As the events of One Piece’s Egghead Arc reach their climax, Bartholomew Kuma’s role in the series is more important than ever before.

Since the conclusion of the Wano Country Arc, One Piece‘s narrative has been progressing at a breakneck pace, officially ushering in the final saga of the long-running shonen franchise. With Monkey D. Luffy now officially an Emperor of the Sea, all eyes will be on him and his crew as they traverse the Grand Line and go toe-to-toe with the world’s strongest pirates; however, they must first survive their time on Egghead Island, their latest stop on the Grand Line.

On Egghead Island, the Straw Hat Pirates have encountered the likes of Dr. Vegapunk, the Seraphim, and Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, but despite these new faces, an old ally is playing arguably the biggest role of any character in the Egghead Arc — Bartholomew Kuma. Although the former Warlord of the Sea has been a major factor in One Piece since the Thriller Bark Arc, the series’ latest flashback suggests that he still has a significant role to play in the narrative.

Bartholomew Kuma’s Role In One Piece So Far

While all the Warlords of the Sea have played a fairly notable role in One Piece, there’s a strong argument that none of them have been more important to the series than Bartholomew Kuma. The character’s first major appearance occurs in the Thriller Bark Arc when he is sent to cover up the Straw Hat Pirates’ defeat of Gecko Moria, and upon arriving, he effortlessly defeats the Straw Hat Pirates.

However, rather than capturing or killing Monkey D. Luffy, Kuma accepts Roronoa Zoro’s pleas to save his captain, instead transferring all of Luffy’s pain and suffering to the swordsman with the powers of his Paw-Paw Fruit. This is the first time that the Warlord of the Sea demonstrates mercy on-screen, and ultimately, his behavior seems out of place for such a notorious pirate. As the series’ Sabaody Archipelago Arc proves shortly thereafter, there’s much more to Bartholomew Kuma than meets the eye.

After Luffy assaults a Celestial Dragon at the Human Auctioning House, the World Government mobilizes an attack force that includes Sentomaru, Admiral Kizaru, and Bartholomew Kuma before sending its troops to capture the pirates at Sabaody. Just as it seems like the Straw Hat Pirates are going to be captured by Kizaru and his fellow Marines, Kuma inexplicably intervenes and uses the Paw-Paw Fruit to launch One Piece‘s protagonist around the world.

This apparent act of benevolence puzzles the Straw Hat Pirates until they reunite after the series’ two-year timeskip, at which point they find Kuma still guarding their ship. One Piece eventually reveals that the Warlord of the Sea previously worked as part of the Revolutionary Army, only to be turned into a mostly mindless robot sometime before the events of the series. While the specifics of his journey were a mystery for several years, the Egghead Island Arc has finally filled in the blanks of Kuma’s backstory.

Kuma, The Celestial Dragons, And The Mystery Of God Valley

After the Straw Hat Pirates and their allies defeat Rob Lucci and the other members of CP0, they quickly find themselves under siege by the largest fleet in One Piece history. 30,000 Marine troops, 9 Vice Admirals, Admiral Kizaru, and one of the Five Elders, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, attack Egghead Island in full force, pushing the series’ protagonists to the brink of defeat. Fighting alongside the Straw Hat Pirates is Jewelry Bonney, the adopted daughter of Bartholomew Kuma, and as they come face-to-face with St. Jaygarcia Saturn, she becomes visibly enraged about his role in her father’s mistreatment. The pink-haired pirate attacks the Celestial Dragon at the end of Chapter 1094, launching the series into a Kuma-centric flashback that explains the mysterious Warlord’s relationship to several of One Piece‘s most important characters.

According to Saturn and the flashback that follows shortly after he enters battle, Bartholomew Kuma hails from an almost-entirely extinct race known as the Buccaneers. Much like the Lunarians or the fish-men, Buccaneers are viewed as a lesser race by the Celestial Dragons, so when one of their survivors is located, they are usually forced into slavery. This is the case for Kuma, who was forced to watch as both of his parents die as a child because of their subhuman treatment at the hands of their captors. Eventually, he and several other slaves (including many other children) are gathered and taken to God Valley, where they are forced to fend for themselves while being hunted by the Celestial Dragons in a twisted competition.

To make matters worse for Kuma, the Roger Pirates, the Rocks Pirates, and Monkey D. Garp all arrive at God Valley in Chapter 1096, setting up a battle royale between some of the strongest characters in One Piece history. However, during the chaos caused by the conflict, Kuma is able to secure the Paw-Paw Fruit, which is being kept as one of the prizes for the Celestial Dragons’ competition.

Although this flashback doesn’t show the specifics of the escape, Kuma and around 500 other slaves — including a young Emperor Ivankov — manage to do the unthinkable and escape God Valley. With nowhere else to go, Kuma and his new friend Ivankov return to Kuma’s home kingdom of Sorbet. They are accompanied by one other survivor of the God Valley Incident, who would go on to play a more important role in the Buccaneer’s life than any other character in One Piece: Ginny.

Ginny, The Mother Of Jewelry Bonney

One Piece fans have known about Bartholomew Kuma’s connection to Emperor Ivankov for quite some time, but the appearance of Ginny, Ivankov’s companion on God Valley, adds an unforeseen wrinkle to the mix. Although the spirited young woman is never mentioned before the God Valley Hunting Competition, she clearly has a close bond with Ivankov when the duo first appear. Together, they help Kuma and the other slaves escape before making their way Kuma’s home in Sorbet Kingdom, narrowly avoiding the clutches of the Celestial Dragons. While Ivankov leaves Sorbet Kingdom shortly after their arrival, Ginny decides to stay with Bartholomew Kuma and spends the next 16 years living a peaceful, quaint life alongside the future Warlord of the Sea.

However, as is the case for many One Piece characters, Kuma and Ginny’s lives are eventually changed forever when the World Government involves itself in the Sorbet Kingdom. The Heavenly Tribute imposed by the Celestial Dragons disproportionately affects the kingdom’s poorest citizens, and since Kuma and Ginny previously lived as slaves, this rightfully infuriates them. They refuse to acquiesce to the demands of Sorbet Kingdom’s ruler, which leads to their imprisonment at the hands of the Kingdom’s Royal Army. Luckily for Kuma and Ginny, a third party arrives shortly after their capture and liberates not only them but the entire Kingdom of Sorbet.

After the Freedom Fighters — a paramilitary group led by Monkey D. Dragon and Emperor Ivankov — arrive in Sorbet Kingdom, they defeat the Royal Army, usurp their King, and free Bartholomew Kuma and Ginny from their holding cells. Given the already-established relationship between Ivankov, Kuma and Ginny, the pair are perfect candidates to join the rebel organization, and since they are incensed by the World Government’s treatment of Sorbet Kingdom, they do so without hesitation.

For the next eight years, Kuma and Ginny help the Freedom Fighters transform from a rag-tag militia to a global force that is known as the Revolutionary Army. During this time, Ginny rises to the rank of East Army Captain, earning an infamous reputation for herself and her subordinates; however, this infamy proves to be a double-edged sword, as it draws the ire of none other than the Celestial Dragons. Eventually, Ginny is once again captured and enslaved by the World Government’s elite, except this time she is subjected to even worse treatment. The proud woman is forced into marriage and impregnated by one of the Celestial Dragons, only to contract a deadly disease known as Sapphire Scales that affects both her and her newborn child, Jewelry Bonney.

Bartholomew Kuma’s Quest To Save His Daughter

Even though Ginny and Jewelry Bonney are freed after the Celestial Dragons learn of their disease, the Revolutionary Army Captain doesn’t reunite with Bartholomew Kuma before she passes away. In a heartbreaking scene during Chapter 1098, Ginny calls ahead and tells Kuma (as well as the other members of the Revolutionary Army) about what has transpired since she was captured, but before she can confess her love for him, he departs to try and rescue her. When he arrives, Ginny has succumbed to her disease, but in her place, she leaves the greatest gift that the Saint of Sorbet Kingdom ever received: Jewelry Bonney.

Bartholomew Kuma, stricken with grief after the death of Ginny, pledges his life to raise Jewelry Bonney, who also suffers from the obscure disease known as Sapphire Scales. During Bonney’s childhood, Kuma uses his resources to travel across the world and search for information about the affliction, ultimately leading him to none other than One Piece‘s greatest scientist, Dr. Vegapunk. Given Vegapunk’s pre-existing relationship with Monkey D. Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, he is more than happy to help Kuma in his quest to cure Jewelry Bonney. However, when Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders, learns of Kuma’s request to cure Bonney, he forces the kindhearted hero to accept three conditions before she can be treated: first, Kuma must accept a position as the Warlord of the Sea; second, Kuma must turn himself into a cyborg; and third, Kuma must have his free will completely erased.

Bartholomew Kuma And Jewelry Bonney’s Long-Awaited Reunion

The stipulations of Jewelry Bonney’s treatment are impossibly cruel, but despite their harsh nature, Bartholomew Kuma gives up his own free will without a second thought, allowing for his daughter to be treated and cured of her disease. Following this, Kuma continues his work for the World Government as his sense of self slowly dissolves, and before long, the altruistic giant is but a husk of his former self. Still, against all odds, the Warlord of the Sea occasionally exhibits glimpses of his former personality, potentially hinting that his Buccaneer genetics have resisted the World Government’s experiments. He assists the Straw Hat Pirates multiple times, and shortly after One Piece‘s timeskip, it is revealed that Kuma separated the series’ heroes in an attempt to save their lives, rather than break up Luffy’s crew.

Kuma remains largely absent from the series post-timeskip until the recent events of the Egghead Arc, which sees the cyborg return to the fray in an attempt to once again save his daughter, Jewlery Bonney. With Bonney, Vegapunk, and the Straw Hat Pirates under attack from Jaygarcia Saturn and an entire armada of World Government soldiers, Kuma somehow senses the danger that his allies are in and uses his Paw-Paw Fruit to travel to the island. He arrives just in the nick of time, saving Bonney from an attack by Saturn and landing a significant blow on the Celestial Dragon.

One Piece is set to miss the ending timeframe predicted by Eiichiro Oda, who has consistently given this year as to when he plans to end the series.

While Bartholomew Kuma and Jewelry Bonney’s reunion is well-deserved, the pair now find themselves in arguably the most precarious position of their entire lives. The Straw Hat Pirates and Dr. Vegapunk are powerful allies, but even with the assistance of an Emperor of the Sea and One Piece‘s most brilliant scientist, the World Government poses a significant threat to the safety of the series’ heroes.

In order for Kuma, Bonney, and their allies to survive, they’ll need to work together and either escape or defeat Jaygarcia Saturn, Admiral Kizaru, and a slew of other Marines. That said, if anyone is capable of doing the impossible, it’s Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, who will no doubt fight tooth and nail to rescue their newfound allies.