Highlights

The Kuma flashback in One Piece has revealed Kuma's motivations for separating the Straw Hat Pirates on Sabaody two years ago.
Kuma saved Luffy because he believed Luffy could be the legendary warrior Nika and the future savior of the world.
Luffy is now ready to prove his worth and lead the Egghead incident, which will shake the world in the upcoming chapters of the Egghead Island arc.

This article covers the events of One Piece 1102.

One Piece has started the Final Saga with a bang, with Egghead Island being an incredible arc that keeps on getting better as the Kuma flashback gets explored more. Finally, with One Piece chapter 1102, the flashback has now come to an end and the events of the Egghead Island arc are now going to be focused on the Egghead War once again.

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Before the flashback concluded, fans found out quite a lot of intriguing information about the character of Kuma. His entire life was flashing before his eyes before this incredible flashback finally concluded and, among the many big revelations that were made, it was also explained why he separated the Straw Hat Pirates on the island of Sabaody, two years prior to the current events of the One Piece story.

How Kuma Separated The Straw Hats On Sabaody

Sabaody Archipelago Arc is considered to be one of the most tragic ones in One Piece and this is largely down to the fact that the Straw Hat Pirates were utterly destroyed on this island. Known to be the last island that any crew heads to in the Paradise half of the Grand Line before moving on to the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates arrived on Sabaody with great ambition and the goal was to go to Fishman Island, which, of course, was the bridge between the Paradise and the New World. Of course, things went south quickly for the crew after Luffy punched a celestial dragon for shooting Hachi, his dear friend. This caused quite a commotion on the island and resulted in Admiral Kizaru coming over to take care of Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates.

The crew could have faced utter annihilation at the hands of Kizaru and Sentomaru had it not been for Kuma. Of course, at the time, fans did not know the Kuma was actually saving the crew. He arrived on the island and used the power of his incredible Devil Fruit to completely wipe out the crew, splitting them up and sending them to different locations in the world. This, in effect, marked the end of the Straw Hat Pirates since they were fully separated and did not reunite for two more years. Upon returning, fans found out that Kuma was protecting the Thousand Sunny for the Straw Hat Pirates and, at the same time, it was also revealed that this incredible character might have had underlying motivations for separating the crew the way that he did. Finally, One Piece has now revealed why he did what he did 2 years ago.

Kuma's Knowledge Of Luffy Being Nika

Kuma separating the Straw Hat Pirates was the only option that he had back during the Sabaody Archipelago arc and much of that is down to two main reasons. The first reason is that Luffy is the son of Dragon and, for Kuma, saving him would be an obligation, just as it was an obligation for Ivankov to help him during the Impel Down arc and, later, ensure his safety during the Paramount War arc. However, the biggest reason why Kuma saved Luffy was because he is Nika. Kuma saw Luffy training on a few occasions and realized that he had the power of the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

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Kuma himself has deep knowledge of lore about Nika and knows that he is a legendary warrior with a rubbery body who fights with great freedom and does anything one can think of. Kuma, in One Piece chapter 1102, clearly mentions that he believes that Luffy could be Nika and he draws a comparison between these two. This is especially true because Luffy opposed the World Government, just as Nika would have done. As such, for Kuma, saving Luffy became imperative because according to him, Luffy would be the man who would, one day, go on to save the entire world.

Why Kuma Saved The Straw Hat Pirates

Luffy Fighting Kuma At Sabaody ONE PIECE 1102

In One Piece chapter 1102, it was finally clarified why Kuma separated the Straw Hat Pirates and, in doing so, saved the crew. Once Kuma sent away Luffy's crew members, fans could see Luffy cry in front of the Buccaneer. Kuma thought inwardly about what he was doing and explained why he was doing it.

While Luffy was crying because he couldn't save even a single friend because of his weakness, Kuma believed that to not be true. According to him, Luffy was strong, however, he wasn't ready for the New World just yet and he was rushing things quite a lot. Kuma wanted Luffy to wait until he was properly ready for the New World and strong enough to face its many terrors.

As a result, to make sure that Luffy was fully ready and equipped with whatever he needed to face the treacherous sea called the New World, he split the Straw Hat Pirates and delayed their entry to the most dangerous sea in the One Piece world. The Straw Hat Pirates and the fans, at the time, perceived this as an act of villainy by Kuma, however, it was actually a very smart move from him. This just goes to show how deeply Kuma cares about Luffy and also that he believes him to be the savior of the entire world, that is, Nika reborn. While Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates were training, Kuma used his body to shield their home, the Thousand Sunny, from anyone who would seek to harm it.

Luffy As The Savior Of The World

Luffy Nika Gear 5 Oda Freedom One Piece 1103

It is clearer now than ever before that Luffy is Nika, thanks to the Devil Fruit Awakening that he underwent during the events of the Wano War. Luffy is now freer than ever before, thanks to his Gear 5 and, Kuma's hunch that Luffy was the savior of the world turned out to be absolutely right. Kuma believed that the Warrior of Liberation will one day come and save Bonney and all those in need and, now is the time for Luffy to shine and showcase why he is worth putting one's faith in.

At the same time, Kuma himself is headed to Egghead Island right now and, once he gets to the island, it will be absolutely incredible for him to witness Nika in front of him for the very first time. After years of belief, Kuma will finally be rewarded and Luffy will have to prove to him as well as Bonney that the faith that they put in him wasn't ill-placed.

The upcoming few chapters of the Egghead Island arc are going to be covering its climax and that is something that has fans very excited. Now is the time for Luffy to step up and prove his worth as an incredible pirate captain and lead the incredible incident that is going to shake the world, known as the Egghead incident. One Piece fans have exciting times ahead of them and, One Piece chapter 1102 is only the beginning.

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 1102, is set to be December 24, 2023.