The modifications to Kuma's body ultimately did affect him.
Because Charles's punch destroyed mechanical structures inside Kuma, he lost the ability to fight on the spot.
Even so, Vegapunk truly was the world's foremost scientist. The crucial components he'd implanted in Kuma's body were made of a memory alloy that could self-repair within limits.
Even if Charles's strike shut them down for now, they would recover after a while to the point of not hindering Kuma's basic movements.
So Charles wasn't sure Seastone cuffs alone could fully restrain the Vegapunk-modified Kuma. To be absolutely safe, he took out the restraint magic tools he'd prepared for Acnologia and used those as well.
While Charles was securing Kuma, the Straw Hat Pirates rallied as one and defeated Moria.
Though their battle was indeed affected by Charles's fight with Kuma midway through, Moria's loss was absolutely on him.
The Oars zombie in which he'd placed all his hopes was used as a sandbag by the Straw Hats. If he thought he could use that to take revenge on Kaido, Charles could only say Moria's brain had been scrambled by Kaido's kanabo.
With Moria defeated, the shadows he'd gathered over the years returned to their original owners' bodies.
As usual after a fight, a banquet followed. The pirates on Thriller Bark who'd lost their shadows joined in, and the island's eerie atmosphere seemed to vanish entirely.
Charles and Stella joined as well. Strangely, Kuma didn't react much. He didn't even try to break his restraints, just sat quietly in a corner.
Kuma had developed his fruit to the point he could repel the pain from others' bodies, yet his own life had always been entangled in suffering.
He was born a Celestial Dragon slave and watched his father killed on a whim by those nobles.
In the end he himself was made prey in a hunting game, and only by the help of Ivankov and others did he eat the Paw-Paw Fruit and escape with his life.
Because of his Buccaneer blood, he didn't dare accept the proposal of the woman he loved, Ginny, which led to Ginny being taken away and married off to a Celestial Dragon.
His blessing didn't dispel misfortune. It still fell upon Ginny.
Stricken with the incurable Sapphire Scales, she was cast aside by the Celestial Dragons and, before Kuma's eyes, turned into stone. Ginny's daughter, Bonney, had the same illness and was judged to have no more than ten years to live.
To treat Bonney, Kuma took her everywhere seeking aid. In the end, only a deal with the World Government could get the world's greatest scientist, Vegapunk, to treat her.
The price was for Kuma to submit to Vegapunk's modifications, even to the point of erasing all his consciousness and becoming a war machine under the World Government's control.
That deal was, in essence, Kuma exchanging his life for Bonney's.
He believed it was worth it, and insisted on honoring his promise, hence obeyed the World Government. Especially after learning Bonney had recovered and seeing Luffy, he had no complaints even with the erasure of his own mind looming.
With Bonney cured and even having escaped the Government's surveillance to become a pirate, Kuma could have left if he'd wished.
Many think what he did was foolish. Yet keeping his promise was Kuma's own choice, and no one has grounds to fault that.
It's just that someone as gentle as Kuma had to bear a fate of pain—and the authors of that tragedy were the Celestial Dragons. That's what makes it especially hard to accept.
Charles didn't need to dwell on it. His task was to capture Kuma and take him to Bonney; the rest he would leave to father and daughter to resolve.
Lifting his cup, Charles listened as Brook, now a skeleton, sat at the piano and sang that famous "Binks' Sake."
Known as the pirates' song, Charles could feel freedom and abandon in its melody.
Speaking of Brook, Charles had stayed on Thriller Bark for quite some time without running into him.
He was very curious about the Yomi Yomi no Mi and how a body that had become a skeleton could still have normal physiological function.
As Charles considered whether it would be presumptuous to study him, Zoro came over and sat down. Without Kuma's "trial" this time, his injuries weren't as severe as in the original tale; just a few layers of bandages.
As before, he had fought and defeated the zombie of Shimotsuki Ryuma.
Back at Enies Lobby, his sword Yubashiri had been ruined by Captain Shuu of the Rust-Rust Fruit, so he had moved the blade that had hung at his back—Charles's as-yet-unnamed sword—to his waist.
Charles glanced at it. "Why not use Shusui?"
Zoro rested his hand on the hilt. "That's someone else's blade. If I'm going to realize my ambition, I have to use my own."
Charles smiled. Aside from his despair-inducing sense of direction, Zoro had never disappointed him.
Shusui was undoubtedly exceptional, but Zoro still chose to forge a black blade of his own. For someone aiming to be the world's greatest swordsman, that was fitting.
Having grasped the art of cutting steel and launching flying slashes, Zoro should have tamed that sword by now. He could draw it freely—no need to worry on that front anymore.
Clinking cups, Zoro said, "That guy over there is one of the Warlords, right? Going after him is going to bring you plenty of trouble."
Charles put on a troubled look. "Can't be helped. We took the commission."
"Call on me anytime if you need help," Zoro said, gripping his hilt. "To repay this man's kindness, I'll give it everything I've got."
He meant it, even knowing Charles was far stronger than he was. If trouble came that Charles couldn't handle, staking his life might not even help.
"That's reassuring," Charles said with a grin. "But you need to keep growing too. Whether it's Luffy's dream, your own ambition, or paying me back, your current strength is still far from enough."
Zoro lifted his cup in silence and drank. For a man like him, promises are kept in the heart—and weigh more than any words.
Setting the cup down, Zoro pulled a gem-like crystal from his pocket. "This was left in the Going Merry's ashes. It's got something to do with you, doesn't it?"
Charles took the crystal. "I nearly forgot. Yes—this is something I left on the sky island. The Merry's soul is preserved in here."
Zoro let out a breath. "I knew it. The Merry hasn't left us. Seems we owe you again."
"I didn't do it to put anyone in my debt," Charles said. "I did it because I wanted to.
That child wanted to keep sailing with you, and I just helped him fulfill his wish."
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