Warning: The following contains spoilers for chapter 1095 of One Piece, "A World Where You're Better Off Dead," by Eiichiro Oda, translated by Stephen Paul, and lettered by Vanessa Satone, now available in English from MangaPlus.

Oda just went and beyond in the Final Saga of One Piece and delivered what could be considered to be one of the very best chapters in the entire series and, undoubtedly, the very best in the final saga of One Piece so far. One Piece chapter 1095 explored the past of Bartholomew Kuma, who fans know to be an extremely important character in the final saga.

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Kuma has been a massive mystery for quite a long time in One Piece and this chapter of the story finally dove deep into his character and started his story for good. At the same time, there were many other major revelations in the chapter, along with the exploration of some massively important places, such as God Valley.

Saturn's Deadly Powers Revealed

One Piece chapter 1095 was always going to explore the powers of Saturn and fans fully expected him to showcase more of what he could do. Oda delivered on that and did so in quite some fashion, and this was needed, especially after he was stabbed by Bonney. Saturn was largely unconcerned about the stab wound that he received. In fact, he retaliated by using his power to blow off people's heads once again. When it hit Bonney, it certainly did not kill her, however, it did cause her a great deal of damage. Although Sanji tried to interfere, he was knocked back with the same power, showcasing that this ability can even work on someone as strong as a mighty Yonko Commander.

As for Saturn, this display was much needed, given that he's a monstrous new power that is only being introduced to One Piece now and to get a proper idea of how strong he is, displays such as this one were absolutely needed. Fans also got to see more of his powers as he revealed the ability to freeze his enemies by using some unseeable force. He used these powers on all of his enemies, such as Sanji, Vegapunk, and even Franky. To them, it felt as if some massive force was pinning them down and keeping them from moving. The implications for this are huge, given that it suggests that he can even take care of someone as strong as a powerful Yonko Commander without even lifting a finger.

That just goes to show how incredibly powerful those sitting at the top of the world truly are. His incredible healing factor was also showcased in One Piece chapter 1095. After he dislodged the sword from his body, the wound disappeared in a second and this incredible healing factor just goes to show that he is truly a monster in combat indeed. However, the best part of the chapter was certainly not concerning Saturn but it surrounded the story of Kuma, who fans know is a beloved character.

Kuma's Story On Sorbet Kingdom – 47 Years Ago

As Saturn prepared to kill Bonney, fans finally got to see the flashback of Bartholomew Kuma. Bonney experienced this entire story recently after she walked into his memory bubble. As Luffy put it a few chapters ago, Bonney was crying for the entire night when she watched the story unfold in front of her and it was quite clear to see why since this is, hands down, the saddest flashback in the entirety of One Piece. The flashback that Oda started in One Piece chapter 1095 documents the entire life of Bartholomew Kuma in which he lived in slavery. Kuma was born 47 years ago in the Sorbet Kingdom to the King of the place. Immediately after he was born, the doctor confirmed that he carried the blood of a special race.

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This blood was not of the human race and, as fans know, Kuma is not human either. Instead, he is of the Buccaneer race, which was revealed to fans in One Piece chapter 1095 for the very first time. This Buccaneer race, from the looks of it, committed some criminal act against the World Government long ago. This act was not revealed, however, fans can connect the dots and assume that they were allied with the Ancient Kingdom and fought against the 20 Kings. The Buccaneer race were completely eradicated, however, the king of Sorbet Kingdom was the last known survivor.

It appears that he had done incredibly well to hide himself, however, reports about Kuma's blood were somehow leaked and the World Government finally found them, taking the entire family as slaves back to the Holy Land of Marijoa.

Kuma spent his entire life in slavery right from the moment when he was born. In slavery, this family lived a very terrible life, where they were constantly beaten and abused and treated like they were not even living beings. Kuma's mom died in chains quite early and this broke both his dad, as well as him. Of course, Kuma's father did what he could to make sure that his child did not suffer all the time. He told him about the legend of Nika. It appears that the Buccaneer race always believed in Nika and, just like many other slaves in the world, held the thought that Nika would one day come and liberate them. However, it wasn't long after he shared the legend with his son that he was shot in the head and he died as well. Kuma then spent 9 more years as a slave there until he was finally taken to God Valley one day, where he attempted to escape.

The Festival On God Valley – 38 Years Ago

One Piece chapter 1095 then took the fans to God Valley, 38 years ago. Fans know that this is the same year during which the God Valley Incident took place and it is quite clear that it happened around the same time as when Kuma was there. Fans fully expect this flashback to be an incredible one, covering some major events from the past of the One Piece world. Flashbacks have always been some of the very best parts of One Piece and that continues here in what could end up being the very best flashback in the entire series.

In God Valley, 38 years ago, it was announced that the Celestial Dragons were holding one of their people-killing competitions. Essentially, every 3 years, they pick a random island that is unaffiliated with the World Government and hold a competition to wipe out its entire population, cleansing the island for good. All the people there are murdered by the Celestial Dragons and whoever kills the most is crowned as the Champion of the place. The island is then assimilated into the World Government and likely becomes their territory. In God Valley, things were no different and they began the hunt for all the people for sport. The King of God Valley was killed by none other than Saint Garling, whom fans were introduced to not so long ago. Fans know that Saint Garling will be focused quite heavily on God Valley and that is certainly incredibly interesting to see.

Most importantly, Kuma's story continued on this island as well and it was revealed that he managed to escape. This connects well to the first time that fans saw a glimpse of Kuma's past where he was trying to escape but was brought back by other slaves. However, One Piece chapter 1095 expanded on that and showed that the slaves failed to take him back to the Celestial Dragons, thanks to two other slaves who were present on the scene, Emporio Ivankov and Ginny. Fans know that Kuma and Ivankov were best friends and their relationship will be explored from here onwards. This flashback is off to a phenomenal start and fans can only hope that the chapters following will live up to these standards.

One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1095, is set to be October 15, 2023.

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