Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, was one of the Four Emperors who held complete dominion over the seas of the New World. She was mentioned by name a very long time ago but didn’t make a proper appearance until the Whole Cake Island arc. She was a fearless individual whose name was known throughout theOne Pieceworld.
Big Mom wanted to build a nation that had every single race, and she nearly succeeded in doing so. Aside from creating an empire,Big Mom also desiredto claim the One Piece for herself. Unfortunately, Roger beat Big Mom to the punch by reaching Laugh Tale before her. In order to reach the island, Roger needed the Road Poneglyph, which was in Big Mom’s possession.The future Pirate Kingcould have opted to fight her but chose not to, which is a testament to Big Mom’s strength. Clearly, she was a powerfulOne Piececharacter, so how did Oda ruin her character? Before delving into the real reason behind the author’s decision, it is only fair to look at Big Mom’s achievements.
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Her Powers
Big Mom had the power of the Story Soru no Mi at her disposal. She could usethe Paramecia-type Devil Fruitto steal and control the souls of other people. The Devil Fruit previously belonged to Mother Carmel, but it changed hands after Big Mom’s rampage in Elbaf. Unbeknownst to the young Linlin she had eaten Mother Carmel. The Devil Fruit is very powerful but also has certain weaknesses. It is unable to extract the soul of a person who isn’t scared of Big Mom.
Big Mom could steal the entire lifespan of an individual, which resulted in their immediate death. She could also take a part of a person’s soul and use it to create homies. She could also use her own soul to make much more powerful versions of the homies. Even the smallest fraction of her soul was strong enough to create someone like Hera, Zeus, Prometheus, and Napoleon. Each of these special homies acted as Big Mom’s personal weapons, and she wielded them in any way she saw fit.
Physical Strength
While Big Mom’s Soru Soru no Mi is definitely impressive, her physical abilities are just good. Her skin was so durable that she could not be hurt with normal attacks. Capone Bege had to hatch an elaborate scheme to just damage her. He found that Big Mom could only be hurt when she was not in a stable mental condition. In her normal state, she managed to withstand an attack fromLuffy’s Gear Fourthwithout breaking a sweat.
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Big Mom’s monstrous strength allowed her to punch a brachiosaurus with ease. She manhandled Queen, who would have died if Big Mom had not passed out. Big Mom also clashed with Kaido for two days and had no visible injuries. This proved that she was very close to him in terms of strength, if not exactly equal.
The Downfall
Big Mom was the main antagonist of the Whole Cake Island arc, and no one in the arc could match her strength. She could have easily killed both Bege and Luffy. Oda gave her character hunger pangs and mental instability just so that the heroes could live to see another day. In the Wano Country arc, Big Mom returned to make a statement.
Her duel with Kaido was enough to hype her up, after which the two Emperors formed an alliance. During the raid, Big Mom and Kaido dominated the Worst Generation members. The young pirates knew that they had to separate the two behemoths if they wanted to win. The Supernovas planned to throw Big Mom down, but it required the pirates to play their roles flawlessly. Eventually, they succeeded, and Kaido was left alone on the rooftop.
Big Mom knew that reuniting with Kaido was the only logical choice, but Law and Kid stopped her. The two tried all kinds of tricks on Big Mom, yet none of them seemed to work. However, things changed when they usedtheir Devil Fruit Awakenings. Big Mom was stupefied to see their power, yet she was still confident in her abilities. She used many Devil Fruit attacks in an attempt to kill Law and Kid. What’s bizarre is that she never decided to use her Haki to enhance their power. A person with the caliber of Big Mom should have absolutely wiped the floor with Law and Kid, especially if she used her Haki.
To many fans, it was crystal clear that Oda wanted to write off Big Mom, so he could focus on the other characters that would appear in the final saga. The author wanted to eliminate two of the four Emperors in the same arc, and it is understandable considering he wants to wrap up the story within a certain time period. However, Oda’s decision essentially ruined Big Mom, who had a great backstory and an incredible amount of power. He could have used her in another arc or taken her down in a manner that would be more believable. The only positive from her fight with Law and Kid is that she wasn’t confirmed dead. So, there is a slight chance that she may reappear in the future.
