Low-ranking Marines are ordered to stay back while the Vice and Rear Admirals hold their ground. They’re told it’s because they’re not “worthy” of being near Saturn. Some Marines are shocked when he shows up, while others get ready to shoot Bonney for stabbing him. Saturn tells them to stand down, saying if he didn’t want to get stabbed, he would’ve dodged. He knocks Bonney off with something from his eyes, grabs her, and pulls the sword out. Sanji tries to jump in but gets hit by the same attack and goes down. Saturn’s wound heals instantly, which stuns Franky.
A few Marines try to capture Dr. Vegapunk in the chaos, but Saturn stops them, saying there’s nowhere left to run. He then calls out Kizaru for taking too long. Kizaru weakly apologizes, saying he can’t move right now. Saturn seems to get it and heads straight for Luffy, trying to stab him with one of his legs. Franky saves Luffy just in time with a Strong Right and pulls him back. Saturn admits the Straw Hats are strong, and Franky laughs that it’s wild even the top dogs want Luffy gone.
Saturn says Luffy and Bonney being on Egghead wasn’t part of the plan, but now they’re surrounded and the island’s about to fall. Still, he wants to see them try and escape. He tells Vegapunk he’s disappointed in his “betrayal” but thanks him for what he’s done. Then he says he wants everyone there to die painfully for going against the World Government. He questions why humans always do what they’re told not to. While he’s saying all this, he tightens his grip on Bonney. She’s in pain, but no one can help—Saturn’s keeping everyone down, and Vegapunk thinks it’s because of his Devil Fruit.
Kuma’s Pasts
Bonney confronts Saturn, accusing him of killing her father. Saturn responds by revealing that Kuma was born a slave and part of the Buccaneers, a group he says committed a terrible crime. According to him, they’ve all gone extinct—Kuma was the last. Saturn lifts Bonney into the air and orders the Marines to shoot her. Sanji and Vegapunk shout for him to stop. In that moment, Bonney remembers a time when Kuma told her he wanted to be a hero like Nika, someone who saves people from suffering. She asks if Nika would save her too, and Kuma says yes—he will.
Then the flashback begins—47 years ago in the Sorbet Kingdom. Kuma is born to Clapp, a Buccaneer, and a human woman. Even though Clapp tried to protect him, the World Government found out about their bloodline. They were all captured and turned into slaves for the Celestial Dragons. Kuma was forced into hard labor and constantly beaten. One day, Clapp told him his mother had died. Kuma broke down, but Clapp comforted him by saying the Warrior of Liberation, Nika, would save him one day, so he had to hold on. He danced and sang the rhythm of Nika’s heartbeat to lift Kuma’s spirits—but the guards shot and killed him for making too much noise.
Genocide at God Valley
A few years later in West Blue, the World Nobles held their usual tournament—every three years they wipe out an entire island’s population. That time, they chose God Valley, a place not tied to the World Government and hated by the Nobles just for its name. The plan was to kill everyone on the island, including some slaves who had become inconvenient, and then take the land and its resources for the World Government. The king tried to stop them, but Figarland Garling killed him. He took a big deduction for it but said it would give the others a fair handicap.
Saturn was there too. During the event, he got word that Kuma had been caught trying to escape. But it turned out other slaves had helped him and said if he ran, they’d all be killed. Before anything else could happen, young Emporio Ivankov and Ginny showed up. Ivankov spotted Kuma and said he’d heard that buccaneers had giant blood. Then he told Kuma he planned to live on—and asked if Kuma would too.
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