If Pupu wants to set up a dried fish stall, looking for the most reliable person to guard the warehouse while also wanting customers to pay directly with cat food, what do you suggest? Bitcoin on Plasma does just that—acting as both a "security guard" to monitor the place and as "pocket money" for direct payments. The core idea is simple: using Bitcoin's "reliability" for security while allowing it to be spent directly without extra hassle, just like the Bitcoin security guard Pupu hired who "watches the door and collects payments".
Let's first talk about this "dual-purpose" magic: Bitcoin is both a "solid security guard" and "convenient pocket money", so there's no need to find two helpers separately.
First, let's talk about the job of the 'security guard'—the Bitcoin mainnet helps store the 'state root', which, to put it simply, is all the 'order copies' related to Bitcoin on Plasma, all stored in the Bitcoin mainnet. It's important to know that Bitcoin's PoW security is famously known in the crypto circle as a 'solid wall', just like the community security guard who has been working for over ten years without losing anything. Anyone trying to secretly alter orders or change the ledger would find it impossible. Plasma stores Bitcoin's 'state root' on the mainnet, which is equivalent to having the most reliable security guard watch over the core ledger. No matter how Bitcoin is used on Plasma, the foundation remains stable—no one can forge or tamper with it, and this sense of security is ten times stronger than hiring someone to guard the place.
Now, let's look at the convenience of 'spending money'—users can pay Gas fees directly with BTC. Typically, when using Bitcoin on other chains, one has to first convert it into USDT or ETH to pay transaction fees, like a customer buying dried fish needing to exchange cat food for community vouchers to check out, adding an extra step. But on Plasma, this is not necessary; one can pay Gas fees directly with BTC, which is equivalent to Popo's security guard not only watching the door but also being able to accept cat food directly as payment. Customers don’t need to find change or exchange money; they just hand over cat food to buy dried fish. For example, when you transfer Bitcoin on Plasma, the fee is deducted directly in BTC, without needing to prepare other coins, which saves the hassle of exchanges and avoids losses from exchange rate differences.
Some may ask: doesn't Bitcoin have its own 'rules'? How can it act as both a security guard and a payment method on Plasma? The key is 'no need to change containers'—it is compatible with the UTXO model, allowing Bitcoin to be seamlessly integrated.
Bitcoin usually operates on the UTXO model, just like cat food being stored in specific small bags; however, many chains' 'payment boxes' can only hold other formats of coins, requiring one to first pour out the cat food and change containers. But Plasma's 'payment box' is specifically adapted to UTXO, which is equivalent to Popo's box being able to directly hold Bitcoin's 'cat food bags' without needing to open the bags or shuffle things around; it can be used as is.
Programmers don't need to struggle to change Bitcoin's format into something else. Bitcoin can still be stored and transferred as it originally was on Plasma, just like customers can directly check out with a bag of cat food. Popo doesn't need to buy a new box; this saves the effort of changing code and equipment. Because of its compatibility with UTXO, Bitcoin can maintain its 'security essence' (PoW + mainnet root) while also being easily used as 'spending money' to pay fees—without this adaptation, the roles of security guard and payment would not fit together at all.
Ultimately, Bitcoin on Plasma does not just 'force two functions together'; it has pinpointed two core advantages of Bitcoin: the 'absolute security' of PoW can act as a guard, and after adapting to UTXO, it can be directly spent. It's like Popo choosing the right security guard (both reliable and able to collect payments) and equipping them with a box that can hold cat food, avoiding unnecessary hassle while safeguarding the booth and making it easy for customers to shop—this is not greed but a clear utilization of Bitcoin's value, making it efficient and straightforward.
