If Luffy weren't able to use the VoaT, the robot wouldn't have been able to communicate with him.
Same for Zunesha:
Momo, having inherited it from Oden, can communicate with Zunesha on that level and most likely would be hearing the robot now too.
I wonder if the nika fruit itself communicates with potential Joyboys in close range and lures them into eating it.
Probably not a new theory. But we got some new panels supporting it with this chapter.
