Reason behind Kuma sending Sanji to Kamabakka is actually Heartbreaking

When Bartholomew Kuma separated the Straw Hat Pirates at Sabaody Archipelago, each crew member ended up on an island which helped them in improving their skills. Zoro to Kuraigana Island, Nami on Weatheria, Franky on Karakuri Island. But Sanji had a very different experience. He was sent to Momoiro Island, also known as the Kamabakka Kingdom, where the residents were all okama. For years, fans saw this as another one of Oda’s jokes. After all, Sanji was famous for his love of beautiful women and Kuma sent him straight into a place that made him extremely uncomfortable.

But there is a deeper way to look at this decision. During the Thriller Bark incident, Sanji showed a side of himself that Kuma may have recognised. He was ready to give up his life without thinking about his own worth. When we look at Kuma’s past in the Egghead Arc, this moment becomes even more interesting.There is a strong connection between the two characters, especially when it comes to how they value their own lives.

Incident between Zoro, Sanji and Kuma on Thriller Bark

Before the events at Sabaody, Kuma had already met the Straw Hats on Thriller Bark. After defeating Gecko Moria, Luffy was completely exhausted. Kuma arrived and announced that he had orders to take Luffy’s head. Showing their loyalty Zoro and Sanji stepped forward to protect their captain. Both were ready to get sacrificed but their reasons were not exactly the same.

Zoro said that his ambition meant nothing if he couldn’t protect Luffy’s dream.

From this he meant, his own ambition meant nothing if he couldn’t stand beside the future Pirate King. Zoro was willing to die for his captain, at the same time he still understood his own value as a swordsman and the future world’s greatest swordsman.

Sanji’s response was different. His words to Kuma at that moment were like these,

Take my life and tell them to find another cook.

This shows his readiness to disappear from the crew and suggesting that finding another cook would solve the problem.

The last part here gets important. The thing is, throughout a huge part of his childhood, he was treated as a failure by his own father, Judge Vinsmoke. He often locks him in a room, elder brothers bully him and a constant feeling of worthless, all those experiences left a deep mark on him. Thats why even after finding a family among the Straw Hats, Sanji often put everyone else’s safety ahead of his own. His actions on Thriller Bark were another example of that behaviour.

Kuma saw his own Shadow in Sanji

To understand the possible connection between Kuma and Sanji, we need to look at Kuma’s childhood. The Egghead Arc revealed just how painful Kuma’s life had been. He was born into the Buccaneer race and spent much of his childhood as a slave. The World Government treated his people as criminals simply because of their bloodline. After escaping slavery, Kuma continued to suffer for the sake of others. He helped the people of Sorbet Kingdom by taking their illnesses and pain into his own body. Later, he agreed to give up his memories, personality and his entire human identity to protect Bonney. Kuma spent his life putting other people first. He rarely thought about his own happiness. His body and life became something he was willing to sacrifice whenever someone needed help. Sanji’s childhood story was different but there was similarities in how both characters treated themselves.

Kamabakka was Something more to Sanji than Anyone else Could

Kuma was a member of the Revolutionary Army and a highly experienced fighter. His choices for the Straw Hats were definitely not random. Every island offered something useful for the crew’s future. Kamabakka Kingdom gave these 2 major benefits to Sanji

1. The 99 Vital Recipes and Attack Cuisine – Kamabakka was home to the masters of Attack Cuisine, a special style of cooking that used ingredients and recipes to improve the body. Sanji spent two years learning these recipes from the island’s residents. The 99 Vital Recipes became an important addition to his cooking skills. They were designed to improve physical strength, stamina and overall fitness of a person. It was useful for Sanji because he was already a cook and a fighter. This way he gained knowledge that helped him support the physical abilities of his teammates. In short, we can believe Sanji’s cooking is of those reasons behind Straw Hats growing stronger.
2. Newkama Kenpo and Sky Walk – The residents of Kamabakka were also skilled fighters. Their fighting style, Newkama Kenpo, focused on powerful physical attacks, especially kicks. Sanji had to face the island’s fighters throughout his 2 year stay. He spent much of that time running away from them and trying to survive their attacks. It was an unusual training experience, but it pushed his physical abilities further. This way his leg strength improved and he finally developed the Sky Walk, a technique that allows him to move through the air by kicking repeatedly. Sky Walk is now his major combat advantage in every battle we have seen so far, he uses it in almost every fight.

Emporio Ivankov – a cherry on top

There is one major problem with the idea that Kuma sent Sanji to Kamabakka for personal guidance from Ivankov but the thing is at that time of Kuma’s decision, Emporio Ivankov was imprisoned on Level 5.5 of Impel Down.

So how would Kuma know that Ivankov would later return to the island to train Sanji ?

The answer is that Kuma sent Sanji to Kamabakka itself, not necessarily to Ivankov. Even without Ivankov, the island had its own people, fighting styles and traditions. Sanji still had access to the 99 Vital Recipes and the island’s unique training methods.

There is one more interesting connection with Sanji’s childhood related to Kamabakka Island. He grew up in a family where his father constantly made him feel unwanted. Judge treated him as a failure because he didn’t have the same genetic enhancements as his brothers. Kamabakka was a place where people openly expressed themselves and lived without hiding their identities. For Sanji, spending two years in such an environment was a complete change from the life he had known as a child. Ivankov eventually returned after the events of Impel Down and Sanji got the chance to train under him and the island’s fighters. From there he got all the training he needed before entering the New World.

Did Oda Foreshadowed this all back in 2008

The Thriller Bark Arc came long before the Egghead Arc revealed Kuma’s full history. When Kuma first separated the Straw Hats in 2008, readers had very little information about his childhood. Sanji’s Vinsmoke family history was also revealed much later. Based on these facts it’s possible to conclude that Oda developed these character connections as the story progressed. Oda is famous for bringing back old characters, events and small details from earlier arcs but still its hard to believe how well these stories fit together. Sanji’s willingness to sacrifice himself on Thriller Bark, Kuma’s own habit of carrying other people’s pain and the painful childhoods of both characters all share a similar theme. Looking back at the Sabaody incident after reading the Egghead Arc changes the viewpoint for Kuma’s decision. What we once saw as a simple joke about Sanji’s terrible luck now has room for a much deeper interpretation.

The Actual Reason is now Revealed

Kuma sending Sanji to Kamabakka has always been one of the funniest and most debated moments in One Piece. No matter how much he hated that stay, it helped him become a much stronger fighter and a better cook. Back story of these characters reveal the real reason behind that Sabaody Archipelago decision, which took more than a decade to get answered. Whether Oda intended this connection from the beginning or made it later will always remain a mystery.

Still, looking at their stories together gives us a new way to understand Kuma’s decision. Perhaps the funniest part is the 2 year run from the island’s residents ended up making him one of the strongest members of the Straw Hat crew.