Ван пис номер 2

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Бентам^[1], псевдоним Мистер 2, Бон Курей. Бывший офицер Барок Воркс и Окама (Японский жаргонизм, обозначающий трансвестита).^[7][2] Несмотря на то, что он, как офицер Барок Воркс,^[8] был противником Луффи, они быстро стали друзьями, что привело Бентама к самопожертвованию в Алабасте^[9] и позже в Импел Дауне.^[10] В настоящее время он стал новой Королевой Ньюкама Лэнда.^[4]

Внешность

Бентам — относительно высокий кроссдрессер, который носит броскую балетную одежду в теме лебедя. Обычно он надевает розовое пальто и голубую средневековую одежду.^[3] Как признак того, что он — окама, его шорты настолько шарообразны, что это делает его зад огромным и похожим на горшок (игра слов, поскольку термин окама может иметь отношение и к горшкам, и к ягодицам). У него на лице много косметики и часто появляется характерная широкая улыбка, которая иногда сохраняется после перевоплощения. Его ноги, выставленные напоказ, — очень волосатые, и поэтому окружающие часто испытывают отвращение от его беззаботности к своему внешнему виду.^[2] Несмотря на это под одеждой скрыто достаточно тренированное тело, которое можно было увидеть в Импел Дауне и котрое, возможно, стало таким из-за его тренировок Окама Кэмпо.

Его номер легко различим в одежде, как и у всех агентов Барок Воркс. Номер 2 Мистера второго Бон Курея виден в форме его лебедей, которые имеют контур, как у цифры «2».^[2] Когда он выдает себя за Нефертари Кобру на нём надета королевская мантия и сандалии. На спине было изображено кандзи Okama Way (おかま道^?), отображающее его жизненное кредо.

Во время операции Марианны: «Встреча с Барок Воркс», он носит темный костюм с рубашкой, под которой находится платье и темные брюки. Позже, на нём уже наряд Мистера 3, который состоит из темной толстовки, на которой есть цифра 3, полосатых брюк до колен и светлых туфель.

Позднее, в Импел Дауне, он носит мешковатую полосатую робу заключенного.^[11] Бентам также носил головной убор и брюки Ханнябала, когда ему пришлось замаскироваться под него. После попадания на уровень 5.5 он был весь в бинтах, рваных фиолетовых штанах до колена и в черных ботинках. Чтобы позволить Мугиваре и всем остальным сбежать, ему пришлось замаскироваться под Магеллана, который носил чёрное пальто и брюки.

Два года спустя, когда он становится новой королевой Ньюкама Лэнда, его показывают в несколько иной версии его балетной одежды с некоторыми особенностями, такими как большие крылья и пушистый воротник.^[4]

Галерея

Основное

Видео-игры

Прочее

Концепт — арт Бентама в одежде заключенного в Импел Даун.

Бентам в Mugiwara Theatre — Red-Hair of Class 3 — Sea Time.

Одежда Бентама в One Piece Log Collection.

Личность

У него бросающаяся в глаза манера поведения, включающая в себя пение, танцы и вращение. Очень часто этим злит остальных агентов. Несмотря на то, что он ассасин, он превыше всего ставит дружбу.

Он единственный высокого ранга, у которого нет женского партнера. Возможно это, потому, что его считают и мужчиной и женщиной, вероятно, из-за его образа жизни, так как Бон Курей сам провозгласил себя окама, но на самом деле он никогда не носил женской одежды, а только использовал макияж. Его кодовое имя определяет число и праздник.

Мистер 2 Бон Курей высоко ценит дружбу, наперекор мнению других агентов, Мистера 1 и Мистера 5, о чём свидетельствует его самоотверженная жертва, которая позволила Соломенным Шляпам покинуть Алабасту, когда они попали в засаду капитана Хины, позднее, когда он снова атаковал Хину ради спасения Микита, и, в конце концов пожертвовал жизнью, чтобы открыть Врата Правосудия для беглецов из Импел Дауна.

Также это указывает на его невероятную самоотверженность и справедливость, чем он очень гордится (сказав Магеллану, что не сожалеет о своей жертве) подобные действия он часто мотивирует говоря, что покинуть напарника — это не «путь окама». Хотя это не помешало ему напасть на Виви во время конфликта в Алубарне.

Он всегда заканчивает предложение сочетанием «Ва ё», что в японском языке отражает женскую (если утвердительно) манеру речи. Он также постоянно говорил «Дзёудан дзанай ва ё», что переводится как «Хватит надо мной шутить!» или «Нечего тут шутить!». ещё он говорит «Ан, де, труа» (один, два, три — по-французски) и спрашивает остальных что будет на четыре. По его словам, неопределенный — его любимое слово.

Отношения

Барок Воркс

Его открытая эмоциональная и поэтичная натура может раздражать других. Особенно заметно, что реакция на его присутствие у других агентов Барок Воркс мужского пола — далеко не удовольствие.

Он также обращается к Крокодайлу «Ноль-чан», даже после того как узнал его личность. У него талант убеждать людей, чтобы они следовали за ним, и он может заставить других танцевать балет вместе с ним; ему кажется нравится учить других «пути окама» больше всего и он с удовольствием покажет другим как танцевать балет, например биллионам под его командой.

Отношения с биллионами у него довольно сложные. Несмотря на то что он ругает их и бьет — он считает их товарищами, и, видимо, очень злится, когда Мистер 1 нападает на них.

В то время как Мистер 2 имеет обычные безразличные профессиональные отношения с агентами Барок Воркс, он — в плохих отношениях с Мистером 1 Даз Бонсом. Из-за того что подвижная яркая натура Мистера 2 конфликтует со статичной холодной бессердечностью Мистера 1, они постоянно дерутся. Начиная с первого знакомства с ними в кафе Спайдерс мы видим постоянные ссоры между ними. Это похоже на соперничество Санджи (который победил Мистера 2) и Зоро (который победил Мистера 1).

Несмотря на то, что Галдино изначально испытывал к Мистеру 2 Бон Курею неприязнь, действия окама в Импел Дауне глубоко затронули Мистера 3, так как после событий в Маринфорде он сказал, что «потерял друга».

“

Если я скажу вам … Я здесь, чтобы выполнить последнее желание моего потерянного товарища … вы будете смеяться надо мной, хммм?!

”

Друзья

Эмпорио Иванков

Бентам поклоняется Иванкову как главному Окама и потому, что тот спас жизнь Луффи. Ива, в свою очередь, был очень тронут крепкой дружбой Бон Курея и Луффи, а также был среди многих заключённых, которые плакали, узнав, что Бон Курей принёс себя в жертву ради того, чтобы открыть Врата Правосудия для них.

Пираты Соломенной шляпы

Бентам стал близким другом Соломенных Шляп, после того как помог им сбежать от Хины в Алабасте и ещё раз помог Луффи в Импел Дауне. Как ни странно, он обращается к членам команды Луффи по характерным внешним признакам, добавляя к ним (даже если они звучат как ребячество) — «чан» (т.е. Луффи — Шляпа-чан, Усопп — Нос-чан, и т.д.), а Луффи в ответ называет его «Бон-чан».

Он также помог Соломенным шляпам, спрятав их корабль, Гоинг Мерри, когда Морской Дозор искал их вокруг Алабасты^[12] и, маскируя себя и своих людей, как пиратов, чтобы увлечь Морской Дозор за собой.

Луффи

Луффи подружился с Бентамом после того, как он извинился за то, что причинил им неприятности в Алабасте. Позже, после побега из своей камеры и воссоединения с Луффи в Импел Дауне, Бентам бок о бок сражался вместе с Луффи, чтобы добраться Эйса. На протяжении всего воссоединения Мистер 2 помогает Луффи пройти через различные опасности в тюрьме и в конечном итоге помогает Луффи и несколько другим заключенных, жертвуя собой, чтобы открыть путь к свободе. В то время как он был позже показан живым, Луффи ещё не знает жив ли его друг.

Враги

Магеллан

Бентам приобрел гнев бывшего надзирателя Магеллана, когда помог некоторым заключенным выбраться с камер и после того, как скопировал его лицо, чтобы обмануть персонал тюрьмы. После того, как он скопировал Магеллана, дабы обмануть сотрудников Импел Дауна, Бон Курей разрушил контроль управления, чтобы убедиться в том, чтобы они не смогли пойти за Луффи и другими. Разъяренный Магеллан готов был раскрыть свой гнев на Бентама и спросил у последнего, есть ли у него любые последние слова и Бентам гордо ответил, что он не имеет никаких сожалений для его жертвы. Магеллан был безуспешен в убийстве Бентама и, кажется, до сих пор точит зуб на него.

Силы и способности

Как окама, Бентам не испытывает недостатка уловок. В то время как он и обожает петь и танцевать, также он является мастером боевых искусств, хотя его главная угроза исходит не от боевых способностей.

Его жульничество и способности к подражанию делают его довольно изворотливым противником, потому что он может легко избежать погони и вызвать сильное замешательство у людей, которым он противостоит. Ему удалось успешно проникнуть, казалось бы, в безопасный королевский двор Алубарны и превратиться в короля Нефертари Кобру. Он также использовал свое умение, как только он был выпущен из камеры для обхода охраны в Импел Дауне. Импел Даун будучи «величайшей тюрьмой» в мире One Piece, где ни один заключенный не смог этого сделать в течение 20-летнего периода.

Более того, у него достаточно силы воли чтобы сопротивляться удару хаки Луффи незадолго до того как он потерял сознание от ран нанесенных ему волками на Уровне 5.

Бентам имеет хорошую стойкость и выносливость. Похоже что он стал намного сильнее с тех пор как команда Соломенных шляп видела его последний раз, настолько, что стал способен наносить мощнейшие удары и даже сбить с ног Минотавра — одного из четырёх демонов-стражей Импел Дауна. Он ещё раз показал свою силу, когда голыми руками отбился от огромного волка, но остался ранен, окровавлен и потерял свою рубашку в бою. Бентам также пережил битву с Магелланом, который ранее был не сильно побит Луффи.

Бентам был полностью равнодушным к температуре на 3 уровне Импел Дауна, так как он был единственным в заключении, замеченным танцующим в своей клетке.

Также, по его же словам, он отличный повар.

Дьявольский плод

Дополнительная информация: Манэ Манэ но Ми.

Манэ Манэ но Ми — это Дьявольский плод типа Парамеция, которые позволяет превращаться в любого человека которого он коснулся правой рукой. Возвратиться к первоначальному состоянию можно коснувшись лица левой рукой. «Мане» означает «имитация».

Боевой стиль

Дополнительная информация: Окама Кэмпо.

В бою Бентам обычно полагается не на способности Дьявольского плода, а на уникальное боевое искусство, известное как Окама Кэмпо, которое сочетает удары руками и ногами с его стилем балерины. Этот боевой стиль достаточно мощный, настолько, что Бон Курей мог взять верх и пинком отправить Мистера 1 (которой имеет больший ранг и по праву является опытным рукопашным бойцом) в полет, пробить им каменную стену во время их короткой потасовки, а также быть достойным противником Стилю Чёрной ноги Санджи.

Оружие

Два лебедя на его спине — это не только эффектный внешний вид. Бентам может снять их в средней части шеи и нацепить на свои балетки. Когда лебеди у него на ногах, его удары по мощности могут сравниться с выстрелами из ружья (из-за стальных клювов) и имеют больший радиус (из-за того что лебединая шея растягивается каждый раз когда он бьет).

Хоть это и было показано один раз, Бон Курей также может снимать и бросать свои накладные ресницы как бумеранг, которые летят по дуге и возвращаются ему на лицо.

История

Сага Алабасты

Арка Литл Гарден

Мистер 2 был отправлен сразу после поражения Мистера 3 в Литл Гарден, чтобы убить его за неудачную попытку уничтожить команду Соломенных Шляп.^[3]

Арка Острова Драм

К тому времени как он добрался до Литл Гарден, там уже никого не было, и он стал беспокоиться, что Даз Бонс убьет его. И он приказывает своей команде отправиться в Алабасту на максимальной скорости, перехватывая все встречные корабли.^[13]

Арка Алабасты

Команда Соломенной Шляпы первые встречает Бон Курея по дороге в пустынное королевство Алабасту — родину Принцессы Виви, в которую они её сопровождали. Бон Курей развеселил их, продемонстрировав им силу своего плода. Луффи, Усопп и Чоппер были в восторге от его способностей. Бон Курей съел Дьявольский плод Манэ Манэ но Ми, который позволяет ему копировать внешность любого, кого он коснулся рукой. Хотя в манге и аниме в основном демонстрируется способность копирования лица человека, Мане-Мане позволяет копировать также и тело: однажды он превратился в Нами и, к её ярости, показал Луффи, Чопперу и Усоппу её грудь (в ремейке он показал тело Нами не только им, но и Санджи, из-за чего девушка их всех побила). Когда его собственная команда приплыла его забрать, они назвали Бентама его кодовым именем, и то, что их новый друг оказался одним из врагов принцессы, поразило всю команду Соломенной Шляпы — даже Виви, которая не узнала агента в лицо, хотя и знала его внешность по описанию.^[8]

Бон Курей отправился в Кафе «Спайдерс», чтобы встретиться с другими офицерами. Бону Курею пришлось побороться с Мистером 1, поскольку он напал на подчиненных Бентама.^[14] Оттуда агенты выехали на Банти в Реинбейс.^[15]

На встрече агентов в Рейн Диннерс и Бон Курей обнаружил, что его новые друзья — враги его Босса, Крокодайла, что вынуждает его сражаться с ними.^[16] Мистер 3 докладывает Бону Курею, что его друзья действительно были врагами, тем самым заставляя его бороться с ними.^[17] В Нанохане Нефертари Кобра — на самом деле Бон Курей в маскировке. Там он «признается», что использовал Данс Паудер, чтобы дожди шли только в Алубарне. Потом фальшивый король приказывает фальшивым солдатам уничтожить город, потому что они видели, как перевозят порошок. Все горожане в ужасе, а Кодза пытается противостоять разрушительным действиям «короля», однако его подстреливают.^[18] Затем он отправляется в Алубарну с Мистером 1 и мисс Даблфингер.^[19] Позже агенты обсудили свой план, чтобы остановить пиратов Соломенной Шляпы.^[20]

Когда Мугивары встречаются с Кару и Супер Отрядом Пестроносых Крякв, они врываются в Алубарну. Позднее, в столице королевства Алубарне, когда команда Соломенной Шляпы одевается в плащи, чтобы скрыть свои личности и, притворившись Виви, отвлечь агентов, Бон Курей первыми встречает Усоппа и Ресничку.^[21] Он легко побеждает их за несколько секунд и, надев украденные снайперские очки Усоппа, Мистер 2 пытается в облике Усоппа обмануть Виви. Благодаря плану, который команда Соломенный Шляпы придумала, чтобы проверять истинность члена команды, Виви легко раскрыла его и вместе с Кару пустилась наутек,^[22] заняв его достаточно для того, чтобы Санджи пришёл к ним на помощь.^[23]

Бой Бон Курея и Санджи был очень напряженным. Когда Санджи уже решил, что победил, Бон Курей обнаружил его слабость: Нами. Он воплощается в неё, используя её облик, чтобы вывести из строя Санджи, не способного ударить красивую женщину.^[24] Но тот заметил, что для проведения свои самых мощных атак Бон Курей должен возвращаться в свой истинный облик, и благодаря этому Санджи смог снова противостоять ему. Преимущество на стороне Санджи до тех пор, пока Бон Курей не снимает своих лебедей с плеч и не надевает их на ноги. С этими лебедями, у которых оказываются стальные клювы, его удары становятся такими же сильными, как выстрел из ружья, а радиус поражения увеличивается. Это создает ещё больше проблем для Санджи, и ситуация снова становится не в его пользу.^[25] Но, в конечно счете, Санджи побеждает. Бон Курей умоляет Санджи добить его, полагая что будет убит за неудачу, но Санджи предлагает пожать ему руку за хороший поединок. Когда Бон Курей жмет ему руку, переполненный чувствами, Санджи вырубает его ударом в голову и забирает очки Усоппа.^[26]

Когда команда Соломенной Шляпы готовится покинуть Алабасту после разрушения планов Крокодайла, Бон Курей звонит им по Дэн Дэн Муси (телефону-улитке) и говорит Луффи, что у него их корабль. Он спрятал его от дозорных в бухте (Смокер, Хина, Джанго, Железный кулак Фулбоди, Тасиги и т.д.) и утверждает, что сделал это потому что они — друзья. Теперь, когда он больше не член Барок Воркс (и подчиненный Крокодайла), он хочет быть их хорошим другом, возможно, присоединиться к их команде.^[27]

Когда команда Соломенной Шляпы покинула Алабасту на Гоинг Мерри, Хина, Джанго и Фулбоди нападают на них. Бон Курею приходит в голову план, позволяющий им спастись. Он и его команда притворяются пиратами Соломенной Шляпы, таким образом отвлекая эскадру Хины на себя. Это позволяет Гоинг Мерри ускользнуть, в то время как Бон Курей, оставшись позади вместе со своими людьми, произносит речь о силе дружбы и человечности, и после этого он и его команда берут на абордаж корабли дозорных, а Луффи кричит ему, что никогда не забудет Бон Курея, своего друга.^[28]

План Мисс Голденвик: Встреча с Барок Воркс

Хина захватывает Бона Курея, который, однако, спасается из тюрьмы с наградой за голову 32 000 000.^[6] Он вновь появляется в манге во время мини-сериала на обложках «Операция: встреча Барок Воркс», одетым в гораздо более изящных костюм, в котором он выглядит мужественнее, чем в своем обычном одеянии балетного кэмпо. Пиджак похож на тот, который носил Роб Луччи, под ним — рубашка, на ногах — черные брюки. Он не красит губы помадой, но его на его щеках остался румянец, что позволяет думать, что он не искусственный.

Позже он берет реванш у Хины, пытаясь спасти Микита от казни. После этого Марианна, Микита и Джем освобождают Мистера 4, Мисс Даблфингер, Дрофи и Лассу. Мистер 2 связывают с Мистером 3 и кидают в тюрьму к уже заключенным Мистеру 0 (Крокодайлу) и Мистеру 1 (Дазу Бонзу), из чего можно заключить, что Бона Курея вновь победила Хина. ^[29] Его позже переводят в тюрьму Импел Даун вместе с бывшими товарищами из Барок Воркс.^[30]

Сага Великой Войны

Арка Импел Дауна

Бентама замечают Багги и Галдино, танцующим в своей клетке на 3 уровне Импел Дауна (несмотря на то, что его награда меньше 50 000 000). Такое впечатление, что на него не повлияли жара и голод. Он моментально выражает удивление по поводу нахождения Мистера 3 в тюрьме.^[11] Галдино сомневается, выпускать ли Бентама из клетки, но в конце концов решается, так как Луффи гораздо охотнее будет им помогать, если с ними будет находиться его друг, то есть, Бентам. Позже Луффи атакуют Сфинкс и несколько охранников, и Бентам вмешивается в битву (притворяясь Зоро). чтобы сражаться на стороне Мугивары. После победы над сфинксом и трогательного воссоединения Бентам соглашается помочь Луффи достигнуть 5 уровня, где мечтает встретиться с одним человеком. Этот человек — Эмпорио Иванков, королева Королевства Камабаккаа и живой идол всех окама в мире.^[31]

Пока они пытаются попасть на 4 уровень, их останавливает Минотавр. Бентам моментально распознает опасность и предупреждает Луффи о силе противника. Однако прежде чем они успевают что-то предпринять, Минотавр использует силу и скорость, чтобы отправить Бона в полет. Он также стремится ударить Луффи своим жезлом, но Курей отражает атаку, несмотря на сильную боль. которую он испытывает. Луффи, в свою очередь, использует Базуку, чтобы спасти друга от неминуемой смерти. Бентам видит, насколько сильным Луффи стал с момента их расставания в Алабасте.

Перед тем, как они достигли следующего уровня, Бентам предупреждает Луффи о таящейся впереди опасности: у них только один шанс приземлиться туда живыми, иначе они умрут. Однако за Багги и Галдино бежит Минотавр, и окама приходится победить его с помощью своего окама кэмпо.^[32] Через мгновение они понимают, что летят в пропасть, потому что Магги бомба, которую использовал Багги, оказалась достаточно мощной, чтобы сломать пол под ними.

К их счастью падающие осколки позволяют им отталкиваться от них, тем самым спасая от падения в кипящий котел. После того, как Бентам жалуется на жару, царящую на 4 уровне, Луффи начинает бежать в рандомном направлении, не заботясь о возможных опасностях. Тот факт, что Бон Курей смог определить, что Луффи бежит к кухне, показывает, насколько хорошо окама знает карту Импел Дауна. Так как, по логике, на кухне должно быть достаточно еды, он последовал за Луффи, чтобы подкрепиться и восстановить свои силы.

Однако они вскоре были остановлены разозленным Магелланом, который неожиданно возник у них на пути.^[33] Бентам, зная пугающие разрушительные способности начальника тюрьмы, говорит Луффи убегать, но противник всерьёз намеревается остановить Луффи любой ценой. В результате Бентам, борясь с самим собой и со своими принципами, отступает со слезами на глазах, так как понимает, что в этой битве шанс выжить совсем невелик. Он просит прощения у Луффи за свой подлый, но благоразумный поступок (полная противоположность безрассудству Луффи), однако не может справится со своими чувствами и возвращается, чтобы спасти Мугиваре жизнь.^[34]

Через некоторый промежуток времени Бентам, вынужденный заботиться об отравленном друге, находящимся на пороге смерти, решает привести свой план в исполнение. Он сплачивает двух союзников (Багги и Галдино) и решает выдать себя за Ханнябала, естественно, предварительно его коснувшись. Бентам для этого принимает облик Нами — наиболее привлекательной женщины в его коллекции лиц — и приглашает в арсенал, чтобы замначальника тюрьмы помог «ей» раздеться. Там он атакует зазевавшегося Ханнябала, снимает всю его одежду и успешно выдает себя за работника тюрьмы.^[35]

Первоначально все идет гладко. Бентам в личине Ханнябала вместе со все ещё сомневающимися союзниками начинает спуск на 5 уровень, чтобы спасти Луффи. На вопрос, зачем он это делает, он просто отвечает, что они друзья. «Нет нужды в иных причинах!» — это принцип его пути окама.^[36]

Перед спуском на следующий уровень Бентам в качестве Ханнябала дает распоряжение медицинской команде тюрьмы помочь Луффи, для чего врет им, что Дозорным Мугивара нужен живым. Однако медики сообщают, что могут лишь ускорить его неминуемую смерть. Бентам паникует, и Багги с Галдино советуют ему оставить обреченного Мугивару, говоря, что невозможно выжить после битвы с Магелланом. Это неожиданно напоминает ему, что Ива-сан, которого ищет Бентам, обладает потрясающими врачебными способностями.

С этими мыслями вновь вернувший прежнее воодушевление Бон Курей спускается на пятый уровень, Холодный Ад. Багги и Галдино все ещё не отстают, играя роль заключенных, которых «Ханнябал» лично переводит. На пути вниз обнаруживается, что человек, которого он ищет, уже давно исчез таинственным образом из своей клетки. Вместе с ещё несколькими пропавшими заключенными его пропажу приписали к проделкам демонов. Суеверный народ, даже в живую видящий Импел Даун, не мог не мистифицировать их исчезновение. Бентам решает не оставлять поисков, и бродит по всему уровню, расспрашивая об Иванкове.

Он появляется перед клетками с замерзшими заключенными, почти раздетый, в своем настоящем облике. У всех он спрашивает о пропавших заключенных, но никто не отвечает. Из больше интересует возможность выбраться из клетки. Один из заключенных говорит о «странном чудике», иногда выходящем из леса. Бентам благодарит того за помощь и направляется туда, однако «помощник» умалчивает об опасных хищниках, живущих там. Как он и предполагал, на людей нападают волки.

Бентам отражает их атаки, защищая себя и бессознательного Луффи. Однако волки нападают всей стаей, поэтому вымотанный Бентам вскоре начинает сдавать позиции. В тот момент, когда его готовится загрызть один из волков, неожиданно просыпается Луффи. Он кусает одно из животных и кричит, чтобы не трогали Бон-чана. В этот момент пробуждается Хаки, и враги падают поверженные. Этот рывок настолько изматывает друзей, что они остаются обессилено лежать посреди заснеженного леса. Появляется загадочная фигура.^[37]

Когда Бентам просыпается, он обнаруживает себя забинтованным в окружении странных людей. Они едят, пьют и веселятся, несмотря на то, что находятся в Импел Дауне. Это помещение вообще не похоже на тюрьму, а люди — на заключенных. Он в шоке пытается выяснить, где находится, а, особенно, каково состояние Луффи. На его вопросы отвечает все тот же таинственный человек, сейчас выглядящий, скорее, как женщина, нежели как мужчина. Её имя — Инадзума. Инадзума говорит Бентаму, что он попал в Нюкама Лэнд, спрятанную между пятым и шестым уровнями.

Бон Курей видит Иванкова, которого столько искал. Ива хочет было начать разговор с Бентамом, однако их прерывает мститель, который надеется забрать жизнь королевы окам за то, что тот сделал его отца окамой. Тот использует базуку, но выстрел оказывается отражен подмигиванием Эмпорио. Затем окама превращает разъяренного мужчину в женщину, используя способности плода Хору Хору, говоря при этом, что люди имеют право быть теми, кем хотят.

Недавний мужчина кричит, а Бон переключается на разговор с Ивой. Он умоляет того спасти Луффи с помощью своих способностей. Тот отвечает, что является опасным заключенным и у него нет повода помогать им. Однако потом он говорит, что был тронут просьбой находящегося при смерти Мугивары спасти Бон-чана, поэтому решил дать отравленному шанс выжить. Он использовал лечебные гормона, которые должны подстегнуть организм самого Луффи, но основную часть по выздоровлению все равно возьмет на себя сам пациент. Радость Бентама быстро сходит на нет, когда Ива говорит, что его друг находится в надежно запертой комнате, в которой он испытывает непрекращающуюся боль, мучительно сражаясь за возможность выжить.. Процедура должна продлиться в течение двух дней, что означает, они не успеют вовремя спасти Эйса. До его казни остается 16 часов.^[38]

Бентаму больно слышать и видеть страдания Луффи, и он ищет хоть какой-нибудь способ помочь другу и разделить его агонию. Ива, однако, заявляет, что выживет ли он — задача самого Мугивары. Не желающий сдаваться Бентам все равно поддерживает друга, во все горло крича ему не сдаваться. Он делает это на протяжении всей борьбы Луффи с ядом, срывая связки и кашляя кровью. Он довел себя до грани и находился на грани обморока.

Эта трогательная сцена самоотверженной дружбы вдохновляет жителей Ньюкама Лэнда, и даже сам Иванков присоединяется к измученному Бентаму. После того, как уже прошла практически половина дня, крики Луффи за дверью неожиданно смолкают. Из комнаты вытекает большое количество крови, и Ива с сожалением констатирует конец. Однако вслед за этим раздаются оглушительный вопль «ЕДЫ!» и сильные удары в дверь к облегчению и радости всех присутствующих.^[39] После того, как Луффи быстро поправляется, Бентам все-таки падает в изнеможении, чем пугает пирата.^[40]

Иванков узнает о родстве Луффи с Драгоном, поэтому решает помочь Мугиваре. После того, как Луффи, Иванков и Инадзума спускаются на 6 уровень, Эмпорио вводит стимулирующие гормоны Бентаму, чтобы тот смог сражаться (в манге это осталось за кадром, однако в аниме показали непосредственный ввод гормонов, чем объяснили изрядную активность окамы).^[41] После длительной и напряженной битвы за возможность выхода на поверхность, этой группе удается достичь 1 уровня. Там они встречаются с другой группой беглецов во главе с Галдино и Багги, которые бросили Бентама ещё на пятом уровне.^[42] Магеллан преследует сбежавших, однако им приходится подождать, пока Крокодайл, Даз Бонс и Дзимбэй захватят корабль дозорных.^[43] В конце концов с помощью рыбочеловека все бывшие заключенные оказываются на корабле. Для этого Дзимбэй использует китовых акул.^[44]

Несмотря на то, что команда Луффи успешно загружается на корабль дозора, Врата Правосудия все ещё закрыты, и нет никакого шанса их обойти. Однако перед тем. как они решают, что делать дальше, ворота открываются. В это же время люди понимают, что Бентам пропал. Дзимбэй с сожалением говорит, что окама предпочел остаться в тюрьме, чтобы открыть ворота. Он прекрасно понимал, на что шёл, но решил встретить опасность лицом к лицу. Дзимбэй пообещал, что не скажет об этом Луффи, но он не может не нарушить обещание. С этими словами он протягивает Мугиваре маленькую Дэн Дэн Муси, чтобы тот мог связаться с Боном Куреем.

После исполнения своей миссии по открытию ворот и разрушению механизма, их контролирующего, Бентам сталкивается с настоящим и изрядно удивленным Магелланом. Он возвращает себе свою собственную внешность, готовый к атаке начальника тюрьмы. Однако перед тем, как тот начинает удар, голос Луффи звучит и маленького Дэн Дэн Муси. пират с горечью спрашивает, почему окама постоянно жертвует собой, но Бентам стоически хранит молчание. Луффи все-таки приходится признать, что они уходят, и он печально благодарит Бон-чана. Не в силах сдержать слезы, Бентам хватает трубку Дэн Дэн Муси и просит Мугивару обязательно спасти своего брата. Луффи и команда спасается, вспоминая Бона, и обещает себе ни за что не забывать отважного товарища. Они понимают, что никогда бы ни выжили без помощи Бентама, и плачут, проходя Врата Правосудия.

Бентам затем сражается против разъяренного Магеллана, который спрашивает, есть ли у него последние слова. Бон Курей не показывает страха или смятения и гордо отвечает, что не испытывает сожалений. Сцена обрывается.^[45]

Два года спустя

Бентам выжил после борьбы с Магелланом, но остался в Импел Даун. Он стал новой «Королевой» из Ньюкама-Лэнда в Импел Даун, на уровне 5.5^[4]

Основные сражения

• Бон Курей против Мистер 1 (больше ссоры)
• Бон Курей против Усоппа и Мацугэ (Не показано)
• Бон Курей против Санджи
• Бон Курей против Хины (Море Алабасты)
• Бон Курей против Хины (Матч — реванш, замаскированный как Мистер 3)
• Бентам и Луффи против Сфинкса
• Бентам, Луффи, Мистер 3 и Багги против Минотавра
• Бентам против Подразделение волков
• Бентам против Магеллана (Не показано)

Филлерные сражения

• Бентам (как Нами) против Ханнябала

Ранний One Piece

Мистер 2 и Мисс Обон

Мисс Хэппи Берздей

Согласно One Piece Color Walk 2, Мистер 2 Бон Курей был изначально двумя разными персонажами: парой, состоящей из «Мистера 2» (который напоминает Мистера 4) и «Мисс Обон».^[46]

Ранний концепт Мистера 2 раскрыли в One Piece Green: Secret Pieces. Изначально его звали Мистер Хэппи Берздей (Мистер С Днём Рождения).^[47]

Различие аниме и манги

В манге на розовой куртке Бентама написано «Окама», однако в аниме надпись заменили на «Бон Курей».

Это изменение коснулось также и диалогов. На протяжении всей Саги Барок Воркс вообще не упоминались отсылки к окама. Это слово везде было заменено на «балет». Toei заменили его стиль боя на «Балетное кэмпо». Однако он все же кричал именно «окама вэй» (то есть «путь окама» во время прощания с Мугиварами в конце арки. Цензура не коснулась Бентама в саге Импел Дауна.

Цветовая гамма Бона Курея также различна в манге и аниме. Его макияж зеленовато-синего цвета в аниме, а ободок — желто-зелёного. Однако в манге обод белого цвета, а тени — светло-сиреневого.

Вопросы перевода и дубляжа

• В манге во время истории на обложках на постере Мистера 2 написано «Бон Курей»^[6] Однако его имя чаще всего записывает как «Бон Клей» даже в японский видеоиграх. Большинство фанатов также использует вариант Бон Клей из-за озвучки аниме.
• В некоторых любительских переводах, так же, как и в трансляции FUNimation, слово «окама» было замешено определением «похожий на гомосексуалиста», что неверно, так как термин «окама» никак не относится к сексуальной ориентации человека. Вполне вероятно, что Бентам не является геем, так как делал комплименты Виви по поводу её внешности. Таким образом, он может быть гетеро- или бисексуалом (что отчасти подтверждается концепцией объединения в себе и мужского, и женского).

Товары

Мистер 2 представлен фигуркой в серии Portrait of Pirates «Neo» волна 3.

Видео Игры

Появления в качестве игрового персонажа

Появления в качестве врага

• One Piece: Treasure Wars
• Treasure Wars 2 Welcome to Buggyland
• One Piece: Pirates Carnival
• One Piece: Round the Land

Появления в качестве союзника

• Aim! The King of Berry
• One Piece: Gear Spirit
• One Piece: Gigant Battle
• One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World
• One Piece Romance Dawn: The Dawn of the Adventure
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2
• One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3

Песни

• Oh, Come My Way

Прочее

• По словам Бона Курея, у Усоппа самый смешной в мире нос. Человек с самыми смешными глазами, ртом и головой — это он сам. Таким образом, когда Мистер 2 делает самое смешное в мире лицо, он просто меняет нос на нос Усоппа.
• По результатам 5-го Японского Опроса фанатов, Бон Курей занял 20-е место по популярности среди персонажей One Piece.
• Мистер 2 Бон Курей — единственный офицер в структуре Барок Воркс без напарника женского пола. Это связано с тем, что он окама и играет как мужскую, так и женскую роли (Мистер 2, как мужчина, и Бон Курей, как женщина).^[48] Его оригинальная композиция с диска «One Piece Character Song Carnival CD» — «Oh Come My Way» (дословно «О, иди по моему пути») на слух может восприниматься как ‘Ocama Way’ (дословно «путь окама») (на самом деле, когда он пел в кафе Спайдерс — он употреблял оба варианта, как «oh come my way», так и «okama way»), что значит ‘путь трансвестита’
• По причине того, что он является трансвеститом, он получил два кодовых имени: мужское с номером и женское с праздником. Его женское имя, Бон Курей, ссылается на определенную ночь во время праздника Обон(お盆).^[49] Его Дьявольский плод также соотносится с его статусом окама, и он способен становится любого пола по желанию.
• Его можно заметить среди аудитории театра в трейлере к Фильму 6 даже несмотря на то, что он не является частью истории.
• Во время боя с Санджи, когда он впервые снимает лебедей с плеч, он отмечает, что левый — женского пола, а правый — мужского.

• В 437 эпизоде Бентам использовал силу Дьявольского плода, чтобы замаскироваться под Ханнябала, и когда Бентам вернул свой нормальный вид, он по-прежнему сохранил тот же рост, хотя Ханнябал гораздо выше Бентама.

Примечания

Внешние ссылки

• Трансвестизм — статья в Википедии о трансвестизме
• Окама — статья в Википедии о термине Окам
• Дрэг-Кюин — статья в Википедии о Драг-Кюин
• Балет — статья в Википедии о балете

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Ahoy! This here is the 192nd Featured Article. «Bentham» has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.

The subject of this article is often called «Bon Clay».

Bentham of the Wild, alias Mr. 2 Bon Kurei,^[7][4] is a former officer agent of Baroque Works and an okama.^[8][3] He was a major antagonist during the Arabasta Arc, and (along with his fellow Officer Agents) one of the central characters in Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works».

While he was once an enemy of Luffy’s as a member of Baroque Works,^[9] the two became quick friends, leading Bon Kurei to sacrifice himself for Luffy both at Arabasta^[10] and later at Impel Down^[11], being one of his main allies during that Story Arc. He is currently the new queen of Newkama Land.^[2]

Appearance

Bentham is a relatively tall male crossdresser who wears flamboyant ballet clothes with a swan theme. He generally dresses in a pink overcoat and blue medieval garments.^[1] He wears heavy makeup, and he often sports a distinct wide grin, which often carries over when he changes his appearance. His legs, being exposed, are hairy.^[3] Underneath these clothes, his physique is relatively 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 the number «2».^[3] When he was impersonating Nefertari Cobra, he wore the king’s robes and sandals. The back of his overcoat bears the characters for his credo, the Okama Way (おかま道^?).

During Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works», he wears a dark suit with a dress shirt covered in 2’s underneath with dark pants. Later in the cover story, he wears Mr. 3’s attire, which is a dark hoodie with two number 3’s on it, striped pants that only extend a little bit past the knee, and light-colored shoes.

Later, in Impel Down, he wears a striped, rag-like prisoner’s outfit.^[12] He also wore Hannyabal’s headdress and pants when he was disguised as him. After entering Level 5.5, he wore bandages on his arms, abdomen, and neck, and purple pants that cut off below his knees and black boots. When he let his fellow prisoners escape, he was disguised as Magellan, wearing his coat and pants.

Two years later, when he becomes the new Queen of Newkama Land, he is shown wearing a slightly different version of his ballet clothes with some features such as bigger wings and furry collar.^[2]

Gallery

Main

Video Games

Other

Personality

Bentham has a flamboyant attitude, which includes singing, dancing, and spinning, much to the annoyance of the other Officer Agents. Despite being an assassin, he prioritizes friendship above all else.

He’s the only higher up that lacks a female partner of the same rank. Possibly because he believes he is both male and female, probably due to his powers and lifestyle as a self-proclaimed okama, despite never actually wearing women’s clothing besides the makeup smeared on his face. He is assigned both a number and a holiday for his code name.

As opposed to the ideas of his fellow agents, Mr. 1 and Mr. 5, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei much values friendship as evidenced by his selfless sacrifice to allow the Straw Hats to escape Arabasta when Captain Hina ambushed them. Later, he once again attacked Hina to save Miss Valentine, and finally, he risked his life to open the Gates 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 goes against «the okama way». This did not hinder him from attacking Vivi during the face-off at Alubarna, though.

He always finishes a sentence with a «wa yo,» which in Japanese reflects a feminine (if assertive) speech pattern. He also often says, «Jodan janai wa yo!» (冗談じゃないわよ Jōdan janai wa yo^?, translates as «It’s not a joke!» or «Not joking around!») as his catchphrase. He also says «Un Deux Trois» (one, two, three in French) while asking others what four is. According to himself, his favorite word is vague.

Relationships

Baroque Works

His openly emotional and poetic attitude can get on the nerves of others, particularly the other male Baroque Works agents, who are often annoyed at his presence.

He is disrespectful to Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas as he called them «fatty» and «old hag», respectively.

He also addresses Crocodile as «Zero-chan», even after learning his identity. He seems to have a knack for making people follow his lead, and can get others to ballet dance with him. Bentham seems to enjoy teaching others about the «okama way» more than anything, and will gladly show others how to ballet, such as the Billions put under his command.

The relationship he has with his Billions is complicated. Although he attacks them and abuses them, he considers them friends and is visually enraged when they are attacked by Mr. 1.

While Mr. 2 generally has an indifferent professional relationship with most of the Baroque Works Agents, he is on bad terms with Mr. 1. Because Mr. 2’s flamboyant nature conflicts with Mr. 1’s static coldheartedness, the two of them would often clash with each other. Ever since first meeting each other in Spiders Cafe, they 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).

“

If I were to tell you… I am here to fulfill the final wish of my lost comrade… would you laugh at me, hmmm?!

”

While Galdino initially viewed Mr. 2 Bon Kurei as an idiotic nuisance, the okama’s actions in Impel Down deeply moved Mr. 3; he felt that his efforts in Marineford helped avenge, as he put it, his «fallen friend».

Friends

Emporio Ivankov

Bentham worships Ivankov for being the greatest okama, as well as for saving his and Luffy’s lives. Iva, in return, was moved by Luffy and Bon Kurei’s strong friendship and was among the many prisoners who were crying after learning of Bon Kurei’s sacrifice to get the Gates of Justice open for them.

Straw Hat Pirates

Bentham is a close friend of the Straw Hats after helping them escape Hina in Arabasta and once again in Impel Down. Oddly, he addresses Luffy’s crew by a crucial part of their appearance, followed by (even though it is meant for a childish aspect) the honorific «-chan» (i.e., Luffy: Straw-Chan (Mugi-chan), Usopp: Nose-Chan, etc.). Luffy returns this affection by referring to him as «Bon-chan».

He aided the Straw Hats by hiding their ship, the Going Merry, when the Marines were searching around Arabasta.^[13] By disguising himself and his men as the Straw Hat Pirates, they drew the Marines away. In return, four members of the Straw Hats were in tears while Luffy screamed that they would never forget him.

Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy became good friends with Bentham after he apologized for causing them trouble in Arabasta. Later, after breaking out of his cell and reuniting with Luffy in Impel Down, Bentham fought alongside Luffy to reach Ace. Throughout their reunion, Mr. 2 aided Luffy greatly through the various dangers of the prison and ultimately supported Luffy and several other prisoners by sacrificing himself to open the way to their freedom. While he was later determined to be alive,^[2] Luffy is unaware of his friend’s condition.

Sanji

Bentham’s relationship with Sanji is a more complicated manner. While he does refer to the cook as «pretty boy» when being friendly, he still fought fiercely with Sanji when he stopped him from attacking Vivi along with the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops. When Bentham turned into Usopp to gain the advantage, he was shocked that Sanji kicked him regardless, but Sanji stated that a person’s real character came from the heart. This statement moved Mr. 2, and when turning into Nami, he mused that even she would not make Sanji hesitate. This was not the case, and Bentham exploited Sanji’s newfound weakness, saying that he was easy to read. When Sanji eventually defeated him, Bentham asked the cook to finish him off, saying that Baroque Works would kill him anyway, but Sanji declined and offered a hand, saying it was a good fight. Moved to tears again, Bentham accepted this newfound friendship only for Sanji to kick him back, knocking him out and retrieving Usopp’s goggles, which Mr. 2 had taken.

Afterward, the friendship he created with Sanji was purely one-sided on Bentham’s part as when he called the Straw Hats on a Den Den Mushi, Sanji hung up the second he heard his voice. However, Sanji was seen as one of the four Straw Hats who cried over his sacrifice, viewing Bentham in a more positive light for it.

Enemies

Magellan

Bentham has gained the wrath of the former warden, Magellan, for staying behind during the escape to let the other escapees break out, and for copying his face to fool the other staff. As he copied Magellan to fool the Impel Down staff and destroyed the controls to make sure they could not go after Luffy and the others, a furious Magellan prepared to unleash his wrath on Bentham, asking if he had any last words. Bentham proudly responded by saying he had no regrets for his sacrifice. Magellan was unsuccessful in killing Bentham and seems to hold that grudge to this date still.

Abilities and Powers

Before the fall of Baroque Works, Bentham was amongst the top-ranked members of the criminal organization, and presumably had several «Billions» (the lower-ranked subordinates of Baroque Works Officer Agents) under his command.

As an okama, Bentham 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 fighting ability. His actual threat level comes from his skills in deception and tricking his enemies through his Devil Fruit Powers combined with his acting skills to trick his enemies into doing what he pleases.

Deception and Trickery

Despite his flamboyant and fun-loving personality, he has an exceptional prowess in trickery, deception, and mimicry, which makes him a tough opponent to deal with, as he can as easily escape pursuit as well as cause devastating confusion to whatever side he opposes. He managed to infiltrate the seemingly secure Alubarna royal court successfully and mimic Nefertari Cobra, creating further dissension and unrest among the poor villagers outside the capital’s walls with scandalous words. He has also used his formidable tactical wits even to bypass the extremely high-security defenses of the notorious Impel Down once he was released from his cell.

Bentham has a strong caution for extreme danger, as he thought of many ways he could fight Magellan before correctly deducing its impossibility. Thus choosing to abandon Luffy in his battle with Magellan reluctantly opted to find and use other possible ways to help Luffy in his dangerous mission to break Ace out of Impel Down. Using his Devil Fruit powers, Bentham can disguise himself as an attractive woman. Specifically, Nami, to allow him to gain a psychological advantage in his fight against Sanji and again against Hannyabal. Both of whom are incredibly perverted despite their powerful fighting prowess. In the case of Hannyabal, Bentham was successful in subjugating him using sheer wits instead of direct brute force. He also managed to trick the vigilant Magellan into letting his guard down by disguising himself as Hannyabal and feigning unconsciousness, allowing him to touch Magellan’s face up close to copy his visage. This feat is ordinarily impossible due to the lethal nature of Magellan’s Doku Doku no Mi. By further posing as Hannyabal, Bentham was able to deceive the entire Impel Down Staff into thinking that he has escaped into Level 3, allowing him to enter Level 5 and search for Ivankov without any detection at all.

Ultimately, he helped Luffy and the other prisoners to escape entirely from Impel Down, by tricking the staff by disguising as Magellan to open the Gate of Justice, as well as closing it after Luffy and the others escaped, eluding their pursuers of a fleet of warships.

Physical Abilities

Due to his arduous training in Okama Kenpo, which Bentham described as meticulous, Bentham has incredible superhuman physical prowess. He has an extremely high level of agility, able to easily match Sanji, as well as perform a wide variety of acrobatic flips, twirls, somersaults, and cartwheels, including ballet rotation at high speed for increased momentum to enhance the power of his kicks. His immense acrobatic prowess also makes him extremely evasive, able to swiftly counter or evade fast attacks such as Sanji’s kicks or Hannyabal’s trident thrusts. He has incredible leg strength, as his kicks are mighty. Quickly knocking out the Sphinx, a giant beast and boss of Level 2. and knock away the Minotaurus, who is an awakened Zoan Devil Fruit user (whom Crocodile noted to be far superior to regular Zoan users). In a combined assault with Buggy, Luffy, and Galdino, Bentham unleashed a spinning kick to its head where the immense force significantly damaged it, causing the Minotaurus to hold its head in intense pain despite his immensely increased endurance. The aftershock of the attack caused the floor underneath its feet to break in pieces.

He has an incredibly substantial amount of stamina and endurance, being able to recover quickly enough to escape being captured by the Marines after his fight with Sanji while his fellow officers were arrested. During the battle of Arabasta, he was able to keep up with «Karoo,» animal able to run faster than a leopard (though Karoo was injured at the time) and while in pursuit, he was even able to run up a wall that went straight upwards and had no foothold. While he is confined in the Level 3 prison of Impel Down, Bentham continued to sing and dance energetically, utterly unfazed by the scorching temperatures, a feat that Buggy complimented as it would be impossible for ordinary people to even stand due to the extreme heat. Shortly after reuniting with Luffy, Bentham took a ferocious hit from the Minotaurus’s club that caused him to yell in pain and quickly shrugged off the pain to retaliate when Minotaurus attacked Luffy. After Luffy sent the Minotaurus flying, Bentham promptly recovered from the damage he received.

While in Level 5, Bentham could continuously drag Luffy in a sleigh for a long while enduring against the immense cold temperatures bare-chested. He also retained sufficient strength to fend off a large Wolf Unit by himself, despite receiving massive injuries in the extreme cold during the fight. Bentham also survived a battle with Magellan, who had previously beaten Luffy with little effort.

Devil Fruit

Further information: Mane Mane no Mi

Bentham ate the Mane Mane no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a physical lookalike of anyone whose face he has touched with his right hand. He transforms himself by touching his own face with his right hand, and changes back to normal by touching his face with his left hand. This ability makes him a perfect master of disguise and deception.

He doesn’t only duplicate faces, he can memorize and perfectly duplicate the entire physical appearance of his target, including their stature and voice. He is also able to mix and match the features of different faces in his collection, allowing him to create new faces.

In battle he uses his power to transform into someone whom his opponent would never do harm to, such as a close friend. However, he has to transform back into his normal self in order to attack, as his fighting style requires a certain level of strength and flexibility that most other people don’t possess.

Okama Kenpo

Further information: Okama Kenpo

Bentham is a compelling martial artist and a master of a unique, dance-based martial arts style known as Okama Kenpo. («Ballet Kenpo» in the Arabasta Arc Japanese anime and FUNimation dub, «Oh Come My Way Karate» in the Viz Manga, «Crazy Karate» in the 4Kids dub, and «Crossdresser Kenpo» in the FUNimation dub of Movie 8). The art combines forceful and acrobatic kicks and sometimes punches with ballet dancing. His hard training in this fighting style made Bentham powerful enough to kick Mr. 1, an infamous assassin and an extremely proficient hand-to-hand fighter in his own right, through a stone wall during their brief fight, and to be a match for Sanji’s Black Leg Style. With Okama Kenpo, Bentham can use a wide array of powerful kicks for offense, as well as acrobatic dance-like maneuvers for evasion. This enables him to easily defeat large numbers of prison officers who were fully armed with trident spears and firearms in Impel Down, knock out a Demon Guard, and briefly hold his own against Hannyabal, the second strongest fighter in Impel Down after Magellan.

Weapons

The two swans on his back are not just for show. Bentham can take them off at the midpoint of their necks and slip them onto his toe shoes. When he has these swans on his feet, Bentham’s kicks become as powerful as rifle shots (due to the steel beaks) and gain a farther range (due to the swans’ necks extending every time that he kicks).

Although used only once, Bentham can detach and throw his (presumably false) mascara Matsuge as sharp boomerangs, which fly out in an arc to attack his enemies and return to his face.

History

Past

Bentham’s past is unknown but he was born in the East Blue. Sometime in the past, he found and ate the Mane Mane no Mi at no younger than age 12.

At some point, he was recruited into Baroque Works and carried out the most important tasks for the organization’s ultimate plan: Operation: Utopia. One of these jobs was apparently getting close to and imprinting the face of Vivi’s father Cobra.

Arabasta Saga

Little Garden Arc

Mr. 2 was sent out shortly after Mr. 3’s defeat on Little Garden to kill him for his failure to eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates.^[1]

Drum Island Arc

By the time he arrived at Little Garden, Mr. 3 was nowhere to be found, leading Mr. 2 to fear being killed by Daz Bonez. He then ordered his men to sail back to Arabasta at top speed and intercept any ships they encounter.^[14]

Arabasta Arc

The Straw Hats first encountered 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 revealed that he ate the Devil Fruit, Mane Mane no Mi, which allows him to transform into an exact copy of anyone he has touched. He further demonstrated that his powers 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). When his crew found him, Bon Kurei bid farewell to the Straw Hats. As he left, his crew called 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.^[9]

Bon Kurei traveled to Spiders Cafe to meet with the other Officer Agents. Bon Kurei briefly fought with Mr. 1 because he attacked Bon Kurei’s subordinates.^[15] From there the agents rode Banchi to Rainbase.^[16]

At the meeting in Rain Dinners, Mr. 0 revealed himself to be the Warlord of the Sea Crocodile and gave the agents their orders for Plan Utopia.^[17] Mr. 3’s report revealed to Bon Kurei that his friends were really the enemies, thus forcing him to combat them.^[18] At Nanohana Nefertari Cobra—actually Bon Kurei in disguise—claimed to have stolen the country’s rain and planned to destroy the harbor. He had Koza shot and then had the harbor set on fire.^[19] He then proceeded to Alubarna with Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger.^[20] At the capital’s West Gate, the agents discussed their plan to stop the Straw Hats.^[21]

When the Straw Hats and the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops rushed into Alubarna, Bon Kurei chased down Usopp and Matsuge.^[22] He easily defeated Usopp and Matsuge in 2 seconds. He stole Usopp’s sniper goggles and attempted to trick Vivi in Usopp’s form. Thanks to the failsafe plan the Straw Hats devised to avoid being fooled by his powers, Vivi easily figured out the truth and she and Karoo ran with him in hot pursuit.^[23] Bon Kurei chased them up the cliffside and into the city. After Karoo fell, Sanji and the ducks Cowboy and Ivan X intercepted Bon Kurei, allowing Vivi and Karoo to get away.^[24]

Bon Kurei and Sanji clashed in a very intense battle. Just as Sanji looked set to be the victor, Bon Kurei discovered Sanji’s weakness: Nami. He impersonated her, using her form to drive Sanji into a crazy fanboyish state which allowed him to even the playing field.^[25] Eventually, Sanji realized that Bon Kurei must revert to his own form to unleash his stronger attacks. He took advantage of this and forced Bon Kurei to revert to his form so that he could pummel him. Bon Kurei then pulled out his iron-tipped swans from his shoulders and put them onto his shoes. With the swans on his shoes, his kicks were strong as a rifle shot and could reach further. This created more problems for Sanji, and the playing field was even once more.^[26] However, Sanji eventually managed to defeat Bon Kurei. Bon Kurei begged Sanji to finish him off, believing that he would be killed for his failure, but Sanji offered to shake his hand for a good fight. Just as Bon Kurei took his hand, overwhelmed with emotion, Sanji kicked him in the head and took back Usopp’s goggles.^[27]

When the Straw Hats prepared to leave Arabasta after thwarting Crocodile’s scheme, Bon Kurei called them up on a Den Den Mushi and told Luffy that he had their ship. He hid it from the marines docked in the harbor (Smoker, Hina, Jango, Ironfist Fullbody, Tashigi, etc.) and exclaimed that he did it because they were friends. Now that he was no longer a member of Baroque Works (and a pawn of Crocodile), he wanted to be a close friend, perhaps even a shipmate.^[28]

As the Straw Hats and Bon Kurei left Arabasta on the Going Merry, Hina, Jango, and Fullbody attacked. Bon Kurei came up with a plan that would allow them to escape. He and his own shipmates impersonated the Straw Hats, thus luring Hina’s squadron to them. This allowed the Going Merry to escape as Bon Kurei stayed behind with his crew. After giving his famous speech of friendship and humanity, he and his crew boarded the Marine ships and unleashed hell upon the Marines. As the Going Merry drew further away, Luffy exclaimed that he would never forget Bon Kurei and his crew.^[29]

Water 7 Saga

Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works»

Bon Kurei was captured by Hina, but escaped from prison with a 32,000,000 bounty on his head^[6] He reappeared sporting a more refined, more masculine look than his ballerina outfit.

Later on, he challenged Hina to a rematch in an attempt to save Miss Valentine from execution.^[30] After Miss Goldenweek, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 5 broke out Mr. 4, Miss Doublefinger, Miss Merry Christmas, and Lassoo, Bon Kurei was seen tied to Mr. 3 and thrown in jail with Crocodile and Daz Bonez so it could be assumed that he was defeated by Hina.^[31] He, along with Crocodile, Daz Bonez, and Galdino, were later transferred to Impel Down for a life sentence.^[32]

Summit War Saga

Impel Down Arc

Bentham was discovered by Buggy and Galdino 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 expressed his surprise at seeing Mr. 3 in Impel Down too. Galdino seemed initially hesitant at releasing Bentham from his cell,^[12] but was seemingly opted otherwise by Buggy, under the impression that Luffy would function more as their scapegoat if Bentham was with him.

Later, when Luffy was attacked by the Sphinx and several guards, Bentham (disguised as Zoro) came to fight at Luffy’s side. After defeating the sphinx and a tearful reunion, Bentham agreed to help Luffy reach Level 5, as he also wished to go there to see someone: Emporio Ivankov, the queen of Kamabakka Kingdom and the idol of okamas worldwide.^[33]

As they tried to get to Level 4, Minotaurus stopped them. Bentham 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 Bentham flying. As Minotaurus tried to hit Luffy with its mace, Bentham used 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. Bentham immediately recognized how powerful Luffy had become.

Upon reaching the exit to Level 4 of Impel Down, Bentham warned Luffy of the great danger ahead: he would only have one chance to land safely in Level 4 or die. It was then that Galdino and Buggy caught up with them with Minotaurus hot on their heels. Bentham contributed to the defeat of Minotaurus by using his Okama Kenpo.^[34] Only a short while later, Bentham along with Luffy, Buggy, and Galdino came to realize that they were falling into the boiling pot of Level 4 because their combined attacks against Minotaurus had weakened the floor beneath them.

To their fortune, the falling debris allowed them to jump off it before they landed in the boiling pot. After Bentham complained the most about the heat in Level 4, Luffy started to run in a random direction without considering the dangers. The fact that Bentham could come to the conclusion that Luffy was running towards the kitchen showed how well Bentham knew the map of Impel Down. As he assumed the kitchen to be stuffed with lots of food, he followed Luffy, saying that he was starving.

However, only after a short while, they were stopped by an angry Magellan, who appeared suddenly to block their path.^[35] Bentham, knowing of Magellan’s nigh impregnable poisonous defensive capabilities, warned Luffy to run, but as Magellan began targeting Luffy seriously, Bentham left tearfully, apologizing that he could not do any more. As a result, Bentham tactically retreated from the battle, feeling sorry for abandoning Luffy, yet knowing it wiser to survive and fight another day.^[36]

Some time afterwards, with a poison-drenched Luffy on the brink of death and imprisoned on the level below, Bentham decided to put his plan into action. He rallied up his two allies and then decided to disguise himself as Hannyabal after eliminating the real one. Bentham used his powers and changed into one of the most attractive women in his arsenal, Nami. As Nami, he first enticed Hannyabal and then invited him to the weapons storage room to help «Nami» undress. After entering, he attacked and bound him down, keeping him away from everyone and being able to freely impersonate him.^[37]

Bentham, now successfully masquerading as Hannyabal, along with a hesitant Buggy and Galdino, began their descent to Level 5 to save Luffy. When asked as to why he would do such a thing, he bluntly replied that he and Luffy «are friends! There’s no need for any other reasons!» signifying his ideal to stick to his okama way.^[38]

Before beginning their downward trek, Bentham (still under the guise of Hannyabal) urged a medical team to help cure Luffy, giving them the impression that the Marines needed him alive. The team however reported that anything they try could only hasten his death, confirming what Magellan had stated earlier. Bentham panicked, and Galdino and Buggy simply told him to leave Luffy, saying to live after fighting Magellan was a miracle. This quip suddenly reminded him of Iva-san, who is rumored to perform medical miracles.

With that, a newly emboldened Bentham set off for level 5, the Freezing Hell, to rescue Luffy. Buggy and Galdino accompany him as prisoners he was personally transferring. On the way down, it was discovered the man whom he sought had mysteriously disappeared from the his cell, and he was not the only one. A significant portion of inmates were rumored to have been ‘demoned’ away. While what happened was unknown, the superstitious chalked it up to hellspawn coming and claiming the damned. After reaching their destination, they were confronted by wolves, the strongest beasts in Impel Down so far.

Although his companions flee, Bentham faced the beasts head on in an unseen skirmish. Having apparently bested his canine adversaries, he appeared at the cell where Luffy was kept, shirtless and covered in blood, determined to rescue his comrade. He then began asking inmates for directions to Iva, refusing to believe that he was «demoned away». One of the inmates erroneously directed him to the forest, fully aware that a hungry wolf pack resided there. As the spiteful inmate had planned, wolves began attacking him.

Once again, he held his ground and began to fend them off, coming between them and an incapacitated Luffy, who would make for quite an easy prey. However, their numbers were too great and he began to falter. Before any fatal hits could be delivered, Luffy, in a defensive rage, bit one of the wolves. He then angrily but involuntarily unleashed his Haki, screaming at the wolves for attacking his friend. The wolves scattered in fear, and Bentham was confused as to what Luffy just did. Before he could ask though, he passed out. He was then shown lying next to Luffy unconscious when a mysterious figure appeared.^[39]

When Bentham woke up, he found himself heavily bandaged and lying in a closed building, filled with gleeful folk cheering, drinking, eating, and having a good time. He was shocked beyond all means, wondering where he was, how he got there, and most importantly the condition and location of Luffy. His questions were answered by the mysterious figure from before, now appearing more as a woman than as a man as she did before, her name is Inazuma. Inazuma told Bentham that they were in Newkama Land, hidden within the bowels of Impel Down, where the prisoners live in comfort directly below the Freezing Hell.

Bentham then saw Iva, whom he had been impatiently waiting for. Iva was about to speak with him but was interrupted by a burly prisoner barging in, who wished to take revenge on Iva for the Kamabakka Kingdom turning the man’s father into an Okama. Iva appeared to be intimidated by his threats and seemed reluctant to fight, but then the man proceeded to angrily shoot a cannon at Iva, who repelled it by merely batting his Matsuge, revealing his fear to be a sarcastic ruse. Iva then turned the man into a woman, using the Horu Horu no Mi Devil Fruit ability, saying people have the right to be whatever they want to be.

As the newly changed woman fled, Bentham immediately begged Iva to help Luffy. Iva said that he was a prisoner in Impel Down, and may not be kind enough to do that. However, he then revealed how a near-death Luffy’s selfless plea to save Bentham moved him, so he decided to help them by giving Luffy a fighting chance against the toxins in his body using the healing aspects of his Horu Horu no Mi powers. Bentham’s elation towards the news quickly turned into horror when Iva revealed that his friend was confined in a heavily-barricaded room, where Luffy was undergoing the excruciatingly painful medical treatment to purge the poisons from his body, a procedure that should take up to two days, potentially making him late for Portgas D. Ace’s execution (scheduled to take place sixteen hours from then).^[40]

Bentham was deeply disturbed by the suffering Luffy endured alone and yearned for some way to share in his agony, feeling guilty doing anything while Luffy endured such a hellish torture, but Iva told him that it was up to Luffy whether to survive or not. With this in mind, Bentham set it upon himself to shout support for Luffy for hours on end, continuing to scream bloody long after his throat was completely raw and he had nearly exerted himself to the point of physical collapse.

This touching display of dedicated friendship and devotion eventually inspired the initially skeptical Newkamas and even Ivankov himself to join in the act as a group and took up the slack for the drained and injured Bentham. After their constant cheering for the better half of a day, at long last a fully healed Luffy burst forth, and in only a fraction of the time Iva had predicted, yelling for «Foooooooooood!!!!!!», to the amazement and massive relief of all those present.^[41] With Luffy effectively recovered, Bentham finally collapsed in exhaustion, after some celebration of Luffy’s recovery, much to Luffy’s shock.^[42]

Later, when Luffy, Inazuma, and Ivankov returned from Level 6, he was given some Tension Hormones by Ivankov to enable him to fight.^[43] During Luffy’s stand off against the Blackbeard Pirates, Bentham was surprised by the recovery of Minotaurus, which Crocodile explains as the Jailer Beasts being Awakened Zoans.^[44] When Ivankov and Inazuma broke off to slow down Magellan, Bentham convinced Luffy to believe in them and to keep moving up. After a long and arduous battle through all the floors alongside the rest of the Impel Down breakout crew, he managed to reach Level 1, joining up with the other group of escapees and immediately gave Galdino and Buggy (the ad hoc leaders of the latter group) a kick for abandoning them way back at Level 5.^[45] While Luffy and Galdino fought Magellan, the other prisoners cleared the way to the entrance but found the ten battleships had left. Bentham waited while Jinbe, Daz Bonez, Crocodile, and Buggy went out to steal a battleship.^[46] With Magellan’s Kinjite forcing them out the door, the prisoners are propelled out of the door by Ivankov’s Death Wink. They are saved by a group of whale sharks summoned by Jinbe.^[47]

Once Luffy and the others made it onto the battleship, they came across the issue of the Gates of Justice standing shut before them. Before they could decide the best course of action, though, the gates began to open. It was then that the others realized that Bentham was missing. Jinbe hesitantly revealed to Luffy that Bentham had decided to stay behind disguised as Magellan in order to open the Gates of Justice, knowing it was the only possible way, and sacrificing himself for the group, but did not want the others to be aware of this until after the fact. Jinbe begrudgingly broke this promise to Bentham by telling all this to Luffy and giving him a Baby Den Den Mushi to contact him with.

After completing his mission by opening the gates and destroying the mechanism that controls it, Bentham was confronted by the real, and shocked, Magellan. He reverted to his normal self, ready to take Magellan’s judgment. However, before Magellan could attack, Luffy’s voice came over the Baby Den Den Mushi, asking why he always sacrificed himself to save Luffy, but Bentham stoically attempted to remain silent. Luffy finally struggled to say that they were going, and sadly thanked him. Sobbing profusely, Bentham grabbed the Baby Den Den Mushi and told Luffy to make sure that he saved his brother. Luffy and his band of escapees commended him, admitting they would have never survived if not for Bentham and tearfully cried out to him until they passed through the Gates of Justice.

Bentham then fought against an enraged Magellan, who asked him if he had any last words. Bentham, showing no fear and great pride in his actions, proudly responded by saying that he had no regrets.^[48]

Fish-Man Island Saga

From the Decks of the World

Bentham survived his fight against Magellan, but remained in Impel Down. He then became the new queen of Newkama Land in Impel Down, Level 5.5, and he was shown dancing in front of his followers.^[2]

Major Battles

• Bon Kurei vs. Mr. 1 (more of a squabble)
• Bon Kurei vs. Usopp and Matsuge (Unseen)
• Bon Kurei vs. Sanji
• Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Arabasta Sea)
• Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Rematch, disguised as Mr. 3)
• Bentham and Monkey D. Luffy vs. Sphinx
• Bentham, Luffy, Mr. 3, and Buggy vs. Minotaurus
• Bentham vs. Wolf Unit
• Bentham vs. Magellan (Unseen)

Filler Battles

• Bentham (as Nami) vs. Hannyabal

Early Concepts

Mr. 2 and Miss Obon

Mr. Happy Birthday

Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was originally going to be another pair, consisting of «Mr. 2» (who resembled Mr. 4) and «Miss Obon».^[49]

In an early concept of Mr. 2, he was originally «Mr. 2 Happy Birthday».^[50]

Anime and Manga Differences

While the manga openly referred to Bentham as an okama from the beginning, the anime censored most of these references throughout the Arabasta Arc; the writing on his overcoat was changed to depict the Bon kure (盆暮れ^?) portion of his codename, while dialog was reworded to describe him as a ballerina or swan (or more generic terms as necessary). Accordingly, his Okama Kenpo fighting style was renamed Ballet Kenpo, with similarly-renamed techniques such as Swan Dash and Ballet Chop.

This censorship was later relaxed toward the end of the Arabasta Arc, allowing his farewell speech to the Straw Hats to retain its «Okama Way!» declaration. By the time of the eighth movie and the Impel Down Arc, it was completely lifted, allowing him to use his original coat-writing and attack names. However, most of the series’ merchandise — including every video game released after Grand Battle! 2 — continues to depict his coat with the Bon kure writing, even when «okama» is freely used in dialogue.

His 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 Dub Issues

As homosexuality and gender identity are arguably even more controversial topics in the United States than in Japan, English translations have often applied additional degrees of censorship to Bentham’s okama identity:

• The 4Kids-dubbed anime avoided any overt references, renaming his fighting style to Crazy Karate and completely removing the writing on his overcoat; its dialog, for the most part, followed the original anime’s rewordings.
  • However, 4Kids may have inserted an indirect reference toward the end of the Arabasta Arc, where Hina dryly remarks «Don’t ask, don’t tell» after seeing Bentham in action.
• The Viz manga leaves the writing on his coat unaltered, but transliterates it as Oh Come My Way in each chapter’s side-notes; his fighting style is likewise transliterated as Oh Come My Way Karate. Its dialog almost exclusively uses swan as a euphemism for okama, though the more in-depth references to his being «both» male and female are faithfully translated (with the exception of Chapter 155’s note on why Baroque Works did not assign him a female partner, which is changed to «he doesn’t want one»).
• The FUNimation-dubbed anime adheres to most, if not all, of the original anime’s changes and rewordings; its dub of the eighth movie mostly translates okama as crossdresser (with dialog using a few other terms, such as man-lady, as necessary).
  • Meanwhile, FUNimation’s subtitles for the eighth movie, and the dub for the Impel Down Arc, translates okama as queer.

The romanization of his codename’s latter half is also somewhat contentious, as it references a holiday little known in the English-speaking world.

• The video game Grand Battle! 3 provided the earliest known «professional» romanization, Bon Clay. This was adopted by 4Kids, Viz, and FUNimation — as well as a number of fans — and continues to be used in every officially-licensed English source.
• However, the manga later romanized it as Bon Kurei.^[6] This is currently considered the canonical spelling, and is used by a growing number of fans as well as most modern Japanese merchandise, such as the Vivre Card series.

Merchandise

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

Video Games

Playable Appearances

Enemy Appearances

• One Piece: Treasure Wars
• One Piece: Round the Land
• Treasure Wars 2 Welcome to Buggyland
• One Piece: Pirates Carnival

Support Appearances

• Aim! The King of Berry
• One Piece: Ocean’s Dream!
• One Piece: Gear Spirit
• One Piece: Gigant Battle
• One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World
• One Piece Romance Dawn: The Dawn of the Adventure
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2
• One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

Songs

• Oh, Come My Way
• Mori no Miyako no Oka March

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In One Piece Premier Show 2011, Bentham rescues the Straw Hat Pirates from the World Nobles and Enel and turns into a Marine to trick the Marine admirals into retreating. In One Piece Premier Show 2016, Pokke created a clone of Bentham to fight the Straw Hat Pirates. Bentham appeared in the retelling of the Arabasta Arc in One Piece Premier Show 2018. In One Piece Premier Show 2019, Bentham escapes from Impel Down when Balzac creates his Prisoner Unit and fights against them with the Straw Hat Pirates. He chooses not to accompany the crew to the Pirates Festival at the end of the show.
• Bentham was the star of Bon Kurei Dance Performance Show at Tokyo One Piece Tower. He traveled to Tongari Island, accompanied by Pon and Mofu, with the goal of establishing a Newkama Land Tongari Branch with the help of the «greatest friend.» Bentham’s Arabasta outfit was on display in the park’s Cruise History exhibit. In One Piece Live Attraction: Phantom, Buggy forced Ann to create a mirage of Bentham to capture the Straw Hat Pirates.
• A photo station with Bentham and Emporio Ivankov appeared outside the DMM VR Theatre for the showing of One Piece Dramatic Stage THE METAL ~Marineford of Remembrance~.
• Bentham appears in Super Kabuki II: One Piece during the retelling of the Impel Down Arc.
• Bentham appears in the Nami-centered version of the Hungry Days commercials.
• One of the guests on One Piece Variety: I Will be the Pirate King TV dressed up as Bentham during one of the show’s skits.

Trivia

• Bentham is the only Officer Agent in the Baroque Works organization without a female partner. This stems from the fact that he is an Okama and plays both the male and female roles. Because of this, he received two names: a male name with a number, and a female name with a holiday. His female name, Bon Kurei, refers both to the O-Bon Festival (お盆) and to the end-of-the-year festivity, Kure (暮れ).
  • Bentham’s Devil Fruit also references his status as an Okama as it allows him to take on both genders as he pleases.
• In the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Japanese fan polls of most popular characters, Bentham was ranked the 9th, 21st, 23rd, 20th and 25th, respectively, being the most popular Okama in the series.
  • In the 2nd poll, he is ranked as the most popular of the Baroque Works members, in the 3rd, 4th and 5th as the third most popular, after Nico Robin and Nefertari Vivi in all of them, and in the 6th as the fourth most popular, after Robin, Vivi and Crocodile.
• While fighting Sanji, Bentham removes the swans on his coat and places them on his shoes. He notes that the swan on his left foot is male and the swan on his right foot is female.^[51]
• Nami imitated Bentham’s way of speaking in the Thriller Bark Arc while she was attempting to convince Lola that she was an Okama, particularly when she says «冗談じゃないわよーう» (jōdan janai wa yō^?).^[52]
  • This is somewhat ironic given Bentham’s use of Nami’s form via the powers of the Mane Mane no Mi in both the Arabasta Arc and Impel Down Arc.
• Bentham is seen among the audience of a theater in a trailer for Movie 6, even though he himself has no role in the story.
• Bentham’s favorite foods are octopus parfait and kamairicha.^[4] This follows the theme of Baroque Works Officer Agents having a type of tea as their favorite food.

References

External links

• Transvestism – Wikipedia article about transvestism
• Okama – Wikipedia article about the term okama
• Drag Queen – Wikipedia article about drag queens
• Ballet – Wikipedia article about ballet

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Ahoy! This here is the 192nd Featured Article. «Bentham» has been featured, meaning it was chosen as an article of interest.

The subject of this article is often called «Bon Clay».

Bentham of the Wild, alias Mr. 2 Bon Kurei,^[7][4] is a former officer agent of Baroque Works and an okama.^[8][3] He was a major antagonist during the Arabasta Arc, and (along with his fellow Officer Agents) one of the central characters in Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works».

While he was once an enemy of Luffy’s as a member of Baroque Works,^[9] the two became quick friends, leading Bon Kurei to sacrifice himself for Luffy both at Arabasta^[10] and later at Impel Down^[11], being one of his main allies during that Story Arc. He is currently the new queen of Newkama Land.^[2]

Appearance

Bentham is a relatively tall male crossdresser who wears flamboyant ballet clothes with a swan theme. He generally dresses in a pink overcoat and blue medieval garments.^[1] He wears heavy makeup, and he often sports a distinct wide grin, which often carries over when he changes his appearance. His legs, being exposed, are hairy.^[3] Underneath these clothes, his physique is relatively 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 the number «2».^[3] When he was impersonating Nefertari Cobra, he wore the king’s robes and sandals. The back of his overcoat bears the characters for his credo, the Okama Way (おかま道^?).

During Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works», he wears a dark suit with a dress shirt covered in 2’s underneath with dark pants. Later in the cover story, he wears Mr. 3’s attire, which is a dark hoodie with two number 3’s on it, striped pants that only extend a little bit past the knee, and light-colored shoes.

Later, in Impel Down, he wears a striped, rag-like prisoner’s outfit.^[12] He also wore Hannyabal’s headdress and pants when he was disguised as him. After entering Level 5.5, he wore bandages on his arms, abdomen, and neck, and purple pants that cut off below his knees and black boots. When he let his fellow prisoners escape, he was disguised as Magellan, wearing his coat and pants.

Two years later, when he becomes the new Queen of Newkama Land, he is shown wearing a slightly different version of his ballet clothes with some features such as bigger wings and furry collar.^[2]

Gallery

Main

Video Games

Other

Personality

Bentham has a flamboyant attitude, which includes singing, dancing, and spinning, much to the annoyance of the other Officer Agents. Despite being an assassin, he prioritizes friendship above all else.

He’s the only higher up that lacks a female partner of the same rank. Possibly because he believes he is both male and female, probably due to his powers and lifestyle as a self-proclaimed okama, despite never actually wearing women’s clothing besides the makeup smeared on his face. He is assigned both a number and a holiday for his code name.

As opposed to the ideas of his fellow agents, Mr. 1 and Mr. 5, Mr. 2 Bon Kurei much values friendship as evidenced by his selfless sacrifice to allow the Straw Hats to escape Arabasta when Captain Hina ambushed them. Later, he once again attacked Hina to save Miss Valentine, and finally, he risked his life to open the Gates 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 goes against «the okama way». This did not hinder him from attacking Vivi during the face-off at Alubarna, though.

He always finishes a sentence with a «wa yo,» which in Japanese reflects a feminine (if assertive) speech pattern. He also often says, «Jodan janai wa yo!» (冗談じゃないわよ Jōdan janai wa yo^?, translates as «It’s not a joke!» or «Not joking around!») as his catchphrase. He also says «Un Deux Trois» (one, two, three in French) while asking others what four is. According to himself, his favorite word is vague.

Relationships

Baroque Works

His openly emotional and poetic attitude can get on the nerves of others, particularly the other male Baroque Works agents, who are often annoyed at his presence.

He is disrespectful to Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas as he called them «fatty» and «old hag», respectively.

He also addresses Crocodile as «Zero-chan», even after learning his identity. He seems to have a knack for making people follow his lead, and can get others to ballet dance with him. Bentham seems to enjoy teaching others about the «okama way» more than anything, and will gladly show others how to ballet, such as the Billions put under his command.

The relationship he has with his Billions is complicated. Although he attacks them and abuses them, he considers them friends and is visually enraged when they are attacked by Mr. 1.

While Mr. 2 generally has an indifferent professional relationship with most of the Baroque Works Agents, he is on bad terms with Mr. 1. Because Mr. 2’s flamboyant nature conflicts with Mr. 1’s static coldheartedness, the two of them would often clash with each other. Ever since first meeting each other in Spiders Cafe, they 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).

“

If I were to tell you… I am here to fulfill the final wish of my lost comrade… would you laugh at me, hmmm?!

”

While Galdino initially viewed Mr. 2 Bon Kurei as an idiotic nuisance, the okama’s actions in Impel Down deeply moved Mr. 3; he felt that his efforts in Marineford helped avenge, as he put it, his «fallen friend».

Friends

Emporio Ivankov

Bentham worships Ivankov for being the greatest okama, as well as for saving his and Luffy’s lives. Iva, in return, was moved by Luffy and Bon Kurei’s strong friendship and was among the many prisoners who were crying after learning of Bon Kurei’s sacrifice to get the Gates of Justice open for them.

Straw Hat Pirates

Bentham is a close friend of the Straw Hats after helping them escape Hina in Arabasta and once again in Impel Down. Oddly, he addresses Luffy’s crew by a crucial part of their appearance, followed by (even though it is meant for a childish aspect) the honorific «-chan» (i.e., Luffy: Straw-Chan (Mugi-chan), Usopp: Nose-Chan, etc.). Luffy returns this affection by referring to him as «Bon-chan».

He aided the Straw Hats by hiding their ship, the Going Merry, when the Marines were searching around Arabasta.^[13] By disguising himself and his men as the Straw Hat Pirates, they drew the Marines away. In return, four members of the Straw Hats were in tears while Luffy screamed that they would never forget him.

Monkey D. Luffy

Luffy became good friends with Bentham after he apologized for causing them trouble in Arabasta. Later, after breaking out of his cell and reuniting with Luffy in Impel Down, Bentham fought alongside Luffy to reach Ace. Throughout their reunion, Mr. 2 aided Luffy greatly through the various dangers of the prison and ultimately supported Luffy and several other prisoners by sacrificing himself to open the way to their freedom. While he was later determined to be alive,^[2] Luffy is unaware of his friend’s condition.

Sanji

Bentham’s relationship with Sanji is a more complicated manner. While he does refer to the cook as «pretty boy» when being friendly, he still fought fiercely with Sanji when he stopped him from attacking Vivi along with the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops. When Bentham turned into Usopp to gain the advantage, he was shocked that Sanji kicked him regardless, but Sanji stated that a person’s real character came from the heart. This statement moved Mr. 2, and when turning into Nami, he mused that even she would not make Sanji hesitate. This was not the case, and Bentham exploited Sanji’s newfound weakness, saying that he was easy to read. When Sanji eventually defeated him, Bentham asked the cook to finish him off, saying that Baroque Works would kill him anyway, but Sanji declined and offered a hand, saying it was a good fight. Moved to tears again, Bentham accepted this newfound friendship only for Sanji to kick him back, knocking him out and retrieving Usopp’s goggles, which Mr. 2 had taken.

Afterward, the friendship he created with Sanji was purely one-sided on Bentham’s part as when he called the Straw Hats on a Den Den Mushi, Sanji hung up the second he heard his voice. However, Sanji was seen as one of the four Straw Hats who cried over his sacrifice, viewing Bentham in a more positive light for it.

Enemies

Magellan

Bentham has gained the wrath of the former warden, Magellan, for staying behind during the escape to let the other escapees break out, and for copying his face to fool the other staff. As he copied Magellan to fool the Impel Down staff and destroyed the controls to make sure they could not go after Luffy and the others, a furious Magellan prepared to unleash his wrath on Bentham, asking if he had any last words. Bentham proudly responded by saying he had no regrets for his sacrifice. Magellan was unsuccessful in killing Bentham and seems to hold that grudge to this date still.

Abilities and Powers

Before the fall of Baroque Works, Bentham was amongst the top-ranked members of the criminal organization, and presumably had several «Billions» (the lower-ranked subordinates of Baroque Works Officer Agents) under his command.

As an okama, Bentham 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 fighting ability. His actual threat level comes from his skills in deception and tricking his enemies through his Devil Fruit Powers combined with his acting skills to trick his enemies into doing what he pleases.

Deception and Trickery

Despite his flamboyant and fun-loving personality, he has an exceptional prowess in trickery, deception, and mimicry, which makes him a tough opponent to deal with, as he can as easily escape pursuit as well as cause devastating confusion to whatever side he opposes. He managed to infiltrate the seemingly secure Alubarna royal court successfully and mimic Nefertari Cobra, creating further dissension and unrest among the poor villagers outside the capital’s walls with scandalous words. He has also used his formidable tactical wits even to bypass the extremely high-security defenses of the notorious Impel Down once he was released from his cell.

Bentham has a strong caution for extreme danger, as he thought of many ways he could fight Magellan before correctly deducing its impossibility. Thus choosing to abandon Luffy in his battle with Magellan reluctantly opted to find and use other possible ways to help Luffy in his dangerous mission to break Ace out of Impel Down. Using his Devil Fruit powers, Bentham can disguise himself as an attractive woman. Specifically, Nami, to allow him to gain a psychological advantage in his fight against Sanji and again against Hannyabal. Both of whom are incredibly perverted despite their powerful fighting prowess. In the case of Hannyabal, Bentham was successful in subjugating him using sheer wits instead of direct brute force. He also managed to trick the vigilant Magellan into letting his guard down by disguising himself as Hannyabal and feigning unconsciousness, allowing him to touch Magellan’s face up close to copy his visage. This feat is ordinarily impossible due to the lethal nature of Magellan’s Doku Doku no Mi. By further posing as Hannyabal, Bentham was able to deceive the entire Impel Down Staff into thinking that he has escaped into Level 3, allowing him to enter Level 5 and search for Ivankov without any detection at all.

Ultimately, he helped Luffy and the other prisoners to escape entirely from Impel Down, by tricking the staff by disguising as Magellan to open the Gate of Justice, as well as closing it after Luffy and the others escaped, eluding their pursuers of a fleet of warships.

Physical Abilities

Due to his arduous training in Okama Kenpo, which Bentham described as meticulous, Bentham has incredible superhuman physical prowess. He has an extremely high level of agility, able to easily match Sanji, as well as perform a wide variety of acrobatic flips, twirls, somersaults, and cartwheels, including ballet rotation at high speed for increased momentum to enhance the power of his kicks. His immense acrobatic prowess also makes him extremely evasive, able to swiftly counter or evade fast attacks such as Sanji’s kicks or Hannyabal’s trident thrusts. He has incredible leg strength, as his kicks are mighty. Quickly knocking out the Sphinx, a giant beast and boss of Level 2. and knock away the Minotaurus, who is an awakened Zoan Devil Fruit user (whom Crocodile noted to be far superior to regular Zoan users). In a combined assault with Buggy, Luffy, and Galdino, Bentham unleashed a spinning kick to its head where the immense force significantly damaged it, causing the Minotaurus to hold its head in intense pain despite his immensely increased endurance. The aftershock of the attack caused the floor underneath its feet to break in pieces.

He has an incredibly substantial amount of stamina and endurance, being able to recover quickly enough to escape being captured by the Marines after his fight with Sanji while his fellow officers were arrested. During the battle of Arabasta, he was able to keep up with «Karoo,» animal able to run faster than a leopard (though Karoo was injured at the time) and while in pursuit, he was even able to run up a wall that went straight upwards and had no foothold. While he is confined in the Level 3 prison of Impel Down, Bentham continued to sing and dance energetically, utterly unfazed by the scorching temperatures, a feat that Buggy complimented as it would be impossible for ordinary people to even stand due to the extreme heat. Shortly after reuniting with Luffy, Bentham took a ferocious hit from the Minotaurus’s club that caused him to yell in pain and quickly shrugged off the pain to retaliate when Minotaurus attacked Luffy. After Luffy sent the Minotaurus flying, Bentham promptly recovered from the damage he received.

While in Level 5, Bentham could continuously drag Luffy in a sleigh for a long while enduring against the immense cold temperatures bare-chested. He also retained sufficient strength to fend off a large Wolf Unit by himself, despite receiving massive injuries in the extreme cold during the fight. Bentham also survived a battle with Magellan, who had previously beaten Luffy with little effort.

Devil Fruit

Further information: Mane Mane no Mi

Bentham ate the Mane Mane no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a physical lookalike of anyone whose face he has touched with his right hand. He transforms himself by touching his own face with his right hand, and changes back to normal by touching his face with his left hand. This ability makes him a perfect master of disguise and deception.

He doesn’t only duplicate faces, he can memorize and perfectly duplicate the entire physical appearance of his target, including their stature and voice. He is also able to mix and match the features of different faces in his collection, allowing him to create new faces.

In battle he uses his power to transform into someone whom his opponent would never do harm to, such as a close friend. However, he has to transform back into his normal self in order to attack, as his fighting style requires a certain level of strength and flexibility that most other people don’t possess.

Okama Kenpo

Further information: Okama Kenpo

Bentham is a compelling martial artist and a master of a unique, dance-based martial arts style known as Okama Kenpo. («Ballet Kenpo» in the Arabasta Arc Japanese anime and FUNimation dub, «Oh Come My Way Karate» in the Viz Manga, «Crazy Karate» in the 4Kids dub, and «Crossdresser Kenpo» in the FUNimation dub of Movie 8). The art combines forceful and acrobatic kicks and sometimes punches with ballet dancing. His hard training in this fighting style made Bentham powerful enough to kick Mr. 1, an infamous assassin and an extremely proficient hand-to-hand fighter in his own right, through a stone wall during their brief fight, and to be a match for Sanji’s Black Leg Style. With Okama Kenpo, Bentham can use a wide array of powerful kicks for offense, as well as acrobatic dance-like maneuvers for evasion. This enables him to easily defeat large numbers of prison officers who were fully armed with trident spears and firearms in Impel Down, knock out a Demon Guard, and briefly hold his own against Hannyabal, the second strongest fighter in Impel Down after Magellan.

Weapons

The two swans on his back are not just for show. Bentham can take them off at the midpoint of their necks and slip them onto his toe shoes. When he has these swans on his feet, Bentham’s kicks become as powerful as rifle shots (due to the steel beaks) and gain a farther range (due to the swans’ necks extending every time that he kicks).

Although used only once, Bentham can detach and throw his (presumably false) mascara Matsuge as sharp boomerangs, which fly out in an arc to attack his enemies and return to his face.

History

Past

Bentham’s past is unknown but he was born in the East Blue. Sometime in the past, he found and ate the Mane Mane no Mi at no younger than age 12.

At some point, he was recruited into Baroque Works and carried out the most important tasks for the organization’s ultimate plan: Operation: Utopia. One of these jobs was apparently getting close to and imprinting the face of Vivi’s father Cobra.

Arabasta Saga

Little Garden Arc

Mr. 2 was sent out shortly after Mr. 3’s defeat on Little Garden to kill him for his failure to eliminate the Straw Hat Pirates.^[1]

Drum Island Arc

By the time he arrived at Little Garden, Mr. 3 was nowhere to be found, leading Mr. 2 to fear being killed by Daz Bonez. He then ordered his men to sail back to Arabasta at top speed and intercept any ships they encounter.^[14]

Arabasta Arc

The Straw Hats first encountered 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 revealed that he ate the Devil Fruit, Mane Mane no Mi, which allows him to transform into an exact copy of anyone he has touched. He further demonstrated that his powers 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). When his crew found him, Bon Kurei bid farewell to the Straw Hats. As he left, his crew called 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.^[9]

Bon Kurei traveled to Spiders Cafe to meet with the other Officer Agents. Bon Kurei briefly fought with Mr. 1 because he attacked Bon Kurei’s subordinates.^[15] From there the agents rode Banchi to Rainbase.^[16]

At the meeting in Rain Dinners, Mr. 0 revealed himself to be the Warlord of the Sea Crocodile and gave the agents their orders for Plan Utopia.^[17] Mr. 3’s report revealed to Bon Kurei that his friends were really the enemies, thus forcing him to combat them.^[18] At Nanohana Nefertari Cobra—actually Bon Kurei in disguise—claimed to have stolen the country’s rain and planned to destroy the harbor. He had Koza shot and then had the harbor set on fire.^[19] He then proceeded to Alubarna with Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger.^[20] At the capital’s West Gate, the agents discussed their plan to stop the Straw Hats.^[21]

When the Straw Hats and the Super Spot-Billed Duck Troops rushed into Alubarna, Bon Kurei chased down Usopp and Matsuge.^[22] He easily defeated Usopp and Matsuge in 2 seconds. He stole Usopp’s sniper goggles and attempted to trick Vivi in Usopp’s form. Thanks to the failsafe plan the Straw Hats devised to avoid being fooled by his powers, Vivi easily figured out the truth and she and Karoo ran with him in hot pursuit.^[23] Bon Kurei chased them up the cliffside and into the city. After Karoo fell, Sanji and the ducks Cowboy and Ivan X intercepted Bon Kurei, allowing Vivi and Karoo to get away.^[24]

Bon Kurei and Sanji clashed in a very intense battle. Just as Sanji looked set to be the victor, Bon Kurei discovered Sanji’s weakness: Nami. He impersonated her, using her form to drive Sanji into a crazy fanboyish state which allowed him to even the playing field.^[25] Eventually, Sanji realized that Bon Kurei must revert to his own form to unleash his stronger attacks. He took advantage of this and forced Bon Kurei to revert to his form so that he could pummel him. Bon Kurei then pulled out his iron-tipped swans from his shoulders and put them onto his shoes. With the swans on his shoes, his kicks were strong as a rifle shot and could reach further. This created more problems for Sanji, and the playing field was even once more.^[26] However, Sanji eventually managed to defeat Bon Kurei. Bon Kurei begged Sanji to finish him off, believing that he would be killed for his failure, but Sanji offered to shake his hand for a good fight. Just as Bon Kurei took his hand, overwhelmed with emotion, Sanji kicked him in the head and took back Usopp’s goggles.^[27]

When the Straw Hats prepared to leave Arabasta after thwarting Crocodile’s scheme, Bon Kurei called them up on a Den Den Mushi and told Luffy that he had their ship. He hid it from the marines docked in the harbor (Smoker, Hina, Jango, Ironfist Fullbody, Tashigi, etc.) and exclaimed that he did it because they were friends. Now that he was no longer a member of Baroque Works (and a pawn of Crocodile), he wanted to be a close friend, perhaps even a shipmate.^[28]

As the Straw Hats and Bon Kurei left Arabasta on the Going Merry, Hina, Jango, and Fullbody attacked. Bon Kurei came up with a plan that would allow them to escape. He and his own shipmates impersonated the Straw Hats, thus luring Hina’s squadron to them. This allowed the Going Merry to escape as Bon Kurei stayed behind with his crew. After giving his famous speech of friendship and humanity, he and his crew boarded the Marine ships and unleashed hell upon the Marines. As the Going Merry drew further away, Luffy exclaimed that he would never forget Bon Kurei and his crew.^[29]

Water 7 Saga

Miss Goldenweek’s «Operation: Meet Baroque Works»

Bon Kurei was captured by Hina, but escaped from prison with a 32,000,000 bounty on his head^[6] He reappeared sporting a more refined, more masculine look than his ballerina outfit.

Later on, he challenged Hina to a rematch in an attempt to save Miss Valentine from execution.^[30] After Miss Goldenweek, Miss Valentine, and Mr. 5 broke out Mr. 4, Miss Doublefinger, Miss Merry Christmas, and Lassoo, Bon Kurei was seen tied to Mr. 3 and thrown in jail with Crocodile and Daz Bonez so it could be assumed that he was defeated by Hina.^[31] He, along with Crocodile, Daz Bonez, and Galdino, were later transferred to Impel Down for a life sentence.^[32]

Summit War Saga

Impel Down Arc

Bentham was discovered by Buggy and Galdino 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 expressed his surprise at seeing Mr. 3 in Impel Down too. Galdino seemed initially hesitant at releasing Bentham from his cell,^[12] but was seemingly opted otherwise by Buggy, under the impression that Luffy would function more as their scapegoat if Bentham was with him.

Later, when Luffy was attacked by the Sphinx and several guards, Bentham (disguised as Zoro) came to fight at Luffy’s side. After defeating the sphinx and a tearful reunion, Bentham agreed to help Luffy reach Level 5, as he also wished to go there to see someone: Emporio Ivankov, the queen of Kamabakka Kingdom and the idol of okamas worldwide.^[33]

As they tried to get to Level 4, Minotaurus stopped them. Bentham 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 Bentham flying. As Minotaurus tried to hit Luffy with its mace, Bentham used 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. Bentham immediately recognized how powerful Luffy had become.

Upon reaching the exit to Level 4 of Impel Down, Bentham warned Luffy of the great danger ahead: he would only have one chance to land safely in Level 4 or die. It was then that Galdino and Buggy caught up with them with Minotaurus hot on their heels. Bentham contributed to the defeat of Minotaurus by using his Okama Kenpo.^[34] Only a short while later, Bentham along with Luffy, Buggy, and Galdino came to realize that they were falling into the boiling pot of Level 4 because their combined attacks against Minotaurus had weakened the floor beneath them.

To their fortune, the falling debris allowed them to jump off it before they landed in the boiling pot. After Bentham complained the most about the heat in Level 4, Luffy started to run in a random direction without considering the dangers. The fact that Bentham could come to the conclusion that Luffy was running towards the kitchen showed how well Bentham knew the map of Impel Down. As he assumed the kitchen to be stuffed with lots of food, he followed Luffy, saying that he was starving.

However, only after a short while, they were stopped by an angry Magellan, who appeared suddenly to block their path.^[35] Bentham, knowing of Magellan’s nigh impregnable poisonous defensive capabilities, warned Luffy to run, but as Magellan began targeting Luffy seriously, Bentham left tearfully, apologizing that he could not do any more. As a result, Bentham tactically retreated from the battle, feeling sorry for abandoning Luffy, yet knowing it wiser to survive and fight another day.^[36]

Some time afterwards, with a poison-drenched Luffy on the brink of death and imprisoned on the level below, Bentham decided to put his plan into action. He rallied up his two allies and then decided to disguise himself as Hannyabal after eliminating the real one. Bentham used his powers and changed into one of the most attractive women in his arsenal, Nami. As Nami, he first enticed Hannyabal and then invited him to the weapons storage room to help «Nami» undress. After entering, he attacked and bound him down, keeping him away from everyone and being able to freely impersonate him.^[37]

Bentham, now successfully masquerading as Hannyabal, along with a hesitant Buggy and Galdino, began their descent to Level 5 to save Luffy. When asked as to why he would do such a thing, he bluntly replied that he and Luffy «are friends! There’s no need for any other reasons!» signifying his ideal to stick to his okama way.^[38]

Before beginning their downward trek, Bentham (still under the guise of Hannyabal) urged a medical team to help cure Luffy, giving them the impression that the Marines needed him alive. The team however reported that anything they try could only hasten his death, confirming what Magellan had stated earlier. Bentham panicked, and Galdino and Buggy simply told him to leave Luffy, saying to live after fighting Magellan was a miracle. This quip suddenly reminded him of Iva-san, who is rumored to perform medical miracles.

With that, a newly emboldened Bentham set off for level 5, the Freezing Hell, to rescue Luffy. Buggy and Galdino accompany him as prisoners he was personally transferring. On the way down, it was discovered the man whom he sought had mysteriously disappeared from the his cell, and he was not the only one. A significant portion of inmates were rumored to have been ‘demoned’ away. While what happened was unknown, the superstitious chalked it up to hellspawn coming and claiming the damned. After reaching their destination, they were confronted by wolves, the strongest beasts in Impel Down so far.

Although his companions flee, Bentham faced the beasts head on in an unseen skirmish. Having apparently bested his canine adversaries, he appeared at the cell where Luffy was kept, shirtless and covered in blood, determined to rescue his comrade. He then began asking inmates for directions to Iva, refusing to believe that he was «demoned away». One of the inmates erroneously directed him to the forest, fully aware that a hungry wolf pack resided there. As the spiteful inmate had planned, wolves began attacking him.

Once again, he held his ground and began to fend them off, coming between them and an incapacitated Luffy, who would make for quite an easy prey. However, their numbers were too great and he began to falter. Before any fatal hits could be delivered, Luffy, in a defensive rage, bit one of the wolves. He then angrily but involuntarily unleashed his Haki, screaming at the wolves for attacking his friend. The wolves scattered in fear, and Bentham was confused as to what Luffy just did. Before he could ask though, he passed out. He was then shown lying next to Luffy unconscious when a mysterious figure appeared.^[39]

When Bentham woke up, he found himself heavily bandaged and lying in a closed building, filled with gleeful folk cheering, drinking, eating, and having a good time. He was shocked beyond all means, wondering where he was, how he got there, and most importantly the condition and location of Luffy. His questions were answered by the mysterious figure from before, now appearing more as a woman than as a man as she did before, her name is Inazuma. Inazuma told Bentham that they were in Newkama Land, hidden within the bowels of Impel Down, where the prisoners live in comfort directly below the Freezing Hell.

Bentham then saw Iva, whom he had been impatiently waiting for. Iva was about to speak with him but was interrupted by a burly prisoner barging in, who wished to take revenge on Iva for the Kamabakka Kingdom turning the man’s father into an Okama. Iva appeared to be intimidated by his threats and seemed reluctant to fight, but then the man proceeded to angrily shoot a cannon at Iva, who repelled it by merely batting his Matsuge, revealing his fear to be a sarcastic ruse. Iva then turned the man into a woman, using the Horu Horu no Mi Devil Fruit ability, saying people have the right to be whatever they want to be.

As the newly changed woman fled, Bentham immediately begged Iva to help Luffy. Iva said that he was a prisoner in Impel Down, and may not be kind enough to do that. However, he then revealed how a near-death Luffy’s selfless plea to save Bentham moved him, so he decided to help them by giving Luffy a fighting chance against the toxins in his body using the healing aspects of his Horu Horu no Mi powers. Bentham’s elation towards the news quickly turned into horror when Iva revealed that his friend was confined in a heavily-barricaded room, where Luffy was undergoing the excruciatingly painful medical treatment to purge the poisons from his body, a procedure that should take up to two days, potentially making him late for Portgas D. Ace’s execution (scheduled to take place sixteen hours from then).^[40]

Bentham was deeply disturbed by the suffering Luffy endured alone and yearned for some way to share in his agony, feeling guilty doing anything while Luffy endured such a hellish torture, but Iva told him that it was up to Luffy whether to survive or not. With this in mind, Bentham set it upon himself to shout support for Luffy for hours on end, continuing to scream bloody long after his throat was completely raw and he had nearly exerted himself to the point of physical collapse.

This touching display of dedicated friendship and devotion eventually inspired the initially skeptical Newkamas and even Ivankov himself to join in the act as a group and took up the slack for the drained and injured Bentham. After their constant cheering for the better half of a day, at long last a fully healed Luffy burst forth, and in only a fraction of the time Iva had predicted, yelling for «Foooooooooood!!!!!!», to the amazement and massive relief of all those present.^[41] With Luffy effectively recovered, Bentham finally collapsed in exhaustion, after some celebration of Luffy’s recovery, much to Luffy’s shock.^[42]

Later, when Luffy, Inazuma, and Ivankov returned from Level 6, he was given some Tension Hormones by Ivankov to enable him to fight.^[43] During Luffy’s stand off against the Blackbeard Pirates, Bentham was surprised by the recovery of Minotaurus, which Crocodile explains as the Jailer Beasts being Awakened Zoans.^[44] When Ivankov and Inazuma broke off to slow down Magellan, Bentham convinced Luffy to believe in them and to keep moving up. After a long and arduous battle through all the floors alongside the rest of the Impel Down breakout crew, he managed to reach Level 1, joining up with the other group of escapees and immediately gave Galdino and Buggy (the ad hoc leaders of the latter group) a kick for abandoning them way back at Level 5.^[45] While Luffy and Galdino fought Magellan, the other prisoners cleared the way to the entrance but found the ten battleships had left. Bentham waited while Jinbe, Daz Bonez, Crocodile, and Buggy went out to steal a battleship.^[46] With Magellan’s Kinjite forcing them out the door, the prisoners are propelled out of the door by Ivankov’s Death Wink. They are saved by a group of whale sharks summoned by Jinbe.^[47]

Once Luffy and the others made it onto the battleship, they came across the issue of the Gates of Justice standing shut before them. Before they could decide the best course of action, though, the gates began to open. It was then that the others realized that Bentham was missing. Jinbe hesitantly revealed to Luffy that Bentham had decided to stay behind disguised as Magellan in order to open the Gates of Justice, knowing it was the only possible way, and sacrificing himself for the group, but did not want the others to be aware of this until after the fact. Jinbe begrudgingly broke this promise to Bentham by telling all this to Luffy and giving him a Baby Den Den Mushi to contact him with.

After completing his mission by opening the gates and destroying the mechanism that controls it, Bentham was confronted by the real, and shocked, Magellan. He reverted to his normal self, ready to take Magellan’s judgment. However, before Magellan could attack, Luffy’s voice came over the Baby Den Den Mushi, asking why he always sacrificed himself to save Luffy, but Bentham stoically attempted to remain silent. Luffy finally struggled to say that they were going, and sadly thanked him. Sobbing profusely, Bentham grabbed the Baby Den Den Mushi and told Luffy to make sure that he saved his brother. Luffy and his band of escapees commended him, admitting they would have never survived if not for Bentham and tearfully cried out to him until they passed through the Gates of Justice.

Bentham then fought against an enraged Magellan, who asked him if he had any last words. Bentham, showing no fear and great pride in his actions, proudly responded by saying that he had no regrets.^[48]

Fish-Man Island Saga

From the Decks of the World

Bentham survived his fight against Magellan, but remained in Impel Down. He then became the new queen of Newkama Land in Impel Down, Level 5.5, and he was shown dancing in front of his followers.^[2]

Major Battles

• Bon Kurei vs. Mr. 1 (more of a squabble)
• Bon Kurei vs. Usopp and Matsuge (Unseen)
• Bon Kurei vs. Sanji
• Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Arabasta Sea)
• Bon Kurei vs. Hina (Rematch, disguised as Mr. 3)
• Bentham and Monkey D. Luffy vs. Sphinx
• Bentham, Luffy, Mr. 3, and Buggy vs. Minotaurus
• Bentham vs. Wolf Unit
• Bentham vs. Magellan (Unseen)

Filler Battles

• Bentham (as Nami) vs. Hannyabal

Early Concepts

Mr. 2 and Miss Obon

Mr. Happy Birthday

Mr. 2 Bon Kurei was originally going to be another pair, consisting of «Mr. 2» (who resembled Mr. 4) and «Miss Obon».^[49]

In an early concept of Mr. 2, he was originally «Mr. 2 Happy Birthday».^[50]

Anime and Manga Differences

While the manga openly referred to Bentham as an okama from the beginning, the anime censored most of these references throughout the Arabasta Arc; the writing on his overcoat was changed to depict the Bon kure (盆暮れ^?) portion of his codename, while dialog was reworded to describe him as a ballerina or swan (or more generic terms as necessary). Accordingly, his Okama Kenpo fighting style was renamed Ballet Kenpo, with similarly-renamed techniques such as Swan Dash and Ballet Chop.

This censorship was later relaxed toward the end of the Arabasta Arc, allowing his farewell speech to the Straw Hats to retain its «Okama Way!» declaration. By the time of the eighth movie and the Impel Down Arc, it was completely lifted, allowing him to use his original coat-writing and attack names. However, most of the series’ merchandise — including every video game released after Grand Battle! 2 — continues to depict his coat with the Bon kure writing, even when «okama» is freely used in dialogue.

His 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 Dub Issues

As homosexuality and gender identity are arguably even more controversial topics in the United States than in Japan, English translations have often applied additional degrees of censorship to Bentham’s okama identity:

• The 4Kids-dubbed anime avoided any overt references, renaming his fighting style to Crazy Karate and completely removing the writing on his overcoat; its dialog, for the most part, followed the original anime’s rewordings.
  • However, 4Kids may have inserted an indirect reference toward the end of the Arabasta Arc, where Hina dryly remarks «Don’t ask, don’t tell» after seeing Bentham in action.
• The Viz manga leaves the writing on his coat unaltered, but transliterates it as Oh Come My Way in each chapter’s side-notes; his fighting style is likewise transliterated as Oh Come My Way Karate. Its dialog almost exclusively uses swan as a euphemism for okama, though the more in-depth references to his being «both» male and female are faithfully translated (with the exception of Chapter 155’s note on why Baroque Works did not assign him a female partner, which is changed to «he doesn’t want one»).
• The FUNimation-dubbed anime adheres to most, if not all, of the original anime’s changes and rewordings; its dub of the eighth movie mostly translates okama as crossdresser (with dialog using a few other terms, such as man-lady, as necessary).
  • Meanwhile, FUNimation’s subtitles for the eighth movie, and the dub for the Impel Down Arc, translates okama as queer.

The romanization of his codename’s latter half is also somewhat contentious, as it references a holiday little known in the English-speaking world.

• The video game Grand Battle! 3 provided the earliest known «professional» romanization, Bon Clay. This was adopted by 4Kids, Viz, and FUNimation — as well as a number of fans — and continues to be used in every officially-licensed English source.
• However, the manga later romanized it as Bon Kurei.^[6] This is currently considered the canonical spelling, and is used by a growing number of fans as well as most modern Japanese merchandise, such as the Vivre Card series.

Merchandise

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

Video Games

Playable Appearances

Enemy Appearances

• One Piece: Treasure Wars
• One Piece: Round the Land
• Treasure Wars 2 Welcome to Buggyland
• One Piece: Pirates Carnival

Support Appearances

• Aim! The King of Berry
• One Piece: Ocean’s Dream!
• One Piece: Gear Spirit
• One Piece: Gigant Battle
• One Piece: Gigant Battle! 2 New World
• One Piece Romance Dawn: The Dawn of the Adventure
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2
• One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3
• One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4

Songs

• Oh, Come My Way
• Mori no Miyako no Oka March

Other Appearances

Other Media

• In One Piece Premier Show 2011, Bentham rescues the Straw Hat Pirates from the World Nobles and Enel and turns into a Marine to trick the Marine admirals into retreating. In One Piece Premier Show 2016, Pokke created a clone of Bentham to fight the Straw Hat Pirates. Bentham appeared in the retelling of the Arabasta Arc in One Piece Premier Show 2018. In One Piece Premier Show 2019, Bentham escapes from Impel Down when Balzac creates his Prisoner Unit and fights against them with the Straw Hat Pirates. He chooses not to accompany the crew to the Pirates Festival at the end of the show.
• Bentham was the star of Bon Kurei Dance Performance Show at Tokyo One Piece Tower. He traveled to Tongari Island, accompanied by Pon and Mofu, with the goal of establishing a Newkama Land Tongari Branch with the help of the «greatest friend.» Bentham’s Arabasta outfit was on display in the park’s Cruise History exhibit. In One Piece Live Attraction: Phantom, Buggy forced Ann to create a mirage of Bentham to capture the Straw Hat Pirates.
• A photo station with Bentham and Emporio Ivankov appeared outside the DMM VR Theatre for the showing of One Piece Dramatic Stage THE METAL ~Marineford of Remembrance~.
• Bentham appears in Super Kabuki II: One Piece during the retelling of the Impel Down Arc.
• Bentham appears in the Nami-centered version of the Hungry Days commercials.
• One of the guests on One Piece Variety: I Will be the Pirate King TV dressed up as Bentham during one of the show’s skits.

Trivia

• Bentham is the only Officer Agent in the Baroque Works organization without a female partner. This stems from the fact that he is an Okama and plays both the male and female roles. Because of this, he received two names: a male name with a number, and a female name with a holiday. His female name, Bon Kurei, refers both to the O-Bon Festival (お盆) and to the end-of-the-year festivity, Kure (暮れ).
  • Bentham’s Devil Fruit also references his status as an Okama as it allows him to take on both genders as he pleases.
• In the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Japanese fan polls of most popular characters, Bentham was ranked the 9th, 21st, 23rd, 20th and 25th, respectively, being the most popular Okama in the series.
  • In the 2nd poll, he is ranked as the most popular of the Baroque Works members, in the 3rd, 4th and 5th as the third most popular, after Nico Robin and Nefertari Vivi in all of them, and in the 6th as the fourth most popular, after Robin, Vivi and Crocodile.
• While fighting Sanji, Bentham removes the swans on his coat and places them on his shoes. He notes that the swan on his left foot is male and the swan on his right foot is female.^[51]
• Nami imitated Bentham’s way of speaking in the Thriller Bark Arc while she was attempting to convince Lola that she was an Okama, particularly when she says «冗談じゃないわよーう» (jōdan janai wa yō^?).^[52]
  • This is somewhat ironic given Bentham’s use of Nami’s form via the powers of the Mane Mane no Mi in both the Arabasta Arc and Impel Down Arc.
• Bentham is seen among the audience of a theater in a trailer for Movie 6, even though he himself has no role in the story.
• Bentham’s favorite foods are octopus parfait and kamairicha.^[4] This follows the theme of Baroque Works Officer Agents having a type of tea as their favorite food.

References

External links

• Transvestism – Wikipedia article about transvestism
• Okama – Wikipedia article about the term okama
• Drag Queen – Wikipedia article about drag queens
• Ballet – Wikipedia article about ballet

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Бон Клай — был бывшим офицером в Барок Воркс под псевдонимом Мистер 2. Также Бон Клай является Окамой (Японский жаргонизм, обозначающий трансвестита).

Будучи противником Луффи, они очень сильно подружились, из за чего Бон Клай дважды помог Луффи и его команде.

В настоящее время он является Королем Ньюкама Лэнда.

Внешность

Бон Клай достаточно высокий человек. Он носит экзотическую балетную одежду в теме лебедя. Его обычная одежда, это розовое пальто и голубая средневековая одежда. На его лице много косметики, также он часто делает широкую улыбку, которая может остаться после перевоплощения. Его ноги достаточно волосатые, и из-за этого окружающие испытывают отвращение к его внешнему виду. Но его тело достаточно сильное, что можно было увидеть в Импел Дауне.

Его номер 2 можно было разглядеть в форме его лебедей, похожие на цифру 2.

В Импел Дауне он носил обычную форму заключённого. Некоторое время он носил головной убор и брюки Ханнябала для того чтобы замаскироваться под него. На уровне 5.5 он был в бинтах, в рванных фиолетовых штанах и в чёрных ботинках. Для того чтобы помочь сокамерникам, он замаскировался под Магеллана, который носил чёрное пальто и брюки.

Когда он становится Королем Ньюкама Лэнда, он одет в изменённую версию своего первого наряда, у его наряда появляются крылья и пушистый воротник.

Личность

У него особенная мера поведения, которое включает в себя танцы, пение и вращение. Превыше всего он ставит дружбу.

Когда он работал в Барок Воркс, он был единственным высокого ранга, у которого не было женского партнёра. Возможно, это потому что остальные считали его и мужчиной и женщиной, так как он назвал себя Окамой.

Бон Клай высоко ценит дружбу, из-за этого он помог Луффи и его команде сбежать из Алабасты, задержав капитана Хину, потом он снова напал на Хину, чтобы спасти Мисс Валентайн, и позже в Импел Дауне он пожертвовал своей жизнью, чтобы открыть Врата Правосудия, и помочь сбежать Луффи и остальным беглецам.

У него невероятная самоотверженность и справедливость, и он этим гордится, это стало понятно, когда он сказал Магеллану, что не сожалеет о том, что помог сбежать им.

Всё предложения он заканчивает на «Ва ё», что в японском языке показывает женскую манеру речи.

Сила и Способности

Так как Бон Клай окама, то у него мало слабых мест, он является мастером боевых искусств, но главное это не его боевые искусства.

Из-за его способностей, он может легко избежать погоню и сделать сильное замешательство противникам. Ему без особых усилий удалось проникнуть в королевский двор и превратиться в Нефертари Кобру. Также с помощью своих способностей, ему удалось обвести охрану Импел Дауна, чего никому не удавалось в течении долгих лет.

Ему удалось устоять на ногах после Королевской Воли Луффи на 5 уровне Импел Дауна.

Он имеет хорошую стойкость и выносливость. После Арки Алабаста, он стал намного сильнее, он продемонстрировал это, нанеся мощные удары и повалив с ног одного из четырёх Демонов-Страж Минотавра. Также он пережил битву с Магелланом, который ранее был немного побит Луффи. Он спокойно относился к температуре на 3 этаже Импел Дауна.

Также, он сам говорил, что он хороший повар.

Его дьяволский фрукт позволяет ему превратиться в любого человека, которого он коснулся правой рукой. Мане означает имитация.

Его боевой стиль, это Окама Кэмпо, на который он полагается в бою. Это сочетание ударов ног и рук в стиле балерины. Окама Кэмпо очень мощный боевой стиль, настолько мощный, что Бон Клай смог с помощью пинка отправить Мистера 1 в полет.

Отношения

Барок Воркс

Его эмоциональная, поэтичная натура поведения раздражает остальных в Барок Воркс, особенно агентов мужского пола.

Даже после того, как он узнал личность Крокодайла, он обращался к нему «ноль-чан»

У него имеется талант убеждать других следовать за ним, особенно ему нравится учить «пути окама». Также ему нравится учить остальных, особенно его команду танцевать балетный танец.

У него трудные отношения со своей командой, ведь он их зачастую бил и ругал, но он все равно считает их товарищами, и ему было неприятно когда Мистер 1 избил их.

Так как Бон Клай и Мистер 1 совершенно разные натуры, они постоянно конфликтуют и дерутся. Их соперничество можно было бы сравнить с соперничеством Санджи и Зоро.

Поначалу Галдино (Мистер 3) испытывал к Бон Клаю неприязнь, но когда Бон Клай спас их всех в Импел Дауне, он глубоко был затронут его действиями. Это было понятно, когда в арке Маринфорд Галдино сказал, что потерял своего друга.

(Из слов Галдино) «Если я скажу вам … Я здесь, чтобы выполнить последнее желание моего потерянного товарища … вы будете смеяться надо мной, хммм?!»

Друзья

Бон Клай поклонялся Эмпорио Иванкову, потому что он главный окама и спас жизнь Луффи. А Ива был очень тронут крепкой дружбой Бон Клая и Луффи, а также был одним из многих заключённых, которые плакали, после того как Бон Клай спас заключённых из Импела Дауна, открыв Врата Правосудия.

С Мугиварами он очень близко сдружился, после того как помог сбежать им от Хины в Алабасте, и позже помог сбежать Луффи из Импел Дауна. К Мугиварам он обращается по внешним признакам, например: Луффи — Шляпа — чан, Усопп — Нос — чан. Луффи его также называет Бон — чан.

Из всей команды Мугивар, самая тесная связь у него с Луффи. Они подружились, когда Бон — Клай извинился, за то что причинил им вред в Алабасте. После того, как они встретились в Импел Дауне, они были настолько рады этой встрече, что обнялись.

После воссоединения они сражались бок о бок и всеми силами пытались добраться до Эйса. На протяжении всего воссоединения Бон — Клай помогает Луффи в различных трудностях, в том числе и жертвует собой, чтобы Луффи и остальные заключённые могли сбежать.

Интересные Факты

1) Бон Клай говорил что у Усоппа самый смешной нос. Но так как самые смешные глаза, рот и голова у него самого, он менял свой нос на нос Усоппа, чтобы сделать самое смешное лицо.

2) Бон Клай занял 20 место по популярности персонажей Ван Писа по результатам 5-го японского опроса фанатов.

3) Бон Клай был единственным в Барок Воркс, у которого не была женского партнёра. Это было из-за того, что он играет и женскую роль и мужскую роль.

4) Когда он дрался с Санджи и снял впервые лебедей с плечей, он отмечает, что левый — женского пола, а правый — мужского.

Masked Deuce is an alias used by the first member of Ace’s pirate crew, the Spade Pirates. He abandoned his real name, which remains unknown.^[1]

Appearance

Masked Deuce’s defining feature is the mask he wears over his eyes to hide his identity. He is a muscular man with spiky long light blue hair, and wears a very long opened coat which stretches down to his knees and leaves his chest exposed. He also wears a belt diagonally across his chest, trousers with a rose design on the bottom left that is held up by a belt, and a pair of dark boots that go up to his knees.^[1]

Personality

Deuce’s primary goal is to seek adventure, though he initially did not wish to incriminate himself as a pirate. He appears to act seriously, and was initially off-put by, though eventually gained respect for Ace’s cheerful nature. He is reliable and anxious at the same time. He enjoys writing and took the opportunity to write a story of his experiences on Ace’s crew.^[1] If someone mocks his writing, he will respond by portraying them in a bad light and leaving their names out of the story.^[3] He also seems to be an avid thinker and planner, as shown when he developed and executed a plan to lead a Marine warship battalion into dangerous waters, and later calmly assessed his situation when he was stuck on the Sabaody Ferris wheel with Marine Ensign Isuka.^[4][3]

Like many people, he was negatively prejudiced against the idea of Gol D. Roger having a son, though this changed once he got to know Ace. When he started starving on a desert island, he became willing to kill Ace to steal his food, although later came to regret this.^[1]

Relationships

Portgas D. Ace

Deuce first encountered Ace when both of them became stranded on the island of Sixis, and Ace was the one to give him his pseudonym. He was initially put off by Ace’s cheerful behavior, and reacted negatively when he discovered Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son. With a negative attitude toward Ace, the starving Deuce was willing to kill him to steal his food, but later came to regret this when Ace noticed him and offered to share his food. The two then formed an official partnership, and Deuce was very loyal to Ace throughout.^[1] When Ace fought against Marine Vice Admiral Draw, Deuce had full faith that his captain would defeat his opponent.^[3]

Isuka

Although they are enemies, Deuce respects Isuka like Ace does. When they were left alone on the Ferris wheel, he talked to her about her duties as a Marine and her relationship with the Spade Pirates.^[3]

Abilities and Powers

Along with Mihar and Skull, Deuce serves as the brains of the Spade Pirates, being capable of forming and executing strategies for the crew.^[4] He seems to possess decent strength, as he was able to grab ahold of Vice Admiral Draw and keep him occupied while Ace was busy without taking injuries, and has also dealt with numerous bounty hunters during the Spade Pirates’ voyage.^[3]

History

Meeting Ace

In his formative years, Deuce was a medical student with bad grades, and his parents were indifferent to him. Because of the literature he read, he fell in love with the idea of simply adventuring on the sea. The day he set out to sea, he abandoned his birth name, but his voyage resulted in him getting stranded on the island of Sixis. After spending three days there, he encountered the pirate Portgas D. Ace, who was also shipwrecked there. The two initially got along well, and when Deuce revealed his lack of a name, Ace gave him the pseudonym of Masked Deuce. Ace wanted the two of them to build a raft to escape together, but when the two started talking about each other’s families, Deuce came to realize that Ace was Gol D. Roger’s son and departed from Ace with very mixed feelings. Several days later, Deuce had not been able to find food or water on the island, and when he saw Ace with a fruit, he decided to kill Ace for it. However, Ace noticed Deuce when his stomach growled, and offered him the fruit. Ashamed of his earlier intentions, Deuce refused, but the two ended up sharing the fruit, which was the Mera Mera no Mi. However, since Ace consumed it first, Deuce did not receive the fruit’s powers when he ate it. The two worked together to build a raft that ran on Ace’s flames, which they called the Striker, and they set off to sea as official partners, forming the Spade Pirates. Deuce decided to write a novel about his experiences on the crew.^[1]

Voyage of the Spade Pirates

As time passed, the Spade Pirates grew in number and fame, and they were forced to deal with numerous bounty hunters. A bounty hunter tried to join Ace’s crew to take his head, but Deuce promptly kicked him out. Another time, a bounty hunter tried to sneak up on Deuce, but was shot by Mihar. One day, the Spade Pirates were confronted by an entire battalion of Marine battleships, and Deuce prepared to lead them into a rocky reef. An Ensign named Isuka came onboard to keep the Spade Pirates occupied while the battalion converged, but Deuce’s plan was in full motion and he was successful as one of the Marine ships hit the reef and started sinking. Isuka went to save her sinking comrades and nearly drowned in the process, but Ace threw a life preserver to her, much to Deuce’s shock and general displeasure.^[4]

Isuka continued chasing the Spade Pirates, but they did not take her very seriously. They eventually reached Sabaody Archipelago, and while they waited for their ship to be coated, they were confronted by Isuka again. Deuce noticed that Ace had escaped, and he found his captain by the Ferris wheel. Deuce was captivated by the Ferris wheel, so Ace took him on, but after the ride they were confronted by Isuka, and got accidentally locked in the gondola with her for another ride. During the ride, Isuka told the two how she became a Marine, and gave Ace the chance to become a Marine, but he refused and escaped from the gondola. Deuce wondered if Isuka would take him hostage, but she said it was against her code. Three days later, Deuce and Ace were in the slums when they were approached by Isuka and Vice Admiral Draw, who came with an invitation for Ace to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Ace refused, and he and Draw started fighting as a result. Draw revealed his flamethrowers, which he used to set the slums ablaze, and Deuce grabbed ahold of Draw while Ace went to rescue the endangered citizens. During their struggle, Deuce managed to remove Draw’s fuel tank before Ace returned to take over the fighting. Deuce had faith in Ace, who indeed managed to defeat Draw. The two of them then headed back to their ship as it prepared to sail to Fish-Man Island, bidding their farewells to Isuka.^[3]

At one point, the Spade Pirates were shipwrecked in Wano Country. The people from Amigasa Village were starving to death, so they tied the entire crew and stole all their food. The crew watched the villagers finish their meal and then broke out. Instead of attacking, Ace asked the villagers where he could get them dessert. They stayed in Amigasa Village for a few weeks and became good friends with Tama.^[5]

Encountering Whitebeard

The Spade Pirates went through Fish-Man Island and into the New World, where they sought to take Whitebeard’s head; this ended up leading to a battle between Ace and Jinbe. After Ace and Jinbe tied, Deuce and the other Spade Pirates defended their captain against Whitebeard and were easily defeated. They were then taken into the Whitebeard Pirates like their captain.

Deuce quickly became integrated into the Whitebeard Pirates, joining the medical team caring after Whitebeard. After learning about Whitebeard’s ailments, Deuce became less supportive of Ace’s intention to kill him, knowing that a lot of places in the New World were protected by the Emperor.^[6]

Trivia

• «Deuce» is a word for a two of cards or dice, matching the card theme of Ace and the Spade Pirates. However, Ace was unaware of this fact and only picked the alias because it sounds similar to his own name, which Deuce had threatened to copy for himself.^[1]
• Masked Deuce is the first, and so far only character known to eat a Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi, without gaining its powers.

References

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