Episode 836

"Mom's Secret - The Giant's Island Elbaf and a Little Monster" is the 836th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
A flashback begins, showing 63 years ago when Linlin was five years old. Her parents left her at Elbaf and she met Carmel, a woman who saved some Giant Warrior Pirates from execution after Dorry and Brogy began their duel on Little Garden. Carmel ran an orphanage called the Sheep's House and she took Linlin in.

The Elbaf village prepares for the Winter Solstice Festival. The villagers and the Sheep's House children feast on semla prior to the twelve-day fast. On the seventh day of the fast, Linlin lost control and goes on a rampage for semla.

Long Summary
As Big Mom screams, she calls out to Mother Carmel and asks where she went to. A flashback starts, showing Big Mom’s past 63 years ago when she was five years old. Linlin and her parents arrived at Elbaf's shore on a ship. Linlin’s parents tell her to stay on the island and promise Linlin that they will return and reward her with sweets if she waits for them. Linlin replies that she will stay and wait for them and tells them goodbye as they leave Linlin alone on the island. Linlin’s mother cries and her father says that it is best for them to leave Linlin on the island after all the damage she has caused around them and hopes that Mother Carmel will save her since he knows she lives on Elbaf. At the shore, Linlin sits down and waits for her parents to return but the day goes by and her parents do not come, causing Linlin to ask why they are not coming like they promised.

A century ago, there was a pirate crew of giants called the Giant Warrior Pirates who caused a lot of havoc around the seas and burnt countless cities. One day, the Giant Warrior Pirates lost their two captains when they began their duel on Little Garden. Not long after, several members of the giant crew were caught by the Marines and were about to be executed. However, a young Carmel, known as “Sister Carmel” at the time, steps in and tells the Marines to stop the execution. Carmel explains that if they were executed, the warriors of Elbaf will form an army to seek revenge against humans and tells the Marines to forgive them. A beam of light flashes on Carmel and she says that she will lead the giants into forming a world where all races coexist in great harmony. Eventually, Carmel receives the name “Mother” and she opens an orphanage called the Sheep's House, where she accepts children of all races who did not have a place to go while settling on Elbaf, hoping to build a bridge of friendship between humans and giants.

37 years later, Mother Carmel meets the five-year old Linlin for the first time, promising that she will be in good hands until her parents return and tells Linlin that she will make good friends while in the orphanage. Because Linlin was always big, Elbaf was the first place she has been where people, houses, and other things fit her size, which made Linlin comfortable staying while in Elbaf. One day, Linlin spots a bear and a wolf fighting, knocking them both out and tells them that fighting is not good. Linlin is later spotted crying by Carmel and Linlin explains that she wanted a wolf and a bear to stop fighting and become friends so she decides to put them in the same cage in hopes that the bear and wolf would get along, but the bear ended up eating the wolf causing Linlin to hit it. Carmel asks how many times she hit the bear and Linlin replies that she hit the bear only once, causing Carmel to be shocked that Linlin was even able to kill the bear with one blow. Carmel tells Linlin that it is okay because she only wanted them to be friends to which Linlin finally formed a bond with Mother Carmel. To Linlin, Carmel was the first person who truly understood her. At this moment, the orphans started to talk about how Linlin was a dangerous person, able to kill a bear with one blow and even caused a giant an injury after she tried to hit a mosquito on him, breaking several of his bones. Linlin is spotted by Carmel twice, once trying to get rid of a longarm orphan’s extra elbow joints and a fish-man orphan’s fins. Carmel informs her that it was normal for them to look like that because of each of them belonging to a specific race that makes them carry those traits. Carmel pardoned her actions and told all the orphans to forgive her and that she is a nice child.

Ten months later, Oimo and Kashii discussed about the ongoing duel between their former captains, Dorry and Brogy, and decided to go check on them in ten years. Linlin chases after a giant girl named Gerd and is asked by Kashii if they finished with the preparations. Linlin asks what the preparations were for and Gerd tells her that in Elbaf, they go fasting for 12 days before the Winter Solstice Festival. Linlin was surprised on the thought of not eating for 12 days and says that she will be hungry. Gerd replies that if she fast, the festival will be enjoyable. Meanwhile, a young Hajrudin is seen training with an Elbaf warrior named Raideen. There, the two former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, Jarul and Jorul commends Raideen for his warrior spirit, causing Hajrudin to be grateful for their coming. Kashii asks why they came and Jorul replies that they will gather all the orphans together so everybody can eat semla. Linlin asks what semla is and Gerd replies that it is a very delicious sweet, much to Linlin’s excitement, and explains that before they fast, they would get enough nutrition by eating semla. Gerd gives a description of semla to Linlin while both eventually drool over the thought of eating semla. Eventually, everyone gathers together in a banquet, ready to eat the semla with Jorul and Jarul thanking the sun for the birth of Loki, Goldberg, and Road as well as the growth of the children. As there were already a large quantity of semla made, everyone began to make their thanks and eat. Linlin eats semla and instantly fell in love with it, eating a huge quantity of semla very fast until she was stopped by two giants forcing her not to eat too fast as there would not be enough semla for other people to eat and told her not to forget to thank the sun. Linlin insist that she must eat semla and pushes the two giants away to eat the remaining semla on the plate and says that they were delicious. Three days have passed since the fasting started, and Linlin tells Carmel she is starved to which Carmel replies that fighting through the severe winter will lead the sun to shine down and it should be better for them to wait until the festival approaches. Days 4 and 5 passes and Linlin still feels very hungry but listens to Carmel to wait for the festival to begin. Day 6, Linlin thinks about semla and says she wants to eat it. On Day 7, Gerd rushes to Mother Carmel in a panic and reveals that Linlin was rampaging in the village. There, Linlin is wreaking havoc screaming for semla. As everyone is in shock of what Linlin did, Jorul walks in and says she has no right to thank the sun and her actions are unforgivable, stating that she is a god of disaster within a child’s body. He draws his sword out to strike her down with Carmel telling him to stop as Linlin calls out for semla.

Anime Notes

 * The following are extended:
 * Linlin's parents leaving her at Elbaf.
 * Linlin trying to stop the fight between a wolf and a bear.
 * The anime adds the following:
 * After Linlin attempted to tear off a fish-man child's fins, the children from the Sheep's House and the giant village are shown to be disturbed by Linlin's behavior before Carmel asks them to forgive her.
 * Road and Goldberg are shown as newborns.
 * The moment Linlin gives in to her craving for semla.
 * The narrator recaps the history Dorry, Broggy, Oimo, Kashii, and Hajrudin have with the Straw Hats, as seen in previous episodes.
 * A young Stansen does not seem to appear in this episode like in the manga.