Episode 837

"The Birth of Mom - The Day That Carmel Vanished" is the 837th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
Furious at Linlin's actions, Jorl tried to strike down Linlin, only to be mortally wounded by the rampaging child. Linlin's rampage finally stopped when the giants gave her the semla. Jarl prepared to avenge Jorl, but Carmel begged him to spare Linlin, saying that she would leave Elbaf with her.

Jorl died and this incident earned Linlin the hatred of the giants. Carmel and the children of the Sheep's House moved to a different island. Carmel had a secret meeting with Cipher Pol, negotiating on selling Linlin to the World Government. The Sheep's House children later celebrated Linlin's sixth birthday. After feasting on some sweets, Linlin discovered that Carmel and the other orphans disappeared.

Long Summary
63 years ago on Elbaf, Jorl brought his sword down on Linlin, only for her to break it with her arm and flip the giant over, greatly injuring him. As other giants went to try subduing Linlin, Carmel told them to get the semla they had stored, and she went up to the flames engulfing Elbaf Village. Using her Devil Fruit powers, Carmel gave life to the flames and condensed them into a small sun, which she named Pandora. The giants stared in awe at Carmel's seeming miracle, and Linlin went to sleep after fulfilling her semla craving. Jorl urged the giants to retaliate against Linlin, saying to not think of her as a child, and Jarl prepared to plunge his sword Linlin. Carmel stood in his way and pleaded for forgiveness, and Jarl refused, saying Jorl would die from his injuries due to his advanced age. Carmel offered to leave Elbaf with Linlin, and Jarl reluctantly accepted her offer despite Hajrudin wanting Linlin dead. The next morning, Linlin went to Jorl's grave with the rest of the Sheep's House children, and to the giants' surprise, she had no memory of how he died.

Carmel took her wards to another island, where the giants built a new Sheep's House for them. Life resumed as normal for Linlin and the other kids, and one day, Carmel said she would be away for a bit to buy groceries. However, she instead went to a government ship to converse with Cipher Pol agents. It had been believed that Carmel had put the children of the Sheep's House into foster homes, but in reality, she was an Underworld child trafficker who sold children to become soldiers in the Marines or Cipher Pol. Her salvation of the Giant Warrior Pirates had been an act as well that resulted in giants like John Giant joining the Marines. Carmel put Linlin up for sale at a high price, promising that she would be a powerful tool for the Marines or Cipher Pol. She decided to retire after this transaction was completed, and returned to the Sheep's House, planning to celebrate Linlin's birthday the next day before handing over the children to Cipher Pol.

The next day, Carmel and the Sheep's House children presented Linlin with a croquembouche made of semla for her sixth birthday. Linlin became overjoyed as she gorged on the semla, and the friends she had made cheered her on. She became so happy that tears clouded her eyes, and noted that she took a few bites out of the table in the process, but when she finished eating, she opened her eyes to see Carmel, the other children, and the table no longer there, with only various scraps and parts of Carmel's clothing remaining. She looked around for them, but could not find them, and cried in despair as night fell. In the present, Big Mom screams over the despair of Carmel's disappearance, wanting desperately to know where she went all those years ago.

Anime Notes

 * The anime adds the following:
 * After Linlin takes down Jorl, Hajrudin is shown running to him.
 * When Carmel is begging Jarl to spare Linlin, Jarl thrusts his sword into the ground before telling Carmel to leave.
 * Before leaving Elbaf, Carmel and the Sheep's House children including Linlin were at Jorl's grave.
 * Before meeting with Cipher Pol, Carmel tells the children that she was going shopping prior to leaving them.
 * Before Linlin's birthday party, Carmel is shown putting money in a bag while saying that she will sell all the orphans together with Linlin.
 * While searching for Carmel and the other orphans, Linlin briefly hallucinated seeing the other children.
 * The following are extended:
 * The creation of Pandora.
 * Linlin's birthday party.