The following contains major spoilers for One Piece, Chapter 1078, “Neo MADS.”
One Piece unveiled the culprit of the whodunit-style “Egghead Island” arc.
Chapter 1078, titled “Neo MADS,” has yet to be released, but according to an article from Anime Senpai, spoilers have surfaced after Chapter 1077’s cliffhanger ending. Titled “Should Have Noticed Sooner,” One Piece’s most recent chapter left off with a mysterious figure shooting Shaka in front of his startled creator Dr. Vegapunk, who appeared shocked by the killer’s identity. A recent leak has revealed that the killer is none other than Vegapunk York, another of the scientist’s satellites. Oda designed the perpetually eating character to embody Vegapunk’s greed. As such, she states her motivations to become the only Vegapunk variant and a Celestial Dragon, which has led her to create much of the chaos fueling the “Egghead Island” arc.
How One Piece’s Creator Kept Fans Guessing
Fans have been speculating about the identity of the Egghead Island traitor for some time now, with things spiraling out of control for the Straw Hats over recent chapters. Trapped in the Labophase, under siege by Seraphim, and unable to communicate with the outside world, the story has taken a sharp turn back into peril after the celebrations following the Wano arc. Shaka, the killer’s most recent victim, first posited the idea of the traitor existing among the Vegapunks, but few suspected York despite her power-hungry nature. The greed satellite was scarcely seen and often depicted sitting or lying down after overeating, which may have been a strategy from creator Eiichiro Oda to throw readers off the trail.
While Oda is known for foreshadowing and setting up surprising reveals, the manga artist recently opened up about the accidental nature of some of his most beloved story lines. Oda has admitted to retconning plots, such as the famous reveal of Gol D. Roger as Ace’s father, rather than pre-planning them, stumbling upon some of his best ideas during the writing process. The mangaka has stated he uses fan sites to remember details about his characters as the cast and the story world of One Piece continue to expand. Whether Oda set up Vegapunk York’s identity as the Egghead traitor from the beginning or pivoted to it later is one mystery yet to be cracked, even if the central twist of the arc has already been spoiled.
One Piece Chapter 1078, “Neo MADS,” will be released on March 20, 2023. The manga is available in English from VIZ Media.
Source: Anime Senpai
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