One Piece Reveals God Valley’s Real MVP 23 Years After Their Debut

One Piece features so many complex characters that it can be difficult to find fan-favorites. Luckily, Bartholomew Kuma has always been beloved by the fandom. Briefly introduced in the Jaya arc, Kuma fought the Straw Hats on Thriller Bark, where he mysteriously left them alone. He later saved Luffy and his crew from a dangerous fate on Sabaody Archipelago, when he dispatched them to parts unknown, where each of them would become even stronger than before.

Bartholomew Kuma’s nobility of character has become more and more clear in One Piece, as the Egghead Arc revealed the gentle giant’s shockingly heartbreaking backstory. However, it wasn’t until the Elbaph arc that fans truly realized the former Warlord’s overarching impact on the world. Despite being a child at the time, Kuma managed to outshine the likes of Garp, Roger, and even Rocks D. Xebec over the course of the God Valley Incident.

Bartholomew Kuma’s Actions Shaped the Future of One Piece

Bartholomew Kuma blazed into One Piece as a villain, threatening the Straw Hats on Thriller Bark. Exhausted after fighting Gecko Moria, none of them could put up a fight against a second Warlord of the Sea. And yet, Kuma went against the World Government’s explicit orders to eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates. Perhaps it was Zoro’s sacrificial gesture that swayed his mind, but Kuma was ultimately unwilling to harm the young crew.

Upon encountering them in Sabaody Archipelago, Kuma chose to separate them with the Paw-Paw Fruit, making him a direct cause of the timeskip and the resultant increase in the Straw Hats’ powers. By the end of the arc, Kuma’s mind was erased by Dr. Vegapunk, transforming him into a true Pacifista. It wasn’t until the Revolutionary Army captured him that Kuma regained some semblance of his former self.

Kuma soon left Dragon and the others behind and made his way to the Red Line, which he singlehandedly climbed to the very top. Weathering a nonstop barrage of attacks, Kuma only leaves after being outmatched by Fleet Admiral Akainu. As soon as he reached Egghead Island, Kuma saved his daughter Jewelry Bonney from the monstrous Jaygarcia Saturn. At this point in the story, Kuma and Bonney are both on Elbaph Island, where they might soon become embroiled in the ongoing skirmish.

It’s painfully clear just how much Bartholomew Kuma has shaped the paths of One Piece characters, from the Straw Hats to the Revolutionary Army — it was Kuma who trained Sabo. The backstories painted a picture of honesty, warmth, and tender courage, contextualizing Kuma’s various accomplishments in the light of the narrative itself. And the most important Kuma backstory occurs during the God Valley Incident, when he was still a young child.

Imprisoned, enslaved, and tortured for his Buccaneer ancestry, Kuma had lost both his parents by the time he was sent to God Valley. When the World Nobles’ frenzy of carnivorous nightmares began, Kuma was tracked down by Ginny and Emporio Ivankov, who were in the same boat. Kuma gladly volunteered his life to Ivankov’s mission, which only succeeded because luck was on their side. However, it was not mere fortune that helped Kuma devour the Paw-Paw Fruit and escape Jaygarcia Saturn.

In the midst of a literal genocide, compounded by the pirates’ attack, a nine-year-old Bartholomew Kuma willingly embarked on a mission to protect as many lives as possible. Just like he had once saved Luffy from certain death, he saved a two-year-old Blackbeard from being brutally murdered by his own father. Right before Rocks D. Xebec or cannon fire could kill Blackbeard and his mother Eris, Kuma intuitively exploited his Paw-Paw Fruit to save them as well as himself.

One might wonder how Kuma rescuing Blackbeard was a good thing in the long run, and it’s not really clear right now. However, the God Valley Incident also dropped several hints about Blackbeard’s heritage, revealing him to be the son of Rocks D. Xebec and the only surviving descendant of the alleged King of the World, Davy D. Jones. Blackbeard might be a shameless coward, but he’s a critical cog in the One Piece machine and could be important in the inevitable battle against Imu.

Although the exact details remain ambiguous, Kuma ended the God Valley Incident by saving over 500 people. He would play an essential role in the transformation of Monkey D. Dragon’s Freedom Fighters into the Revolutionary Army, arguably the largest anti-World Government force in One Piece. It’s also possible that many of Kuma’s God Valley rescuees became the first members of the Revolutionary Army, further highlighting his impact as the MVP of the God Valley Incident.

Even One Piece’s Powerhouses Weren’t as Impactful as Kuma

Image via Shueisha

The God Valley Incident remains one of the most pivotal moments in One Piece history, a convergence of monstrous powers and catastrophic consequences. It began as a Celestial Dragon-exclusive event, with the worst characters in One Piece getting their kicks from massacring innocent lives. Triggered by the abduction of Shakky, the now-wife of Silvers Rayleigh, the island of God Valley saw an invasion force comprising multiple pirate crews. Both the Roger and Rocks Pirates would clash here, with an additional dose of Monkey D. Garp to make things interesting.

Garp surprisingly turned against the World Government and attacked Imu, finally revealing his true loyalties: to the Marine soldiers often crushed by the wheels of tyranny. Meanwhile, Roger entered the fray after getting caught up in a few battles. In Chapter 1165, “Reverberations,” the combined force of Garp and Roger brought Rocks D. Xebec down, with their actions reverberating across the world as partially fake news. That said, Dragon’s rescue of Shanks and violent exit from the Marines also count as monumental achievements.