I can't help it. Whenever I look at Nerona Imu, or Stupid Sexy Scopper Gyaban, or Super Sommers, or Ragnir, the best character we've gotten in years...
I see her face.
So, I have decided to chase this feeling.
These are my arguments for why Charlotte Linlin will help save Elbaph from Nerona Imu
1. Joy Boy/Imu's Haki/Big Mom Screaming Cause Fuji to Erupt
This is the core focus of this theory: for years, I've been trying to slot Big Mom and Kaido's return in Wano Act 4. Then, I realized something: that was just my own agenda. It's entirely possible Kaido and Linlin escaped offscreen, and, I think the answer is very simple: between Imu's earthquakes from the Lulusia Incident, and the earthquakes and eruption caused by Luffy and Law fighting Kaido and Big Mom, Wano's Mt. Fuji is very unstable. A small push in the right place can probably trigger a big eruption at this point.
For a long time, I've assumed Kaido and Linlin would need to be fully launched out of Mt. Fuji, but, a smaller, underwater eruption could easily knock them into another, dried out magma chamber, or, into the sea itself. We know Seastone can float since Vegapunk coated the Marine Battleships in the stuff so they could sail the Calm Belt. It's entirely possibly they popped out of an underwater magma vent, then drifted around in the sea trapped in Seastone until their crews found them via Vivre Card (provided the Vivre Cards didn't burn up). It should also be pretty easy to tell where Linlin is, due to her screaming for food at this point. Since the Beast Pirates were trading Sea Stone to the WG, they should be able to get them out of it.
What caused this eruption? I think either Joy Boy or Imu's Haki, possibly both, triggered Pluton into partially activating and causing an eruption. The other option is legit Big Mom screaming. I'm not joking. We've seen what Haki Roars can do in this series, if she gets hungry enough, I think her screaming might set off the volcano. Linlin trapped in a confined space with no food is like sticking a mentos in a plastic wrapper in a bottle of coke. You are waiting for the explosion.
Joy Boy's Haki blast was WILD, and we know clearly superior to the Haki that activated Emeth. If Pluton, like Emeth, is a living machine (I believe a Dragon Turtle Submarine), Joy Boy and Imu's Haki blasts should be more than enough for it to sense, considering Egghead and Elbaph's proximity to Wano.
There's also a chance the Big Mom and Beast Pirates simply ally together and somehow excavate them. Either way, the core of this theory rests upon this assumption: Big Mom has been freed from the volcano. I also believe Kaido will arrive here, but that's less of a focus.
The reason why is simple: we have yet to see Kaido's Flagship, and, considering his Flame Clouds, I assume he makes it fly. Egghead's Sun Realm is high up, and I think this would be the perfect introduction for Kaido's Flagship: riding a Rainbow up to Elbaph (I assume the Big Mom Pirates are aware of the tech due to their spying). Fuck your waterfalls, we're riding Rainbows into arcs, now. King, Marco, back off. Oi.
2. Family Focus
Linlin is the most family friendly character in One Piece after St. Sommers (may he be suplexed into hell itself). Elbaph, so far, is a very family focused arc. Shuri/Brook, Rocks/Teach, Garling/Shanks/Shamrock, Gyaban/Ripley/Colon, the list goes on. We even see Goldberg's Shield, Nash, a Homie made of his father's Soul. The clear focus on family in this arc makes me think Linlin will return here.
3. Oda teasing Linlin and Kaido in Elbaph. Kaido is Harald's son?
We have Gyaban mention how he wants to explore Wano again, and multiple references to Linlin, from Gerd, Goldberg, and others. Kaido's resemblance to Harald is also uncanny, and we know from Ida that Harald had no problem betraying Elbaph's traditions and marrying/making love with a being who wasn't a Giant from Elbaph. If Harald IS Kaido's father, he would have had to hide the child, to keep them safe from both the WG and racists in Elbaph. I still believe Kaido is Harald's Son with the Queen of Oni, and Yamato's epithet is "Oni-hime", or Oni Princess, and, I believe this is a name Kaido gave her personally, to honor his mother, the Queen of Oni. The Oni have yet to be explored as a race, despite their clear connections to the Giants.
4. Elbaph is where Luffy and Kidd Went. BIG MOM'S REVENGE
Linlin immediately left her territory to chase Luffy to Wano once things were in order. Once she's back up, she's GOING to Elbaph, since it's where Kidd went, and then Luffy. It's entirely possible Linlin has no idea Kidd went to Elbaph, but, if she is active, now, she should KNOW Luffy is in Elbaph, due to Morgan's reporting on the Egghead incident. It doesn't take a genius to guess where Luffy was going next when the Giant Warriors LITERALLY CAME TO PICK HIM UP. Anywho.
This should also INFURIATE Linlin, because she has spent her entire life craving the love of the Giants and being rejected by them. To know Luffy, this tiny thorn in her side, got A PERSONAL ESCORT to the Island she loves that hates her, will DISGUST Big Mom to her core. The moment she knows he's there, she's zoomin'.
5. Kid's in Danger = It's Mama Mode Time.
Anyone remember this really out of place moment in Wano?
And now, the Celestial Dragons are... kidnapping a bunch of kids in Elbaph while torturing their parents to do it.
The Tama "Mama-Mode" scene was Oda foreshadowing Linlin popping off over Imu and the WG kidnapping Elbaph's children. Keep this in mind: Big Mom does not hate Elbaph. BIG MOM LOVES ELBAPH. She LOVES the Giants. They were her friends, her family, and she DOES NOT understand their hatred for her.
Big Mom is coming to Elbaph to beat up Straw Hat Luffy, and maybe Kidd if she's knows he's here. When Imu finds the WG kidnapping kids? And killing their parents to do it? OH LAWD, SHE'S COMING, CHARLOTTE WINWIN IS COMING, BABY, YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
She hates the Kidd, but loves the children.
Whole Cake Island doesn't tolerate the Epstein-ass shit the Celestial Dragons do
Get em, Winwin, WRECK THEIR SHIT
6. The Hero's Journey: a Kind Soul, Trapped in a Life of Lies
Charlotte Linlin was never evil. She's always been a good-hearted girl, who is very sick, and, due to a lack of science, no one could help her. Things are different now. Sanji can bake FOOD OF LOVE. Chopper can help her mental health issues, and Lilith can figure out... just what the actual fuck is going on in there.
I believe this IS where Linlin will realize the truth about Mother Carmel... and I believe this revelation will come from St. Shepherd Sommers.
There are multiple characters from Linlin's past theorized to have become God's Knight and Cipher Pol Agents. I believe the Shepherd family is in charge of "herding the sheep", and finding new talent to join the God's Knights and Cipher Pol Aegis 0. Big Mom was raised in the...
Sheep's House. By a WG Agent, who wanted to kidnap the children and sell them to the WG.
Shepherd. Sheep's House.
I believe Linlin's suffering is a direct result of the Shepherd Family, and some of her friends that survived her cannibalism were then found by the Shepherd Family when they arrive to pick up the kids from Carmel.
And we all know Sommers is a serial yapper. It's possible Imu says it, but, if Linlin shows up in front of Sommers, and speaks about Mother Carmel... I think he'd just laugh, and tell her the truth. That Mother Carmel was a child trafficker. This can lead to one of two outcomes:
A. Linlin believes Sommers, and goes nuts.
B. Linlin doesn't believe Sommers, calls him a giant liar, and goes nuts.
B is much more likely, I think it will take Pudding's Memory Fruit to fix Linlin's issues with Carmel.
For years, Linlin was blamed for the WG's evil. Now, she will help save the children of Elbaph, and the people of Elbaph will realize the truth: Mother Carmel was a precursor to this invasion. The WG had targeted the children of Elbaph, a long, long time ago.
This will lead to Linlin redeeming herself, and becoming a true hero of Elbaph.
We know Hajrudin and Gerd are going to help fight Imu. Let's be honest: Harjudin will get wrecked.
And I believe this is when Linlin will arrive.
Linlin will see the home she's missed for so long... the friends, who rejected her, without her able to understand why... being attacked by the people she hates most. The WG, those who worship racism and slavery, whereas Charlotte Linlin has always been a kind child, who sought for people to live in peace.
Imu's powers are clearly Soul based... and while we all know who the Soul King is... there's no question who the Soul Queen is, either.
The World Government made a big mistake, attacking Elbaph... and now they get to deal with a VERY BIG MOM
I see her face.
So, I have decided to chase this feeling.
These are my arguments for why Charlotte Linlin will help save Elbaph from Nerona Imu
1. Joy Boy/Imu's Haki/Big Mom Screaming Cause Fuji to Erupt
This is the core focus of this theory: for years, I've been trying to slot Big Mom and Kaido's return in Wano Act 4. Then, I realized something: that was just my own agenda. It's entirely possible Kaido and Linlin escaped offscreen, and, I think the answer is very simple: between Imu's earthquakes from the Lulusia Incident, and the earthquakes and eruption caused by Luffy and Law fighting Kaido and Big Mom, Wano's Mt. Fuji is very unstable. A small push in the right place can probably trigger a big eruption at this point.
For a long time, I've assumed Kaido and Linlin would need to be fully launched out of Mt. Fuji, but, a smaller, underwater eruption could easily knock them into another, dried out magma chamber, or, into the sea itself. We know Seastone can float since Vegapunk coated the Marine Battleships in the stuff so they could sail the Calm Belt. It's entirely possibly they popped out of an underwater magma vent, then drifted around in the sea trapped in Seastone until their crews found them via Vivre Card (provided the Vivre Cards didn't burn up). It should also be pretty easy to tell where Linlin is, due to her screaming for food at this point. Since the Beast Pirates were trading Sea Stone to the WG, they should be able to get them out of it.
What caused this eruption? I think either Joy Boy or Imu's Haki, possibly both, triggered Pluton into partially activating and causing an eruption. The other option is legit Big Mom screaming. I'm not joking. We've seen what Haki Roars can do in this series, if she gets hungry enough, I think her screaming might set off the volcano. Linlin trapped in a confined space with no food is like sticking a mentos in a plastic wrapper in a bottle of coke. You are waiting for the explosion.
Joy Boy's Haki blast was WILD, and we know clearly superior to the Haki that activated Emeth. If Pluton, like Emeth, is a living machine (I believe a Dragon Turtle Submarine), Joy Boy and Imu's Haki blasts should be more than enough for it to sense, considering Egghead and Elbaph's proximity to Wano.
There's also a chance the Big Mom and Beast Pirates simply ally together and somehow excavate them. Either way, the core of this theory rests upon this assumption: Big Mom has been freed from the volcano. I also believe Kaido will arrive here, but that's less of a focus.
The reason why is simple: we have yet to see Kaido's Flagship, and, considering his Flame Clouds, I assume he makes it fly. Egghead's Sun Realm is high up, and I think this would be the perfect introduction for Kaido's Flagship: riding a Rainbow up to Elbaph (I assume the Big Mom Pirates are aware of the tech due to their spying). Fuck your waterfalls, we're riding Rainbows into arcs, now. King, Marco, back off. Oi.
2. Family Focus
Linlin is the most family friendly character in One Piece after St. Sommers (may he be suplexed into hell itself). Elbaph, so far, is a very family focused arc. Shuri/Brook, Rocks/Teach, Garling/Shanks/Shamrock, Gyaban/Ripley/Colon, the list goes on. We even see Goldberg's Shield, Nash, a Homie made of his father's Soul. The clear focus on family in this arc makes me think Linlin will return here.
3. Oda teasing Linlin and Kaido in Elbaph. Kaido is Harald's son?
We have Gyaban mention how he wants to explore Wano again, and multiple references to Linlin, from Gerd, Goldberg, and others. Kaido's resemblance to Harald is also uncanny, and we know from Ida that Harald had no problem betraying Elbaph's traditions and marrying/making love with a being who wasn't a Giant from Elbaph. If Harald IS Kaido's father, he would have had to hide the child, to keep them safe from both the WG and racists in Elbaph. I still believe Kaido is Harald's Son with the Queen of Oni, and Yamato's epithet is "Oni-hime", or Oni Princess, and, I believe this is a name Kaido gave her personally, to honor his mother, the Queen of Oni. The Oni have yet to be explored as a race, despite their clear connections to the Giants.
4. Elbaph is where Luffy and Kidd Went. BIG MOM'S REVENGE
Linlin immediately left her territory to chase Luffy to Wano once things were in order. Once she's back up, she's GOING to Elbaph, since it's where Kidd went, and then Luffy. It's entirely possible Linlin has no idea Kidd went to Elbaph, but, if she is active, now, she should KNOW Luffy is in Elbaph, due to Morgan's reporting on the Egghead incident. It doesn't take a genius to guess where Luffy was going next when the Giant Warriors LITERALLY CAME TO PICK HIM UP. Anywho.
This should also INFURIATE Linlin, because she has spent her entire life craving the love of the Giants and being rejected by them. To know Luffy, this tiny thorn in her side, got A PERSONAL ESCORT to the Island she loves that hates her, will DISGUST Big Mom to her core. The moment she knows he's there, she's zoomin'.
5. Kid's in Danger = It's Mama Mode Time.
Anyone remember this really out of place moment in Wano?
And now, the Celestial Dragons are... kidnapping a bunch of kids in Elbaph while torturing their parents to do it.
The Tama "Mama-Mode" scene was Oda foreshadowing Linlin popping off over Imu and the WG kidnapping Elbaph's children. Keep this in mind: Big Mom does not hate Elbaph. BIG MOM LOVES ELBAPH. She LOVES the Giants. They were her friends, her family, and she DOES NOT understand their hatred for her.
Big Mom is coming to Elbaph to beat up Straw Hat Luffy, and maybe Kidd if she's knows he's here. When Imu finds the WG kidnapping kids? And killing their parents to do it? OH LAWD, SHE'S COMING, CHARLOTTE WINWIN IS COMING, BABY, YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
She hates the Kidd, but loves the children.
Whole Cake Island doesn't tolerate the Epstein-ass shit the Celestial Dragons do
Get em, Winwin, WRECK THEIR SHIT
6. The Hero's Journey: a Kind Soul, Trapped in a Life of Lies
Charlotte Linlin was never evil. She's always been a good-hearted girl, who is very sick, and, due to a lack of science, no one could help her. Things are different now. Sanji can bake FOOD OF LOVE. Chopper can help her mental health issues, and Lilith can figure out... just what the actual fuck is going on in there.
I believe this IS where Linlin will realize the truth about Mother Carmel... and I believe this revelation will come from St. Shepherd Sommers.
There are multiple characters from Linlin's past theorized to have become God's Knight and Cipher Pol Agents. I believe the Shepherd family is in charge of "herding the sheep", and finding new talent to join the God's Knights and Cipher Pol Aegis 0. Big Mom was raised in the...
Sheep's House. By a WG Agent, who wanted to kidnap the children and sell them to the WG.
Shepherd. Sheep's House.
I believe Linlin's suffering is a direct result of the Shepherd Family, and some of her friends that survived her cannibalism were then found by the Shepherd Family when they arrive to pick up the kids from Carmel.
And we all know Sommers is a serial yapper. It's possible Imu says it, but, if Linlin shows up in front of Sommers, and speaks about Mother Carmel... I think he'd just laugh, and tell her the truth. That Mother Carmel was a child trafficker. This can lead to one of two outcomes:
A. Linlin believes Sommers, and goes nuts.
B. Linlin doesn't believe Sommers, calls him a giant liar, and goes nuts.
B is much more likely, I think it will take Pudding's Memory Fruit to fix Linlin's issues with Carmel.
For years, Linlin was blamed for the WG's evil. Now, she will help save the children of Elbaph, and the people of Elbaph will realize the truth: Mother Carmel was a precursor to this invasion. The WG had targeted the children of Elbaph, a long, long time ago.
This will lead to Linlin redeeming herself, and becoming a true hero of Elbaph.
We know Hajrudin and Gerd are going to help fight Imu. Let's be honest: Harjudin will get wrecked.
And I believe this is when Linlin will arrive.
Linlin will see the home she's missed for so long... the friends, who rejected her, without her able to understand why... being attacked by the people she hates most. The WG, those who worship racism and slavery, whereas Charlotte Linlin has always been a kind child, who sought for people to live in peace.
Imu's powers are clearly Soul based... and while we all know who the Soul King is... there's no question who the Soul Queen is, either.
The World Government made a big mistake, attacking Elbaph... and now they get to deal with a VERY BIG MOM