‘One Piece’ Chapter 868 Spoilers, 867 Recap: Did Big Mom Eat Mother Caramel And Absorb Her Powers?

After a couple of flashback installments, the upcoming One Piece Chapter 868 is expected to revert back to the current timeline of the manga series and continue with the Big Mom assassination plot. However, the recent chapter ended in a bit of a cliffhanger, leaving a few questions that are just too enticing not to speculate on.

Elbaf Elders Wants Linlin Dead, Mother Caramel Intervenes

One Piece Chapter 867 of the manga series, which is already available on Manga Stream, revealed how devastating Linlin Charlotte was even before she became the Yonko, Big Mom. As a young but unusually big child, her parents were forced to abandon her in the land of Elbaf, apparently out of fear that they may no longer be able to control the unusual power that the child possessed. And it was there that Linlin met a gentle nun who took her under her care, the woman known as Mother Caramel.

Mother Caramel runs some sort of orphanage called The Lamb’s House, where every child who has nowhere else to go is welcome, no matter their race or class. Everything seemed to be running smoothly until Linlin’s first Winter Solstice festival, where everyone in Elbaf goes on fast for 12 days as tradition. However, it was too much for the young girl and on the seventh day, she ran amok destroying the entire village while mindlessly searching for that delicious dessert known as semla.

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Even Lord Yorle Fallbeard, the former captain of the Giant Warrior Pirates, proved to be no much for the seemingly possessed child. Yorle tried to kill Linlin but the child’s arm is tougher than the warrior’s sword that the weapon broke upon contact. The entire village was chaotic with the raging fire started by Linlin.

Fortunately, Mother Caramel possessed some secret technique that enabled her to tame the fire. After creating a face in the flame, the kind nun ordered the raging inferno to be still and transformed it into a playful but obedient little ball of fire that looked like the sun.

Mother Caramel Reveals Her True Colors

At the same time, somebody finally gave Linlin some semla which immediately appeased her. But an irreparable damage had been done, Lord Yorle’s injuries proved to be fatal and the old warrior eventually died.

His friend and comrade, Lord Yarle Mountbeard, demanded that his death must be paid with Linlin’s life. Fortunately, he listened to Mother Caramel’s pleas when she promised to take the unusual child out of the Elbaf with her. But it was revealed later on that it was no simple act of kindness on her part but a business decision.

Mother Caramel’s The Lamb House is actually just a front for her real profession as a child slaver. Known in the underworld as the Mountain Witch, Caramel was able to secure a buyer willing to pay a high price for Linlin for her unusual talents. In fact, she revealed she was a bit tired playing as a kind mother for fifty years and is now contemplating retirement after the deal is done.

But she was not totally heartless as she arranged for a farewell party for Linlin on her birthday, before turning her over to her new owners. Feeling generous for the profit she made from the child, she prepared her favorite, a croquembouche made out of semla. Overcame with happiness for the company of her friends and the delicious dessert, Linlin began to lose it again. When she came to, everyone, including Mother Caramel, was gone.

Assassination Plot Continues

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the flashback on Big Mom’s past could run for a couple of chapters which was probably concluded in the recently released installment. This means that in the coming One Piece Chapter 868, the plot returns to the current timeline where Luffy and Capone Bege is about to put the finishing move to complete their Big Mom assassination plot.

But will the Yonko really die? Of course, everything depends on how Eiichiro Oda wants the story to unravel. While killing Big Mom is a possibility, it is also equally possible for Oda to have some plan to retain the colorful character in the series. If he decides to choose the latter path, some sort of truce among the warring parties needs to be worked out, which include the Vinsmokes, Jinbe, the Straw Hats, and Capone Bege’s Fire Tank Pirates.

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What Happened To Mother Caramel?

But the ending last chapter seemed to introduce another puzzle for readers of the manga series to work out. When the young Linlin came to her senses, everyone just disappeared. Did they run in terror and leave her alone? And more importantly, what happened to Mother Caramel?

As crazy as it may sound but it is highly likely that the young Linlin might have unknowingly devoured her beloved Mother Caramel, along with everyone else. As a result of eating the child slaver, Linlin might have absorbed some of the Mountain Witch’s power.

When Mother Caramel tamed the raging fire back in the Elbaf village, she created a ball-like creature that looked suspiciously like Big Mom’s Prometheus. In addition, the younger Caramel was able to summon dark clouds causing them to rain when she rescued some Elbaf warriors about to be executed. Big Mom has the same kind of weather manipulation by using Zeus, Prometheus’ cloudy counterpart.

As for those who are yet unconvinced that the Yonko threw a tantrum during that birthday party, she even later revealed that she might have been a bit carried away while eating the semla croquembouche that she managed to chomp down on the table a couple of times. Hopefully, more details on that birthday party will be revealed in the coming One Piece Chapter 868. Stay tuned.

[Featured Image by Viz Media]