Warning: SPOILERS for One Piece chapter #1067
The final member of the Straw Hat Pirates may not be who One Piece fans were expecting. Dr. Vegapunk, the genius scientist responsible for the most advanced inventions in the world of One Piece, is on the run from the World Government and has asked Luffy to take him on his ship. This entirely unexpected development subverts any theory that fans had about the final member of the Straw Hats.
The identity of the last member of the Straw Hat Pirates has been a subject of debate for a long time. According to Luffy's words, his crew should consist of ten people, but it's unclear if this includes himself or not. In the second case, there is still one missing spot to be filled on the Thousand Sunny. Most recently, many fans believed that this could be filled by Yamato, the powerful daughter of the villain Kaido, who helped the Straw Hats defeat their father in Wano. However, when the crew left the country, Yamato surprisingly decided to stay behind, to help the new Shogun Momonosuke, and protect Wano from outside enemies.
The last thing that fans expected was that the final spot on the Straw Hat crew could be filled by Dr. Vegapunk, the mysterious scientist whose appearance has been teased for decades in the manga, and who made his debut only recently. According to a spoiler thread on Reddit, in chapter #1067 of One Piece, Vegapunk makes the most unexpected request to Luffy: to be taken away from his laboratory island, Egghead. This means that Vegapunk will board the Thousand Sunny and accompany the Straw Hats on at least part of their journey.
Dr. Vegapunk Could Join The Straw Hats To Escape From The World Government
Vegapunk's reasons are clear enough: his current employer, the World Government, has decided to get rid of the scientist, and has already dispatched the CP0 assassins to Egghead. While he has been working for the government for years, the scientist did it only out of convenience, and there is even a hint that Vegapunk could actually betray the World Government and help Dragon's Revolutionary Army. Vegapunk could surely be a precious resource for the crew, considering his unmatched genius and incredible inventions, but this type of role is already fulfilled by Franky, so it's not very likely that the scientist will become a permanent member of Luffy's crew. The Straw Hats already had some temporary crew members in the past, such as Princess Vivi, Momonosuke, and Kin'emon, and the same could happen with Vegapunk.
While the most likely development is that Vegapunk will accompany the Straw Hats to Elbaf, the country of the Giants that should be their next destination, nothing is for sure in One Piece. The series has surprised its fans on numerous occasions in the past, taking a completely unexpected direction, so there is still a small chance that Dr. Vegapunk will actually become the final member of the Straw Hats.
The latest chapter of One Piece is available through Viz Media.