I am back in the Sabaody Archipelago—the place where my journey in this world truly began.
I walk freely through the streets, without disguises, without hiding my face. Despite my fame, no one recognizes me, no one looks away or even suspects my presence. It's no coincidence. It's magic. A small application of selective perception enchantment: people simply ignore me — but only those I want them to.
Today, I didn't come here to fight, kill, or cause a commotion. My presence in Sabaody has another purpose. Something simpler... and more human.
I came to do a good deed.
I came for a man who has known suffering from the moment he breathed in this world.
Bartholomew Kuma.
A man broken, used, betrayed, and disfigured by those who should have protected him. A king turned into a weapon.
Even so... he remained standing.
There are few people in the world for whom I feel genuine respect—and Kuma is one of them.
And if I can, even for a moment, give him something that the world has denied him...
Happiness.
Then it's worth straying from my path.
"I can't believe all that happened here in Sabaody."
"An execution of a Celestial Dragon... The world is really going to be turned upside down."
"Have you noticed that no Tenryuubito have come down from Mariejois since then? They're scared to death!"
"Hahaha! Times are changing!"
Wherever I walked, I heard whispers. Civilians of all ages commented with sparkling eyes on what I had done—the public execution of a Celestial Dragon and the humiliation imposed on Sharlia. It was as if the world had finally awakened from a long nightmare. The fear that the government had cultivated for centuries was beginning to crumble, and they were so excited that they could faint from excitement.
But not everyone shared the same hope.
"Why are you happy? This is terrible for us!"
"The Celestial Dragons will retaliate, and it's the common people who will pay the price. That boy... that Jason... he's just another outlaw. He doesn't care about us."
"Shut up, coward!" someone retorted, fury in their eyes.
"We've always been the ones who suffer. The World Government, the Navy... they never protected us. When my daughter was taken as a slave by a Tenryuubito, I begged for help right here in Sabaody. Do you know what I got? Kicks. Laughter. I was treated like trash. I'd rather trust Jason — someone who did what no one else ever had the courage to do."
"That's right!" said another. "Even without strength, I will fight. Even if it's the last thing I do!"
The island was boiling with emotion. There were still the fearful, the skeptical, the cautious. But the seed had been planted. The people weren't just awakening — they were on the verge of exploding.
I was just the spark.
The fire was already there, burning silently for centuries.
Now, with a figure strong enough to face the gods, the people had someone to believe in.
As I continued walking with a destination in mind, I noticed strange movement in an abandoned house. Ignoring the walls, I saw a girl pacing back and forth with an anxious expression. She had pink hair and kiss-shaped lipstick on her lips.
jewelry bonney
I smiled slightly when I saw her here in Sabaody, probably still wanting to watch the broadcast of the war of the best. The worst generation had it easy with my appearance in this world, since Kizaru didn't have much time to play with them.
"Let's visit this little girl."
**
Bonney paced back and forth, restless, as if the floor would collapse at any moment. Her mind was swirling with confused thoughts, incomplete plans, and painful doubts. Each step echoed her anxiety, each breath was heavy.
Her crew was missing.
Since that cruel attack by the Pacifistas, she had no news of them. Those damn...
Pacifistas who bore her father's face.
Just remembering it made her stomach churn. The same man she loved, whom she tried to save, was now being used as a model for monsters of metal and destruction. Cold, lethal weapons of war, devoid of soul—but with Kuma's face.
Her eyes began to water. The pain was silent, but deep.
Her father was dying... slowly, slowly, being erased from the inside out. And she didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to stop it. The helplessness ate away at her like poison.
She was a pirate. A supernova. A captain.
But at that moment, she felt like a lost little girl, watching everything fall apart around her.
"Look who we have here... Jewelry Bonney, a supernova."
The voice came like a soft thunder behind her—firm, magnetic, unmistakable. Bonney jumped and turned around, her heart racing.
Her eyes widened. A glimmer of fear passed through them.
There, standing before her with a casual smile on his face, was the man who had turned the world upside down. The one who had executed a Celestial Dragon live on television. The most feared and wanted name of the moment—Jason D. Winchester.
He stared at her as if it were just another ordinary afternoon, as if he hadn't shaken the pillars of the World Government.
What was a monster like him doing there... with her?
"Unlucky is an understatement..." she thought, swallowing hard.
Breathe, Bonney. There's still time. If he approaches me distracted, maybe I can use my powers... If I turn him into a baby or a senile old man, I can escape. That's right... I just need to—
"You're thinking too much, pirate. And you haven't even said hello? How rude."
Jason interrupted her thoughts as he approached with calm but intimidating steps.
Bonney took a step back, tense.
"N-no, it's not that, Jason-san... It's just that..."
She stammered. Talking to someone so powerful required a lot of focus, and he had appeared out of nowhere, doubling her tension.
"Haha, you're kind of cute, girl."
Jason smiled and reached out, placing his hand on Bonney's head—completely ignoring the cunning gleam that appeared in her eyes.
That was the last straw.
With a quick movement, Bonney grabbed his wrist.
"Hahaha! You lost, sucker! Let's see if you're still all-powerful as a one-year-old baby or a ninety-year-old man!"
She smiled triumphantly, already imagining the headlines. The pirate who defeated the most dangerous man in the world.
Silence.
Nothing happened.
Her smile faded. Her eyes widened.
Jason just raised an eyebrow and laughed.
"You really are a pirate of the Worst Generation... You can't let your guard down for even a second with people like you."
He sneered, watching Bonney freeze, staring at her own hand as if it were broken.
"H-how? Why didn't my power... work?"
"And you really wanted to turn me into a baby? Then into a senile old man? Tsk, what a mean girl, Jewelry Bonney."
He approached her again. Bonney backed up until her back hit the wall. She was cornered.
"W-wait... it was just a joke! I wasn't really going to..."
Jason didn't say anything right away. He just watched her silently.
"What should I do with you now, huh?"
His voice was calm, but there was something in his tone that sent a chill down her spine.
Bonney closed her eyes tightly. That was it. She had messed with the wrong person. Outlaw or not, he didn't seem like the forgiving type.
But then...
She felt his hand lightly rest on her head again.
"...As punishment..." Jason said, smiling, "...I'm going to tell you a story."
Bonney was confused. She thought he was going to kill her... or do something worse. But all he wanted was to tell her a story?
"...A story?"
"Yes."
I snapped my fingers, and two comfortable armchairs appeared around us.
Bonney was still suspicious, but there wasn't much she could do—she was in my hands. After hesitating for a moment, she ended up sitting down, still on alert. She waited silently, trying to understand what I intended to do.
"This is the story of the boy who dreamed of being like Joy Boy."
The title alone was enough to grab her attention. I glanced at her and noticed that her eyes were fixed on me.
I could have simply shown her her father's memories directly... But Bonney was too shaken. I didn't want to break her childish mind—a mind that, despite appearances, was still that of a ten-year-old girl.
Like Robin, Bonney was torn from her childhood. Both should have lived protected, surrounded by love, but were thrown into a cruel and indifferent world.
In Bonney's case, it all started with an agreement—a silent pact between Bartholomew Kuma and the World Government. He knew exactly what he was getting himself into... but he chose it. For the love he felt for his daughter, he chose to lose himself so that she could live.
Even toned down, the story was profound. Full of pain, hope, despair, and sacrifice.
It took me over two hours to finish it.
By the time I reached the end, Bonney was already devastated.
Her transformation undone, I now held a real little girl in my arms. Crying. Sobbing. With her face buried in my chest.
I gently stroked her hair, holding her firmly, waiting for the turmoil to pass.
"Damn World Government... damn Navy... damn Vegapunk... damn Gorosei..."
"You're a lucky girl, Bonney."
I said with a gentle smile.
"Not all parents would make such a huge sacrifice for their children."
She lifted her little head and looked at me with teary, shining eyes.
"Y-you're at war with the World Government, right? Are you... going to destroy them?"
I nodded affirmatively.
"C-can you help my dad?"
"That's why I came back here, little girl. I have genuine respect for your father. For the man he is and what he did for you."
Bonney smiled shyly but sincerely. Knowing that someone like Jason respected her father was a huge comfort.
"Ah... and before you start hating Vegapunk... I need to tell you something."
She pouted. But this time, she didn't argue. She just listened to me—like an obedient little girl.
"Vegapunk isn't the villain in this story. Being the smartest man in the world, the World Government would never let him go free. Either he worked for them... or he would be killed. It's that simple. In fact, it's thanks to him that your father was able to keep his emotions and part of his free will for so long."
Bonney's eyes widened.
"Vegapunk and Kuma are friends. He did what he could, the way he could. And if the world were different... maybe the two of them could have changed it together."
I spent a few more hours with Bonney, asking her if she wanted to leave Sabaody and where she wanted to go. She said she wanted to see her father, but it wasn't a good time for that and that she would be able to see him again soon.
After saying goodbye to Bonney, I wasted no time.
I teleported directly to the forest where the Thousand Sunny was hidden, with Bartholomew Kuma sitting in front of the ship, motionless like a statue on eternal watch.
As soon as I arrived, I noticed traces of attacks around me—some pirates had already tried to approach the ship. With a simple thought, I unleashed my Haoshoku Haki. A wave of pure will crushed the environment, knocking down all the invaders in the blink of an eye. Silence reigned once again.
I walked towards Kuma.
He watched me calmly, his robotic eyes dull... but not empty. Something still remained there.
"...Jason D. Winchester... Why did you come back here?"
He asked in his deep, drawling voice. Even though his soul was fading, he hadn't been completely erased—not yet.
"Bartholomew Kuma," I said, snapping my fingers once more.
A dimensional barrier spell activated around us, completely isolating the space. A perfect copy of the forest was created in a parallel dimension—a reflection of the real world where no one could hear, see, or interfere with us.
Kuma's instincts awakened for a brief moment, I felt his guard go up, but he didn't attack. He just stood there, watching. Analyzing.
"I didn't come here to fight you, just to talk."
I materialized a comfortable armchair and sat down calmly, keeping my gaze fixed on him.
"As you may have guessed, I am at war with the World Government. And in this war, only one side will emerge victorious."
Kuma remained silent, like a mountain listening to the wind — unshakable, but attentive.
"I am not Joy Boy..."
My voice sounded firm, without hesitation.
"...But I will be the one to free this world from tyranny. I will be the storm that sweeps away the thrones of heaven."
There was a slight gleam in Kuma's eyes. Perhaps recognition... perhaps hope.
"I don't intend to do this alone. I will ally myself with your leader, Dragon. The man who had the courage to stand up against the world.
An alliance between me and the revolutionaries may well be the final blow that the government will not be able to withstand."
I waited.
Kuma remained motionless, but now... his fingers moved discreetly. He was sensing something.
I knew it.
He was still in there.
And I was here to bring him back.