Some One Piece fans are disappointed because Luffy didn’t get to fight Big Mom but Eiichiro Oda had a reason to pit her against Trafalgar Law.

SUMMARY

Wano arc witnessed the defeat of two former Emperors of the Sea.
While Luffy defeated Kaido, Big Mom was defeated by Trafalgar Law and Eustass Kid.
Eiichiro Oda had a valid reason for putting Law against Big Mom.

The end of the Wano arc in One Piece finally concluded the old pirate era, with the defeat of the two Emperors of the Sea, who had held their title for the longest time. Their failure against the Worst Generation meant that the new age of pirates had taken over the One Piece universe, and one of them would be the next Pirate King.

The New Pirate Era | Credit: Toei Animation

While Luffy solely took down Kaido, Big Mom was defeated by the combined effort of Trafalgar D. Water Law and Eustass Kid. Their battles were extraordinary, but some fans were still not satisfied by it, as they believed Luffy should have been the one to take down Big Mom, considering their altercation in the past. However, there is a reason why Eiichiro Oda pitted Law against Big Mom.

As fans know, Oda has a habit of using real-world references in One Piece to make the story more dramatic and intriguing. He did the same thing with Big Mom’s battle against Law and chose a reference from the world’s history. This reference was the former Emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Trafalgar D. Water Law’s enticing battle against Big Mom

In the list of One Piece villains, Big Mom ranks quite high, as she was one of the Emperors of the Sea with unprecedented power and a dangerous personality. She was incredibly significant to the One Piece narrative as she had one of the Road Poneglyphs, and her connection to Elbpah helped in the introduction of Loki. Plus, during the Whole Cake Island arc, it was hinted that Luffy would battle her in the future.

However, when she came to Wano and decided to form an alliance with Kaido, the One Piece narrative changed completely as Luffy was now pitted against Kaido, and Big Mom had to deal with the other two strongest members of the Worst Generation, Law, and Kid. Their battle shook the entire Onigashima island, and it also helped Law and Kid awaken their Devil Fruit powers.

Law and Kid vs. Big Mom | Credit: Toei Animation

For the majority of the battle, it looked like Big Mom was winning against Law and Kid, but ultimately the two pirates proved their worth. They unleashed their final blow on her, pushing her through Onigashima into a magma chamber in Wano, which ultimately ended Big Mom’s legacy.

Law’s battle against Big Mom has a mystery

Law fighting against Big Mom is one of the greatest battles in the history of One Piece. However, there were some One Piece fans who wanted Luffy to fight against Big Mom and take her down, which would help him take revenge for the Whole Cake Island arc. But this couldn’t have been possible as Law and Big Mom’s battle was a nod to the Battle of Waterloo and the Battle of Trafalgar.

Trafalgar D. Water Law | Credit: Toei Animation

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fought these battles against the British Royal Navy and the Duke of Wellington’s coalition army.

As Big Mom’s sword is called Napoleon, her battle against Law was Eiichiro Oda’s way of referencing these real-world battles to make the story a little more symbolic and dramatic.

While this has not been officially confirmed, if these speculations turn out to be true, there is a chance that Oda might elaborate on this reference and use it further in One Piece. He can make the World Government imprison Law, just like Napoleon was exiled after his final defeat. This way they could use the ability of his Devil Fruit, which is the biggest mystery in One Piece.

One Piece is available to watch on Crunchyroll.