r/OnePiece • u/Kirosh2 Lookout • Dec 21 '23

Current Chapter One Piece: Chapter 1102 Spoiler

Chapter 1102: "The Life of Kuma"

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There is a break next week technically

Ch. 1102 Official Release (Mangaplus): 24/12/2023

Ch. 1103 Scan Release: ~30/12/2023

Please discuss the manga here and in the theory/discussion post. Any other post will be removed until 24h after the release.

Please also remember to put the chapter number in the title for any future post talking about this chapter.

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1.5k

u/teddy_tesla Dec 21 '23

Greatest backstory yet, I love the little intersections with Luffy's journey. And we finally have a reason behind his story changing actions. Another banger chapter

786

u/kontinuparadi Dec 21 '23

I like how heartbroken he is seeing Luffy helpless on helping his crew while he's saving them. It's so good!!

644

u/takato99 Dec 21 '23

That was so amazing to see his PoV of that moment. In the original story, we only see Luffy's helplessness and despair in front of the situation, but here we see the opposite PoV showing us how merciful & helpful it was from Kuma. They really were not ready for the new world and Kuma gave them exactly what they needed when they needed it... and they probably will never know it was intentional.

His selflessness & altruism are limitless

461

u/InsideYourWalls8008 Dec 21 '23

That and when he looked at Bonney for the last time through the restaurant window. That was also the same panel in which Bonney was first fully introduced.

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u/[deleted] Dec 21 '23

Side note, but I love the other people at the restaurante just being freaked out at the giant man suddenly looking through the window.

19

u/shitfuckshittingfuck Dec 21 '23

I mean, that’s understandable lol

3

u/FuggyGlasses Dec 22 '23

Bro..... lol

20

u/PsychoPass1 Dec 21 '23

Omg, circles closing left and right. It makes me so happy, that feel is so good when loose ends are actually being tied together REASONABLY. Thank you, Oda!!

16

u/OkAd3805 Dec 21 '23

i was getting tired of the flashback chapters but damn this man is a master. i don’t even mind anymore , this chapter is important as fuck to everything

88

u/alienx33 7D4W Dec 21 '23

They already know it’s intentional don’t they? They discussed that just after they met up post time skip.

75

u/TheRealKapaya Dec 21 '23

Yeah Franky brings it up after explaining that Kuma was defending the ship and they all realise he saves them that day.

24

u/TheMyst9701 Dec 21 '23

Well, in the very moment that happened nobody knew that they’d actually reunite.

For all they were concerned, they were witnessing Kuma kill their crew one by one, until they woke up and thought “if I survived, so did they, we can actually reunite”.

109

u/Nome_de_utilizador Dec 21 '23

Also how much did Kuma travel to know every island he sent the SH to being the perfect place for each individual to develop their skills

0

u/i-hate-bananas Dec 21 '23

I don't think he sent them with a specific island in mind. I think he sent them where they needed to be since they were ill equipped for new world. I think his DF powers don't have to be concrete locations. Probably just "send them where they can grow their strength and powers" or something like that

57

u/somersault_dolphin Dec 21 '23

Except it's shown that he visited those islands and interacted with the people there to find the way to cure Bonney. That's why he know the civilisation with extremely advance medical knowledge. The sky island with knowledge on weather. The island with weird plants and a guy who's knowledgable about them.

5

u/i-hate-bananas Dec 21 '23

but how would he know that each of those locations were the perfect places to send each crew member to get stronger? It seems farfetched that he knew each of their unique skills and what they needed to get stronger and send them to the specific island ideal for each of them.

it's possible that he can only send them to islands he visited but I think he doesn't have to specify a location to teleport someone there. Otherwise he would have had to plan to teleport them all along to help them get stronger for the new world.

12

u/Lordsokka Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 23 '23

As a revolutionary, pirate and warlord Kuma visited a lot of Islands and met will all sorts of unique characters. Using the knowledge he gained he theorized which island would help the Strawhats the most.

Kuma was very good at his job, let’s not underestimate him.

8

u/ApokalypticKing101 Dec 21 '23

I think once he's been somewhere he knows exactly how to teleport someone there. I don't think it's like send them somewhere they'll grow strong. It makes more sense he was interested in Luffy and his crew after Thriller Bark especially, and he took to the time to study them and know where would be best for them to grow individually.

1

u/pseudo_nemesis Dec 24 '23

He had already met them on Thriller Bark, so he made some good educated guesses based on that meeting I would guess

7

u/takato99 Dec 21 '23

As both a revolutionary and a pirate with a great traversal power, he probably visited hundreds and hundreds of islands, we were just specifically shown in the flashback the ones he'd eventually send the SH to. Also as showed in this chapter, he has a real respect for them ever since thriller bark, so maybe he actually did some research on them after that...

16

u/MemoryAggravating302 Dec 21 '23

They do know Kuma helped them. Franky explained it at the start of the timeskip

14

u/jaytix1 Dec 21 '23

Nah, they understood when they came back to Sabaody. They don't know WHY he did it, but they do acknowledge that he saved their lives.

8

u/Ginger_Anarchy Dec 21 '23

I love how his glasses look like normal glasses now, when in the past they looked like inhuman robot eyes.

2

u/DoggyER Dec 21 '23

I mean someone will get his memories at some point and surely tell luffy what kuma did and why. Expecting a big moment of realization from luffy and he would obviously treat Bonney like a friend from that point on

1

u/Shovels93 Dec 21 '23

I really hope Bonnie sticks around with the strawhats after this. At least for a little while. We need her to carry out Kuma’s will. Protect Nika and see him rise.

1

u/RobLuffy123 Dec 21 '23

Not to take away from what you said but the whole worst generation went straight to the new world and were fine for the most part for 2 years. I think the strawhats would have been okay

10

u/kanhaaaaaaaaaaaa The Revolutionary Army Dec 21 '23

Not someone with the ambitions which Strawhats have !!

11

u/BrenttheGent Dec 21 '23

Not really, most of them survived by joining yonkos and Luffy wouldn't.

5 supernovas forced to join kaido (well 1 is voluntary)

1 supernova joined big mom

1 supernova got captured by marines

1 supernova became a warlord

And ones just chilling in the clouds.

None of those are options for the straw hat crew.

And luffys second opponent in the new world was another logia and he hadn't developed haki yet.

3

u/Emptypiro Dec 21 '23

Apoo, Hawkins and Killer were forced to join Kaido. Drake joined willingly. Who's the fifth?

5

u/BrenttheGent Dec 21 '23

Kidd. I guess he's not acting on kaidos behalf but he joined kaido as a prisoner.

5

u/Emptypiro Dec 21 '23

Youre real loosey goosey with the word "join"

2

u/BrenttheGent Dec 21 '23

Well without context sure, but I wasn't that loose with it because I used the term "forced to join".

He was doing work for kaido in prison against his wishes. I don't think the wording is that much of a stretch.

I also already elaborated on the loose terminology as well.

If someone's like "you're either working for me as a soldier or as someone who pushed rocks" the situations aren't that different.

Anyways none of this matters to my original point. Even if Kidd wasn't a willing soldier of the beast pirates, he wasn't doing fine in the new world.

1

u/RobLuffy123 Dec 21 '23

Yeah but I think you are forgetting that happened after the two year time skip, (at least for two of them) not during it. Also with this timeline the way the story would have been told would be different. He could learn it on the go or not face a logia

2

u/Lordsokka Dec 23 '23

The members of the Worst Generation other than Black Beard made no progress in the New World and most of them were forced to ally with an Emperor of the Sea to survive.

Luffy and his crew on the other hand have conquered every obstacle they’ve faced in the New World, Kuma’s plan worked.

1

u/RobLuffy123 Dec 23 '23

Weren't only like 3 under the yonkou? Them not progressing really doesn't matter , they were still fine. Kidd is more reckless then Luffy and only lost a arm , he got caught by Kaido after two years had passed not during it

3

u/Lordsokka Dec 23 '23 edited Dec 24 '23

Let’s go through the list and analyze their feats for the last 2 years.

Big Mom: Capone joins the family and becomes a servant. Urouge is forced to run away from the BM pirates and remains irrelevant. He has yet to show up in any meaningful way since the time skip.

Kaido: Hawkins, X-Drake and Apoo are forced join the crew to save themselves. For Drake you could argue it’s part of his plan, hard to say. Kidd and Killer are forced to join and/or taken prisoner after they are trashed by Kaido, their journey was effectively ended until Luffy and Law showed up.

Blackbeard: Bonney is captured by BB like day 1 and then forced to go on the run for 2 years.

So yes some of them were “fine” for a while, but they made absolutely no progress whatsoever in becoming the Pirate King or achieving any of their dreams. They just fucked around at the beginning of the New World for 2 years and did nothing meaningful.

Only Luffy, Zoro and technically Law who decided to hold back and try a different path for a few years have achieved continued success since entering the New World. Not counting Blackbeard since he was already in different tier of power compared to everybody else.

4

u/Bighollab0 Dec 21 '23

Right the fact that he knows Luffy will save the world and bring down the World Government because he is Nika was such a cool revelation I always assumed it was just because he was Dragon's son that he let them live all those times

1

u/Backupusername Dec 22 '23

Stunning to see that scene play out again, knowing now that it was two different tragedies at once.

Minimum.

205

u/Every-Ad-2099 Dec 21 '23 edited Dec 21 '23

Seeing his faith in Luffy was honestly one of the most touching things in the manga I've ever seen. Deciding to help Luffy and enable his growth because Luffy reminded him so much of the legends of Nika that inspired him as a child — completely unaware that the man he chose to save truly was Nika all along.

Part of me wishes that Kuma does regain his personality and sense of self this arc, so he can see Gear 5 and realize his dream has finally come true.

29

u/Shagyam Dec 21 '23

Even if it comes at the end of his life, just a brief moment of consciousness where he can Thank/see Luffy and hug Bonney.

24

u/[deleted] Dec 21 '23

[deleted]

9

u/ironicfuture Dec 21 '23

Yeah. Oda is gonna make him use the switch for one second, so he can see Luffy being Nika. Then he we will die.

Poor Kuma, I hope he at least will die with a smile on his face. If he truly died in this chapter that is so dark it is hard to comprehend. :(

7

u/Starob Dec 22 '23

It being connected to the self destruct would make sense since Saturn wouldn't touch it.

3

u/Kuliyayoi Dec 22 '23

Chekovs gun. No reason for oda to make that panel if the switch doesnt come into play later. It absolutely exists.

2

u/Shovels93 Dec 21 '23

As much as I want that, I’m pretty sure that will has been passed on to Bonnie now. Just like with so many others who couldn’t live to see their dreams come to fruition. I hope Bonnie rides with the SHs for a little while after seeing Kuma’s memories and witnessing G5 soon.

7

u/Elune_ Dec 21 '23

It is also nice seeing the journey of the Strawhats from the eyes of someone who had clearly been helping them behind the scenes for a long time. It puts things into perspective that everything wasn't just conveniently placed, but that each character had a motive to be where they were at that given place.

2

u/goody153 Dec 22 '23

Greatest backstory yet

Now I just want justice. Lets goooo stomp some spider !

2

u/tokyogodfather2 Jan 01 '24

IKR? I always wondered how Goda would justify Kuma’s apparently mixed message actions, and his holier than thou image. Goda delivers yet again.