The Birth of Bonney

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At Revolutionary Army headquarters in Baltigo, the army requests backup because the Toomi uprising in the South Blue is looking bleak and their hands are full dealing with the wounded at Goa. Kuma immediately says, "I'll go," but Dragon warns him not to be rash, saying Kuma has been acting reckless ever since Ginny was captured. The flashback shows the army's growing revolution and then cuts to Ginny's fate. Dragon learns that Ginny was captured because she caught the eye of a Celestial Dragon. Kuma runs through a burning battlefield, people asking where he came from and calling him huge, while the weight of Ginny's abduction drives him forward.

The Revolutionary Army eventually wins after three years of struggle, and people cheer that they could not have done it without the revolutionaries. Yet Ginny remains absent. It is explained that the enemy took her by surprise again and that she had been taken on a Government ship because the Celestial Dragon wanted her as his bride. Two years pass after Commander Ginny's kidnapping. A call reaches Dragon: Ginny says it is her and apologizes, saying she will not be able to return by ship. She has won herself out and would love to return, while the revolutionaries beg her forgiveness. The victory of the people is undercut by the personal tragedy of Ginny's forced captivity.

Around two years after Ginny's kidnapping, the Revolutionary Army hears that she has returned near Sorbet. Someone rushes to Kuma, saying it is Ginny and that she is on the line right now. Ginny says she finally made it back to the surface, but also reveals that she was thrown away because the Celestial Dragons did not want her around after she got sick. Kuma panics, asking what she is talking about and where she is so he can be there in an instant. Ginny stops him, saying she wanted to see everyone one last time but that this call will have to be their goodbye. She is at death's door and tells Kuma she is glad he cares about her, but he should not come when she looks like this.

Ginny's final call continues through the rain. She tells Dragon and Ivankov that Kuma has a big heart and asks them to take care of him for her. Kuma races toward Sorbet while the others shout for him to get out of the way and say there is only one place she would go now. Ginny tries to tell Kuma something important: "Kumachi, I just want you to know... I love you...!!" Kuma arrives back at the church in Sorbet, but Ginny is already gone. The people call out that Kuma is back and ask where Ginny is, expecting her to be there. Instead, Kuma finds only the aftermath of her return and the child she left behind.

Kuma learns that Ginny is gone and that her condition was caused by exposure to natural light. Her face, and eventually her whole body, turned blue in the sun and her skin hardened like stone. Kuma weeps in the church and asks what he could have done to help her, remembering Ginny's dream of getting married to him and asking whether it would make him happy. Ginny burned up her remaining time by crossing the ocean and exposing herself to the sun so she could bring her baby back home. Kuma finds the infant crying near Ginny's body and understands that she wanted to protect the child's safety even as the disease killed her.

In the church, Kuma wraps the baby in a blanket and mourns Ginny. He tells her, "You can rest now, Ginny... I swear... I'll raise her well." Kuma breaks down crying beside Ginny's grave, then begins caring for the infant with the help of the villagers. The people fuss over baby Bonney, correcting Kuma when he tilts the bottle too much and telling him she looks uncomfortable. They say she is so cute and joke that they cannot have Kuma smushing her in his sleep with that massive body. The page turns Ginny's death into Kuma's new vow: he will become Bonney's father and give her the love and protection Ginny could not live to provide.

Bonney grows up in the church under Kuma's care. As a baby she is called a heavy drinker while gulping milk, and Kuma laughs that she will be just as much of a glutton as Ginny was. As a little girl she says she is still hungry, is praised by the villagers, and happily calls Kuma "Daddy!" Kuma feeds her, plays with her, and uses his paw power to keep the church lively while the townspeople adore her. Bonney's early childhood is full of food, affection, and small disasters, with Kuma smiling as he juggles fatherhood and care for the community. The page shows the happiness Ginny fought to bring home becoming real in Bonney's everyday life.

Kuma continues raising Bonney in the church, but one day the villagers notice a blue stone-like mark below her eye. Someone says it looks just like what Ginny had at the end. A doctor is called, and Kuma closes the door while the villagers wait anxiously outside. The doctor admits she is not familiar with the condition and says it does not seem to be white lead poisoning. When asked whether sunlight is the cause, she asks whether they are insane for suggesting they never take her outside. The worst fear is confirmed: Bonney contracted the same disease as her mother. Dragon visits or is contacted, and Kuma decides he must quit the Revolutionary Army and stay by Bonney's side, using Dragon's contacts to search the world for doctors.

Seven years ago, when Bonney is five, Kuma keeps her indoors because even standing near the doorway can give her painful "ouches." Bonney complains that Kuma is such a worrywart, but he tells her she cannot go outside. She tries to act brave and defends the church from local children, yelling, "And stay out, you twerps!" while they shout that the vampire is going to eat them. The kids mock her and hold up a holy cross as if she were a monster, but Bonney throws herself into the fight and even yells that they are in a church. Kuma runs in, calling for Bonney to stop, while the scene shows her courage and loneliness: she is bold enough to fight, but the world has already started treating her illness as something frightening.

Kuma gently treats Bonney's wounds and reminds her that she cannot go outside, because even the doorway can hurt her. Bonney says she was only joking and asks him not to get sad or worried, since she hates when he looks that way. Other children make fun of the blue stones on her face, but Bonney says she loves them, calling them her jewels. Kuma beams and says they are just jealous because she has such pretty jewelry. Bonney smiles and says he thinks so, and later Kuma asks where she would go if she were healthy enough to travel. She says she wants to go to the legendary sky islands, maybe close enough to the sun to see Nika, and Kuma says they can go to Fish-Man Island for her tenth birthday, like a grand adventure.

Kuma and Bonney dream about trips she will take once she is better. Kuma asks where she would like to go, and Bonney says she has heard about the legendary sky islands because there are islands way up in the air. Kuma plays along, saying the sky is close to the sun and maybe they will see Nika up there, and Bonney happily asks whether he would love that too. She also wants to go to Fish-Man Island, and Kuma says they can go there for her tenth birthday like a grand adventure. Then the doctor gives Kuma the diagnosis: Bonney suffers from Sapphire Scale. The stones on her body will grow when exposed to any natural light, even the moon, and even complete protection can only delay the disease.

The doctor tells Kuma the harsh truth: he is sorry to be blunt, but Bonney has another five years at best, and it will be a miracle if she reaches her tenth birthday. He says the disease is simply terminal given their current scientific understanding. Kuma listens outside the room and breaks down, saying it is not fair because Bonney is already growing into such a strong woman. Bonney overhears only part of the conversation and asks Kuma whether the doctor said her condition will continue until she is ten. She thinks the illness is only a temporary treatment plan and complains that it is an appalling amount of time, but says she could not help falling asleep after that. Kuma now has to answer a child's hopeful misunderstanding while knowing the real prognosis.

Bonney smiles brightly, believing that she will be cured by the time she is ten. She says that means she will be better then and can go on all the trips she and Kuma discussed. Kuma, panicked and heartbroken by the doctor's real words, forces himself to reassure her: "O-of course!! By the time you've turned 10, you'll be cured!!" Bonney cheers while Kuma silently wonders what he has done and what he is going to do. One year later, a familiar nightmare descends on the Kingdom of Sorbet. The people scream for Kuma to save them because King Becori has returned and is as monstrous as ever, still planning to cut loose the country's "deadweight" and burn people in their homes, just like sixteen years ago.

The final page frames Becori's return as the next disaster in Kuma's life. Bonney, still trapped indoors by Sapphire Scale, has just accepted Kuma's comforting lie that she will recover by her tenth birthday. Outside, the people of Sorbet cry out for Kuma because Becori has returned with the same cruelty as before, intent on cutting away the country's unwanted people and burning them in their homes. Kuma is forced back toward danger while carrying the impossible burden of Bonney's illness, Ginny's death, and his promise to protect the helpless. The closing caption says the never-ending tragedy continues to unfold, making clear that Kuma's brief peace as a father cannot survive World Government-backed oppression.

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