 One Piece has done it again. This flashback keeps getting sadder and sadder and yet simultaneously more and more enjoyable, whereas both Kuma and Bonnie become more and more tragic, while getting more and more chad. On the surface, Chapter 1101 might not seem like it has the same level of hype, sadness, mystery or drama compared to the chapters we've seen as of late. But this chapter still packs quite the punch. Pun not intended, but hey, that works. In such subtle ways, Oda has again provided so much more context to things we've already known, provided new information that makes us look at characters and events differently and included little details or hints that still send us scratching our heads for more answers. So starting with the question that we all had after Chapter 1100, after another case of speculating and theorizing, Oda did go with the more dare I say, the more uneventful or at least the seemingly non-dramatic explanation for why Kuma was watching Luffy. It was simply that he already knew Dragon had a child somewhere in this region and just happened to drop by while he was on a mission nearby, which wasn't something that I completely ruled out, but I did expect something a little more dramatic. But in retrospect, it's actually very nice to know that Kuma simply knew about Luffy from this early on and in his own way had been wanting to help out his comrades' child from the beginning even before Luffy set sail. For Kuma, it's a sort of penance, I suppose, for betraying the Revolutionary Army by working for the world government maybe, but it also seems like he's been coming in clutch for the revolutionaries from time to time as well, so he really was the jack of all trades. But I guess this is Oda's way of further fleshing out why Kuma assisted Luffy and the Straw Hats back at Saobori or even Thriller Bark. This damny confirms that Kuma knew exactly what he was doing and planned all his actions accordingly at Saobori. He was interested in Dragon's Son and wanted him to succeed and because he understood Dragon's sentiments as an outlaw parent, only being able to watch from afar, he wanted to do what was in his capacity to help. And I really like the interaction between Kuma and Dragon for this reason. It really showcased the strong relationship and the understanding between the two. Firstly, Kuma really must be Dragon's friend if he can tell from just seeing Luffy that that's Dragon's son, because that's not something that many people have been able to do, not even Ivor. But also in a lot of ways, they're quite similar as parents who can't see their children because of the world government. Dragon, as a very infamous criminal who is actively and directly opposing the world government, knows that being related to him would put Luffy in great jeopardy as well as the greater good of the Revolutionary Army's missions. Whereas Kuma, whom I don't think would ever think of his relationship with Bonnie as a weakness himself or attach any sort of negative connotations to it, he has still nonetheless also made the very painful decision to never see Bonnie again in order to save her life. So Kuma understands more than most people, probably, exactly what Dragon meant by that line. Although I do think I should point out that it's not clear when this flashback inception takes place and based on our knowledge of Kuma's history, it's most likely this interaction between Kuma and Dragon actually occurred prior to Kuma even knowing of Bonnie's existence back when Kuma was an official member of the Revolutionary Army, because as far as we've been shown, after Kuma leaves them to become a father, the next time we see them is when Dragon points him in the direction of Vega Punk. In which case, Kuma going out of his way to check in on Luffy would mean even more because you could just imagine that after actually experiencing fatherhood, Kuma would have reflected on Dragon's word with a new found appreciation of what Dragon was talking about. I can just picture Kuma ruminating on those words from time to time and when the opportunity arose for him to go to the East Blue, he made sure to reflect on Dragon's words once more watching Luffy. Although actually, Kuma did stay with the revolutionaries for a while even after being introduced to Bonnie and I guess that's also why Dragon might have trusted Kuma with this sort of information more so than others. But I also like to think that this gave some sort of comfort to Kuma that although he was alone in his journey separated from Bonnie not being able to reach out to the revolutionaries despite coming to their rescue on several moments, I think Kuma thinking back to Dragon's words would have reminded him that he's not alone, not in spirit anyways. Like himself, Dragon has separated himself from the one he loves in order to do what is necessary for that very person. There's someone out there, someone that Kuma admires and respects, who feels and understands the things that he does. And it is clear that Dragon does, to quite a large extent, understand Kuma despite paradoxically not knowing what's going on. Dragon has this incredible, trustful Kuma that we've witnessed on several occasions, like when he teased Kuma about becoming a pirate, tyrant and king or even in this chapter 1101. We don't see him questioning why Kuma won't speak to the revolutionaries or even outraged about him becoming one of the shichibukai. And this is the same man who was ready to disown Sabo for killing Cobra. I think this is a testament to what a bond these two shared, but also to how pure Kuma is. Having spent some actual time with Kuma, I think Dragon knows that no matter what title Kuma operates under, this is an incredibly sweet and pure hearted person that could never change. And I know this was a deep dive into what was only a like a sentence dialogue, but believe it or not, I'm not done yet. Because for me, this dialogue is also important because it also somewhat absolves Dragon from his place in the hall of bad anime slash manga fathers. Because it explains that he didn't just abandon Luffy to chase his own adventure and rather knows that Luffy could be used against him. And I guess that he could also become a weakness or a threat for Luffy. And rightfully so, because in the very same way, one he has been used against Kuma to force him into doing things that he ordinarily wouldn't agree with. And this makes me very keen to find out Dragon's backstory. Like imagine if it was used in some sort of way to keep Garp from ever acting too out of line. And this piece of dialogue is actually something that he experienced. But also thinking back to Ivankov's words that Dragon's always looking in that direction. Now this coupled with his interaction with Kuma, it really does confirm that while he may try to hide it, his longing and suffering to see his son and close this gap between them is something that can really be sensed by his closest comrades. And whenever the opportunity presents itself, Dragon will always look over to Luffy and try to even protect him when he can. And I do get the sense that this is something we will see again in the near future. And here's to me hoping that even Dragon might show up at Eckhead Island. But we can move on to instead overthink another piece of dialogue that I also really appreciated. And that was Luffy's comments about being prepared for someone who's going to try and take his Nakamura away, while of course Kuma is looking on. This is obviously very heavily laden with deeper meaning, most obvious because this is the attack that Luffy used to win against Arlong. And I think it's really nice to get an extended look into Luffy's training pre-one piece. And this isn't only limited to Luffy actually, but it's a common occurrence that characters are seen pulling out new attacks that they haven't used against an enemy before. And I think that's one of the things I like most about how Luffy's gears were introduced because they each have a background as to how Luffy developed it after seeing CP9 or his motivation to develop attacks after losing to Kuzan. So in this chapter, we see him training by crushing a large rock using the same battle axe attack. And so as carefree as Luffy's fighting style is, it's nice to see that he does put more thought into his arsenal and that he stayed true to his words and using the attack to save Nami. But simultaneously, this is also a callback or a flashback. Actually, I don't know how to call it when there is a reference within a flashback that is referencing something in the flashback's future that we witnessed it in the past. Anyways, this panel relates to the encounter that he would have with Kuma later on because until Luffy had met Kuma, he was on a winning streak against the warlords and defeating anyone for that matter who threatened to stop his journey or take away his Nakama. But it was actually losing to Kuma that led him to being separated from all his Nakama and it was this alongside losing Ace that opened Luffy's eyes to how much stronger he still had to get in order to survive in this pirate world. But ironically, while Kuma may have seemed like a villain in Luffy's and our eyes back then, this super strong enemy who took away his friends wasn't an enemy at all and his actions were all to help Luffy. And ah, I just feel like I'm saying this every week. But kudos to Oda for using such a simple piece of dialogue that has so much substance and makes us re-appreciate the story or certain moments in a new way. And while I'm overanalyzing scenes way too much anyways, was this a little hint that Luffy may already have had the very early nascent stages of observation haki when he could sense Kuma's strong presence? I mean, even without the deep think into it. It's pretty fun that in a forest full of animals, Luffy sensed Kuma the bearer as the strongest presence around. But still, let me know what you think by leaving a comment below. And if you're new, say hello and why not even click subscribe? This is the season of giving and if you give me your subscription, I'll give you more gratitude than Luffy and Bonnie can eat combined. Wouldn't this be a dream? A line set by a very different Bonnie to her lover and not her father, but still equally relevant to our circumstances. But unfortunately, this is one piece. A world where dreams turn to dust and ash. Okay, I'm being overdramatic, but seriously, why does Kuma's backstory keep getting sadder? Not only has he now lost both his parents, his best friend slash lover, fallen out of touch with all of his friends and comrades, being separated from his daughter, but now, Kuma can't even write letters in hopes that this is giving Bonnie at least some sort of joy. Or at least he can, but she's just not getting them. And I have to say that, as sad as this was to witness, it did make me realize that Bonnie actually not receiving those letters and instead witnessing Kuma's memories for the first time at Egghead is something that will really push her to maturity. And okay, let me explain what I mean by that. Had Kuma's letters actually reached Bonnie, she would have always been shielded by and from the tragedy that befell Kuma. She would have likely stayed at Sorbet Kingdom, reading Kuma's heartwarming letters, and while Kuma meant everything he said in those letters, Bonnie wouldn't have known what Kuma had to give up and what Kuma was longing for as he wrote those letters. Which I know is what Kuma intended for, but in a way, Alpha and the world government's interference could actually be seen as the catalyst for Bonnie's journey, which is what allowed her to experience Kuma's internal struggles and I mean all of them. And also, something else I appreciated was that this mix-up with the letters actually proved how much love there is between the father and daughter. Because although Bonnie was understandably upset and confused, you could also tell that she had a lot of trust in Kuma even when the letters never came, even when she didn't hear from him on her birthday. You could tell that despite her frustrated tears, there was still belief and love. And can I tell you that I am just so so glad that she found out this was all a misunderstanding and probably knows in the back of her mind that Kuma had been sending her letters all along. This is just something that I personally have with media, I just find it so upsetting when tragic misunderstandings never get resolved and this only leads to further heartbreaks and further complications. I just find myself screaming at the screen or at the book. It's all a misunderstanding, just clear it up. And I know that's the intended effect that the director or the author or whatever composer intends to leave on the audience, but I just feel like it always hits me harder than it should. So if Bonnie grew up hurt that Kuma never wrote to her, never knowing that he was actually writing to her almost every other day and then if this led to some sort of strife between them, that really would have flawed me. But I'm not going to dwell on the sadness of it all because I think we've endured pain enough and this chapter, it's time to celebrate. I mean, small girl packs a punch. Seeing Bonnie land a smack on Alpha, a cypher pole agent like that was just so so satisfying, especially after witnessing Alpha mocking Kuma's letters and ripping them into shreds just so heartlessly. And this punch in and of itself also holds so much meaning and weight. And on so many levels. Again, I know I'm sounding like a broken record here, but how does Oda find a way to deliver such simple scenes in a way that delivers so many layers? Firstly, this is a nine year old girl who has been able to take care of a cypher pole agent. And I'm sure we don't need a reminder of how much training a person undertakes in order to become and join the cypher pole ranks. And Alpha was a cypher pole eight, only one rank lower than the agents that the straw hats came across and struggled against during the water seven saga. So for Bonnie to face Alpha alone, that is huge. And I've said this before, we don't need to find out who Bonnie's father is, because Kuma has plenty proven himself to be father of the year. But her incredible strength and combat skills really does have you wondering, could her father have been a holy night? And I get that this isn't Bonnie fighting as a nine year old per se. This is her using a devil fruit that allows her to manipulate her age as well as her physique. But then it's also equally impressive that in just such a short amount of time, she's managed to hone her devil fruit abilities to this level to pull off such an attack, which brings us to the second layer. This is the distorted future Nika attack. And this just happens to parallel Luffy's gear third. Wow. There's just so much to unpack here. I don't even know where to begin. So this means that Kuma knew that Nika had rubbery properties. Does this mean that he recognized this in Luffy when he witnessed him? Is this why he went on to continue helping Luffy in his journey later on because he knew Luffy was Nika? I mean that certainly would explain the great level that Kuma went to to help Luffy and the crew, but we don't get a confirmation either way. Bonnie has seen Luffy fight, but it doesn't seem like she's put two and two together, even though she would have witnessed him in gear fifth form. Does anyone know if she's witnessed him in gear third or a gear third base attack? I suppose I could go and do the research but I'll leave that to you. We've also seen Luffy and Bonnie to share a number of qualities already, but this also just proves even their imaginations are similar. Because gear third is a feat that Luffy's been able to achieve out of his ingenious ways to use the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which just happens to be what Bonnie also imagines when she hears rubber attacks. But this panel is also a clear parallel of Luffy's victory against Luchi, the major cypher pole agent that stood in his way using the gear third attack. But it's also a clear parallel to the very beginning of Luffy's journey when he smacked the lord of the coast out of the way before he set off to see you. And so this is just such a symbolic panel that has you feeling so many feelings. I do feel like more sadness might be heading our way, something like Bonnie being upset because Kuma still doesn't want to see her even after she's escaped because he's afraid of what would happen to her still, or some other ill-fated circumstances that might keep them apart. But overall, I am really interested in seeing her journey from here to becoming a supernova. Was her high bounty just the result of the world government wanting her back in their control, or did she actually commit acts that warrant her supernova status? Because clearly, both options are plausible. Also, can I say that Connie is the absolute VIP for figuring all of this out and making sure that Bonnie could escape? They say that women's intuition is never wrong. And in this case, Connie was spot on, right down to keeping Bonnie's devil fruit on the down low. And I'm honestly surprised that that's something that Alpha and the other operatives didn't know of already, because I would have imagined that that's something that was disclosed during Bonnie's stay at Egghead. But hey, who cares? And now because she has proven herself to be the clever hawk, I am going to have to trust Connie's instincts here, but sending a nine-year-old child to the seas with men who can't even beat the nine-year-old girl in question in a sparring match, I have to say, that is wild. But times are dire, and this does seem to be the safest option for Bonnie. The chapter also filled in the gaps to provide a little bit more context as to when Vega Punk achieved his clone in Stussy, as well as separating his brain into the satellites. And I have to say that that is very impressive, because that's a lot of things that Vega Punk figured out and achieved in the span of less than a year. I'm a little apprehensive as to Vega Punk's words about Kuma not having the humanity to even hold back from killing a child. I mean, I hope that's not something that we will ever have to witness. And what choice words from Stussy there? The checkered fate of the cyborg turned human versus the human turned cyborg? I mean, this sort of checkered fate language is used to talk about the decline. And even if Kuma doesn't bear this initial, it's clear that he stands with the likes of Odin as figures who clearly should, or are deeply intertwined in the brilliant lore of it all. The whole crime of the Buccaneer race and being destined for slavery is something that's been on my mind since Saturn first mentioned it, just quietly gnawing at me at the back of my head for a couple of weeks, actually. So if you have any thoughts on that, or if you have any thoughts on this chapter or one piece, anything at all, let me know by leaving a comment below, because we do have a break next week, and I'd love to continue discussing one piece with you. I do suspect that Odin may try to wrap up Kuma's flashback by the end of 2023, so that either the last chapter of this year or the first chapter of next year will take us straight back into the action in the present. Maybe even with Kuma making his entrance, saving Luffy and Bonnie yet again. But anyways, thank you all for listening to another one of my ramblings. Make sure to comment, make sure to like, make sure to subscribe. Thank you to all of our Patreon and channel members for your continued support. This is Joygirl, and I'll see you again soon.