After the conclusion of the Wano Country arc, One Piece is about to enter the final saga, which will definitely send shock waves throughout the entire community. The information in the last few chapters has left the fans awestruck, and it wouldn't be a stretch to say that Oda was just giving One Piece fans a taste of what's to come. The news about the Cross Guild and its leaders turned out to be rather impressive.
The two leaders of the organization, Dracule Mihawk, and Crocodile received new bounties, which are ridiculously high. Mihawk has a bounty of 3,590,000,000 berries, while Crocodile's bounty is 1,965,000,000 berries. The two former Shichibukai found their feet after the World Government started hunting them. In comparison to the other pirates, Mihawk and Crocodile have been fairly lucky, while the others have been through many troubling experiences, and one such character is Bartholomew Kuma.
Glorious Past
Given Kuma's present condition, it is hard to believe that he used to be a notorious pirate, who had the title of "Tyrant." In the past, Kuma was the ruler of the Sorbet Kingdom, but due to unknown reasons, he joined the Revolutionary Army. He was with the Revolutionary Army during the great fire that broke out in Gray Terminal. Kuma was also aware of Dragon's family as he knew that Luffy was his child. Kuma did not stay with the Revolutionary Army for long, and after some time, he joined the Shichibukai.
Once Kuma joined the Shichibukai, his wish was to get rid of his emotions and personality, which is quite suspicious. Furthermore, Kuma hated the World Government, so it doesn't make sense why he decided to side with them or why he chose to become a test subject. Kuma's decision to be operated upon led to his downfall, and it would eventually cause him to be humiliated by the Celestial Dragons.
The Unlikely Savior
Kuma made his debut in the Thriller Bark arc, where he single-handedly dealt with all the pirates. Kuma could have easily captured the Straw Hats, but after listening to Zoro's offer he decided to give them a chance. Kuma squeezed out all the pain that Luffy had suffered in his fight against Moria and created a ball of pain. Zoro placed his hands inside the bubble of pain, his entire body went into a state of shock and when Sanji saw him afterward, he was covered in blood. Impressed with the result, Kuma left Thriller Bark, but it wasn't long before he met the Straw Hats again and this time they faced off at Sabaody Archipelago.
Initially, it seemed that Kuma was destroying the entire Straw Hat crew by sending them to different places, and it was only revealed after quite some time. Kuma had protected the Straw Hats from Kizaru and the Marines. He also stood by the Thousand Sunny and protected it until the Straw Hats reunited after two years. These actions raised a lot of questions, as Kuma had no reason to protect the Straw Hats or their ship.
Paw Power
Kuma has several feats to his name, which show why he deserved his position in the Shichibukai. He ate the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi, which is a paramecia type devil fruit. After consuming the devil fruit, Kuma's hands developed soft paw pads, and these pads can repel almost everything. His "paws" can repel air itself and create a cannon-like blast that is capable of taking down several enemies at once. Anything that he repels is launched at light speed, so even a small object that is repelled by Kuma can potentially turn out to be fatal.
In addition to repelling attacks, Kuma can also compress air. These compressed air attacks have enough power to decimate an entire island without any difficulty. Furthermore, Kuma can also draw out all the pain from a person's body, thus healing it completely. This is undoubtedly a very powerful ability to have, as it could save a person's life.
Will He Join The Fray Again?
When Bartholomew Kuma was turned into a slave by the Celestial Dragons, it seemed impossible that he would ever be relevant to the story. However, his compatriots could not stand seeing him in such a sorry state, and they decided to rescue him from the clutches of the Celestial Dragons. The Revolutionaries clashed against two Navy Admirals in Mary Geoise, and the result of the fight was kept under wraps until the very end of the Wano Country arc.
Eventually, it was revealed that the Revolutionaries managed to win, and they brought Kuma back to the Kamabakka Kingdom. On the island, Dragon finally talked to his former friend and asked him about what he had seen. There is no doubt that Kuma's testimony will prove to be extremely pivotal to the story, and it might even lead to the downfall of the World Government as Kuma has been involved in some of the most top secret projects of the Marines. The prevalent idea is that Kuma wrote all the secrets of the World Government inside his Bible, and if this turns out to be true then the Revolutionary Army could use this information to their benefit. Furthermore, if Kuma's consciousness is still saveable, then he could join the Revolutionary Army once again and fight side by side with his comrades.