One Piece has had its fair share of dark moments, even though it is listed as a comedy series. The series has been quite popular in the anime and manga world for reflecting on controversial real-world dark themes like discrimination, political corruption, slavery, dictatorship, human trafficking, etc.
Discussing such issues requires the series to portray them through narratives and storylines that get pretty dark but still offer a moral lesson. It is one of the reasons One Piece is considered to be one of the best anime and manga series of all time. While there are many dark plots discussed in the series, there is one that, according to many fans, went too far.
The narrative revolves around the past of the former Emperor of the Sea and the captain of the Big Mom Pirates. It was used to focus on the dangerous eating disorder that Big Mom suffered from. It was so extreme that, allegedly, she ate her friends and her former caretaker, Mother Carmel.
Big Mom’s Uncontrollable Eating Disorder
During the Whole Cake Island arc, Big Mom’s past was revealed to One Piece fans. It was there that the fans found out about Big Mom’s eating disorder. Her eating disorder was the main reason why her parents abandoned her and left her on Elbaf in the first place. While this eating disorder is extremely dangerous, Big Mom is unaware of it.
This eating disorder affects her rationality, and she can only be brought back under control by giving her the food that she demands. During the Whole Cake Island arc, Big Mom goes on a rampage because of her eating disorder and destroys almost the entire island. Even in the Wano arc, fans got to see a little glimpse of her eating disorder.
The only person who is known to control Big Mom when she is hungry is Mother Carmel. She even made Big Mom fast for the Winter Solstice Festival. However, what happened afterward is considered by many to be the darkest moment in One Piece’s history.
Eiichiro Oda Went Too Far With Big Mom’s Past Storyline
Big Mom might be unaware of this, but the storyline of her sixth birthday is pretty dark compared to other moments in One Piece. To celebrate her birthday, the other children of the orphanage and Mother Carmel decided to organize a feast for Linlin (Big Mom). That was probably the happiest day for Linlin, as she went into a joyful delusion.
She ate everything present there, allegedly even her friends and Mother Carmel. Later on, when she came out of the trance, she was unaware of what she had done and started finding her friends. However, as the story progressed, it was revealed that Big Mom received the Devil Fruit abilities of Mother Carmel, confirming Big Mom’s cannibalization streak.
There are a lot of dark moments in One Piece, but nothing compared to what Big Mom did when she was merely six years old. But her character was finally defeated during the Wano arc by Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid, putting an end to one of the strongest and most dangerous emperors in One Piece.
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