Another year, another milestone in chapters for One Piece. This week chapter 1100 marked another great achievement for a manga, and creator Eiichiro Oda uses it to continue pulling at readers’ hearts. The story of Bartholomew Kuma is nearly at an end, and this week shows how he became the Warlord of the Sea and ended up saving the Straw Hats. Chapter 1100 will bring some tears, so make sure to be ready before reading on.
This article contains spoilers for One Piece through chapter 1100. Catch up on Viz or MangaPlus before reading further to avoid spoilers!
What Happens in One Piece Chapter 1100?
Flashbacks to the life of Bartholomew Kuma return to One Piece in Chapter 1100. This time on Egghead Island, where Vegapunk has told him that he has the cure to Sapphire Scale. Kuma is overjoyed that they’ve found a cure for Bonney’s illness, but Vegapunk knows that it’s going to be expensive and he has to go to the Celestial Dragons for the money. Jay Garcia Saturn is the one to give the final say, and he’s not going to let this opportunity slip by without getting something out of it.
Despite the near-suicidal conditions that Saturn imposes, Kuma immediately agrees wholeheartedly to save his daughter. Now, he and Bonney spend their last six months together on Egghead Island, getting to know Vegapunk, Sentomaru, and even Kizaru during their time. It’s interesting to see the bond form between them all, and that’s definitely going to play into the finale of Egghead Island. Finally, Bonney is taken to the Sorbet Kingdom church for observation while her Sapphire Scale finishes treatment.
Jay Garcia Saturn’s Conditions
Saturn being the scheming jerk that he is as part of the Gorosei, knows that he holds complete power over Kuma. Even just from his brief interactions with the last Buccaneer, he knows that Kuma would give anything to save Bonney. So when Vegapunk comes to him asking for the money to do the surgery, he takes full advantage with three conditions for Kuma to adhere to, or else they will kill Bonney and Kuma both. They’re mostly simple, with Kuma serving as a Warlord being the first condition.
Then the second and third, require Kuma to become a weapon for the Marines and give up his sense of self. Even more, Garcia tells Kuma that he can’t see Bonney again until his free will is gone after she finishes her treatment. Even after Vegapunk, Kizaru, and Sentomaru react with surprise, telling him how wrong that is, Kuma says yes with no hesitation. To save his daughter, he would gladly give up himself in return.
Vegapunk’s Ideas
It’s interesting seeing Vegapunk’s mind work, even more so since this is how he figures out he needs the satellites. It would have been more interesting to see him create them individually, but it was neat to see how he came up with the idea. Just working so hard with so many ideas already makes him overloaded, and now by creating his robot clones and androids, Vegapunk can surpass his limits by doing the work of multiple people at once. This is also while he’s drafting up the plans for Pacifista, so he’s got enough weapons in mind to make the United States military drool.
The Pacifista program becomes his defining role outside of curing Bonney, with Kuma undergoing procedures for two years. It’s these enhancements that give him powers based on Kizaru’s Glint-Glint Fruit. As well as the reinforced skin and bones that make him. Through all of it though, Kuma retains his hopeful spirit. He plans out Bonney’s future with her. Kuma even leads the strange group of misfits in dances, mirroring the dancing of Nika.
A Strange Friendship
It’s definitely been shown before that there are some friendships between Kizaru and Vegapunk, with Sentomaru joining them as a young child. That said, this is a whole new level, showing the Admiral partying right alongside his friends and Kuma. He and Sentomaru even become good friends with Bonney, as Sentomaru ends up being her main babysitter while she’s in early treatment. There’s a LOT of foreshadowing here though, especially when they’re all dancing around the fire to the Nika drums.
Sentomaru already sacrificed himself on Egghead to keep the Marines at bay, slowing them down while Bonney escapes. He’s also doing it to protect Vegapunk sure. Still, when he’s absolutely toasted in recent chapters he’s pleading for Bonney to be saved. With Kizaru being in the same position, he may likely see things differently now. Possibly, he may make his own sacrifice to save his friends. This is probably going to come into play after Kuma reaches Egghead though, because he’s got a lot of people to heal.
Bonney Goes Home
After the first six months of treatment, Bonney is finally cured of her main Sapphire Scale illness. Now, she’s able to go home to the Sorbet Kingdom. Here, Saint Jay Garcia Saturn means to keep her as a hostage to ensure Kuma’s cooperation. Still, it’s good for her to go back home, and see all her friends from her time helping Kuma. Even Dowager Conney, the previous queen of Sorbet Kingdom, comes in and says she’ll watch Bonney for Kuma, which he greatly appreciates.
That’s not to say he’s happy to be leaving her. Cipher Pol 8 makes their first appearance through Nurse Alpha. She’s on orders by the World Government to watch over Bonney. She assures Kuma he could easily snap Bonney’s neck. Still, Kuma has no intention of letting this happen to his daughter. Now, he sets out as a Warlord of the Sea, working on World Government orders. All with Bonney’s interest always at his forefront.
Familiar Faces
Getting a moment within the flashback to see everyone else is a great way to show where it fits in the story. Kuma is taking the place of a previous Warlord, taken down by Ace. Which kind of gives things that feeling of coming full circle to the story. These events will all culminate, but how will Kuma spend these next two years before the start of the story? Some answer comes at the end of the chapter, him arriving in the East Blue at Goa Kingdom. It’s just a little over a year before Luffy sets out on his journey.
What he’s doing here is a total mystery though. As far as we know, Kuma and Luffy never met before Sabaody. Of course, Kuma spares the Straw Hats in Thriller Bark. Though that still remains to be seen if it was in connection to this. Either way, the ‘Tyrant’ Bartholomew Kuma is definitely not the evil being he’s made out to be. Quite the opposite, Kuma is a damned saint, and that’s compared to everyone else seen in the story so far.
Theories
Next week should signal the flashbacks to Kuma’s past winding down. Though we don’t know if there will be a break next week. The journey of One Piece’s Warlord Bartholomew Kuma is going to come to an end. However that’s not to say his memory and consciousness won’t live on. The Seraphim models have shown a tendency to be a lot like their originals. Close enough at least, with S-Snake even fainting at the sight of Luffy. That means S-Bear could have the same weaknesses as Bonney, choosing to save her as opposed to killing the others.
The other very real possibility is that when Kuma arrives at Egghead, he’s going to go on a spree with his Paw-Paw Fruit. If they hope to take down Saint Saturn, he’ll need to totally ehal at least Luffy, and maybe Kizaru along with him. With that done, he can redirect those injuries and pain back on Saturn, doing a massive amount of damage in the process. Either way, the Egghead Island Incident is going to have the least happy ending for an arc since Sabaody.
One Piece rings in 1100 with a damn strong chapter and an even stronger setup. Flashbacks to Kuma’s past have made a mostly misunderstood character into a top three favorite for many readers, and it’s not done yet. There’s a lot more to go before things finish up for Kuma, and he’s going to fight for his life when he finally arrives at Egghead.
