@Chief:
Well, after an awesome chapter like this and having now a 2 weeks break, all that's left for us is speculate. So, here goes some ideas:
I guess we all got the "fairy tale" feeling coming from Big Mom and her crew, right?! (it has been said several times in this thread already). At first, Alice in Wonderland grew very strong in me. The whole Tea Party, a bossy crazy ruler just like the Queen of Hearts, some subordinates Mosquetear-like, a tea-drinking subordinate… So, my guess this was indeed an influence to Oda.
But after a while, some other tale felt more like it. It's Hansel and Gretel. Well, we already have our "wicked wich" living in a house (island) made of cake and gingerbread. And this same "witch" shares the main feature of the one in the tale: cannibalism! In some versions of the tale, the witch just cocked her victims; in others, she turned them into sweets and ate them (another match = the love for sweets). What we know for sure until now about Big Mom is that she does loves sweets and that she ate someone (normal people? people turned into sweets? sweets made living?).
And we may already have our Gretel… In the story, Gretel was made a slave by the witch to help her cooking because she was already becoming blind. Our dear three-eyed girl does not seen really happy in being there. As a matter of fact, she looks ratter bored (or even nauseated); and notice how Bobbin does not greet or even looks at her. She might be there as a slave (or being threatened by LinLin) in order to protec her "Hansel".
Well, I'm not saying Big Mom is blind. But sure "Gretel" can see better than her... :ninja: (3 eyes? got it? got it?... ok, I'll stop).
The last thing is that the witch lived in a forest. That may seem a little off, but not if we look at BM's Jolly Roger. There's a tree there. Maybe that correspond to her powers; but it may be a reference to her oficial base/head quarters that may be in a forest-like location...It's all very far from any confirmation, but it's a start (and I got to keep myself busy these weeks without chapters in order to not go crazy).
Hoo hoo hee hee :silly:
