The new One Piece story arc is just beginning, and even though the protagonists haven't yet reached the location of the infamous Dr. Vegapunk, their thrills are already present in the series. In this article, we're going to refer to a moment in the series' latest episode, where the crew was about to save Jewelry Bonney's life. Alongside her, there was also a large mechanical shark they had to face. The character in question is simply called Mecha-Shark (yes, not much originality there, we know), and in this article, we're going to tell you everything you need to know about it.

Mecha-Shark is Vegapunk's mechanical defense

We all know that Dr. Vegapunk is one of the most infamous characters in One Piece. He's a genius scientist who, until the Egghead Arc of the manga revealed more, was considered a vile villain in league with the World Government. However, it turns out that there's much more to this character, as the upcoming chapters of the manga will reveal soon. But this isn't an article about Vegapunk, but rather one of his inventions, the fearsome Mecha-Shark. This article will explain everything you need to know about it.

As its name suggests, Mecha-Shark is a mechanical shark. It was built by Dr. Vegapunk to explore the seas around Egghead Island and detect intruders. It is essentially a defense system that keeps unwanted guests away from Egghead Island, as they will either flee the gigantic robot or be eaten by it. In any case, the probability of them reaching Egghead is very low since Mecha-Shark is truly a powerful and dangerous creation as well.

The mechanical shark was built by Vegapunk. It resembles a regular shark in every way imaginable, but it's robotic. The fins are attached to the body's hinges and bear the number "03," while the side of its abdomen bears the word "VEGAPUNK," confirming that it was created by the infamous scientist. It has very sharp teeth, as well as a jaw so large that it can devour an entire pirate ship in one bite, which is what makes it so dangerous in the first place.

Vegapunk originally intended for the Mecha-Shark to spot, signal, and fire on pirate ships, but since it was a shark, its primal instincts took over at some point, and it simply became a machine designed to destroy ships. It functions as a defensive mechanism, and Vegapunk and his assistants are able to control it, but it primarily attacks ships with the intention of destroying and eating them. So, technically, it fulfills its purpose, but it's not exactly what Vegapunk intended. Now let's take a look at what happened to it in the series.

Mecha-Shark almost ate the Thousand Sunny

Mecha-Shark first appeared during the Egghead Arc, when it attacked Jewelry Bonney's ship and ate it. She managed to escape by ending up in a hot whirlpool, which we already mentioned, but the shark soon noticed the Straw Hats, who became its next target. Namely, Mecha-Shark spotted the Thousand Sunny and was determined to eat it just like he did Bonney's ship, which, of course, led to a fight.

Mecha-Shark appeared under the Thousand Sunny and was about to eat it, but the ship managed to escape, but the fight wasn't over. Mecha-Shark wouldn't give up the attack, and the Straw Hats were in danger, especially after Mecha-Shark started firing missiles at them. It all ended well in the end when Lilith in Vegaforce-01 arrived on the scene and punched Mecha-Shark, preventing it from attacking the pirates further; this was likely a signal to the shark that it could let the Thousand Sunny pass. And that's the whole story of this mechanical threat as it happened in the series; so far, Mecha-Shark hasn't appeared again.

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