MADS

MADS, also known as the Laboratory for Peace (平和研究所), was an illegal scientific research institute led by Vegapunk, that was active at least over 24 years ago.

Overview
The MADS laboratory took the form of a large paddle steamer sailing the seas and presented itself as a "research lab for peace". It used a white flag with the word "PACIFIST" written on it. The hull featured the name "MADS" and the phrase "Presented by LU FELD".

Despite the institute's stated goal of peace, three of its leading members—Queen, Judge and Caesar—were in fact developing weapons of mass destruction. One of MADS's most notable accomplishments includes the discovery of the Lineage Factor, also known as the "blueprints of life itself". This made it possible for them to clone human beings, the first successful attempt resulting in Stussy.

They were notable enough that the World Government felt threatened by their existence, leading to their persecution and eventual disbandment.

Members
There were five significant members of MADS: Dr. Vegapunk, currently considered the world's greatest scientist and head of the Marines' SSG; Caesar Clown, the man behind the creation of SMILEs; Vinsmoke Judge, the supreme commander of Germa 66 and king of Germa Kingdom; and Queen, a cyborg and one of the Beasts Pirates All-Stars, top executives handpicked by Kaidou of the Four Emperors to lead his forces. An unidentified person was also a member of the group in the past.

Aside from these five, a number of other scientists or assistants were a part of the group.

All of the known members have been proven to be brilliant researchers in their own right, holding high status in the organizations they currently belong to and being responsible for various scientific breakthroughs, including cybernetics, artificial Devil Fruits, gigantification, cloning, and artificial diseases.

The MADS research was financed by Du Feld, the Loan Shark King of the Underworld.

Past
According to Vinsmoke Yonji, MADS had been active before the Vinsmoke children were born. Dr. Vegapunk and Judge worked together in the development of weapons. Queen was also involved in that research, being familiar enough with Judge's children and confirming his prior membership to one of them himself. The members of MADS worked in their own research vessel provided by underworld bigshot Du Feld.

Because some of their subjects of study were considered taboo by the World Government, the research team was recognized as illegal, with its members being branded criminals. Feeling threatened by Vegapunk's discoveries and experiments, especially those tied to Lineage Factor, the government's higher-ups ordered his arrest. The research team, however, was not completely disbanded, as many of its members, including Vegapunk and Caesar, were then recruited into the Marines' scientific division.

Legacy
The discovery of the Lineage Factor enabled the members of MADS to perform further research into it regardless of the team's disbandment, with Judge and Vegapunk having the largest known breakthroughs. Judge utilized the Lineage Factor to successfully clone humans and create clone soldiers for his kingdom, whose growth is accelerated to reach maturity in only five years. Additionally, Judge successfully modified the bodies of his kids Reiju, Ichiji, Niji, and Yonji, which turned them into superhuman soldiers that lack emotion. His third son, Sanji, gained the genetic enhancements after utilizing a Raid Suit multiple times.

After being captured by the World Government, Vegapunk continued his research under their watch. His research delved into the effect that Devil Fruits had on the Lineage Factor of their consumers, and culminated in him using the Lineage Factor of Kaidou to form an artificial replica of the pirate's fruit, the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.

Trivia

 * "MADS" could be a reference to "Mad Scientist", a common term used in fiction to describe scientist characters who partake in unethical experiments.
 * The way in which some members of the "MADS", such as Vegapunk and Caesar Clown were conscripted into the World Government is similar to Operation Paperclip, where the United States government conscripted German scientists after World War II.

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