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Although on its surface,One Piecefeels like a goofy adventure about young and optimistic pirates, beneath the surface, the series can be an incredibly dark experience. More often than not, while the usual adventures ofOne Pieceare a more standard fantasy experience, the backstories ofOne Piecetend to lean heavily into far darker subject matter. This leads many to consider moments like Robin’s, Law’s, or Nami’s backstory as being some of the darkest moments in all ofOne Piece.
However, one backstory that many fans often overlook when discussing the darkest backstory inOne Pieceis the former Emperor of the Sea, Big Mom’s. While her backstory doesn’t elicit a sympathetic reaction like many ofOne Piece’sother backstories, Big Mom’s backstory takes a few unexpected turns that leave most who watch it shocked, and even a little disturbed. While it may not be the saddest backstory inOne Piece, Big Mom’s backstory easily takes the cake as the darkest.
A Dark Upbringing
Big Mom’s backstory inOne Piecefollows the future emperor as a child after she is abandoned by her parents due to her unmanageable size. After being left onthe island of Elbaf, Charlotte Linlin was taken in by Mother Caramel, a kind, human foster mother who cares for many abandoned children on the island of giants. However, soon after integrating into the society of giants, Linlin’s appetite and penchant for hunger tantrums led to her ruining Mother Caramel’s relationship with the giants, after the child Linlin destroyed their village.
The pirate world may be cruel, but there still are standards. - Big Mom
After that, Mother Caramel took the children to live on a different island, where life continued as normal. However, Mother Caramel,the original user of the Soul-Soul Fruit, was actually lying to the children. In reality, she was a child trafficker looking to sell her children, including Linlin. Before this happens, on Linlin’s 6th birthday, the child is given a delicious meal in celebration, which she consumes so ferociously and rapidly that she presumably consumes her fellow orphans and Mother Caramel as well. Though this is never stated directly, since Linlin inherited the powers of the Soul-Soul Fruit after this event, many consider this to be the only possibility.
Big Mom Suffered On Elbaf Island
The Beginnings Of An Emperor
Starting off,Big Mom’s backstory inOne Piecealready begins incredibly dark. While being abandoned as a young child is pretty par for the course of a backstory, it doesn’t make the event any less dark. In fact, Big Mom being abandoned by her parents and placed straight into the hands of a child trafficker in a strange and foreign land makes this stand out among other backstories.
Next, while Big Mom is definitely partially to blame for the destruction of the village onOne Piece’sElbaf Island, her hunger strike and the giant’s treatment of her aren’t completely Linlin’s fault. Linlin was born with an extreme hunger that, without proper training, is impossible to contain. The giants who forced Linlin to fast are partially to blame. The same goes for her parents, who abandoned her instead of teaching her how to deal with her massive hunger.
Big Mom Was Never Giving A Chance To Succeed
Doomed From The Start
Finally, Linlin being put into the hands of a child trafficker who was looking to sell her off to theOne PieceWorld Governmentis extremely dark. Growing up, Mother Caramel was one of the only people who treated Linlin with patience or kindness, despite being one of the evilest characters in the show. What makes this especially dark is that Linlin unintentionally killed Mother Caramel, never truly understanding the foster mother’s true intentions.
Eye-to-eye? That’s so cool. It’ll be awesome if everyone can become big like me. - Charlotte Linlin
In the end, Big Mom’s backstory isone of the darkest moments inOne Piecedue to the fact that she wasn’t always an evil person. Through her upbringing, Big Mom was made into the monster she is in modernOne Piece. Initially, Big Mom was a kind and considerate child, albeit with some hunger tantrums. With a proper upbringing and loving guardian, Big Mom could have been an incredibly strong and kind character inOne Piece.
