Bentham

Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, real name Bentham, is known as a member of Baroque Works and also as an "okama" (a Japanese slang term for a Transvestite ).

Appearance
Mr. 2 Bon Kurei is a male transvestite 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 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. 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 calls his martial art style "Okama Kenpo" in the original Japanese-language manga, "Ballet/Dancer Kenpo" in the Japanese anime, "Crazy Karate" in the 4Kids dub, "Oh Come My Way Karate" (word play from O-ka-ma Way) in the Viz English manga, and "Crossdresser Kenpo" in the FUNimation dub.He seens to always finish a sentence with a "YOn!"(in japanese, finish a sentence with "yo" is the same as finish with "!"

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 then 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 cold heartedness, 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 similiar to the rivalry between Sanji (who defeated Mr. 2) and Zoro (who defeated Mr. 1).

Abilities and Powers
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

While having a Devil Fruit, Bon Kurei mostly relies on a unique martial arts style known as Okama Kenpo (Ballet/Dancer Kenpo in the 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.

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.

Arabasta Arc
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.

In the capital Alubarna, 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 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 breaks 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.

Rampaging in Impel Down
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. Buggy and Mr. 3 are currently mulling over letting him out of his cell. 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 Minotauros stops them. Mr. 2 recognized the danger immediately and warned Luffy about its strength. However, before they could make a move Minotauros used its speed and physical strength to send Mr. 2 flying. As Minotauros 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 Minotauros 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 Minotauros hot on their heels. Mr. 2 contributed to the defeat of Minotauros 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 bacause Buggy's Muggy balls which were used for the fight against Minotaurus created explosions which were strong enough to brake the floor beneath them. To their fortune the falling debris allows them to jump off it before they land 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, the three viciously attack 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.

The Determined Okama
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. After Magellan comes at them with his ultimate technique, Hell's Judgement, suddenly Emporio Ivankov with Inazuma burst through the floors of Level 1, with Ivankov's head enhanced by Face Hormones. From Jinbei's message on the Den Den Mushi they were given instructions to jump into sea, despite the ocean being the Calm Belt, and thus infested with Sea Kings. Mr. 3 formed a Giant Candle Wall, with Luffy going Gear Third and giving a Gomu Gomu no Gigant Stamp to push Magellan backwards, before they grab onto Iva as he fires a Hell Wink lauching them out of Impel Down and into the sea, only to be rescued by whale sharks which Jinbei called to help them travel across the sea.



However, Mr. 2 decided to stay behind in order to open the Gates of Justice whilst guising as Magellan, but after he has given the order, he is confronted by the real one, and after he and Luffy's band of escapees share a tearful parting over a Baby Den Den Mushi, he prepares to face off against Magellan, proclaiming that he has no regrets.

Major Battles

 * Bon Kurei vs. Mr. 1
 * Bon Kurei vs. Sanji
 * Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Arabasta Sea)
 * Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Rematch, disguised as Mr.3)
 * Bon Kurei, Luffy, Galdino, Buggy vs. Minotaurus
 * Bon Kurei vs. Wolf Unit (interrupted by Luffy)
 * Bon Kurei, Luffy, Jinbei, Crocodile, Mr 1, Emporio Ivankov, Inazuma, residents of New Kama Land and prisoners of Impel Down vs Impel Down Guards
 * Bon Kurei, Luffy and prisoners of Impel Down vs. Manticores (level 2)
 * Bon Kurei, Mr. 1 vs. Impel Down Guards (level 1)
 * Bon Kurei vs. Magellan (Inside Impel Down, offscreen)

Anime and Manga Differences
While Mr. 2's homosexuality is obvious in the manga, it is however toned down in the anime. Originally in the manga, the Japanese words for Okama are written on his pink coat. In the anime however, Bon Kure is written instead.

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 official 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. This was changed in the FUNimation translation of the eighth movie to "Crossdresser Kenpo" and as "Oh Come My Way Karate" in the English manga by Viz Media.

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). 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."

He also speaks with an ebonic accent in the 4Kids dub and a slight British accent in the FUNimation dub, while the original Japanese voice is somewhat nasal and petulant.

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 a recent Japanese Fan Poll, Bon Kurei is ranked the 21st 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.
 * In both the Baroque Works saga and the Impel Down arc, fans had speculated that Mr.2 would join Luffy's crew, judging by the way he interacted with both Luffy and his crew. However, since he has most likely met his demise at the hands of Magellan, the return of Mr. 2 Bon Kurei, let alone him joining the Strawhat Pirates, is pretty much out of the question.

Related Articles

 * Baroque Works