Kuma Had a Childhood Out of Hell!

One Piece Chapter 1095 Review/Recap

When Eichiro Oda cooks, he cooks, and the whole fandom eats well. In the last piece of One Piece, Oda sets off a pair of bombs in the proverbial room. Firstly, there was the sight of Luffy managing to fight Admiral Kizaru to a standstill. It’s not a total victory, but it remains a cathartic moment fans waited years to see. However, the moment that got fans talking was the reveal of Jaygarcia Saturn of the Five Elder’s monstrous form. It was terrifying as it is, but this chapter only makes it even more of a nightmare. However, even Saturn’s power gets overshadowed by moments fans have been itching to see. We’re learning about the history of Bartholomew Kuma, and thus far, it’s a mind-blowing tearjerker. 

There’s more to this chapter, though than what’s happening at face value, though. This chapter just confirmed where Kuma’s headed in the present day.

Recap

Panic erupts on Egghead Island with Saturn’s landfall; the low-level Marines flee while the higher-ups prepare to kill Bonney for stabbing the Elder. Saturn silences everyone, though, by saying, “If I did not wish to be stabbed, I would have simply dodged!” Faster than anyone can react, Saturn grabs Bonney, blows Sanji away, and removes the sword. The wound vanishes instantly!

Saturn isn’t done, though. With Kizaru having failed to deal with Luffy, the Elder attempts to kill the pirate, only to fail thanks to Franky’s intervention. Regardless, Saturn is unfazed: the island’s blockaded; Vegapunk and the others are cornered and can’t move. All that remains is for him to decide the order in which they die. Defiantly, Bonney states that the Five Elders killed her father, only for Saturn to brush Kuma off, saying he was a descendant of a long-dead people who committed a “grave sin” against the world: the Buccaneer Race.

As the situation grows ever more hopeless, Bonney remembers what she learned in her father’s memories. He was born in the Kingdom of Sorbet in the South Blue 47 years ago, only for his family to be captured and enslaved by the Celestial Dragons for their “sin.” Every day of Kuma’s life was hell, with his Mom dying in captivity. His father, though, told him not to lose hope. One day, the Sun God, Nika, would come to free them all with his smile and laughter. Only for his father to die, as well.

Then, 38 years ago, the Celestial Dragons came to God Valley in the West Blue for their tri-annual “Native Cleansing Festival.” They would hunt down the island’s people for sport, along with troublesome slaves they couldn’t control. Kuma tried to escape, only for his fellow slaves to find and beat for it. Before they can continue, though, they’re interrupted by two new arrivals: slaves who want to live and go by the names of Ginny…and Emporio Ivankov.

Review

Like I said at the start of this post…when Oda cooks, the whole fandom eats good. And in this chapter, we. Ate. GOOD!

We’re going to have to break up this review into three portions because there are three big things that need to be talked about in this chapter.

The Five Elders aren’t Gods. They Might be Immortal Demons

There’s been some speculation in the fandom that the Celestial Dragons, or at least the Five Elders and Im, aren’t human. Some have gone so far as to suggest that they’re not even native to the world of One Piece, but came from another planet. While that is plausible, I think the Five Elders were born human but forsook that long ago. Earlier in the arc, Dragon, Sabo, and Ivankov speculated that Im might be one of the original founders of the World Government who’s remained alive for centuries. Remember, immortality is possible in the world of One Piece, with the power of something like the Op-Op fruit able to grant a person immortality. If Ivankov’s right and it was used to make me immortal, then the same could’ve been done to the Five Elders.

We’ve got two pieces of evidence that supports this idea in this chapter. Firstly, there’s the fact that Saturn’s stab wound from Bonney healed almost instantaneously. Secondly, the flashback showed that he was present on God Valley 38 years ago, and looked the same as he does now. Either he’s older than he already looks or has lived far longer than people realize. 

Regardless, though, there’s no doubt that the Five Elders are demons who fashion themselves as gods. The way Saturn calls the Marines maggots; how he wants to kill everyone in the cruelest order possible, and blaming human nature for trying to grasp “that which has been explicitly forbidden.” They’re not gods; they’re demons. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were revealed to be actual demons at this point.

Are We Really Going to See the God Valley Incident?

The God Valley Incident. For almost one-hundred-fifty chapters, it’s an event that fans have been clamoring to know more about. All we knew is that it took place 38 years ago, that the Rocks Pirates attacked the Celestial Dragons, and that it took Gol D. Roger and Garp working together to take them down. After that, the entire incident was covered up, with the country’s existence erased from history. That only made people even more curious about what happened, though, and it looks like Oda might be about to appease our interests.

Besides giving us the start to the backstory of Kuma, this chapter’s flashback helped to set up why the Celestial Dragons were at God Valley on that day. They went there to wipe out the entire population in a demented kind of hunt. They were hunting, thinking, reasoning people like animals, and laughing and cheering the whole thing like it was a game! Oda truly knows how to make us hate fictional characters and want to see them brought down. This is a new low, even for the Celestial Dragons. 

Besides the setup to this demented game and what’s to come, the chapter also provided us with a look at a young Saint Garling, AKA the Champion of God Valley. Even back then, he was a brutal monster. Unlike most Celestial Dragons, though, he was rather good-looking. In addition, the fact that his younger self resembles Shanks is important. Fans have speculated that the two are related, and this will only support that theory. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but if it is, that would make for an exciting twist regarding Shanks.

I’m Now Certain Kuma is Coming to Egghead Island

I’ve said it several times now, but after reading this chapter, I think I might be correct: Kuma is headed towards Egghead Island. 

At first, I thought that Kuma’s journey was part of some failsafe that Vegapunk implanted in him should he ever have to flee the World Government. The similarities between Kuma and the Void Century robot seemed deliberate, especially given how Kuma scaled the Red Line and attacked Mariejois. However, it might be more than that. Kuma is not as dead as everyone thinks he is. 

First, there’s the reveal of Kuma’s race. He’s a descendant of the Buccaneers. The context for this has yet to be given, but in the real world, “Buccaneer” was a term for privateers, sailors, and hunters in the 17th Century Caribbean. In other words, pirates. Given how Kuma’s father told him about Nika, it’s likely the Buccaneer’s were friends of Joyboy in the Void Century. When the World Government rose, they were either hunted down or faded away, waiting for the day for Nika’s return. If that’s true, then Kuma has spent his entire life waiting for the coming of Luffy. 

That would explain why Kuma’s acting the way he is in the present day. Despite his current state, he still remembers Joyboy, and now that Luffy has seemingly become the new Joyboy, Kuma is determined to ensure he survives. Thus, he’s headed to Egghead Island to protect not just Vegapunk but ensure he, Luffy, and his daughter can escape.

If all that’s true, then no matter how painful Kuma’s past may be, I’m glad we’re getting to see it. This is the role he was meant for.

An Absolute Banger of a Chapter

This chapter was an absolute banger from start to finish. Between showing us how evil the Elders were and setting up the God Valley Incident, Oda gave us everything we wanted. In addition, it was also lovely to learn that God Valley is where Kuma first met Ivankov. As for Ginny, some think that she is Luffy’s Mom, but more likely, she’s Bonney’s mother. They look similar, and the fact that she’s chowing down on a chunk of meat supports the idea that she’s Bonney’s Mom. 

As has been the case in recent years, though, we’ll have to wait at least two weeks to find out what happens next. That’s the price fans have to accept for letting Oda cook as hard as he does.

I Give “A World Where You’re Better Off Dead” a 5/5

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