Dr. Vegapunk's choices confirm the One Piece character with an advantage over Kaido

One of the more subtle aspects of the Wano story arc of author and illustrator Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece manga series was the backstory of the arc’s main antagonist, the Yonko Kaido. While Kaido was a fearsome fighter and focus was rightly given to building him up as a berserking bruiser, there are still some exciting aspects of his backstory that were revealed.

Of this already low-key aspect of the arc, one specific piece of Kaido’s backstory that flew under the radar for most One Piece fans was the implications of his previous captures. More specifically, the full consequences of Kaido's imprisonment by Dr. Vegapunk on Punk Hazard seem to be lost on manga-readers and anime-only fans alike.

This aspect becomes likewise relevant as the One Piece anime series begins the Egghead Island arc and has already begun introducing the Pacifista models known as the Seraphim. In short, what fans know about the Seraphim thus far has seemingly given one character an advantage over Kaido in a key category.

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Dr. Vegapunk’s choice to use Lunarian blood for Seraphim over Kaido’s seemingly cuts the One Piece villain down

What Dr. Vegapunk’s choice says, explained

As was confirmed via King and Kaido’s shared backstory during One Piece’s Wano arc, both were previously captured by the Marines and imprisoned with Dr. Vegapunk on Punk Hazard. This is not only where they met, but where Dr. Vegapunk collected Lineage Factor samples from both, using Kaido’s to form what would eventually become Momonosuke’s artificial Devil Fruit.

King’s Lineage Factors, however, would eventually be used as the foundational genetics for the Seraphim model of Pacifista. Both anime-only and manga-reader fans are now familiar with them, the former thanks to recent episodes showing the attack on Amazon Lily. As anime-only fans likely suspected, the visual similarities between the Seraphim and King are indeed part of a larger connection.

What One Piece fans are confused about, however, is why Dr. Vegapunk chose to use King’s Lineage Factor rather than Kaido’s. With Kaido generally regarded as the single strongest creature in the New World, it seems a mistake not to use his Lineage Factor. In reality, it’s actually the right decision by Dr. Vegapunk, and one that clearly gives King the edge over his captain in a specific category.

For Kaido, a large part of his durability and strength comes from his Haki and Devil Fruit. While his natural constitution is no doubt impressive, there are clearly external factors that elevate how powerful he is. While the same can be said for King, it has also been established that King’s heritage as a Lunarian and the Lineage Factors he has are the primary reasons for his strength and stamina.

With this in mind, Oda having Dr. Vegapunk use King’s Lineage Factor for the Seraphim over Kaido’s likely speaks to the durability and strength found purely in their genetic composition. Likewise, this would mean that King’s natural genetic makeup offers more strength and durability than Kaido’s does, as far as One Piece fans know currently.

It’s important to mention that, all things considered, Kaido is undoubtedly stronger than King. His being King’s captain, what’s known about their respective Devil Fruits, feats, origins, and more all point to this. However, when discussing their natural strength and durability in isolation, Dr. Vegapunk’s choice does seem to be Oda’s way of establishing one area where King truly does reign supreme.

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