Asking Kuma to Join
(A/N- I made a simple mistake. Kuma cured Bonney before she became a pirate. Now that she is already a pirate, I am going to change some things.)
Thriller Bark;
"How does he know this?"
In that mechanical face, a new kind of expression appeared. It wasn't that new, but it was something he had lost for a long time.
Sanji shrugged his shoulders and said.
"I don't know. He told me that he doesn't want to force you, but he also wants you to think carefully."
"Many times, stubbornness will only make the situation worse. Maybe giving others a chance can help you solve your problem."
Kuma's expression turned sad from surprise as he spoke.
"But I've already cured Bonney."
"But, isn't Sapphire Scales hard to cure? Even Doctor Kureha doesn't know how to cure it." Chopper asked in confusion.
He had listened to their conversation and knew they talking about diseases, which got him interested.
"I've removed her disease from her body and absorbed it within my body. Since my body has now transformed into Pacifista, I don't have to worry about that disease."
"But you haven't completed your final transformation, right? If you had, then you wouldn't talk to us like this. So, even if Bonney is cured, you will still die."
"So, Liam's words do have some truth to them. Don't give up on your life when there is a solution in front of you."
"I am not sure what this solution might be, but give us some chance to help you."
Sanji spoke, a little bit more excited than before.
He didn't want Kuma to give up on himself when he still had a chance.
Kuma thought for a moment. He hadn't gone through the last phase of transformation.
That meant he could still retain his original Will. If he could be with Bonney, he didn't need to worry about anything else.
How could he not want to be with his daughter?
"Then, please!"
Kuma nodded. Before he moved, he continued.
"What about Moria? Marines need his help for an upcoming event."
"Don't worry about him. Vivi-chan has already captured him. Let's go to our ship first."
Sanji spoke.
Soon, they found the ship near the shores of Thriller Bark and set sail toward the battle island.
When they were sailing, they saw a large dragon flying away.
"It seems like the battle is over now." Zoro spoke.
"Those two have grown stronger. Kaido isn't someone who would leave a battle without suffering a loss." Kuma spoke in his usual cold tone.
"Of course, they have." Vivi spoke.
Then, she looked at Kuma and asked.
"But I don't understand something. Doesn't Vegapunk have a method to save Bonney? Why would you need to sacrifice yourself?"
"Because it is in the experimental stage. And, the government isn't willing to wait. If I want Bonney to escape the clutches of the World Government, I must make sure she can become a pirate but not be killed by the Marines."
Kuma explained.
Hearing that, Vivi nodded. She could understand a father's love for his daughter. But it was hard for her to connect this guy to his reputation as a Tyrant.
'Sure enough! I shouldn't trust the newspaper ever again. World Government is constantly manipulating it.'
Vivi thought to herself.
Soon, they reached the island where Luffy, Liam, and Kaido fought. Seeing the level of destruction they caused, Zoro and Sanji were a bit sad.
"What's with the look?" Unlike Luffy, Liam caught their disappointment and asked.
"That guy Moria wasn't strong. Maybe he would've been a trouble for Mosshead, but he was truly nothing for me. I didn't even get a good fight."
Sanji complained. This time, he wasn't making fun of Zoro.
"Humph! Stinky cook, try to fight my opponent then. I can kill Moria with a single strike." Zoro snorted.
"No, no, I am not trying to make fun of you. Moria is simply a bad match for me. He is slow and fat. Even his most powerful trump card is a big target for me."
"So, this entire battle, the only thing that I lacked was attack power. But that's only because I didn't want to destroy the ship; otherwise, I would've finished him even sooner."
Saying so, he looked at Kuma and continued.
"But your opponent would've been a good choice for me. He is fast and strong. So am I. Our battle would be very satisfying."
"Sorry to get your hopes down, Sanji, but Kuma isn't a warmonger. He is a very gentle man." Liam laughed and explained.
Hearing that, everyone had a look of disbelief on their faces.
"Liam-ya, maybe you don't know his reputation, but he is called Tyrant." Law waved his hand and spoke.
"Law, as someone who has a clear grudge against World Government, how can you trust its news?"
Liam pointed at Kuma and continued.
"This is a man who is willing to bear all of the pain and suffering of people around him. If there is a man who represents Gentleness in this world, that man is Bartholomew Kuma. "
His statement shocked everyone, even Kuma himself.
Because this wasn't the first time someone said this to him. But this was the first time someone whom he had never met, never knew, said this to him.
"I never expected you to know so much about me. But I do not understand. You shouldn't even have been born at that time. How do you know so much?"
Kuma asked.
Liam looked at his crew, his eyes stayed on Sanji and Robin for a moment. He hesitated but eventually decided to tell them something.
Not a truth, but something close.
He used the hilt of the broken sword to draw a line and said.
"When you see Time as a linear path, you can see both the future and the past. Sometimes, this can be as much of a curse as it is a blessing."
"But I still believe it's more of a blessing than a curse. Yeah, I cried many times. When I learned about Nami's past, Robin's past, Law's past, your past, there were so many tragedies that I cried every time."
"Because of that, I made up my mind to make sure tragedies like that never happen. At least, not to the people I know about. That's why I asked Sanji to bring you here."
"You are one of the tragedies, Kuma. And, your tragedy comes weakness of your partner. If Dragon truly had the power to challenge the World Government, you wouldn't have to follow WG orders."
"But now you have another partner. That is us. Even if you turn yourself into a complete pacifista, you will still protect your daughter, but will it still be you or just another robot?"
"Don't run away, Kuma. You have always believed in Nika. Just one last time, believe in him."
Liam slowly got up and walked next to Luffy. He patted Luffy's shoulder and continued.
"See the rise of Nika through your own eyes, Kuma. Dance in the rhythm of Drums of Liberation in his Awakening."
Saying so, he walked in front of Kuma and raised his hand. He made a fist toward Kuma and continued.
"You have sacrificed enough. Now, just enjoy the journey to liberate this world. Join us, Kuma! With Bonney and us, travel around the world and liberate more people."
After that, he didn't say a word. He just silently kept his hand up, waiting for his reaction.
On the other side, Law, Sanji, and Robin had a strong reaction. Unlike others, they understood every word that Liam said.
Even Nami understood some of it, but she didn't know much, especially the consequences.
'So, that's why. It makes sense. Everything makes sense. From our growth to his current situation. If I hadn't learned about those things in my childhood, I wouldn't know the current situation.'
'When you play with time, time plays with you. He is messing up the timeline. If Time is a linear line, it has a fixed path, a fixed journey. He is changing things.'
'But what? Is it the loss of a companion?'
Sanji instantly began to use his brain and think of different situations that they had gone through.
Although Robin was an archaeologist on the ship, Sanji also had his hands on a lot of knowledge of this world.
More importantly, he had been constantly thinking about Liam's situation. So when Liam gave him a clue, he instantly understood everything.
At least, that's what he believed.
'No, maybe not a loss of companion. Come to think of it, except for Crocodile, every other enemy we fought is either evenly matched or has some kind of weakness.'
'As for those marines, I don't think we would've fought them if we were weaker. For example, if Liam and Luffy were weaker, they couldn't fight Aokiji.'
'Since they couldn't fight him, he would either kill us or let us leave.'
'After all, that guy is Luffy's grandfather's student.'