Bentham


 * The subject of this article is sometimes called Bon Clay.

Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, real name Bentham, is a former officer agent of Baroque Works and an "okama" (a Japanese slang term for a cross dresser). While he was once an enemy of Luffy's as a part of Baroque Works, the two became quick friends, leading Bon Kurei to sacrifice himself for Luffy both at Arabasta and Impel Down.

Appearance
Mr. 2 Bon Kurei is a male cross dresser who wears flamboyant ballet clothes with a swan theme. He generally dresses in a pink over coat and blue medieval clothes. As a reference to him being an okama, his shorts are so extremely round that it makes his butt huge and pot-like (a pun, as okama can also refer to a pot and one's buttocks). He wears heavy makeup and he often sports a distinct wide grin which often carries over when he changes his appearance. Underneath these clothes, his physique is fairly muscular as seen during the Impel Down Arc, possibly as a result of his training in Okama Kenpo.

Like all Baroque Works agents, he bears his number in his appearance. Mr. 2 Bon Kurei's number 2 is seen in the form of his swans, which are posed into a shape resembling number "2".

Later in Impel Down, he wears a striped, rag-like prisoner's outfit.

Personality
He has a flamboyant attitude which includes singing and dancing. He is extraordinarily tall, which plays into his particular style of fighting. As opposed to the ideas of his fellow agents, Mr. 1 and Mr. 5, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei values friendship highly, as evidenced by his selfless sacrifice to allow the Straw Hats to escape Arabasta when they where ambushed by Captain Hina, later when he once again attacked Hina to save Miss Valentine and finally sacrifice his life to open the Gate of Justice for everyone in Impel Down. This also shows that he is incredibly selfless and righteous, and is extremely proud of himself for it (telling Magellan he had no regrets for his sacrifice). He will often motivate such actions by saying that abandoning his companions is against "the okama way". This did not hinder him from attacking Vivi during the face-off at Alubarna, though.

He seem to always finish a sentence with a "YO!" In Japanese, finishing a sentence with "yo" is the same as finishing with "!". It's worth noting that this speech reflects a feminine speaking pattern in Japanese as well.

Relationships
His open emotional and poetic attitude can get on the nerves of others, as noted in particular the other male Baroque Works agents reactions are often anything but enjoyment at his presence. He seems to have a knack for making people follow his lead and can get others to ballet dance with him, he seems to enjoy teaching others about the "okama way" more than anything and will gladly show others how to ballet.

Mr. 2 is a close friend of the straw hats after helping them escape Hina in Arabasta and once again now in Impel Down. Oddly, he addresses Luffy's crew by a key part of their appearance, followed by (Even though it is meant for a childish aspect) "chan" (i.e.: Luffy, Straw-Chan, Usopp, Nose-Chan, etc.). He also addresses Crocodile as "Zero-chan", even after learning his identity.

While Mr. 1 generally has mostly the same type of indifferent professional relationship with the most of the Baroque Works Agents, he however is on bad terms with Mr. 2 Bon Kurei. Because Mr. 2's flamboyant nature conflicts with his static coldheartedness, the two of them would often fight with each other. Ever since first meeting each other in Spiders Cafe, they've had this type of rivalry relationship. It is notably similar to the rivalry between Sanji (who defeated Mr. 2) and Zoro (who defeated Mr. 1).

Abilities and Powers
As an okama Mr. 2 Bon Kurei has no shortage of tricks in his arsenal. While fond of singing and dancing he is also an accomplished martial artist even though his real threat does not come from his figting ability. His trickery and skill at mimcry makes him a slippery opponent to deal with as he can as easily esacape pursuit as well as cause devastating confusion to whatever side he is currently opposing.

Devil Fruit
The Mane Mane no Mi, is a Paramecia Devil Fruit that allows the user to turn into anyone he or she has touched. When the user changes, they also imitate the copied persons flexibility, strength and other things. They can switch back to their normal state by touching their face with their left hand. "Mane" means "imitation." It is called the Clone-Clone Fruit in the English versions.

Fighting Style
While having a Devil Fruit, Bon Kurei mostly relies on a unique martial arts style known as Okama Kenpo (Ballet/Dancer Kenpo in the Arabasta arc Japanese anime, Crazy Karate in the 4Kids dub, "Oh Come My Way" Karate in the English manga and Crossdresser Kenpo in FUNimation dub), which combines kicks and sometimes punches with his ballerina style. This fighting style is powerful enough to be a match for Sanji's Red Leg. He also appears to have gotten much stronger than the last time the Straw Hat crew encountered him, being able to fire powerful kicks that actually knocked away the Minotaur - one of the four powerful guards of Impel Down. He is also showing his strength when he single-handedly fends off a large Wolf Unit by himself, but he is left injured, shirtless, and bloodied after the fight. He is also shown to have an inhuman level of stamina, as he was the only one not affected by the effects of Level 3, and was even dancing cheerfully. He also remained conscious when Luffy took out the wolves on Level 5 with his haki.

Weapons
The two swans on his back are not just for show. Bon Kurei can take them off at the midpoint of their necks and slip them onto his toe shoes. When he has the swans on his feet, Bon Kurei's kicks become as powerful as rifle shots (due to the steel beaks) and gain a further range (due to the swans' necks extending every time that he kicks). Although used only once, Bon Kurei can detach and throw his (presumably false) eyelashes as throwing stars, which fly out and return at an arc and return to his face.

Friendship Blossoms in Arabasta
Mr. 2 is sent out shortly after Mr. 3's defeat on Little Garden to kill him for his failure to eliminate the Straw Hats. By the time he gets there, though, Mr. 3 is nowhere to be found, leading Mr. 2 to fear being killed by Mr. 1. He then orders his men to sail back to Arabasta at top speed and intercept any ships they encounter.

The Straw Hats first meet up with Bon Kurei on their way to return Princess Vivi to the desert kingdom of Arabasta. His antics immediately amused them, and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper fell head over heels for his ability. Bon Kurei ate the Devil Fruit, Mane Mane no Mi (マネマネの実 Clone-Clone Fruit) which allows him to transform into an exact copy of anyone he has touched. Although the series generally only features these powers copying the face of the person, his powers apparently also copy the body: To Nami's dismay, he once transformed into her and allowed Luffy, Chopper and Usopp to view her breasts. She responded by punching his skull inwards (in the remake movie he shows Nami's entire body to them as well as Sanji causing Nami to hit all of them). As he leaves, his crew call him by his Baroque Works codename, surprising all of the Straw Hats- even Vivi did not know who he was, despite being told about what he looked like.

At the meeting in Rain Dinners, Bon Kurei discovers that his friends are really the enemies of his boss, Crocodile, thus forcing him to combat them. Later in the capital Alubarna, Bon Kurei first caught up with Usopp and Eyelashes when the Straw Hats dress in cloaks to divide up the officer agents in their decoy operation by pretending to be Vivi. He easily beats them, and using Usopp's sniper goggles that he stole, Mr. 2 attempts to trick Vivi in Usopp's form. Thanks to the failsafe plan the Straw Hats devised to avoid being fooled by his powers, allows Vivi to easily figure out the truth and she and Carue run with him in hot pursuit, keeping him busy long enough for Sanji to arrive to back her up.

Bon Kurei and Sanji have a very intense battle. Just as Sanji looks set to be the victor, Bon Kurei discovers Sanji's weakness: Nami. He impersonates her, using her form to drive Sanji into a crazy fanboyish state which allows him to even the playing field. Eventually, Sanji realizes that Bon Kurei must revert to his own form to unleash his stronger attacks. He takes advantage of this and forces Bon Kurei to revert to his form so that he can pummel him. The ball is in Sanji's court yet again until Bon Kurei pulls his iron-tipped swans from his shoulders and puts them onto his shoes. With the swans on his shoes, his kicks are strong as a rifle shot and can reach further. This creates more problems for Sanji, and the playing field is even once more. But eventually, Sanji manages to defeat Bon Kurei. Bon Kurei begs for Sanji to finish him off, believing that he will be killed for his failure, but Sanji offers to shake his hand for a good fight. Just as Bon Kurei takes his hand, overwhelmed with emotion, Sanji kicks him in the head and takes back Usopp's goggles.

When the Straw Hats prepare to leave Arabasta after thwarting Crocodile's scheme, Bon Kurei calls them up on a Den Den Mushi (a snail phone) and tells Luffy that he has their ship. He hid it from the marines docked in the harbor (Smoker, Hina, Jango, Ironfist Fullbody, Tashigi, etc.) and exclaims that he did it because they are friends. Now that he is no longer a member of Baroque Works (and a pawn of Crocodile), he wants to be a close friend, perhaps even a shipmate.

As the Straw Hats and Bon Kurei leave Arabasta on the Going Merry, Hina, Jango and Ironfist Fullbody attack. Bon Kurei comes up with a plan that would allow them to escape. He and his own shipmates impersonate the Straw Hats, thus luring Hina's squadron to them. This allows the Going Merry to escape as Bon Kurei stays behind with his crew, boarding Marine ships and unleashing hell upon them, after his famous speech of friendship and humanity. As the Going Merry draws further away, Luffy exclaims that he will never forget Bon Kurei and his crew, their friends.

Operation: Meet Baroque Works
Bon Kurei was captured by Hina, however Bon Kurei escaped from prison with a 32,000,000 bounty on his head. He reappeared in the manga during "Operation: Meet Baroque Works" chapter title pages sporting a more refined, more masculine look than his ballerina outfit: a suit similar to Rob Lucci's undershirt and a pair of black pants. He also is not wearing his lipstick, but his cheeks, blush as they are, are apparently natural. Later on he had challenged Hina to a rematch, in an attempt to save Miss Valentine from execution. After Miss Goldenweek, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 5 break out Mr. 4, Miss Doublefinger, Miss Merry Christmas, and Lassou, Mr. 2 is seen tied to Mr. 3 and thrown in jail with Mr. 0 (Crocodile) and Mr. 1 (Das Bones) so it can be assumed that Hina defeated Mr. 2.

The Determined Okama
Mr. 2 was discovered by Buggy and Mr. 3 dancing in his cell on level 3 of Impel Down (despite having a bounty far lower than 50,000,000), seemingly unaffected by the heat and starvation. He immediately expresses his surprise at seeing Mr. 3 in Impel Down too. Mr. 3 seemed initially hesitant at releasing Bon Kurei from his cell, but was seemingly opted otherwise by Buggy, under the impression that Luffy would function more as their scapegoat if Bon is with him. Later, when Luffy is attacked by the Sphinx and several guards, Bon Kurei (disguised as Zoro) comes to fight at Luffy's side. After defeating the Sphinx, and a tearful reunion, Bon Kurei agrees to help Luffy reach Level 5, as he also wishes to go there to see someone: Iva-san, the queen of Kamabakka Kingdom and idol of okama worldwide. As they try to get to Level 4 Minotaurus stops them. Mr. 2 recognized the danger immediately and warned Luffy about its strength. However, before they could make a move Minotaurus used its speed and physical strength to send Mr. 2 flying. As Minotaurus tries to hit Luffy with its mace, Mr. 2 uses a strong kick to save Luffy, although he was already in great pain. As he was just about to get killed by him, Luffy saved him using his Jet Bazooka technique to send Minotaurus flying. Mr. 2 immediately recognized how powerful Luffy has become.

Upon reaching the exit to Level Four of Impel Down, Mr. 2 warned Luffy of the great danger ahead: he would only have one chance to land safely in Level Four or die. It was then that Mr. 3 and Buggy caught up with them with Minotaurus hot on their heels. Mr. 2 contributed to the defeat of Minotaurus by using his Okama Kenpo. Only a short while later Mr.2 along with Luffy, Buggy and Mr.3 came to realize that they were falling into the boiling pot of Level 4 because Buggy's Muggy balls which were used for the fight against Minotaurus had created explosions which were strong enough to break the floor beneath them. To their fortune the falling debris allows them to jump off it before they landed in the boiling pot. After Mr.2 was the one to complain the most about the heat at that level 4, Luffy started to run in a random direction without considering the dangers. The fact that Mr.2 could come to the conclusion that Luffy was running towards the kitchen shows how well Mr.2 knew the map of Impel Down. As he assumed the kitchen to be stuffed with lots of food he followed Luffy saying that he is starving. However only after a short while they are stopped by Magellan who appeared suddenly. Mr. 2, knowing of Magellan's capabilities, warned Luffy to run, but as Magellan began targeting Luffy seriously, he left tearfully apologizing that he couldn't do any more.

A bit after that, Bon decided to help Luffy a different way. He rallied up his two allies, and then decided to disguise himself as Hannyabal, only after eliminating the real one. Deciding he might be too strong to beat, they settled for tricking him. Bon used his powers and changed into one of the most attractive women in his arsenal; Nami. As Nami, he first enticed Hannyabal, and then he invited him to the weapons storage room to help "Nami" undress. After entering, he attacks and bind him down, keeping him away from everyone, and being able to freely impersonate him.

It wasn't long however, until Mr. 2, disguised as Hannyabal, rescued Buggy and Mr. 3, deciding to descend to Level 5 to save Luffy (he apparently didn't have it in him to turn his back and abandon a friend to his demise) after his defeat by Magellan. When asked as to why he would do such a thing, he replied that he and Luffy "are friends! There's no need for any other reasons!" signifying his ideal to stick to his okama way.

Immediately after, Mr. 2 (as Hannyabal) urges a medical team to help cure Luffy, saying the marines need him alive. The team however reports that anything they try can only hasten his death, confirming what Magellan had earlier stated. Mr. 2 is panicked, and Mr. 3 and Buggy simply tell him to leave Luffy, saying to live after fighting Magellan is a miracle. This suddenly reminds Mr. 2 of Iva-san, who he has heard can perform medical miracles. Mr. 2 enters level 5, the Freezing Hell, with Buggy and Mr. 3 (once again as Hannyabal, saying he needs to put the two of them into their cells when really he wishes to save Luffy). Right before this, he hears that Iva-san who he seeks had already mysteriously disappeared from the his cell, being 'demoned' away. While what happens is unknown, most believe it is like being taken to hell. After entering they are confronted by wolves, the strongest beast in Impel down so far. While his companions run, Mr. 2 faces the beasts head on. He later appears at the cell where Luffy is kept, shirtless and covered in blood. He then begins asking for directions to Iva, refusing to believe that he has been taken to hell. One of the inmates decides to direct him to the forest, where the inmate knows there is no Iva but instead a hungry wolf pack. As the inmate had planned, wolves began attacking Mr. 2. He held his ground and began to fend them off, not allowing them to touch Luffy. However, their numbers are too great and he begins to fall. Before any fatal hits can be delivered, Luffy bites one of the wolves. He then angrily surges his Haki, screaming at the wolves for attacking Mr. 2. The wolves run away in fear, and Mr. 2 is confused as to what Luffy just did. Before he can ask though, he passes out. He is then shown lying next to Luffy unconscious when a mysterious figure appears.

When Mr. 2 wakes up, he finds himself heavily bandaged and lying in a closed building, filled with happy people cheering, drinking, eating, and having a good time. He is shocked beyond all means, wondering where he is, how he got there, and most importantly how is Luffy. His questions are answered by the mysterious figure from before, now appearing more as a woman then as a man as she did before, her/his name is Inazuma. Inazuma tells Bon that they are the new Kama Land, hidden inside of Impel down, where the prisoners live in comfort within the Freezing Hell. Bon then sees Iva, who he had been impatiently waiting for. Iva is about to speak with Bon but then he is interrupted by another man in Impel Down who wishes to take revenge on Iva for the Kamabakka Kingdom turning the mans father into an Okama. The man angrily shoots a cannon at Iva, who bats an eye and repels it. Iva was prior to this reluctant to fight and appeared scared, but then became confident and dangerous. Iva then somehow turned the man into a woman, saying that people have the right to be whatever they want to be. As the man flees, Bon immediately begs Iva to help Luffy. Iva says that he is a prisoner in Impel Down, and may not be kind enough to do that. However he then states how Luffy's kindness and lack of care for himself moved him, so he helped Bon and Luffy. However, Bon's relief at discovering that Luffy's now being treated turns into horror when Iva tells him that his friend's been confined to a heavily-locked room, where Luffy was undergoing the painful medical treatment, which was to continue for 2 days, potentially making him late for Ace's execution scheduled for 16 hours later. Bon's horrified at the suffering Luffy is going through, but Iva tells him that it is up to Luffy whether to survive or not. Bon then decides to cheer Luffy on for hours, until eventually Luffy is fully healed, and yells for "foooooooooood".

With Luffy effectively recovered, Bentham collapses in exhaustion from the endless encouragement that he gave to Luffy, after some celebration of Luffy's recovery; much to Luffy's shock.

Later, when Luffy, Inazuma and Ivankov return from Level 6, he is given some Vigour Hormones by Ivankov to be able to fight. When he managed to reach to Level 1 with the rest of the breakout army, he immediately gave Mr. 3 and Buggy a kick for abandoning them at Level 5. With Magellan on their tail, Mr. 2 is forced to wait until Jinbei, Mr. 1 and Crocodile successfully steal a Marine ship. Eventually, with Jinbei's help, all of the prisoners other than Bon Kurei make it out of the prison, using whale sharks to get onto the stolen ship.

Once Luffy and the others made it onto the battleship, however, they came across the issue of the Gates of Justice standing shut before them. Before they could act, though, the doors began to open. It was then that the others realized that Mr. 2 was missing. Jinbei revealed to Luffy that Mr. 2 had decided to stay behind in disguise as Magellan in order to open the Gates of Justice. Once confronted by the real Magellan, Mr. 2 reverted back to his normal self, ready to take Magellan's judgment. However, before Magellan could attack, Luffy's voice came over a Baby Den Den Mushi, asking why it was always Bon Kurei who always sacrificed himself to save Luffy. Luffy finally struggled to say that they were going, and thanked Mr. 2. Sobbing profusely, Bon Kurei grabbed the Baby Den Den Mushi and told Luffy to make sure that he saved his brother. As Luffy and his band of escapees mused on how they would've never survived if not for Mr. 2 Bon Kurei and tearfully cried out to him, the okama prepared to face off against Magellan, proclaiming that he had no regrets.

Major Battles

 * Bon Kurei vs. Mr. 1 (more of a squabble)
 * Bon Kurei vs. Sanji
 * Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Arabasta Sea)
 * Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Rematch, disguised as Mr.3)
 * Bon Kurei, Luffy vs. Sphinx
 * Bon Kurei, Luffy, Mr. 3 and Buggy vs. Minotaurus
 * Bon Kurei vs. Wolf Unit
 * Bon Kurei vs. Magellan (Unseen, outcome unknown)

Early One Piece
According to One Piece Color Walk 2, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was orginally going to be another pair, consisting of "Mr. 2" (who resembled Mr. 4) and "Miss Obon".

Anime and Manga Differences
Originally in the manga, the Japanese words for Okama are written on his pink coat. In the anime however, Bon Kure is written instead.

This change also carries over to the dialog. During the Baroque Works saga, Mr. 2 is never referred to as an "Okama" at all, instead every mention of the word "Okama" was replaced with "Ballet". His fighting style was likewise changed to "Ballet Kenpo" by Toei. However, he still yells "Okama Way!" as he bids the Strawhats farewell at the end of the arc. This censorship appears to have been lifted from Bon Kurei in the Impel Down arc in the Anime.

Bon Kurei's color scheme is slightly different between the manga and anime. In the anime, he wears greenish-colored mascara and his headband is yellow-green. However, in the manga, his headband is white and the mascara he wears is a light-purple color.

Translation and Dubbing Issues
In the manga, during the Meet Baroque Works Mini title page arc, Mr. 2's wanted posters are shown with the words "Bon Kurei" written on them; but his name is most often translated as Bon Clay, even in the Japanese One Piece video games. Most fans also say his name is Bon Clay, mostly due to the way the anime pronounces the name. 4Kids, Viz and FUNimation also chose Bon Clay over Bon Kurei. Another change was to his fighting style which was dubbed as "Crazy Karate" instead of Okama Kenpo and as "Oh Come My Way Karate" in the English manga by Viz Media. In the 8th Movie, due to being a theatrical film Toei lifted their censorship, so in the Japanese version, Mr. 2 was an "Okama" again, and practices "Okama Kenpo". Likewise, when FUNimation dubbed the movie, they correctly translated this over as "Crossdresser" and "Crossdresser Kenpo". However, FUNimation will be using "Ballet Kenpo" in their dub of the TV Anime, in keeping with the Japanese version.

In the Viz Manga, the word "Okama" is still omitted and any instance is substituted with the phrase "Oh Come My Way" (the back of his coat is translated as "Oh Come My Way"), and characters calling him an "okama" is changed (Luffy and Usopp said they pulled up a "weird fish" in the Viz Manga, and a "man-lady" in the English version of the eighth movie). He is also sometimes referred to as a "swan" and as "iffy". Instead of not having a female partner due to being both a man and a woman, it is said that "he doesn't want one."

While Bon Kurei's original Japanese voice is somewhat nasal and petulant, he speaks with a southern hick accent in the 4Kids dub and a British accent in the FUNimation dub.

Merchandise
Mr. 2 appeared as a figurine in the Portrait of Pirates series in the "Neo" wave 3.

Trivia

 * According to Bon Kurei, Usopp has the world's funniest nose. The person with the world's funniest eyes, mouth, and head is himself. Thus, when Mr. 2 makes the world's funniest face, he just changes his nose to Usopp's.
 * In the 4th Japanese Fan Poll, Bon Kurei is ranked the 23rd most popular character in One Piece.
 * Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, is the only Officer Agent in the Baroque Works megastructure without a female partner. This stems from the fact that he is an okama and plays both the male and female part (Mr. 2 for the male and Bon Kurei for the female). His original song from the One Piece Character Song Carnival CD is 'Oh Come My Way', which can be orally interpreted as 'Okama Way' (in fact, he says both "oh come my way" and "okama way" while singing during his trip to the Spiders Cafe), which means 'Transvestite Way'.
 * Because of being a transvestite, he receives two names: a male name with a number, and a female name with a holiday. His female name, Bon Kurei, is a name referring to a specific night in the Obon (お盆) festival.
 * He is seen amongst the audience of the theatre in a trailer for Movie 6 even though he himself has no part in the story.
 * When fighting with Sanji and taking off his swans for the first time, he notes that the left one is female and the right one is male.
 * The swans on his back symbolize his rank as an agent because they are each shaped like the number two.

Related Articles

 * Baroque Works
 * Akumai
 * Okama Kenpo
 * Emporio Ivankov