@.access:

I think the point is that O-Lin is her self as it would have been if not spoiled and tainted by her life story. Linlin is what was made of that person.

The core of Linlin is the generosity shown by O-Lin and Totto Land is in theory the proof of that: a utopia where everyone can live as equal (her dream being literally everyone sharing food on a table standing at the same height and meeting eye to eye couldn't be more clear). Linlin had her nature distorted by her growth, but her personality is rooted on O-Lin.

I agree with this. O-Lin is a chance for READERS to understand Big Mom better, not to "change" Big Mom for the better. O-Lin is not fundamentally different from Big Mom, and Tottoland is the best proof of that as a place where food is literally free and shared by all.

That croco-turtle animal Chopper and O-Lin rode to prisoner mine is actually low-key op, that creature tanked two hits from Big Mom and can still move around lmao

@Captain:

Big Mom has done one thing few other villains could: she changed Luffy's behaviour.

Character development, both positive and negative, tends to be understated and slow-burning in One Piece, but it's certainly not nonexistent. Let's talk about Luffy's character arcs in the New World. The first one, I think, starts on Fishman Island when he promises to "protect everything." This isn't something Luffy needs to grow from, necessarily, but it's an assertion that needs to be challenged and then tempered to be more realistic. This happens on Dressrosa, and I wish it had been brought more to the forefront that it was happening. As it's been written it's more of a vague, slow, background development, and a personal through-line for the protagonist could really have unified Dressrosa's generally chaotic lack of focus. Essentially, Doflamingo, manipulator, physical and mental puppetmaster, has the perfect toolset to make protecting everyone and everything impossible. There's no keeping the Birdcage from destroying Dressrosa (though thanks to the teamwork of Luffy's allies its people are saved), Law was nearly outright murdered with no way for Luffy to intervene, and Bellamy, well Luffy had to put Bellamy down himself, even though they'd become friends just hours before. Protecting everything was really thrown out the window there, and I wish we'd been shown more of the turmoil Luffy felt over that instead of just the broad "you hurt my friends, Mingo!!" rage we got. Regardless, Luffy grows from this experience and demonstrates a more realistic kind of resolve through the Tottoland Saga, accepting the sacrifices of Pedro, Pekoms and Jinbe instead of throwing everything away to not leave a man behind. He's far more willing to go for the better net result instead of making it all or nothing, which is a sharp contrast to his attitude at the start of the New World.

The second arc, as established, begins with the Fujitora fight, and is, as with the last one, challenged in the very next major saga. Luffy comes up against a foe he can't defeat now, in the most literal way possible, and is forced to retreat. I don't think he's truly compromised on his decision not to back down from foes perceived to be above his level just yet, as he flung himself right at Kaido and is training to do the same thing again. I think he sees Big Mom as a lone exception to his declaration. We can see from the way Luffy reacts to her storming into the prison he's strongly associated her with the desperation and losses of Tottoland and still sees her as something totally unbeatable, that can only be run away from, even though he's just been training to face her apparent equal, Kaido.

Very good analysis, I agree with everything you said!

@Jabra:

Of course the names of the attacks are flavorful, they always are. But it's still Mochi on top of Mochi.

This is like talking to a brick wall. I’m done.

@Jabra:

Do what Katakuri does.

…. so apparently you failed to understand both Cracker AND Katakuri. Katakuri was NOT making those into “random shape” as you apparently believed. Most of Katakuri’s techniques are modeled after actual types of dish, named after actual types of dish, and have qualities based on actual types of dish. The picture you provided is kagami mochi, that... guess what? ... were actually known to accidentally choke people to death in Japan during New Years every year. You honestly thought it was pure coincidence that Katakuri would specifically use kagami mochi to choke people, when there are hundreds of other mochi recipes in the world??

I think at this point we’re arguing over completely different things. Cracker is not baking those biscuits, but he needs to know about them to fully utilize them, it is literally the same for all devil fruit users. Caesar Clown needs to have proper knowledge about gas and chemical interactions to use df to more potential, you think someone like Luffy who probably couldn’t spell oxygen would be able to know manipulate air components to suffocate people? There is a reason Cracker has to be a chef, there is a reason Ceasor Clown has to be a scientist, and there is a reason Law has to specifically be a surgeon (and not a physician) etc. If you could understand this concept for people like Caesar Clown and Law etc., but completely failed to grasp the exact same concept for Cracker, then that is all on you.

EDIT: before anyone claim One Piece didn’t differentiate various types of doctors, One Piece actually did. Chopper is very obvious a physician (weapon of choice is a “pill”) and Law is very obvious a surgeon (weapon of choice is a “scalpel”), there is a reason it can NOT be the other way around.

It has more to do with most Charlotte children being pretty good chefs themselves in addition to the paramecia bonus effect. Cracker’s biscuits are so hard, because Cracker himself is a baker who knew how to make hardtack. An average person who didn’t know about hardtack would not be able to create them, even with df power.

… and, before you claim hardtack isn’t that hard in real life. I have to remind you “normal cola” in One Piece world can stay permanently fuzzy and packed enough firepower to propel a ship one kilometer forward. For all we know, those producer devil fruits might only be creating things that existed normally in One Piece world.

@Razh:

Still, how many food related fruits appear outside Charlotte Family?

This actually has a simple and logical explanation lol. Most people with food devil fruits are probably embarrassed and hide themselves into obscurity, because food-based abilities are objectively pretty lame on the devil fruit scale. Most people cannot use them for combat, Charlottes are the exception not the rule.

@S.C.:

How is our heroes being chased out of Wano, utterly defeated, any less pathetic then an outside force making it's own move at the climax of the battle?

Just like what happened in WCI, but I digress. I’m saying the people—the readers—begging their enemies for help look pathetic, because seriously. This is literally begging enemies for help when they couldn’t solve their own problems, when every single character in One Piece have more dignity than that.

@S.C.:

I have been thinking of the new leader swooping in to finish Kaido, since the gap between him and our heroes is still so vast. Thought I do assume we would learn a bit more about Rox beforehand so it wouldn't seem so out of left field if suddenly they arrive out of nowhere.

I don’t want this to happen to be honest, because it is… kind of pathetic? The protagonists couldn’t deal with their own problems, so now people are begging outside forces and even enemies for help? This is like WCI arc, where so many people are making theories about marines or whatever showing up etc. and all I wanted to say is, please have some fucking dignity.

If the protagonists aren’t strong enough, they should just get wrecked and come back later. As simple as that.