((Spoiler Warning!!! Some Egghead spoilers!!!))) ((Just a fic I wanted to write.)) ================================================ ((Summary: After escaping Egghead, Bonney notices that Kuma's condition isn't getting any better. Doing everything she can to help Lilith treat her dad, Bonney is desperate to save him. Lilith has a last resort to bring back Kuma's humanity, but it'll cost Bonney her and Kuma's father and daughter bound. Will Bonney be able to go through with the procedure? And if she does, can she find Kuma a new home where he can live free from the celestial dragons and world government?))
Kuma was resting on a bench aboard the giant warrior pirates ship, starring blankly at the island of Elbaph. He had been patched up a bit by the crews doctor to the best of their abilities, but due to his cybernetics it was hard for the doctor to fully treat the former warlord. As Kuma continued to look out at the horizon, some commotion could be heard from approaching footsteps.
"Hey kid are you sure you don't need help with that? That blanket can be really heavy for a non-giant child to carry. We have smaller blankets on board if you're cold." Came the voice of Oimo as he held the door open for one of their guests. "Thank you, but I got it. Besides, this blanket is the perfect size for my dad." Came the voice of Jewelry Bonney, her breath labored as she dragged a big blanket behind her. Once Bonney reached her father, she took a moment to rest and catch her breath. "Here you go daddy, I got you a blanket so you don't get cold out here." Bonney offered. Bonney climbed up onto the bench, managing to drag a corner of the blanket up with her. She showed it to her father who just starred at it. "Please cover yourself with it, I don't want you to get sick." Bonney begged. Kuma did as told, finally taking the blanket from his daughter and covered himself with it. Bonney sat on his lap and hugged her dad, crying. Ever since their escape from Egghead, Bonney had noticed that Kuma wouldn't do anything unless they were under threat, or he was given an order by her. Bonney hated having to order her father around, even for his benefit. It felt wrong, it made her feel sick. She hugged Kuma. "Oh daddy, you have to come back, you just have to"! Bonney hiccupped. Just then Lilith stepped out, a bit agitated. "Damn these interruptions! How am I supposed to get any work done with needing to take breaks to eat and use the bathroom! Darn that York, if I ever see her again I'll..." Lilith paused as she heard Bonney crying. The former satellite jumped up onto the giants bench to find the girl hugging her father.
"Hey Bonney, what's got you all upset"? Lilith asked. "It's dad, he seems to be getting worse. He won't eat, sleep, or do anything unless I tell him. The rest of the time he just looks out of it." Bonney explained. Lilith approached Kuma, she took out a little flashlight and began to examine him. "That fight with Saturn really did a number on him, but he should recover from his injuries. However, after being disconnected from the World Government's control and the override programing from both Vegapunk and the Revolutionaries, I'm concerned all that probing has rapidly progressed the deterioration of his mind. As of right now he's nothing more than a mechanical butler." Lilith observed.
This made Bonney sob even harder. Lilith actually felt bad seeing the younger girl in such a state, after everything they just went through on Egghead and whatever happened to her and Kuma prior to his transition into a human weapon would be too much for anyone, especially a child. Lilith reflected on the events; she knew there was one other possibility to give the Buccaneer his humanity back, but would it just cause Bonney more strife in the end? Right now, there was no other available option to restore Kuma to his old self, at least with this option they could give him back his humanity. "There is one way to save your dad, but I don't know if you'll like it." Lilith said. Bonney's crying softened to sniffles, her eyes pleading with Lilith to continue. "During your treatment for your sapphire scales, Vegapunk would perform routine blood checks on you to study which stem cells would work best to treat the disease. After you ate the Toshi Toshi no mi, Vegapunk put some samples aside to study. He was hoping to find a way to extend the duration of your de- aging ability to allow people a second chance at youth and extend their lives. By the time the Strawhats and you arrived on Egghead, we had managed to extend the duration of your de- aging ability via a serum by seventeen years." Lilith continued. "So, I can regress my dad to the age he was before Vegapunk turned him into a cyborg and I'll have him back for seventeen years"? Bonney asked hopefully. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that. Bonney, your father has been wiped of not only his humanity, but his memories as well. Kuma in the eyes of science is a blank slate; the best course of action would be for you to regress him fully down to infancy. By doing that, human instinct should take over and overwrite any prior programming in order to keep Kuma alive, the needs of a living being is the key to give your father back his humanity." Lilith stated. Bonney was crying again. This choice was heartbreaking; on one hand, Kuma would have a second chance at life, one that could be filled with less sorrow and grief than his previous. On the other, Bonney would lose her father. Kuma would no longer recognize her as the daughter he did everything to save and provide a better life for. "What should I do? What path will I be setting daddy on if I choose one over the other? Will my choice end up causing him more misery?" Bonney's thought. In her worried state, Bonney's mind replayed the memory she saw of her father getting beaten up by the other slaves for trying to run away. She watched in agony as they towered over his scared form, ready to unleash a barrage of beatings. Time seemed to slow as Bonney watched clenched fists and weaponized debris slowly making their way down towards child Kuma. Bonney could hear her heart beating loudly, dread plaguing her as she knew she wouldn't be able to intervene. However, her heart began to beat in a different rhythm, one she was more than familiar with. 🎶 Doom- Dut- Da- Da, Doom- Dut- Da- Da! 🎶 Bonney could hear the drums of liberation beating inside of her. Her worries melting away as Bonney realized that it didn't need to end like this, she was here now, and she wasn't going to let her father end up in that horrid situation ever again. She leaped into the air and unleashed her power, once again mimicking Luffy's Nika ability. Bonney then proceeded to jump up and down, the ground becoming like that of a bouncy castle. Bonney launched her father's attackers so high into the air that they disappeared into the sky above. Bonney landed right in front of Kuma, her form returning to normal. When she looked up, she saw child Kuma. He was smiling, all his injuries were gone and the landscape that was once Marijoa was now a park playground. "Come on Bonney, let's play"! Kuma said happily. Bonney watched on, with a soft smile as she watched Kuma happily running around and singing to the beat of Nika's drums. When Bonney snapped out of her thoughts, she found Lilith before her. "I'm sorry to have to put this
on you Bonney, but a decision needs to be made soon. Without the proper lab equipment, the serum's shelf life has been dramatically reduced..." Lilith was cut off. "I, I'll do it." Bonney interrupted. Lilith gave Bonney a serious look. "Are you certain you want to go through with this Bonney? Once Kuma has been injected with the serum it can't be undone. He will be stuck growing up normally for the next seventeen years. So again, are you sure you want to proceed with this procedure"? Lilith asked in a serious tone. "I'm sure. Daddy has been through so much and has done so much for everyone and me. He deserves to have a second chance at life, one where he can be free." Bonney stated. Lilith nodded. "Alright then. In order for the serum to have the most affect, I'll have to insert it by a spinal tap. It'll take a while for the serum to properly circulate into Kuma's organic system, but once it does you can come in and use your de-aging ability." Lilith said. The former satellite then waved down some of the crew of the Giant Warrior Pirates to help move Kuma inside and to keep him still for the injection. Bonney stayed close to her father for support. "Don't worry daddy, we'll have you feeling better soon. There's going to be some pain, but it'll go away, I promise." Bonney said, fighting back tears as this would be one of the last times she would see him as her father. "Alright, we're going to inject the serum. Those holding Kuma down, stand ready and don't let go until I say so." Lilith ordered. Bonney did her best to keep Kuma's attention on her. Distracting her father from the giant needle about to be inserted into his spine. With a loud thud, Lilith hammered the syringe into Kuma's spine. Kuma's reflexes kicked in as his body jerked and twitched. "Watch his hands! If he touches you, his devil fruit will send you flying to god knows where"! Lilith warned. Lilith pressed down on the syringe's plunge, its contents flowing into Kuma's system. "And.... Done! Okay, everyone can let go." Lilith instructed as she pulled out the syringe. Bonney hugged her father. "You did great daddy, now relax and rest, okay"? Bonney assured. All that was left to do now was to wait until it was time to finish Kuma's treatment.
