kuma, Pacifista also possesses a similar level of absurd raw power, along with his towering physique.
As if that’s not dangerous enough, they also have a body made out of an extremely durable metal, making them nearly indestructible. As a cream on top, Vegapunk also put a laser beam that can pierce through anything in its mouth, mimicking Kizaru’s signature attack. The only thing that the Pacifista doesn’t have is Kuma’s devil fruit ability, the Paw-Paw fruit. Other than that, they are pretty much the perfect weapons.
That being said, only a handful of Marines have the privilege to use the Pacifista. Currently, the Pacifistas are considered to be a special unit under the command of the leader of the Marines’ Science Unit, Sentomaru. Other than Sentomaru, the Admirals and the higher-ups of the World Government can also command the Pacifistas. However, the one who holds the authorization key that would overwrite everybody else is none other than its creator, Dr. Vegapunk.
The Original Idea Behind the Pacifista
Interestingly enough, Pacifista was never meant to be a weapon of mass destruction. On the contrary, the original vision behind these machines was as a peacekeeping force that could be deployed to protect the common folks and to fight against dangerous pirates all over the world. By letting a mindless, indestructible, and highly powerful robot take on those challenging and dangerous tasks, there’s no longer a need for regular Marine soldiers to lose their lives on the battlefield.
This noble idea came from the minds behind the Pacifista Project, Dr. Vegapunk and Bartholomew Kuma. In the first place, Kuma’s involvement in this project was already strange in and of itself. After all, why would somebody who was not only known as a pirate but also as one of the founding members of the Revolutionary Army decide to work together with the World Government’s most valuable scientist? And the answer was because he didn’t have any other choice.
Kuma’s adoptive daughter, the pirate Jewelry Bonney, was suffering from an extremely rare disease called the Sapphire Scales. No doctor in the world knew how to treat, let alone cure, this disease. The only one who had the knowledge and the means to cure little Bonney was none other than Dr. Vegapunk. In exchange for his help, Kuma agreed to let Vegapunk conduct some experiments on him to help the mad scientist build his dream robots. Since Vegapunk always intended for his creation to be a tool for peace and Kuma himself was actually a pacifist, they decided to name the project the “Pacifista”.
How the World Government Ruined the Pacifista
Unfortunately for Kuma and Vegapunk, the World Government, specifically the Five Elders, found out about their little project. Sure enough, they had no intention of using this brand-new technology as a tool for peace as Kuma and Vegapunk intended it to. On the contrary, they ordered Vegapunk to create the Pacifista as a weapon of mass destruction. Not only that, they also force him to use Kuma’s body as the prototype of the project.
As if that’s not cruel enough, the Five Elders also force Kuma to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea and put his daughter, Bonney, under heavy surveillance, effectively making her a hostage. This way, they would be able to ensure Kuma’s absolute commitment and obedience.
It took roughly two years’ worth of trials and errors until the Vegapunk finally completed the first fully functional Pacifista. The World Government deployed the Pacifista on the Sabaody Archipelago for a short test run during the chaos caused by Luffy punching one of the Celestial Dragons. Since the Pacifista performed better than expected, the World Government immediately began mass-producing this powerful weapon. And now, they have an army of robots that can cause massive destruction readily available to be deployed to every corner of the world.
