One Piece shocks fans with its darkest backstory ever

One Piece frequently features dark themes, but the recent backstory has shocked fans more than ever. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

One Piece appears to be a light-hearted series following the adventures of a young pirate and his crew. Monkey D. Luffy aspired to claim the legendary treasure and become the Pirate King. However, thanks to the years of world-building, One Piece takes a dark turn pretty soon.

Luffy is an outlaw since the World Government restricts people from freely exploring the seas. Additionally, the series features dark underlying themes such as slavery, racism, corruption, tyranny, genocide, and so much more.

One would expect fans to get used to such scenes, but Eiichiro Oda manages to surprise them every time. The manga is currently featuring Kuma’s backstory, which once again raises disputes over the series becoming too dark for Shonen.

What happens in Kuma’s backstory?

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Kuma’s backstory begins in Chapter 1095 and is still ongoing. We see Kuma’s tragic life as a slave since early childhood. His father was from a Buccaneer race, and his mother was human. Because the World Government claimed the race to have committed a “grave sin,” Kuma’s entire family was captured as slaves.

After his mother dies, his father sheds tears, saying that she’s in a better place now. Kuma’s father begins to tell him the tales of Sun God Nika and starts dancing to the rhythm when a Celestial Dragon shoots him in the head for being too loud.

The scene changes to God Valley 38 years ago, where the series reveals the horrible truth behind the incident. The World Government chose God Valley as a destination for the Native Hunting Competition. The competition takes place every three years on an island not affiliated with the World Government.

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Once the competition is over, the government claims it for itself. The competition is an island-wide Manhunt where the slaughter of the resident population is translated to points, leading to victory for the top score. Celestial Dragons also take this opportunity to get rid of slaves they no longer need.

Chapter 1096 featured the Celestial Dragons and the participants having fun while several hundred people begged for their lives to be spared. The parents were shielding their children from harm, but none of the higher-ups batted an eye.

Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov escaped God Valley along with 500 civilians and slaves thanks to the chaos of the battle. Kuma and Ginny lived in the Sorbet Kingdom for a few years, where Dragon and the other Freedom Fighters defeated the tyrant king. Dragon established the Revolutionary Army, so Kuma and Ginny also joined him.

Chapter 1097 ended with Dragon receiving the news of Ginny’s kidnapping. Ginny was kidnapped by a Celestial Dragon and forced to be his wife for two years. He then abandoned her and their child Bonney when they both contracted the same fatal disease.

Kuma found them both, but it was too late to save Ginny. He then adopted Bonney and raised her as his own daughter. The series will likely continue the flashback for a few more chapters, and it looks like Eiichiro Oda plans to continue with the chain of tragedies.

How One Piece fans are reacting to Kuma’s backstory

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One Piece always features several dark moments, but what happened with Ginny has fans comparing the series with the Seinen genre. Ginny wanted to marry Kuma for years before she was kidnapped and forced to be with a Celestial Dragon. One can imagine the hell she went through before she was abandoned with a baby in her arms.

Twitter user Typical Joe, popular for sharing theories on the series, writes, “This is the first time I’ve ever felt that a One Piece chapter should be pre-faced with a trigger warning, cause this is not just dark, it’s genuinely horrific.”

One Piece leaker Pewpiece also shares, “Kuma talked to Ginny before she died, that was the last talk between them, Oda doing Sienen manga rn.”

Here are a few more reactions from One Piece fans expressing their shock over the recent spoilers in Kuma’s backstory.

How to watch Crunchyroll from outside your location in 2023

Crunchyroll is the world’s best hub for streaming anime, whether it’s One Piece, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen – and thanks to ExpressVPN, you can access the platform’s full library even if you’re outside the US.

If you’re abroad, here’s what you need to do to access Crunchyroll’s full selection – and it really is this simple:

1. Sign up for ExpressVPN, which has ultra-fast servers and offers a secure, private connection wherever you are in the world
2.  Connect to a location anywhere in the US; Express VPN allows you to choose from 24 different spots, from New Jersey to Santa Monica
3.  Visit Crunchyroll online and start streaming all of your favorite animes – and perhaps some you’ve never watched

Accessing Crunchyroll’s US roster makes a difference; for example, Hong Kong users only have access to less than 100 titles, while the US has nearly 1,000 movies and TV shows.

You can also stream anime on Crunchyroll for free with an ad-supported plan, or you can pay for a subscription – there’s even a 14-day free trial if you can’t quite make up your mind.

See our other One Piece coverage below, and you can check out our other anime coverage here.

• One Piece Chapter 1098 spoilers: Ginny’s fate & Bonney’s age revealed
• Best Shonen anime to watch if you like One Piece
• One Piece Chapter 1098 spoilers confirm a tragic death

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