Hey, everyone. Man, I feel like I’m working on more posts now than when we’re on the usual schedule. I don’t know if I’m just bored without my job, or…………… I don’t know why I said that like there’s another reason; I didn’t think I’d be THIS kind of bored without that sh!tty job. But here I am, with another “Review Dump” for all of you. This time with a more, uh……………. “Involved” series than the past 2– the Legendary “One Piece!!” I got that line off of the previews for the series on my old Anime DVDs. Um………. in the middle of eating at the time of my writing this(Saturday, December 16th, 2023, 11:39 am); kind of trying to eat and type at the same time. Um…………. also, this is just kind of “off the cuff” that I decided I would do this; I had been thinking about it for a few days, but I didn’t think I’d actually do it. Now I’m here at the opening with surprisingly little I want to say. Hm……………. I’m playing the Pokemon Scarlet And Violet DLC “Indigo Disk.” I’m mostly just catching Pokemon and picking up a whole bunch of items and such, but I’ve already defeated 2 of the Blueberry Elite Four(For All those who play the game and know what I’m talking about). 

I tell ya: I was up ’til like 1:30 last night just evolving Pokemon, trying to see how many pages I could fill in the Paldea, Kitakam, and Blueberry Dex’s. Finally have the luxury of saying I have a Gliscor; that’s a Pokemon I could never get my hands on. I also found out just how annoying this series can get with its Evolution conditions can be; all these STUPID exchange evolutions are making it hard to fill up the dex; you can’t complete this thing without having friends who play the game. I guess that’s ONE WAY of getting people’s money; make it so that you need other people who play the game, and get them involved so they spend their money on a $60 game. Clever. It sucks. But what sucks more is the sheer……………… VOLUME of Pokemon that I realized that I want to use; Magmar, Elekid, Slugma, Cranidos(that’s a big one), Gligar and more- SO SO MANY POKEMON!! Ah…………. God DAG IT I don’t have a segue point!! Let’s just get into the post…………..

Chapter 1,099: “Pacifist“

Picking Up From The Last Chapter: King Bekori Has Returned, borrowing a page out of the Goa Kingdom’s book and starts burning down the south district of Sorbet- planning to cut down on the Heavenly Tribute by halving the population. Kuma springs into action, saving as many people from the burning buildings as he can before launching One Man Assault on Bekori- and event that would come to be known as the “Solo Revolution Of The Sorbet Kingdom.” After which, Kuma would reluctantly become the King Of Sorbet to its people- still living at the Sun God Church with Bonney. The guy doing all the “King” stuff is actually the former King from 20 Generations back, Bulldog and his mother- Queen Dowager Connie. One day, the old folks of the Lawless district come for their regular healing when they see…………. Ginny running around the church. But in truth: It’s Bonney grown up!! She’s training to be prepared to go on an adventure with her dad. The surprise comes from the fact that she’s an…………. Adult- the spitting image of her mother!! 

OBVISOULY it’s a Devil fruit power, but no one is quite certain where or when she would have even gotten her hands on one. So while they figure out how to help her get a handle on that power(The “Age-Age Fruit”), they are then visited by Bulldog and Connie(who is mistaken for Bonney turning into an old woman). They come to alert him to the fact that Bekori has begun spreading lies about Kuma being a “Tyrannical Dictator That Took Over Sorbet-” thus the origins of “The Tyrant” moniker. But the fact that he was able to get this story in the paper means he’s got the World Government at his back. He’ll be back to take control of the Kingdom again. But Kuma refuses to let that happen- even if it means being branded a criminal. That would mean that he can no longer stay in Sorbet, either, so he asks that Bulldog become the “Full On” King and take care of Bonney while he’s gone. He bids her farewell, promising to visit when he’s able. 

He sets out to sea to confront the Navy Battle ships coming towards Sorbet, and…………. well……………. He ends up with a Wanted Poster. Since he’s already a wanted criminal, he decides to spend his time abroad looking for a cure for Sapphire scale- visiting several very familiar locations before meeting up with the Revolutionary Army again. Belo Betty asks Kuma if she could become the East Army Captain; the positions been vacant since Ginny was captured(out of respect for Kuma). Kuma allows it. Then Dragon tells Kuma about a lead on a cure for Bonney: Dr Vegapunk; after a certain incident on Punk Hazard, he’s in the middle of transfer over to what would come to be known as Egghead Island. Normally, there’s so much security around him that you’d never get an audience. But during the “Transitional” period- you’d probably be able to meet him. It’s not like Kuma has a bunch of OTHER options, so he takes up the offer- promising to fight alongside Dragon again when Bonney’s cured. Dragon would like that. 

He goes back to Sorbet to bring Bonney with him, seeing that she’s grown very strong in his time away, being able to defeat an adult even when she’s in regular state. She is put in a barrel to keep her out of the sunlight, and it’s off to Naval Science Division, Laboratory 8(Later to be known as Egghead Island), meeting with Dr Vegapunk for the first time(Pre-Satellites so he still has the giant head). Vegapunk is enamored with Kuma’s body(PAUSE), and asks to conduct a blood test on him. Much to his shock– he finds that Kuma is a Buccaneer. Which gives Vegapunk an idea: Kuma has done well to keep the disease at bay; she can still be treated. But it’ll cost about as much as it would take to make a Cyborg. And of course– Kuma’s flat @$$ broke. So- if Kuma consents to having his blood used to make an army of Clone Soldiers working for the sake of peace- Vegapunk will cover the cost himself. Kuma…………… is going to accept the off no matter what; he just wants to know what these “Clone Soldiers” will be doing. 

Vegapunk simply intends to install lasers in Already Imposing Automatons to scare the Pirates into submission; protect people with their durable bodies; just………….. Peace Keepers at the end of the day. Kuma’s alright with it, so long as he saves Bonney. But there are forces at work that are about to make that task…………….. All The More Difficult And Complex…………………

Chapter 1,100: “Thank You, Bonney“

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn has learned of Kuma’s arrival in Laboratory 8, and has sent Admiral Kizaru to begin the negotiations. St Saturn gets on the Denden Mushi, and he informs Vegapunk that they can’t have a 296 Million Berry Pirate as the “face” of their strongest military asset. But this is a good chance for them to have some Buccaneers at their back, so he decides to allow it- on 3 conditions:

1. Kuma will become one of the 7 Warlords of the Sea, taking the place of the one that the rookie Ace took out. 
2. He become the Marine’s Human Weapon; he will consent to having his body augmented and become a Cyborg. 
3. Kuma will lose his free will so that he’ll never defy the World Government.

Vegapunk likens stripping someone of their free will to killing him, and claims that he’s only doing this because he can’t control the other Warlords. But Saturn doesn’t really care what he believes or what he’s WILLING to do– these are the conditions for saving Bonney. Vegapunk is ALL KINDS of against this, but Kuma consents, glad that the conditions were that simple. The Deal Has Been Made. It’ll take half a year to fully treat the Sapphire scale, and a full year before she can go outside again. As for Kuma: 2 Years at LEAST. In that time, Kuma should think of Bonney as a Hostage of the World Government– if for nothing more than a way to guarantee his compliance. He will have no contact with her or escape once the procedure is over, or Bonney will become a Slave– her freedom only allowed once Kuma’s free will is gone. Kuma has just one request in all of this: To keep her from learning about the severity of the disease or about her status as a hostage, he asks that she spend the next year at the Church In Sorbet once the surgery is over. Saturn Complies. 

For the next 6 months, Kuma and Bonney will stay in Laboratory 8. Meanwhile, Vegapunk has trouble with keeping track of all the ideas in his head- so much so that it actually started p!ssing him off. And he began to think “I need more hands!!” That’s how the Satellites came to be. But for the next 6 months, Laboratory 8 would become the home of Bonney and Kuma- along with budding friendships with the like of Vegapunk, Sentomaru, and even Kizaru. Then Bonney’s surgery was completed, so she was taken back to Sorbet by Kuma and co. She will be under the care of Connie and the others for the next year- and Cipher Pol 8 Agent Masquerading as a Nurse Alpha,  who makes sure Kuma understands what will happen if he breaches the agreement. So in his final moments seeing Bonney, he simply Thanks her- for being born. And in the next year, Kuma fulfills whatever task he is given from above, catching eyes of Major Forces all over the world. And never failed to write to Bonney. Chapter ends with him coming towards Foosha Village for some reason………………

Chapter 1,101: “To Bonney“

3 Years Ago, Mt Corvo- Goa Kingdom, East Blue: Kuma’s arrives on Dawn Island to see a 16 year old Luffy practicing the Gum Gum Axe that he would use to kick Arlong’s @$$- a situation he had specifically practiced the technique for: If someone ever tried to take away his crew- he’d stomp on their heads. Much to the terror of the wild animals he hasn’t eaten yet. Kuma sees this, and recalls a conversation he had with Dragon. They were passing by Goa, and Kuma recalled seeing Dragon popping over to this small village to see a kid(don’t know if I could have phrased that better). Dragon tells him to stop talking, unless he’d prefer Dragon die. After all: “Children Are A Vulnerability For A Parent.” Kuma understood COMPLETELY and kept his mouth shut on the matter. He warps away to his next assignment: Pirates had pillaged a Merchant ship and is now fleeing the scene. He makes sure the Merchants are okay, and then apprehends the Pirates. 

He would write to Bonney every day- making sure she knew just how much she meant to him. But sadly– Not A Single Letter Ever Makes It To Bonney; Alpha runs interference, shredding every letter before it ever makes it to the mailbox. Bonney spends a lot of her time training, careful to hide her Age Age fruit powers at the advice of Connie. Laboratory 8: Stellapunk managed to get the Island AC system up and running, making it warmer on the winter island while still keeping the climate the same. The next step is generating Island clouds and making Punk Records float. Also Stussy’s popped in to see Kuma, asking if him losing his free will will be anything like a clone like her having it. Stellapunk tells her she’s indeed a human. But it does have Kuma asking what it’ll be like for him loosing his free will. Stella puts in like THIS: “You might be following your orders to the letter now, but would you be able to kill a child on command? Pretty much that: You’ll lose all memory and emotions connected to your life up to now.” But he promises to leave Kuma with as much consciousness as possible right up to the end. And Kuma plans to spend all of that time packing a “lifetime’s worth of love” into every single letter he sends Bonney. 

Bonney turns 9 some time after that, but even a Super Extra large Pizza from Connie can’t make up for not getting a letter from her father. Half a Year Later- Revolutionary Army HQ, Baltigo: Kuma once again helps out the Revolutionaries and leaves without saying or hearing anything, as reported to Dragon and Sabo. Dragon is concerned, but understands that Kuma has his reasons to act as he does. Sorbet Kingdom: Bonney’s cured by now, and she knows this. But Alpha- under orders but needing to keep under cover- says she’s still not okay to go outside, and won’t be until she turns 10. Connie heard them all getting drunk in town, and they let slip they were Government agents- and that Bonney was cured. That, plus Kuma not sending a single letter- sketchy. Meaning it’s time to Rebel. Or rather– have Bonney become a Pirate, going out to sea to find Kuma. 

Bonney takes her Old lady form- dressing up like Connie to sell the rouge to Alpha. For the first time- Bonney can walk in the Sun. No time to dwell on that, though; no one’s buying that Connie is Bonney. So Alpha gets moving, using Geppo to catch up to the ship Connie had them take. Bonney’s about to be bound in chains, but the rest of them die here. Bonney……………… is a very competent combatant, and very adept at using her fruit. Key Example: She need a way to punch Alpha at long distance. So she used “Distorted Future” to tap into a future where she can Stretch Like Nika- based on this one memory where Kuma told her that Nika could “fight in any way he wanted.” I mean, really; she just pulls a complete 3rd Gear move. But yeah: This Was Her “Origin Story.” 

Chapter 1,103: “I’m Sorry, Daddy“

I already discussed 1,102 in a recent “Dump” post, and I’ve got some time before the official release for this one comes out. As such, I thought: “Eh- Might As Well.” So I’m adding this in Sunday, December 31st, 2023, around 5:55 pm. Bonney- having seen all of Kuma’s life– comes out of the room and hugs Stellapunk for all he did for them. He gives her a 10th Birthday present from Kuma: A Sapphire stone necklace in the shape of the Sun. He also explains what’s been going on since she went into the bubble, leading into the present where she finally confronts the man responsible for her Father’s demise: St Saturn Of The Gorosei. And no one is able to move to help her. The event has been leaked to the entire world by Morgan via the paper, prompting Dragon to ask Ivankov where Kuma would have gone………..

Bonney decides to fight back with all her strength, taking on her “Nika-Like” Distorted Future to punch Saturn. But it fails and Saturn explains why: He’s the one who gave Bonney her powers; an experiment was conducted in the Holy land to see if it was possible for give a baby Devil fruit powers without them actually eating the fruit- extracting and “infusing” the ability into her. It was a Success clearly, although the fruit itself is now useless. Though the side effect for all of the Failures was the Sapphire Scale Disease. Her “Distorted Future” let’s her “tap into any future she believes is possible.” Thus the more knowledge she cans about the future- the less “possibilities” she has. And- whether she wants to believe it or not: She’s starting to doubt the existence of Nika. 

It’s looking like the end of the line for Bonney; Saturn seems INVINCIBLE, and Luffy- though having been given food somehow– can’t eat fast enough. But right as her heart is about to break(metaphorically AND Physically)– 

PX-0/Former Warlord/Former King Of The Sorbet Kingdom/ “The Tyrant” Bartholemew Kuma Arrives!!

Once again using his body to protect someone- his beloved daughter, Bonney. He puts her down, grabs Saturn by his Spider leg, and winds up for a Well Deserved PUNCH!!! This is gonna be Cathartically Delightful……… 

Closing Thoughts

SO……………. in the time that it has taken me to write this post(starting this section Sunday, December 17, 2023, 4:55 pm); Jump Festa 2024 was under way. The usual stuff; Oda’s message about the series in 2024, talking about “That Person And That Person” finally facing off, as well as a page from the very next chapter. But by far the biggest thing to come out of the series’ stage: The Announcement Of “THE One Piece-” an anime remake on Netflix produced by WIT Studio(Attack On Titan S1-3; One Half Of “Spy X Family;” Seraph Of The End; The Ancient Magus Bride; Ranking Of Kings; Suicide Squad Isekai Anime; etc). 1) Yeah; Netflix F*cking Original. JOY………….. But 2)REMAKE!! They have…………… CONTENT to work with; the original Toei Anime(get used to hearing that pretty soon) is at 1,088 Episodes TOTAL at the time of me writing this- 1,101 chapters, and probably on like the cusp of the Final Chapter by the time episode 1 starts airing. And certainly over by the time the Dub starts airing on Netflix. I could really just go all in on why I’m not happy with it being on Netflix, but it all becomes somewhat mute when you consider I don’t have it nor…………. really seek to get it back. 

I could talk about “Netflix Jail,” but if it comes down to it I’ll “set sail” into the Digital sea in search of “The Legendary One Piece.” Okay, that joke was too wordy, but I didn’t want to outright tell you I’m most likely gonna be watching it on a Pirate site. I could bring up shows like Inside Job, Tuca And Bertie, The Midnight Gospel, Bones was a big one, and a whole bunch of other shows I could mention. But I lost my “Train Of Thought” after about a week or 2, picking this back up Sunday, December 31st, 2023, around 5:43 pm- last post I have on “backburn,” and the last one I’ll be working on this year. Even though you DEFINITELY won’t be seeing this until NEXT year. But, um……… ah Sh!t, where was I? Again: Haven’t gotten back to this one in a minute. 

Kuma’s flashback is over now. Top Tier Flashback- one of the best in the series, of course. Especially with how Oda depicted it in chapter 1,102; very tragic scene- really let you know that Stellapunk was killing someone rather than making them a “Mindless Machine.” And the fact that chapter 1,103 is out so early for me to cover is a plus! Even if I don’t know what exactly I want to be talking about right now. In all honesty; I’m too cold and hungry to focus right now(Sunday, December 31st, 2023, at 6:58 pm). It’s not like I’m HOMELESS or anything- you wouldn’t be seeing this if I was. It’s simply just cold where I am and Dinner’s in a few minutes! It’s got me distracted. That- plus the fact that it’s my night to do dishes- this may well be the LAST PARAGRAPH I write this year. I honestly don’t know what to DO at this point. And the fact that I took like 2 weeks or something off of this post isn’t doing me any favors. Okay, I got another paragraph to do. When I have to stop to eat and do the dishes, I’ll scream “There!” You’ll know it when you see it. 

It was nice to see the story told through a lens like this; see Luffy from the perspective of a Top Tier like Kuma. And it let us know that Dragon DOES care about Luffy; Oda only knows how many times he’s come to see Luffy over the course of his life. Well……….. the way I said it made it sound like it was some big @$$ number, but it was probably only like…………. 3 or 4 times through his entire life, not counting Logue Town. And of course he’s been keeping THERE!! Picking this post up Monday, Janurary 1st(New Year’s Day), 2024, around 1:37 pm. And I REALLY don’t know what to say at this point. But if I were to keep talking, then I think I might start talking about Bonney as a character and her future role. Let’s be honest here; there’s only 2 ways she goes at the end of Egghead: 

Revolutionary Or Straw Hat.

BOTH groups are very important to her father- one helping he and her at their lowest, and one that Kuma’s betting on to be the one that changes the world. And in THERE lies why I think she’ll join the Straw hat’s after this: Kuma is wagering on Luffy changing the world. And when someone bets on Luffy, they usually end up helping him. Just look at Crocodile and more recently Lucci: Both former enemies that got their @$$e$ kicked by a flurry of punches, but ended up having to ally with the Rubber boy to make it out of a desperate situation- they win and they survive– they lose and they get to see Luffy die a horribly tragic death. “Win Win” for them. But for someone like Kuma; he used whatever time he had remaining to make sure that Luffy would live and keep doing what he’s doing. And now that Bonney knows this, I think she’s going to choose to support Luffy- be it as a legit member of the Straw Hat Pirates, or maybe as a member of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet with her crew. Speaking of which: Where the h#ll ARE those guys? We last saw them in the Post Marineford stuff up against the Blackbeard Pirates- defeated. And a Vivre Card Data book revealed that she did have to leave them behind to escape from the Navy and Akainu. So they are either dead or in Impel Down. That latter’s the safest bet, knowing Oda. 

Either way you splice it, though- She is Sans-crew at the moment. And as we’ve seen, that crew was made up of people who’ve known her all her life; I don’t think she’ll be as trusting with just anyone at her age. Plus- Sanji; she said she was impressed with Sanji’s ability to fight and cook. So there’s that. Though……….. her, uh………. She’s 12. And she will likely reveal that to them early on if she decides to join them. That’ll probably shrivel Sanji, but he’ll have no objections either way. Nami cares about kids, so she’ll probably take care of Bonney. Though this arc and the flashback have proven that she can take care of herself- in terms of combat abilities, she might be on the Stronger side of the crew– up there WITH characters like Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Jinbe, Robin, and Franky. That wasn’t a “ranking” or anything; I just listed the one’s I feel are the strongest members of the crew. After them would be Chopper and Brook. THEN Usopp and Nami at……… about the same. Bonney would be a valuable asset is all I’m saying. Position wise: Cabin Girl? Eh. What specifically do Usopp and Robin do?………… aside from cutting the crew’s hair? Robin is VITAL in reaching Laugh Tale, but Usopp………….. mans the cannons? Something like that I guess. 

On the OTHER hand: People like my brother Ajay aren’t accepting of Jinbe yet. And………… I get why; even at like the beginning of Raid we knew that- once Wano was finished- we were going into like The Last Saga of the Story. Kind of “late in the game” for a new Straw Hat. He says as if he wasn’t pushing for Yamato and Carrot. I will concede to Yamato, but I DID think Carrot would join the Straw hats. I got burned by that. And- yeah, we’re kind of “in too deep” to be getting someone else on the Sunny; I’m even starting to wonder how Lilith joining would work in terms of what we have left of the story to work with. You have to think about how these characters would all interact and figure out what they’ll do to stand out amongst them- in Elbaf; a Wano Level story arc that many(myself included) believe will be the last arc before things get Serious. Like- THRONE WAR serious. So many think that she’ll simply become part of the Grand Fleet instead. Alternatively: Her “beef” is now with the World Government directly– SPECIFICALLY Saturn. And now she knows the nature of her parent’s relationship with the Revolutionary Army. So………… maybe she’ll just Trust Luffy to do whatever, and go after the World Government with the Revolutionaries? I doubt nepotism would let her get any rank she wants, so she’d be a fairly low ranked member. She also wouldn’t be quite as involved with the story after this, though neither are a lot of Arc Centric Characters. What’s Law up to right now, I wonder……………

I’m mostly thinking of this in terms of how the Writing is going to go from here on out. Egghead………………… Has been Phenomenal Start To Current, and I mostly attribute that to the fact Oda didn’t have to “pad” this one with the usual gags; he cut away from the Straw hat’s for a while, and told other stories around the world. Because he HAS TO if he’s going to tell this Final Saga in such a way that 1)It’ll actually be over in 5 years this time and 2)BE ANY GOOD. Call a “Spade” a “Spade,” Folks: Post Time Skip Has SUCKED up til Egghead. And that comes down to an “Influx Of Silliness-” Sanji went from a Simp to d@mn near ANEMIC at the sight of a Women!! And the fact that all we do is focus on the Straw hats; it feels like those gags are half the d@mn story. Egghead has had none of that; we haven’t even touched upon the idea of Sanji hitting a women or anything like that! He’s doing something he didn’t before- something he couldn’t before because the Straw Hats are just……………. too popular to not be the “focus.” But if he’s going to end this in any satisfactory way(for himself and the audience who’ve dedicated 20+ years of their lives to reading this story), then he can’t tell the story the same way he always has– the cover serials are going to start linking up more and more with the main plot, and we’ll probably be seeing a lot of other areas of the world during these story arcs. And Elbaf- although certainly not going to be as long as Wano or Dressrosa– is probably going to be on the Longer End Of Things. So expect a lot of segments in that arc to cut away to something else…………….. 

There’s also the recent reveal of how her powers work: The more she knows about the future- the less effective her “Distorted Future” is. Remeber the state she took in 1,072- the one where she was built like Kuma? Well…………. now she knows that Kuma is not her biological father, so she may not be able to take that form anymore. And she’s starting to doubt that Nika exists, so she’s less able to take on a “Nika-Like” future. BUT……………. Gear 5th is in play at the moment. Luffy’s eating and recovering strength. And at THIS point he can’t afford to hold back; he’ll likely go into Gear 5th the moment he’s able to stand back up. And when Bonney sees it, and she starts to put 2 and 2 together– or perhaps even Atlas leaking it(Kuma told Vegapunk about Nika, and she shares a mind and memory with Stellapunk)- then…………….. Could she take a Gear 5th Type Form? I’ve seen people throw around the idea of “Jollygirl-“ Bonney’s own Gear 5th type of state. Fan art for it and everything. But…………… how? 

At some point, something like that just becomes unnecessary Fan service(which says something with how Oda draws women). We just learned that her gaining information limits what she can do. So her realizing that Luffy has the Nika fruit would actually prevent her from getting this form. So unless she starts thinking that she can be like Blackbeard and gain a second Devil fruit, I’m not sure what can happen that’ll let her become “Like Nika” ever again. 

Conclusion 

Rather than stretch this out just “thinking” about what to talk about; I think I’ll end this one right here. You’ll be seeing this with the official release of chapter 1,103. Crazy how that’s now the number of chapters this series has. We are not getting to 2,000 chapters. And in all honesty: I don’t even see 1,500 as possibly. I’m willing to say 1,200- MAYBE 1,300. But not even touching 1,400 chapters. But we’ve still got some story left. Like I said, Elbaf- an arc anticipated possibly more than Wano– won’t be that long. But it will be on the longer side; probably touching 100 but not going passed 110. But still eclipsing most series that come out while its in serialization. This series is a GOLIATH of literature; I wonder how people studying different works of literature view the series sometimes. I mean; there’s no way it doesn’t come up in some Writing classes, right? All the literary analysis videos I watched, I would think there are few Term Papers written about it! I’m kind of working on something like that myself. Just for fun, though. 

Um…………….. Let me know what you guys are thinking in the comments. Do you think Luffy and Bonney will become the “Nika Duo?” Will she join with the Straw hats? “What’s Her Future Role in The Story?” would be the question I’m asking you, honestly. Did I miss something you noticed? I’d love to know!! That’s I got for the lot of you today, boys and girls. ‘Til next we meet, folks; Stay Safe- Stay Healthy- Stay Magic. Laters!!