Warning: SPOILERS for chapter #1078 of One PieceOne Piece finally reveals who is the traitor hiding in Dr. Vegapunk's lab on Egghead Island, but her identity is not as shocking as her motives. York, one of the six Vegapunk Satellites, clones of the scientist who embody a specific aspect of his personality, has betrayed her creator in order to become a Celestial Dragon, one of the nobles who rule the world of One Piece with absolute authority.
Chapter #1078 of One Piece finally unveils the mystery of the person who sabotaged the defenses of Vegapunk's lab and unleashed the powerful Seraphim against the Straw Hats. In a shocking turn of events, it turns out that this was York, the Vegapunk Satellite who embodies "greed". York tipped the World Government on Vegapunk's forbidden research into the Void Century and then captured the agents sent to investigate, all to persuade the Five Elders to use all their resources to assassinate Vegapunk. After killing Shaka, York mocks the imprisoned Vegapunk, telling him that the reason why she did that is to become a Celestial Dragon.
York Wants To Become A Celestial Dragon, But This Should Not Be Possible
In One Piece, the Celestial Dragons (also known as World Nobles) are the descendants of the noble families who, eight hundred years before the current events in the series, founded the World Government after winning a war against the technologically-advanced Great Kingdom. They then relocated to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, built at the top of the Red Line. As descendants of the creators of the World Government, the Celestial Dragons hold the highest authority in the organization that essentially rules the world. They are free to do as they please without consequences, and constantly abuse their power, committing heinous crimes with no fear of punishment. The Celestial Dragons are also known to keep slaves, which they treat like little more than cattle.
The basis of the Celestial Dragons' authority is their bloodline. Their claim of possessing "the blood of this world's creators" is their sole justification for their disregard for any law and for treating anyone else as an inferior creature. Considering all this, York's desire to "become a Celestial Dragon" should be utterly unfeasible, because she does not share their bloodline. However, considering the lengths that York has gone, she must have had some promise or reassurance from the Five Elders that they would make her a Celestial Dragon. This single gesture would turn upside down one of the most important laws of the One Piece world, and undermine the birthright basis for the Celestial Dragon's authority.
One Piece Could Soon Reveal More Of The Celestial Dragons' Secrets
Even in the context of her shocking betrayal, York's motives stand out as the most intriguing revelations in the incredible Egghead Island arc. Everything that was shown until now paints the Celestial Dragons as the series' ultimate villains, and they could never accept an outsider in their ranks, and York is not even a human being, she was created by Vegapunk (using unknown means). Perhaps this means that One Piece is going to reveal more about the Celestial Dragons soon, making York's shocking betrayal even more important for the series.
The latest chapter of One Piece is available from Viz Media.