I am far from being a fan of Big Mom and Kaido, to say the very least. But there are good aspects to them. In my opinion, Big Mom has the most fascinating crew motif and character theme in the entire series. I love her backstory, her Devil Fruit powers, the variety of her crew's designs and Devil Fruits, the environment of Totto Land, her proactivity towards the Straw Hats, and the fact that her crew is the closest Emperor crew to a superpower's military might. She's my favorite Emperor
on paper. Kaido has been the most impressive character in combat yet, living up to his titles as the World's Strongest Creature and an Emperor of the Sea.
However, in my opinion their cons have vastly outweighed their pros for a long time. Big Mom has easily been the most disappointing Emperor in terms of demonstrating her prowess as a captain, Emperor of the Sea, and supposed top-tier character. She's likely the most disappointing One Piece character period, right ahead of Tsuru and Boa Hancock. Her character design, aspects of her personality, ability to hold her crew together, combat ability, and her level of gravitas have fallen flat compared to the other Emperors. I take Blackbeard more seriously yet he's the newest Emperor with less screentime than Linlin. In contrast, Kaido is a phenomenal fighter, has his own active goals, and the plot takes him very seriously. However, he has come across as a boring brute and the Beasts Pirates' animal motif is stale.
I've always wanted to rewrite Big Mom into a competent Emperor. Hope you enjoy this post. Let me know your Big Mom rewrite ideas in the comments below.
Character Design: I don't know what Oda was doing when designing Big Mom. I believe a character's design should either reflect their personality, or be memorable. IMO Big Mom's design doesn't reflect her personality besides her gluttony, an aspect that was abandoned during Wano anyway. It's not memorable either, at least compared to the other Emperors. Both of Blackbeard's character designs are reminiscent of a stereotypical pirate, which is everything you need to know about the man: he's gluttonous, greedy, rich, and desires everything the world has to offer. Whitebeard and Kaido's designs both tell the audience they are physically powerful, extremely intimidating, battle hardened warriors. Shanks' simple design tells us he's seemingly a calm pirate who just wants to enjoy the simple things in life, who has been through a share of battles judging from the scar. The male Emperors' designs are memorable, exude competence and experience, and tell something about their personalities or pirate career. While Linlin only wears a moo-moo dress.
I think Big Mom's character design should tell a similar story. She's a gluttonous schemer who loves sweets, but she's also supposed to know how to maneuver the pirate world. She's an Emperor in a literal sense: she's the queen of Totto Land and controls many other territories, her army has thousands of ships and soldiers, and her information network tracks people in the Four Blues and learned how to climb Wano's waterfall. She was also raised in Elbaf for awhile, and somehow knows Elbaf Giant sword techniques(i.e. Ikoku).
So I think her design, complemented with a certain timeline change, should be based on vikings. A design that reflects her familiarity with Elbaf and status as a Pirate Emperor and Queen. As a result of keeping up her vast experience and reputation, eternal youth, and changed goals, she rigorously trained her body to the point of being a buff, slim woman reminiscent of canon Linlin(in her 20s & 30s). Big Mom did not skip leg day, so her body has long, sturdy legs like Whitebeard. She has a scar or two.
Combat boots:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71DjzxvhbCL._AC_UX679_.jpg
Combat boots w/ this color & additional features:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1...ver-knee-boots_2_y_1800x1800.jpg?v=1587932588
Current outfit style #1:
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Current outfit style #2:
https://armstreet.com/catalogue/ful...wolves-embroidery-gudrun-the-wolfdottir-1.jpg
Pink captain's coat similar to these:
https://i.etsystatic.com/5533372/r/il/7aa86c/1172567159/il_1588xN.1172567159_aehs.jpg
Platinum rings on each finger w/ different colors
Goals & Hype: I think Big Mom's stagnation as a captain, and lack of buildup during pre-timeskip OP, is a very big problem with her. I could forgive her character design and personality, if Big Mom was consistently established as a legendary pirate with her own successful agenda. Roger, Whitebeard, Rayleigh, Garp and Sengoku are world-renowned even in the four Blues and mentioned in books. They have titles and unmatched infamy in their respective occupations. Kaido and Blackbeard take massive steps to advance schemes and reinforce armies. Meanwhile Linlin, the pirate with an empire and a potentially longer career than Roger, is treated as a stagnant hag with no title who sits on her throne all day. Oda certainly gave her goals, but Linlin took no steps to advance them. She wanted to become Pirate King but took no steps to get the other Road Poneglyphs or Robin. She's missing three races in Totto Land but doesn't try to occupy Elbaf, or search for Lunarians, or go to Sky Islands. And unrelated, but the lack of infamy applies to the supposed legend Tsuru too.
So instead, Rewrite Linlin's goal is to create an empire separate from the corrupt World Government, Totto Land. My version of Big Mom wants to prove that the World Government is not almighty. She would constantly annex islands in the New World, and even in the Four Blues on occasion. Compared to canon she has more manpower and territory, and a greater information network. Because of this empire and her long career, she constantly fought powerful and legendary figures while pregnant, from Roger/Whitebeard to the Admirals/Garp. She ascended to being The Strongest Woman in the World, one of only two people on par with Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard. Everyone in the world knows Big Mom. People fear, respect, or admire her. She is mentioned in books as a Conqueror. Whitebeard mentions her to Shanks when discussing "people who knew the seas." And in terms of intelligence her strategic mind is in the league of Whitebeard and Sengoku, and knows the truth behind Mother Carmel's death.
She would also gain control of Elbaf a few years before the timeskip. She needs it especially with Rewrite Kaido having Samurai in his personal forces.
Feats: Big Mom's arsenal has been a mixed bag in my opinion. Most fans agree that in terms of stats, she is equal to Kaido and in some cases slightly stronger. However, many fans also agree that Big Mom is an awful fighter who wasted her many skills. Imo her power of "soul manipulation" has been wasted potential. Canon Big Mom is a jack of all trades, master of none. Big Mom in my rewrite is someone who uses her arsenal to its full potential.
- She is a Haki master as expected, unlocking advanced applications of all three Haki types. Her future sight is superior to Katakuri's future sight, able to see minutes into the future. She is a master hand-to-hand fighter like Garp. She is a top-class swordsman in the realm of Mihawk and Vista
- Due to having more battle experience and broader soul manipulation than Brook, and "higher" drive than canon Linlin, rewrite Linlin's Soru Soru no Mi is on a completely different league than either of their fruits. It is also Awakened.
- Eternal youth via lifespan consumption and self-soul manipulation
- It possesses some of the Yomi Yomi's abilities: astral projection, sensing of others' souls, freezing aura
- Many more soul manipulation abilities than canon Soru Soru
- Special Homies that BM can mentally control like Logias. The thundercloud Thor, literal sun Surtur, blizzard Skadi, and the stone sphere Gaia. Each one can change form, create near-infinite amounts of a substance, influence the environment & create massive elemental storms, and are subject to Logia Awakening. Thor is water, lightning and wind. Surtur is fire, magma, and light. Skadi is water, ice and snow. Gaia is earth and mud. In addition to these, the bicorne Tyr can transform into any kind of sword. The elemental Homies are normally accessories on Big Mom's body.
- Emphasis on how adaptable and versatile Linlin is
- Stronger, human-shaped Incarnations
- Lifespan sacrifice is not required to increase body mass or self-heal
- Her non-Devil Fruit related weapon is the spear Gungnir. In Norse mythology, it is the spear of Odin.
Personality: Simply put, she will be a good parent and ruler. As
@uyuu put it, she dearly loves and nurtures her people. Has a sweet tooth but nothing overboard, as Hunger Pangs only occurred during the rookie years. The Charlotte Family was raised hearing her stories of piracy and war, seeing her inspire people, and occasionally witnessing Linlin on the battlefield.
Linlin forbids child abuse in her territory. She keeps her husbands that are good parents and banishes the abusive ones. Canon Linlin's attitude created a far less capable crew; fear=incompetence while admiration=passion. As a result, the rewrite Big Mom Pirates are exponentially stronger than the canon crew.
