Chapter 1097

Chapter 1097 is titled "Ginny".

Cover Page
Cover Page Request: "Bartholomew Kuma catching salmon in the river." by PN Takashi.

Short Summary
Kuma and Ginny lived in Sorbet Kingdom with Kuma working as a pastor until the king changed the laws by pay the Heavenly Tribute to the World Nobles. They were freed by the Freedom Fighters and joined them which later became the Revolutionary Army. Eight years later, Ginny was kidnapped by an unknown assailant.

Long Summary
Eight years pass following the God Valley Incident, and Kuma, now 17 years old, had continued to live peacefully in Sorbet Kingdom and been using his powers to push people's pain out of their bodies, which had earned him much respect from the old folk. They asked if he could do this for them on weekdays, but Ginny, now 21, strictly stated that he could only do this for them on Sundays. She was also annoyed that these people treated the church like a camp or a hospital and did not even pay for his services. The old folk, however, laughed at her stinginess and mused that her foul-mouth had not stopped many men from professing their love for her, as she was quite the beauty. Some other people dropped by asking for Kuma, saying that his face calmed them. Kuma was touched by this, though Ginny retorted that he pampered these people way too much. One of the old folk stated that they would pay if they could, but the Heavenly Tribute was making it difficult for them to make ends meet.

It turned out that Sorbet Kingdom had received a new king named Bekori, and he was reputed to be a cold-blooded tyrant who sent sick people that could not pay the tribute to a terrible prison where they would eventually die of starvation because he refused to feed them. In short, the people considered him caring more for what the World Nobles say than the voices of the people he was supposed to protect. Kuma told his patients that he would continue to treat them for light pain and sickness, so they could come every week, which they deeply appreciated.

At night, once all the people left, Kuma took the bubble of pain and sickness he had removed from the people and took it into his own body, causing him great discomfort and deeply saddening Ginny. As Ginny treated him, she tearfully told him that no one knew that he was doing this to himself. Kuma said that he had no choice because if someone did not take in that bubble of pain, it would eventually return to the person it had come from. But it made people happy, and that was more than enough for him. He apologized to her for making her worry, and the two ate together.

Five years later, Ginny proposed to Kuma, but he rejected her, much to her annoyance as she believed she could make him happy. Kuma stated, though, that he already was, but in reality he feared that because of his Buccaneer blood, she may suffer the same way he and his mother had done. He shifted topics to discuss the Freedom Fighters and the protests they had been starting in every kingdom, and now the World Government had finally issued a warrant for them. Kuma took notice of Monkey D. Dragon and stated he viewed him as a cool person, and that someday, he would set out to sea and spend his life helping others. He then went to receive some fish brought to Ginny by some other would-be suitors, much to her annoyance.

Three years later, Kuma demanded that the kingdom's soldiers return all of the people they kidnapped, but they refused, saying that the law said they could use them however they saw fit. Enraged, Kuma attacked them, causing him to be called a traitor. It turned out that King Bekori had split Sorbet Kingdom in two: The northern half of the island was the "true" kingdom for people who could pay the Heavenly Tribute, while everyone else that made too little was cut off and resided in the "Lawless Area." As a result of Kuma's defiance, he was imprisoned, and Ginny and several others who tried to help him followed suit. Kuma knew that if this policy continued this kingdom would discriminate against others, and Ginny said that if they fought against the king, who was under the World Nobles' thumb, it was the equivalent of fighting against the entire World Government.

However, the Freedom Fighters invaded Sorbet and deposed Bekori, abolishing the slave policy and freeing the kingdom from the oppressive government. Dragon and Ivankov then found Kuma locked up and the latter invited him to join and change their world for the better. Together, Dragon, Ivankov, and Kuma would go on to reform the Freedom Fighters as the Revolutionary Army following the Ohara Incident, turning their small bouts of protesting into a full scale rebellion. Due to lacking funds, they became mercenaries lending their services to other rebellions against their oppressors, and Dragon offered to train anyone who decided to join up. Kuma was surprised that Dragon knew how to use weapons, and he stated he had once served the Marines, but quit because he had seen no "justice" there. Ivankov commented that Dragon just wanted to help people, and Kuma proclaimed his loyalty to him, which Dragon accepted.

Eight years later, Ginny, who also had joined the army and served as a Captain, expressed happiness at meeting up with Kuma's division. Unfortunately, she was captured by an unexpected enemy, and Dragon was quickly notified of this distress.

Chapter Notes

 * More information about Kuma's life is given.
 * At 17 years old, Kuma became a priest in the Sorbet Kingdom, repelling pain from old people and absorbing it into himself every week.
 * Kuma confirms that if the pain repelled by his powers is not absorbed by someone, it will eventually return to its original source.
 * At 22 years old, Kuma refused to marry Ginny out of fear for what happened to his mother.
 * Kuma became aware of Dragon and his Freedom Fighters through the newspaper around this time.
 * At 25 years old, Kuma was thrown in jail for attacking Sorbet Kingdom's soldiers in protest for the enslavement of the elders he cared for.
 * This incident was a consequence of the policies instilled by Sorbet's King, Bekori, who had segregated the southern portion of the country from national jurisdiction (turning it into a lawless land in the process) in order to reduce the population-dependent Heavenly Tribute that the Sorbet Kingdom owed to the World Government.
 * Ginny, Gyogyo and other friends of Kuma were arrested as well for protesting his imprisonment.
 * Dragon and Ivankov eventually attacked the Sorbet Kingdom, overthrowing Bekori's rule.
 * Kuma and Ginny joined the Freedom Fighters right after being freed by Dragon and Ivankov.
 * Dragon reveals that he was once in the Marines but left due to differences in views about Justice.
 * Ginny was once the Revolutionary Army's East Army commander, before Belo Betty.
 * 14 years ago, Ginny was abducted by an unknown assailant.