Chapter 1098

Chapter 1098 is titled "Bonney's Birth".

Cover Page
Cover Page Request: "Brook busting out a solo using an electric eel to power his guitar." by PN Noda Skywalker.

Long Summary
At Baltigo, a request for backup is sent to the headquarters from South Blue, as the Revolutionary Army stationed there is struggling with the Tumi uprising. Ivankov responds that they can’t because their hands are full dealing with the injured at Goa Kingdom. Kuma, however, says he can go, but Ivankov warns him he’s being rash, even stating that he has become more reckless since “that day”. It turns out that Ginny was captured by the World Government and forced to become the wife of a World Noble, which is why Kuma has been continuously enraged.

Two years pass and Ginny ends up contacting the army, but to their horror, she reports that she got sick, which is why they threw her out of the Holy Land. The reason for her calling was to inform them of this and that it would be her goodbye to them. Kuma begs her to tell him her location so he can go to her, but she tells him that she is dying and he shouldn’t see it. Kuma still insists and he immediately heads for the one place he knew she'd be: the chapel in Sorbet Kingdom. When he arrives, though, he is too late; she has passed away. The people told him when her skin was exposed to sunlight her entire body turned blue and hardened like stone, but the only reason she could have had to burn up her remaining time was to protect something - her baby daughter, Bonney. Kuma buries Ginny and promises to her that he’ll raise her child well.

Kuma did his best to raise the small Bonney, who inherited her mother’s appetite, and she quickly came to see him as her father. He of course still fought with the Revolutionary Army but he would always make time to care for her. One day, he boards up all of the church’s windows, and it is because Bonney somehow inherited the same disease that killed Ginny. Kuma brought her to many doctors but they couldn’t treat her because of how peculiar the disease is. Ultimately, Kuma chose to quit the army so he can take care of Bonney, which Dragon accepts, even offering to find doctors himself to help.

By the time Bonney was five years old, children started making fun of her for never going outside, going so far as to call her a vampire. Bonney, however, was able to defend herself, and would pound those kids. Kuma reminds her that it’s dangerous for her to go outside and Bonney apologizes. She then says that the kids also made fun of the stone under her eye, but he tells her that it looks like a jewel to him and those kids were just jealous, which makes Bonney happy to hear. While they play together, Kuma asks Bonney where she would like to go on a trip after she gets better, and she says she would like to go to the legendary sky islands since they are so close to the sun, so they might meet Nika. Kuma agrees that they can go there for her twentieth birthday, with Fish-Man Island being the destination of her nineteenth birthday.

Unfortunately, Kuma meets with a doctor who informs him that the disease Bonney has is “Sapphire Scales” and is incurable, and even if she isn’t exposed to sunlight, she’ll likely die by age ten, which breaks Kuma’s heart. As Kuma ponders about what to do, Bonney reveals she overheard him talking with the doctor, and he confirms that her condition will continue until she is ten, but due to his phrasing, Bonney misinterprets the meaning as that she’ll be cured by age ten. Unable to tell her the truth, Kuma goes along with it.

One year later, Kuma is informed by the people that Bekori is attempting to rid the kingdom of its weak and elderly once again, and has now gone completely insane as he seeks to burn people in their homes.

Chapter Notes

 * At some point, Ginny returns to the Sorbet Kingdom and contacts the Revolutionary Army.
 * Kuma teleports to Ginny.
 * Ginny is shown to have contracted a disease that causes stone-like dark marks to appear on her skin, and passes away before Kuma reaches her.
 * The disease is known as Sapphire Scales, which spreads when exposed to natural light, with no way of curing it.
 * Ginny is revealed to have given birth to a child in her absence.
 * Kuma raises the child, now named Bonney, with the help of the villagers.
 * He continues to act as a commander of the Revolutionary Army.
 * Him training Sabo is shown.
 * At the age of five, Bonney starts to contract Sapphire Scales just like Ginny. Because of this, Kuma quits the Revolutionary Army so he can take care of her.
 * A doctor says that Bonney will die around age ten. When Bonney overhears the end of their conversation, Kuma lies to her, saying that she will be cured at age ten, in order to not make her upset.
 * King Bekori resumes his original goal for Sorbet Kingdom after 16 years, terrorizing and burning the many residents who he deems is weighing his country down.

Trivia

 * This chapter shows Kuma training Sabo, with the latter using a pipe as a weapon. This was shown in a filler part of Episode 737.
 * As noted on the cover page, most of the chapter's panels have a rough look due to Oda not being able to finish them in time.