Laser

Laser
Statistics
Japanese Name:	レーザー
Romanized Name:	Rēzā
Official English Name:	Laser
First Appearance:	Chapter 485; Episode 377
Owner:	Vegapunk Bartholomew Kuma Pacifista Franky Queen

Lasers, also referred to as Beams (ビーム, Bīmu^?), are concentrated light rays capable of piercing through solid material and inflicting large explosions.

Marine Admiral Kizaru can manifest lasers with his Pika Pika no Mi ability, and this ability was emulated with advanced weaponry by Dr. Vegapunk; Franky later built his own laser weapon using Vegapunk's research. In addition, Queen developed his laser weaponry sometime during or after his affiliation with MADS.

Overview

A line of massive explosions inflicted by Pacifista lasers.

When fired, lasers travel in a straight line at the speed of light and thus strike their targets near-instantaneously; they can reach places many kilometers away, though have never been shown extending outside of the island where they were fired. If they strike a person, lasers will typically cleanly pass through them and can often be lethal; Vegapunk himself was killed after being pierced by one through the chest after previously being stabbed by Jaygarcia Saturn. When they strike the ground or a large structure, however, lasers typically erupt into large explosions which cause considerable damage to anything and anyone caught in them. Lasers emit significant heat, and their explosions are hot enough to melt iron.

Lasers are very difficult to dodge due to their speed, and nearly impossible to counter; the only time a laser has been shown countered was when Sanji successfully dissipated one of Kizaru's lasers with a kick; this completely flabbergasted the normally unflappable Kizaru, and it is unclear how exactly Sanji countered it, as he attributed this to the "power of love".

Laser-firing weapons are considered extremely advanced technology and are thus very rare in the world; Usopp spoke of them on Sabaody as nothing more than a concept and was shocked to see them in use. Their weaponization was a feat attributed solely to the scientist Vegapunk, whose creations are reputed to be centuries ahead of the rest of the world. Franky and Queen are the only known people who have since replicated this technology, which Franky did by directly studying Vegapunk's research; Franky's work was sought after by Vegapunk's former contemporary Caesar Clown. Franky refers to his lasers as Radical Beams while Queen refers to his laser attack as Black Coffee.

The first widely known laser weapons came in the form of the Pacifista, including their prototype "PX-0" Bartholomew Kuma. The Pacifista are capable of firing lasers from the palms of their hands as well as their mouths. The Mark III Pacifista as well as the Seraphim also possess laser-firing capability. The Labophase on Egghead is protected by laser-firing weapons, which are set to automatically trigger when anything is sensed by the Frontier Dome encircling the structure. Vegapunk also invented a failed weapon called the Beam Saber that appears to generate a cutting laser as its blade, but the light being constantly activated results in large swarms of bugs flying toward it.

Other weapons have been shown firing what resemble lasers, and certain Devil Fruit abilities have also been able to approximate them, although their exact compositions may vary.

An Ancient Weapon destroying the Lulusia Kingdom with lasers.

• The Ancient Weapon utilized by Imu and the Five Elders appears to be able to fire several lasers at once when powered by the Mother Flame. These lasers come down from the weapon's position in the sky in order to strike entire islands down below. Once they strike, the entire island is engulfed by a massive explosion and is completely disintegrated, leaving a hole in the ocean in its wake.
• Vinsmoke Ichiji, with his "Sparking Red" modifications, is capable of launching compressed bursts of light energy from his body which burn and pierce through any person they strike.
• Caesar Clown can fire a similar sort of beam attack called Gastille using gas generated by his Gasu Gasu no Mi ability.
• By combining her three special homies - thundercloud homie Hera, sun homie Prometheus, and sword homie Napoleon, Big Mom fired a laser-like projectile called Maser Ho that had the same effect as a typical laser, piercing cleanly through Ulti before exploding upon hitting the wall behind her.
  

History

Given the capabilities of the Ancient Weapon that Imu used, it is likely that laser technology was used in the time of the Void Century and the era of the technologically advanced Great Kingdom eight to nine centuries ago.

The usage history of the Pika Pika no Mi prior to Admiral Kizaru is not known, but once he ate the fruit, he began using its abilities to concentrate his light into laser beams which he frequently uses in combat. It was Kizaru's application of the Pika Pika no Mi that inspired his friend and colleague, the scientist Dr. Vegapunk, to research a way to replicate these beams and fire them from weapons. The Pacifista appear to be the first successful and widely released laser-firing weapons, as noted by X Drake. The first time one was shown firing a laser was when Bartholomew Kuma attacked the Straw Hat Pirates on Thriller Bark; the Pacifista and their capabilities were then revealed to the public on Sabaody Archipelago and Marineford.

Over the next two years, Franky developed his own laser by studying the technology in Vegapunk's original lab in the Future Country Baldimore, and first used it during the battle against the New Fish-Man Pirates on Fish-Man Island. When he later used it on Punk Hazard, Caesar Clown ordered the Yeti Cool Brothers to capture him so he could obtain the laser weapon. The brothers captured Franky's body (while Nami's soul was in it) but were defeated before they reached Caesar.