Highlights
- The Egghead Island arc in One Piece marks the beginning of the Final Saga, and fans are eagerly awaiting its continuation after the exciting flashback phase featuring Bartholomew Kuma.
- Emporio Ivankov, a major character in the flashback, was first introduced during the Impel Down arc and played a crucial role in Luffy's rescue. He later revealed to be a member of the Revolutionary Army and closely associated with Dragon.
- The recent exploration of Ivankov's past on God Valley revealed his connection to the island and his role in saving Kuma. Ivankov's escape to freedom alongside Kuma and Jinny showcases his perseverance and positive personality.
One Piece is currently in the Egghead Island arc, which marks the beginning of the Final Saga of the story. Fans are incredibly excited for this arc to continue and it has now ended its most exciting phase which covers the flashback of one of the former Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma.
One Piece: Kuma's Buccaneer Race, Explained
The Buccaneer Race has been exterminated in One Piece, except for Kuma.
Fans know Kuma to be an incredibly important character in the story. He played a pivotal role before the timeskip, and it appears that his significance is only growing after. While the current flashback is primarily focused on him, there are other characters who form a major part of this flashback and one of them is Emporio Ivankov, who fans are very well familiar with.
Emporio Ivankov's Introduction
Ivankov was first introduced to the fans during the Impel Down arc. In this arc, Luffy infiltrated this giant World Government stronghold to rescue his brother, Ace, from execution. When Luffy fought against Magellan and was utterly defeated, he was thrown into Level 5 of the prison and, eventually, he found his way to Level 5.5, thanks to the efforts of Bon Clay. There, fans were introduced to the ruler of Newkama Land, and it was none other than Ivankov. Known to be the miracle worker, Ivankov was the one responsible for saving Luffy and, later on, together, they launched a powerful strike against the authorities of Impel Down and successfully broke out of the prison.
Ivankov was later revealed to be a member of the Revolutionary Army and a very close associate of Dragon. In the Paramount War, Ivankov, once again, played an exceptionally important role and saved Luffy on countless occasions. It was thanks to him that Luffy was kept alive.
Fans also found out bits about his relationship with Kuma during the Paramount War arc. However, this relationship was not properly fleshed out at the time. Once the war concluded, Ivankov successfully managed to escape and eventually rejoined the Revolutionary Army. Before doing that, however, Ivankov went back to Momoiro Island, and, there, he trained Sanji in quite a lot of ways.
Ivankov's Past On God Valley
One Piece recently explored the past of Emporio Ivankov in the Egghead Island arc and, for the very first time, it has been made clear that he has a very interesting story. Fans had no idea about his past prior to this flashback. In fact, they did not even know that he had a tragic story to tell. However, just by looking at two pages that fans got to see of his story, it is quite clear that he is, quite easily, one of the most compelling characters that Oda has ever written.
One Piece: The Hunting Games On God Valley, Explained
The Celestial Dragons hold the hunting games where they hunt slaves.
As seen in One Piece chapter 1095, God Valley is a very significant place not just for the Rocks Pirates, but also for many other characters, such as Kuma. 38 years ago, this place was chosen as the hunting ground for the wicked games of the Celestial Dragons where they released slaves of different races on an island and then hunt them down. Using this method, they eliminated several races from the world and the one who collected the most kills was the one declared as the champion. Kuma, knowing his terrible fate, tried to escape right before these games began. He was eventually found by other slaves and they attempted to return him to the Celestial Dragons. However, just when all hope was lost for him, two other characters, Ivankov and Jinny, suddenly showed up.
Ivankov's Escape To Freedom
It was made clear in One Piece chapter 1095 that Ivankov was in God Valley as well. This character that the fans have seen for quite a long time in One Piece had a massive connection to God Valley and this came as a shock to many readers. In fact, One Piece chapter 1095 also ended up revealing that Ivankov was a former slave. Fans had no idea about his dark past but now, it is very clear. Ivankov was captured by the World Government at some point and kept as a slave. The same goes for Jinny, who accompanied Ivankov. It was these two characters who came to Kuma and gave him a lifeline. Ivankov, by the looks of it, had been a positive personality from the very beginning.
Even though he had lived a terrible life up until that point, he was still full of vigor and positivity. He told Kuma that he wanted to live and he was going to accomplish his goal and offered him a hand. Kuma now had a choice in front of him and it is clear that he ended up going with them. Ivankov made it quite clear that his goal was to get to freedom and Jinny would follow him in doing that as well. Kuma certainly would join these two in this endeavor and it remains to be seen how they managed to escape from this vicious island known as God Valley.
Fans will have to wait to see how this pans out, however, without a doubt, Ivankov is going to be incredibly important in this endeavor and that is certainly something exciting. Perhaps, Dragon is going to present himself in God Valley as well and if he does so, fans will then get to see the creation of the pillars of the Revolutionary Army.
Ivankov As A Member Of The Revolutionary Army
While the Revolutionary Army was founded only after the events of Ohara, the Freedom Fighters were created by Dragon long before that. It is also very clear that he met Ivankov and Kuma before the creation of the army as well. Fans can't be sure if Dragon will show himself in God Valley, however, there is a decent chance for him to present himself. Regardless of whether Dragon shows up or not, fans know that Ivankov and Kuma end up surviving and they successfully manage to escape from God Valley.
At some point in the future, they end up becoming the core members of the Revolutionary Army and give rise to this major organization. Ivankov becomes the commander of the G Army of the Revolutionary Army, while Kuma gets offered a very difficult mission. It remains to be seen what happens to Jinny.
Although she most likely does escape from God Valley, her current whereabouts remain unknown. Regardless, it will be interesting for the fans to see how the events of this flashback continue. The full focus will be on the likes of Ivankov, Kuma, and Jinny, who appeared to be at the center of it all.
This flashback certainly has the potential to be one of the very best in One Piece so far and the first chapter to it was absolutely amazing. Fans cannot wait for more and it is up to Oda to deliver and live up to the expectations that have been set by One Piece chapter 1095.
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.