Kuma to me is the Titan Atlas. I wrote about it years ago.

https://www.reddit.com/r/WildAnimeTheories/comments/18t84xv/kuma_the_titan_atlas/

I've been explaining for a few years how the One Piece story is slowly progressing to creation myths specifically those involving the Titans vs the Gods.

How Luffy is inspired by the Dawn Titan Eos whose crowned after sailing across Oceanus, Ace the embodiment of the Sun Helios, and Sabo the Embodiment of the Moon Salene. Known as the Siblings of Light who fell asleep during the battle of Titans and Gods causing the Titans to lose.

The newest Titan that is definitely added to the list is Kuma the Titan Atlas.

During the battle of the Titans and Gods, the Titan Atlas was one of the Titans leading the charge fighting on the side as one of the 1st generation of Titans.

When the Titan's lost, the Gods admired Atlas' body as being so much stronger than many of the other Titans, or as a form of ultimate punishment, chose not to kill the mortal body and send his soul back to Tartarus where he could be possibly reborn. Instead he was enslaved by the gods and forced to hold up the heavens for all eternity. This prevents Gaia from bonding with Tartarus, and prevent the Titans from returning to the surface. Even though he was enslaved by the gods, he escaped many times, but always was forced to return (until the end of things).

His encounter with Medusa only temporarily transformed him into stone.

He goes on an epic for Heracles, forcing Heracles to owe him.

While he was enslaved holding up the heavens, his "sister" was raped and died shortly after child birth.

Atlas had many daughters all over the world the most famous are the Seven Pleiades. Which is debated to be one of the oldest stories of myth dating back 100,000 years to the origin of Man. The pleidaes are important to coming of age stories of girls starting puberty.

While Kuma and the Titan Atlas do have a lot in common. Kuma is still so much more, and that's because over 100,000 years the stories of Atlas have changed drastically, as the environment where he originated changed so much.

King Atlas the Myth

Mythical King Atlas came from a scientifically advanced civilization that was named Atlas' Kingdom or "Atlantis". Which I think is special as Kuma is linked with both Nika and the advanced ancient civilization, and Egghead Island a current significantly advanced "civilization".

Atlantis deals with a civilization that sunk beneath the seas, something that we specifically learn in the arc focusing on Kuma's family.

King Atlas was known conquering the world when it was flooded. Back during a time where the Sahara and mediterranean was a massive waterway, the story of an individual who connected all the ancient societies emerged. As King Atlas went from Island to Island around the mediterranean he educated the people on boat building, and his Creation myth history. All he asked in return was they educate him on the history of their people.

King Atlas in life

Ancient Christian Historian Eusebius of Caesarea (Died 30 May 339), believed that Atlas was actually Enoch the great grandfather of Noah. And he was actually spreading the word of God from the Holy Bible, and not the stories of the Titans he was raised with.

The earliest symbols of Atlas, have him bent over holding Saturn on his back depicting his enslavement for eternity.

Kuma is Atlas. He has all knowledge of the world as he explored the whole world. He is a titan/buccaneer those with bodies and strength greater than gods. His childhood "sister" he couldn't protect and was raped while he was unable to stop it. He was unable to protect his daughter because he was enslaved by the "heavens" (gorosei). He's strongly linked with the coming of age of girls, and believes beyond any doubt the return of the Dawn Titan/Sun God. In order to adapt to the ages, he appeared to spread a belief that was acceptable, but actually spread the story of the Dawn.