'One Piece' Reveals Why Mother Carmel Is So Important

One of the major weaknesses of the One Piece Emperor, Big Mom, is she always needs to have a tea party while looking at a portrait of her Mother. Fans had been wondering why breaking the photo would have such a big effect on Big Mom.

But the latest episode of the series ventured into Big Mom's tragic past, and revealed just why Mother Carmel is so important to her as fans learn more about this mysterious "mother."

Sister Carmel makes her debut in the series in a flashback as she keeps humans from executing a few Giant Pirates who have lost their way after their captains had disappeared. Vowing to save them in order to bring peace to the world, and a world where every race can live in harmony, she is able to argue for their freedom.

Carmel gains the moniker of "Mother" when the mysterious nun begins creating a home for lost children as well, and eventually takes in a young Linlin. Raising Big Mom after her parents abandoned her, fans see as a young Linlin gives Carmel trouble as she begins having a negative effect on the other kids.

Linlin is unknowingly violent and destructive, and although Mother Carmel pardoned her actions she is unable to completely tone down Linlin's destructive nature as it comes to a head at the end of the episode.

As Mother Carmel essentially became a substitute mother for a young Big Mom, it's no wonder why the character holds so much important in the present as she helped fulfill a need Big Mom had as a child. But knowing Linlin, even as a child, things most likely aren't what they seem.

Eiichiro Oda's One Piece first began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump in 1997. It has been collected into 87 volumes, with a few chapters yet to be included. It has been a critical and commercial success worldwide with many of the volumes breaking printing records in Japan. The manga has even set a Guinness World Record for the most copies published for the same comic book by a single author, and is the best selling manga series worldwide with 430 million copies sold worldwide.

Eiichiro Oda also revealed some upcoming news for One Piece's future at Jump Festa 2018. Not only will the manga see Wano sooner rather than later, the next villain of the series is "one of the legends which lurks in the One Pieceworld. The greatest enemy ever for Straw Hats will hinder their way...Can you believe Marineford Summit War will look 'cute' compared to that?

The new live-action One Piece series also got some new information as it was revealed that the series will portray the Straw Hats' adventures from the very beginning, and will take place in the East Blue. One Piece's anime series is currently in the middle of the "Whole Cake Island" arc and is now streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.