Ginny

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Eight years after the God Valley incident, thirty years ago, Kuma lives in the Kingdom of Sorbet in the South Blue as Pastor Bartholomew Kuma, now seventeen years old. Days and months pass as villagers come to his church begging, "Please help me, Kumachi!" Kuma has stayed there since around age nine, after Ginny disappeared on him, and the townspeople are comforted to see him grow into a sweet boy. His miracle hands remove pains and mild illnesses, and people shout with relief that their hips and arms feel better, blessing his hands while crowding him for help. Kuma warns that there are hardly any young people left in the country and that the days are getting poorer and poorer, so he limits the healings to Sundays only, even as the villagers beg for another chance.

Ginny, now twenty-one, storms into the church and scolds the old women for freeloading, telling them to quit asking for even more help and reminding them that the place is not a nursing home. The elders tease that they have gotten the attention of Little Miss Cheapskate and joke about the many suitors knocking at her door. Kuma quietly says she is too kind, and the others agree that none of the old women have a chance with Kumachi because they only look at his calm face for comfort. Ginny admits that they would love to donate more and support Kuma, but everyone has been struggling just to meet the Celestial Tribute recently. She then asks whether Kuma has heard about their new king.

The villagers say King Becori is a cold-hearted monster, hell-bent on paying the Celestial Tribute, without caring whether the old or sick are too poor to contribute. One acquaintance of theirs starved to death in jail, and the people fear that if they cannot pay, they will be locked up too. Ginny calls the king worse than a cheapskate, saying he will not even feed his prisoners and is happy to bend over backward for the Celestial Dragons. Kuma says he can remove any pain or mild illness they need him to, as long as they visit every week. He uses his Paw-Paw power to draw their suffering from their bodies, and a huge bubble of accumulated pain appears inside the church while people outside thank Kumachi.

Once Kuma has removed everyone's pain, he takes the burden into himself. He grabs the paw-shaped mass and endures it alone, screaming as the accumulated suffering floods through his body. Outside, the church shakes and Ginny hears him cry out, realizing that the pain does not simply disappear. The villagers say Kuma keeps doing this week after week, even though he has no idea how much pain he is taking on. Ginny stands with tears in her eyes, and Kuma later tells her it cannot be helped: if someone does not shoulder their burdens, that pain and suffering will not just vanish. More than anything, he is glad he can do something to help them feel happier.

Kuma apologizes to Ginny for putting her through the worry, promising he will get tougher so she will not have to be concerned. Ginny says that is not the point, but dinner soon softens the mood as she announces they have a little food as thanks and tells everyone to eat up. Years pass. Twenty-five years ago, when Kuma is twenty-two, Ginny stands outside the church and loudly proposes: "Hey, Kumachi, let's get married!!" Kuma panics, saying they cannot, and Ginny snaps that he loves her and should just admit it. He thinks about marriage and answers that he is sure he would be happy, but he does not want to make her unhappy.

Kuma explains why he refuses Ginny's proposal: he is the one with Buccaneer blood, and he does not want Ginny or a future child to suffer because of him. Ginny urges him to take her instead if danger comes, saying she is normal and begging him to let her and her son go in his imagined scenario, but Kuma cannot bear the thought of making her unhappy. He says he wants to head out to sea one day and dedicate his life to saving people too. Ginny recognizes the source of his dream when he speaks of Dragon. Kuma says Dragon is cool, like a hero. Elsewhere, after many countries riot because of an article about freedom fighters, the group led by Dragon and Ivankov becomes a growing symbol of resistance. Ginny later comes home with food, and Kuma happily thanks a fishmonger.

Twenty-two years ago, when Kuma is twenty-five, something major happens in the Kingdom of Sorbet. In the castle town, people beg Kumachi to save them after King Becori's new law threatens the southern province. Kuma confronts the royal army, asking whether they are planning to enslave the people and saying he will not let it pass. The soldiers call him a rebel and attack, but he blasts them away with his paw power. Becori complains that the people may find the policy hard to swallow now, but that it will soon be normal to treat the southerners as vermin. The king's new policy cuts the borders of Sorbet at the edge of the northern province, claiming the south is full of old fossils who weigh the nation down and must be removed so the fit can thrive.

A map of Sorbet shows the castle town in the north, Kuma's church and the old folks' village in the south, and the southern region labeled as lawless land after Becori's border policy. Kuma, Ginny, and others are arrested and thrown in jail. Ginny asks what made the guards arrest Kuma too, and the old people admit they raised hell trying to free Kumachi but got beaten in the end. In the cell, Becori's policy has turned the poor, sick, and elderly into disposable people. Kuma and Ginny are trapped alongside the very villagers he had spent years healing, making the law a direct attack on the church community that depended on him.

The jail breaks open when Monkey D. Dragon and Emporio Ivankov arrive. Ivankov calls Kuma "big bro" and teases him for being in the neighborhood, while Dragon says the rampage proves Kuma has gotten himself caught again. Ginny instantly recognizes Dragon and says his words still sting, while the nation outside erupts in rebellion. King Becori is exposed as a Celestial Dragon puppet, and his new policy is said to have come from on high. When he tries to flee, Dragon's group stops him, saying they will not let him escape. The king is overthrown, his slavery laws are ended, and the mysterious band saves Sorbet from World Government corruption. The freedom fighters then become the Revolutionary Army, with Dragon and Ivankov recruiting Kuma to their cause.

The Revolutionary Army is still poor and short on funds, so Dragon explains that for now they must act like mercenaries, supporting those who already have the will to topple monarchs and fueling their rebellious spirits. He wants every recruit drilled in weapons training so the group can grow into a boundless army spread throughout the world. Kuma asks where Dragon learned about weapons, and Dragon admits he spent time with the Navy but found no justice there. He tells Kuma, "You can rely on me, Dragon! You won't regret joining us!" Kuma answers that he will be coming home every now and then because he worries about the people in Sorbet. Ginny calls him sweet, and the narration says another eight years pass as the sun continues to rise and set like normal.

Fourteen years ago, in a certain kingdom, Ginny is now captain of the Revolutionary Army's eastern forces. She sits with a rifle and food, saying it is obvious she is excited because they are so close to linking up with Kumachi's squadron that she can hardly breathe. Her comrades tease that Captain Kuma is the lucky dog who won the heart of the lady they all admire, and Ginny tells them their words still sting when they call her gross for admiring him. The mood breaks at Revolutionary headquarters in Baltigo when a frantic call reaches Dragon. The report says, "Ginny's been captured!!" The enemy took her by surprise, and the chapter ends with Dragon grimly absorbing the news as the army apologizes for failing to protect her.

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