Osiris Fraternal Order

In the Alabasta saga, we are introduced to the delightful antagonist Bentham, Mr. 2 Bon Clay of Baroque Works. The highest ranks of Baroque Works are organised with male-female partner teams, with the male partner being named after a number from 1 to 13 and the female being named after a day of the week or holiday – for example, Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas, Mr. 8 and Miss Monday. Mr. 2 Bon Clay is atypical in that lineup for having no partner, as he fulfils both the masculine and feminine sides of the role – Mr. 2 for the masculine, Bon Clay – from Bon-Kurei (romanised), referring to the Bon festivals of Japan. It should be noted that the Viz official manga translation, feeling this would be too overt for an American audience of the early 2000s, altered to him simply not desiring a partner. ‘He’ is used in official media, and so will be used here, but really, ‘they’ would be more accurate – to quote a translated line of his, “this world is about men and women, but when you’re queer, you’re a bit of both.”
Bentham is tall, wearing flamboyant ballet clothes with two prop swans on his shoulders, caked in heavy makeup and having exposed hairy legs. His face is described as being the most ridiculous in the world (aside from the nose), based on his own experience. He is as loud and cheerful as his outfit, often singing, dancing or spinning. He has a strong code of honour, but will still participates in mass destruction, the injuring of children, murder and conspiracy on orders from his boss.
Here is where we get into a sticking point. Bentham is self-described as an ‘Okama’, a Japanese pejorative slang term for a homosexual/effeminate male/cross-dresser. The term literally translates to ‘rice pot’, and likely started out as a crass term for apprentice Kabuki actors who were often also prostitutes, with the pejorative origin essentially being ‘one who receives anal sex’. Obviously, the use of the term is highly controversial, as while it has been reclaimed to a certain extent for use within the Japanese queer community, like many slang terms, it would still be considered deeply offensive if used by someone outside that community, and as a result more recent official translations have removed the term, which is difficult in the case of Bentham, as he uses it liberally, and as a result I will use it in this discussion on the understanding that I acknowledge its offensive origins and do not intend it in that context.
Bentham follows the ‘Okama Way’ (‘Oh Come My Way’ in later translations), which I will elaborate on soon, and practices ‘Okama Kenpo’ (‘Kenpo’ meaning ‘way of the fist’ and being a common means to refer to martial arts, translated as ‘Ballet Kenpo’ in the anime). In an ask-the-author section, Oda explained that the steps to learn Okama Kenpo are to 1. Learn ballet, 2. Learn karate, and 3. Work at one of ‘those’ places, which he does not elaborate on. Okama Kenpo is a truly phenomenal fighting style that requires tremendous physical might from its practitioners, to the point that Bentham – whose Devil Fruit ability enables him to transform into other people – cannot use many of his techniques while transformed, as other bodies simply lack the correct conditioning for it. Bentham has superhuman strength, stamina and agility from training in this martial art, capable of running up vertical stone surfaces, felling giant monsters, and – when equipped with his swan-shoes – punching clean holes in walls, without a single crack outside the point of impact.
The Okama Way is only loosely elaborated on, in that abandoning friends or companions apparently violates it, and as a result Bentham will consistently act selflessly and have no regrets sacrificing himself for others. As mentioned, this does not prevent criminal activity.

Bentham enters the story as an antagonist, but quickly befriends the protagonists in their first meeting when neither are aware of the others’ identities. Upon learning of it later, Bentham uses the information against the protagonists very strongly, seeking their defeat and death, but upon the fall of Baroque Works, quickly reverts to rely on this relationship in hopes of escaping, only to end up sacrificing himself to ensure their escape from the World Government’s Navy out of friendship and love.
Bentham is very clearly an antagonist for most of this arc. He manipulates, kills, aid in killing, and contributes to the attempted destruction of a country and assassination of its royalty. However, never in that villainy is his queer identity highlighted as a bad thing. Indeed, Okama Kenpo is shown to be formidable, and the product of serious effort, while the Okama Way is shown entirely sympathetically. This is a point that will return later.

Not immediately however, as first – a few hundred chapters later – we have a detour, to Amazon Lily, the Maiden Island. Inhabited by the Amazonian tribe of warrior women, here we find some fresh queer representation in the form of Boa Hancock, the most beautiful woman in the world, so stunningly gorgeous that she is desired by all, including her own (aforementionedly female) tribe. Even a grim and dedicated Vice Admiral of the Navy can only distract himself from falling for her by stabbing a knife into his own hand, and would otherwise have been turned to stone by her Devil Fruit power. And then, Luffy enters, and puzzles all involved by being completely immune. This has led to the prominent theory that Luffy is Asexual/aromantic. Luffy had previously reacted in a seemingly aroused manner to Nami, one of his female crewmembers, on a couple of occasions, but in an ask-the-author section Oda ascribed this discrepancy to Luffy being swept along by the bad influence of other crew members rather than active feelings on his part. However, he has also made clear that he intends to never include romance in his story among the main characters, so Luffy’s orientation remains in doubt, with many asserting it is a childlike innocence that spares him.



While Luffy stands on the island of Amazon Lily immune to the charms of its inhabitants, however, his crewmember Sanji is having quite the opposite experience on the Other Maiden Island – Momoiro Island, home to the Kamabakka Kingdom. Here we have the least flattering of the depictions of queer individuals in Oda’s work, with the return of the Okamas in their home paradise, a land where ‘those with the heart of a maiden’ gather.
In the manga, we get little of this island at this point – we simply see Sanji fleeing in horror from some truly grotesque-looking crossdressers, drawn with truly unflattering proportions, prominently hairy limbs and chins, and exaggeratedly ‘girly’ outfits, as they chase after him. We then do not see it again in the manga until a brief two-page cover depiction of Sanji being chased by an Okama with a net, and then Sanji as an Okama. The anime expands on this. Sanji wakes and believes himself to have been saved from his injuries by a beautiful woman, pursuing her only to be horrified that she was an Okama. The Okama then pursue Sanji, encouraging him to join them on the assumption that he came to the island for the same reason as the rest of them, and is merely having trouble shedding his shell. This comes to a head when he challenges their interim ruler in order to obtain a ship, and she responds by insisting that he fight wearing a dress. Sanji loses the fight handily, and finds his mind changing as the combat goes on, his heart growing lighter and eventually swaying to the locals’ way of thinking.



Now, it should be noted that Sanji is the most problematic major character in One Piece. He is a pervert and lech, making only-sometimes-even-barely-classy romantic overtures to every attractive woman he sees, fawning over his female crewmates, with one of his major dreams being the ability to turn invisible so that he might creep into a women’s bath to voyeuristically enjoy them. It is a sad truth of Japanese media that this is a common character archetype. He is sometimes played as honourable – a ‘chivalrous pervert’ as the archetype goes – but is often just played for laughs as a lecher. This is particularly intended for comedy here, when placed against what he considers truly nightmarish apparitions in the Okama.
Two things temper this terrible depiction – first, that it is from Sanji’s severely biased perspective. Second, that grotesquery is very much an aesthetic of some parts of the queer community. A relative once introduced me to the television program RuPaul’s Drag Race. It was not for me, but I was struck by the contents of some episodes, which included such things as the contestants sellotaping their own faces into gruesomely contorted forms. This likely has its origins in how the blending of masculine and feminine was a subject of ‘Freak Shows’ for many years, and much like the pejoratives, have been ‘reclaimed’ by some and remain offensive to others.




Our next notable moment is the return of Bentham, Mr. 2 Bon Clay, reuniting with Luffy in the prison of Impel Down where he had been held prisoner since he was captured covering Luffy’s escape at Alabasta. Here again, he provides comic relief through his antics, but is also Luffy’s dearest comrade in this dark point in the story, throwing himself into deadly danger time and again to save his friend, and in the end, sacrificing himself once more.



One of these acts of heroism brings a terribly poisoned Luffy and a terribly injured Bentham to the attention of the hidden rebels of Impel Down, who had built a secret paradise hidden in the walls thanks to a previous Devil-Fruit-wielding inmate. Here we are introduced to a new group of queer folk, the queerest yet. Led by Emporio Ivankov, imprisoned Queen of Kammabaka, revolutionary leader, miracle worker, blatant Dr Frank-N-Furter reference and wielder of the Hormone-Hormone Devil Fruit Power, with the ability to enhance healing, alter appearance, and even alter sexes on a whim, which they use very liberally; we have the Newkama.



The Newkama are very interesting. By Ivankov’s words, they are those who have ‘crossed the border of gender and have evolved beyond it. Some used to be men, some used to be women’. Indeed, it is a gathering of all sorts of people wearing all sorts of clothing. Fishnets stockings are popular, but there are masculine, feminine and neutral -appearing individuals wearing masculine, feminine and neutral clothing styles, and beyond. One person is wearing a reindeer outfit. It is not remarked upon. It is often joked in the community that One Piece is the serious story of a rebellion against an established oppressive fascistic regime disguised as a happy-fun-pirate adventure, and it is very clear why the Newkama turn out to be one of the primary forces of the setting’s Revolutionary Army, and why the World Government lacks anything much in the way of queer representation. The Newkama are one of many embodiments of freedom in the world of One Piece. Their lieutenant, Inazuma, appears in some scenes male and others female, with no attention drawn to it.
Now, it is important to note that very few characters in One Piece are depicted entirely sympathetically. Ivankov and the Newkama are certainly allies of the protagonists, and stand against the oppression of the World Government, but are still criminals and will still act in amoral or immoral ways. Ivankov admits that they are not generous enough to save a life simply for the sake of doing so. One of the first acts we see them perform is to forcibly change an enemy’s sex, which said enemy is horrified by – said enemy having hunted Ivankov down out of outrage that his father had chosen to become an Okama, to which Ivankov replies by transforming him into a woman and declaring “two mothers and a daughter sounds like a lovely family!”. They do it again a little bit later to a prison guard, who states that it has awakened their mind to their true identity. However, this forced transition is still depicted as an assault. Charitably, it could be seen similarly to the residents of Kammabaka – a belief that showing someone the other side of the coin that they have long repressed themselves from will open their eyes to the world. However, it is perfectly fine to think of it uncharitably. This is not a world of pure good versus pure evil. The heroes are criminals, and will sometimes act like it.
The Newkamas aid Luffy for the rest of the arc, into the depths of a devastating war, many perishing or suffering terrible injury in his defence. In this heroism, just as in Bentham’s antagonism, their queer beliefs are not a factor, aside from playing a role in their antagonism to the government. They are allies of the heroes. They also happen to be queer.

We then return to Kamabakka Kingdom, where Sanji has returned to men’s clothing as the horror of the news of the Summit War broke the peace he had found, and the locals… are completely fine with him. He made an informed choice, and they seem to respect it. Ivankov returns to Kamabakka with the Newkama, and invites Sanji to dinner, cooking for him a meal that changes his entire view on cooking. Sanji asks to be taught the techniques, and Ivankov explains that the ’99 Vital Recipes’ are of deep cultural significance to Kamabakka, part of their “training for married life”, and thus should only be given out to those following the ways and traditions of Kamabakka. Sanji utterly refuses, scorning the offer and shouting his lecherous worldview to the assembled locals. However, seeing his determination to help his friends, Ivankov makes an offer, similar to the one made before – Sanji can fight to ‘steal’ the recipes, as befits a pirate, but if he is defeated, he will wear the dress and presumably learn the techniques the proper way. From Sanji’s perspective, once again, this is framed as a disturbing assault and horror, but from a broader perspective, it is more nuanced. He keeps being given the choice, and keeps choosing to reject their culture. Two years later, his training is complete, and he goes on and on about the ‘hell’ of living on an island without ‘real women’, but that is explicitly framed as a failing on his part when he begins charging around drooling on and sniffing every woman he finds. Of course, that is also intended to be ‘funny’, which… it is not. Sadly, anime and manga are saturated with perversion as comedy. Nevertheless, it is clear he leaves as himself, has at least some fondness for the people he met (asking those who delivered him back to Sabaody to “Say ‘hi’ to Iva”), and later on in the story, he proudly calls out the name of one of the 99 Vital Recipes as a Newkama technique while cooking.


Something worth noting is that the people of Kamabakka have, for two years by this point, had access to Ivankov's ability to change people between male and female and alter their appearance at will. Indeed, Sanji has demonstrated an ability to alter the facial bone structure of others before. Yet, the residents we see before the time skip appear the same after it. They were drawn by Oda to be hideous, yet they are absolutely content with the bodies they have. They dress and present themselves as women, but with access to a seemingly no-drawback magical sex change and appearance alteration, they choose to remain as they are.

And finally, we come to Wano. There have been a few more queer-coded characters inbetween, dotted about without attention particularly drawn to them – their queer identities continue to just be a natural part of the world. Wano, however, brings us two notable new characters. The first is Kiku (O-Kiku, to use the feminine prefix), formerly the samurai Kikunojo of the Lingering Snow. She appears as a teashop waitress in Wano, a tall, slender beauty, with hidden depths - using a traditionally martial self-identifier ‘sessha’, and being quite skilled with a sword, but often posing as being demure and frightened by her violent surroundings. Her former identity as a male-presenting samurai is brought up with wonderful nonchalance, when she dons an oni mask connected to that past identity and her old name is spoken, naming her as ‘the most handsome swordsman in Wano’. Luffy turns and asks, “Huh? You’re a man?”, receiving the reply, “I am a woman at heart,” and there things are allowed to rest. No scorn, no running gags, a simple declaration and acceptance.



Later, we are introduced to Yamato, son and former daughter of the villain Kaido. Yamato’s position is quite an interesting one by comparison to Kiku. Kiku dresses the part and appears very feminine, enough to have Sanji drooling over her. Yamato initially follows this pattern – his chest strapped down, in masculine garb – but after meeting Luffy, strips down to a less restricting outfit clearly displaying his feminine chest and face, his hair pulled into a feminine ponytail. When asked the same question – “Huh? You’re a woman?” – he answers “Oden was a man, so I became one too,” referring to the character Kozuki Oden, whom he idolises. He continues from that point on as a trans male who chooses not to explicitly present as such in appearance. Interestingly, Kaido and the rest of his pirate crew have no qualms with Yamato’s male presentation, only with his intention to emulate an old enemy. This fits with the pirate groups of the One Piece world being far more open to such ideas than the World Government that rules it.



After the arc proper, we are treated to a delightful scene of the protagonists and their allies partying in the hot springs, and Kiku is in the female bath while Yamato is in the male bath. Indeed, Nami invites Yamato to bathe with the women, and Yamato declines, stating “this castle doesn’t have mixed baths, so I’ll pass, Nami!”, with Kiku then adding “Well, I would like to join if you are okay with that?”. We are shown the panels in a modestly censored manner, in which Kiku’s presence in the women’s bath is seen as no problem at all, and Yamato’s presence in the male bath is equally accepted by the non-lecherous characters. Sadly, Sanji once again puts a thorn in an otherwise beautiful moment with a lecherous reaction.



We also return to Kammabaka in this arc, now the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army, with fresh face Morley – a trans female giant who goes topless, has a thick chinstrap beard and a Fu Manchu, and wears a miniskirt. She is the Commander of the Western Revolutionary Army, well-respected by her comrades. Her appearance is played for laughs in that people tend to stare at her, leading her to question if they have a crush on her, but aside from that, is not treated with any particular oddity.

So, we have some fascinating new additions – an openly female-presenting beautiful trans woman, an attractive trans man not openly presenting such, and an ‘ugly’ trans woman in a blend of masculine and feminine appearance. Unlike previously in the series, some of their transitions are called attention to, but in ways that make clear how natural a matter it is. A moment of curiosity, an explanation of stance that does not come across as a defence of their decision for it needs none, and immediate acceptance.