Dr. Vegapunk may be the smartest man alive, but St. Jaygarcia Saturn is a scientist himself.

St. Jaygarcia Saturn has had several details about himself revealed in One Piece’s Egghead Arc compared to his last 20 years in the story, where nobody in the audience even knew his name. He’s the eater of an Awakened ushi-oni Devil Fruit, likes sausages, might be immortal, and is just as evil and corrupt as every other Celestial Dragon seen throughout the story. He’s also responsible for many issues for the people currently on Egghead; he forced Dr. Vegapunk to remove Bartholomew Kuma’s free will, came to the island to personally ensure his demise, blocked the Straw Hat Pirates’ escape with a fleet of Marine vessels, and killed Jewelry Bonney’s mother Ginny with a disease caused by his Devil Fruit experiments. That last offense is particularly noteworthy for how it informs the character.

The Godhead of Science and Defense isn’t just a fancy title that puts St. Saturn in charge of Dr. Vegapunk and his scientific progress. He’s something of a scientist himself. He mentioned this in Chapter 1102, “Kuma’s Life,” but Chapter 1103, “I’m Sorry, Daddy,” reaffirmed his claim by revealing his work in the field. This small detail could have various implications for him and the rest of the Five Elders regarding who they are, where they came from, and what role they can be expected to play in the story moving forward.

How Smart Is St. Jaygarcia Saturn?

When St. Saturn first mentioned that he was a scientist, it was to threaten Dr. Vegapunk. He wanted the SSG leader to remove every trace of Kuma’s free will and claimed he’d recognize any deception. The Celestial Dragon’s claim has several implications if it is meant to be taken at face value. First, St. Saturn’s claim implies a thorough understanding of Dr. Vegapunl’s science and technology. This likely means he can recognize when and how it’s being used; if he couldn’t, his threat would be empty. This would put the Celestial Dragon well above most characters in the One Piece world, whose understanding of science remains at the preindustrial level, and he wanted Vegapunk to remember that.

However, while St. Saturn can understand Vegapunk’s technology, Vegapunk is still the better inventor. St. Saturn still must rely on Vegapunk for new creations, including the means for removing Kuma’s mind. If St. Saturn could create something on Vegapunk’s level, he wouldn’t need to order him to erase all traces of Kuma’s will. He was so cautious about the Buccaneer’s potential that he put several stipulations and countermeasures in place to ensure Kuma would never defy the World Government; removing his free will was only one such precaution. That desire for security should have compelled him to guarantee Kuma’s will was gone by completing the procedure himself. As things stand, St. Saturn can only commission Vegapunk, review his work, see what he has or hasn’t done, and stamp it with his proverbial seal of approval. However, that would have to mean he can also tell when Vegapunk tries to make something new; this would be how he could tell if Vegapunk did something to Kuma to save his free will, which he would inquire about.

Of course, Vegapunk’s ability to create must also be questioned. Much of what he’s built was reverse-engineered from the Ancient Kingdom. The only thing he must figure out how to replicate from the Ancient Kingdom is its power source. However, his Mother Flame is supposedly close enough to this mystery power that it can be used to fuel a long-decommissioned Ancient Weapon. In any case, he’s the one who’s recreating this technology for the modern era, not St. Saturn.

The Mother Flame indicates another limit to St. Saturn’s knowledge and understanding of science relative to the SSG leader. It was created by Vegapunk and presented to the Five Elders. However, rather than take their sample and attempt to reverse engineer it, they expended it to power whatever they used to destroy the Lulusia Kingdom (presumably an Ancient Weapon). As things stand, they need Vegapunk (York) alive to create more of this fuel source. This means St. Saturn can recognize and understand Vegapunk’s work and potential, but recreating it is another story; this may require talent and expertise levels exclusive to Vegapunk. This also means Vegapunk’s ability to make scientific breakthroughs surpasses St. Saturn’s. If St. Saturn could make discoveries as well as Vegapunk, he might have discovered the Mother Flame, or a similarly potent power source, long ago.

How Does St. Satrun Know So Much About Science and the Ancient Kingdom?

St. Saturn may not be as intelligent as Vegapunk, but his knowledge base is close enough to be noteworthy. This also means his scientific prowess would rival those from the Ancient Kingdom. However, that connection might be more than a transitive one. Fans have long theorized that the Five Elders (and Imu) are immortals who existed as far back as the era of the Ancient Kingdom (or at least the Void Century). If this theory is true, St. Saturn’s understanding of Ancient Kingdom-level technology could come from first-hand experience.

If St. Saturn’s ventures into science date back to the time of the Ancient Kingdom, his expertise in the field could inform who he was back then. He might have been one of the Ancient Kingdom’s top scientists responsible for some of its greatest inventions. Since he’s the Godhead of Science and Defense, he might have been part of the team responsible for the Kingdom’s military advancements. However, his knowledge and expertise could extend into other fields (for example, robotics). However, his inability to recreate the Mother Flame (or weaponize it, for that matter) could mean he was close to the top but not the lead scientist; he would have been the Caesar Clown to the Dr. Vegapunk of that era. In any case, he may have betrayed the Kingdom in a way that would have allowed its enemies to defeat it.

Alternatively, St. Saturn could have been the lead scientist of an enemy nation. After all, the Celestial Dragons are supposed to have the blood of the leaders of the countries that eventually conquered the Ancient Kingdom. In St. Saturn’s case, he might have been part of a similarly advanced kingdom that tried and failed to beat the Ancient Kingdom in an arms race. This kingdom might have been obliterated (perhaps by an Ancient Weapon) but left a chance for the other 19 kingdoms to win against the Ancient Kingdom. As for the secrets to that kingdom’s science, St. Saturn may have decided it would be best to bury it along with the Ancient Kingdom so it could never be used against the World Government; this would explain why he refrained from trying to recreate either kingdom’s technology and why most of the One Piece World is still in the preindustrial era. He would have only allowed Dr. Vegapunk to reintroduce this technology if it was harmless or in service to the World Government.

What St. Saturn’s Scientific Knowledge Could Say About the Rest of the Five Elders

St. Saturn’s source of scientific expertise could provide clues regarding the other Five Elders, especially if they come from the same place. For example, if they all came from the Ancient Kingdom, they could have held similarly high positions of power based on their fields of expertise. This would make St. Marcus Mars a leader of the Kingdom’s equivalent to the Environmental Protection Agency; St. Tompan Warcury was in charge of the judicial system; St. Ethan Baron V. Nusjuro oversaw the economy; St. Shepherd Ju Peter controlled agriculture. These are also likely the affairs these Celestial Dragons are in charge of as leaders of the World Government.

The Godheads’ fields could also indicate how they ran their respective kingdoms. They could have been kings who developed their countries with an emphasis on specific aspects, including trade, agriculture, and science. It would have been like one big, real-time game of Civilization for each. While none of their nations could have taken a decisive edge against the Ancient Kingdom, they likely gained it by teaming up with each other and 15 additional countries.

The rest of the Five Elders’ specialties should be expected to tie into their characters as much as St. Saturn’s does for him. In St. Saturn’s case, it compelled him to conduct cruel experiments where he treated everybody below him as less than human. If the other Celestial Dragons are anything like him, they may have used their knowledge for similar corrupt purposes. It should also influence their roles in the upcoming arcs of the Final Saga. They could appear as the primary antagonists on islands where their specialties are a significant issue for the nation or its people. Whoever is on that island will be happy to have Luffy and his faithful pirate crew as their long-awaited saviors.