Charlotte Pudding is a member of the notorious Charlotte Family, which is led by Big Mom, one of the Four Emperors. Pudding is the 35th daughter in the massive family, which is known for its wide variety of siblings. Despite being part of a villainous family, she has layers to her personality that make her far more than just another bad guy.
Pudding’s Backstory
Pudding’s Childhood and Family
Pudding is part of the Charlotte Family, one of the most powerful and feared families in the world of One Piece. Her mother, Big Mom (Charlotte Linlin), is one of the Four Emperors, ruling the Whole Cake Island with iron fists. As the 35th daughter, Pudding grew up in a huge family with many siblings, but that didn’t mean she had an easy life.
From a young age, Pudding stood out for a particular reason, her third eye. While most kids just have two, she was born with an extra one right in the middle of her forehead. In a world where unique features are common, Pudding’s third eye still made her feel different, but not in a good way. Instead of feeling special, she grew up feeling ashamed.
Bullying and Insecurity
Much of Pudding’s insecurity comes from the way she was treated as a child. Other kids teased her because of her third eye. They made her feel like a freak, calling her names and rejecting her. These moments left deep emotional scars. She learned to hide her third eye with her bangs to avoid the cruel stares and comments. No matter what she did, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was different in the worst way possible.
Even though she grew up in one of the most powerful families, Pudding’s life was filled with emotional pain. She tried to bury her feelings of insecurity, but they were always there, shaping how she interacted with others.
To make things worse, even her own mother didn’t give her the love and acceptance she needed. Big Mom only cared about Pudding’s third eye because of the potential powers it could unlock one day. Big Mom believed that Pudding’s third eye might allow her to read the Poneglyphs, which are ancient stones that hold crucial secrets to the world’s history. So, to her mother, Pudding was just a tool, not a beloved daughter.
Becoming Two-Faced
Because of the bullying and lack of support, Pudding developed a two-faced personality. On the outside, she could act sweet and kind, pretending to be the perfect, innocent girl. But underneath that, there was a much darker side. Pudding learned to use her charm to manipulate others, getting what she wanted through deception.
She had mastered the art of pretending, especially when it came to hiding her true feelings about her appearance. No one could see how insecure she felt because she was so good at faking confidence. But every time she looked in the mirror, those old feelings of being different and unloved came rushing back.
Pudding and the Arranged Marriage
Pudding’s backstory takes a major turn when she’s arranged to marry Sanji, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. At first, this marriage is part of a bigger scheme. Big Mom plans to use Pudding’s marriage to Sanji as a way to take down the Vinsmoke family, as well as the Straw Hats. Pudding, being the manipulator she is, plays along.
She pretends to be a sweet and caring bride-to-be. But in reality, she’s planning to betray Sanji and the rest of his crew at the wedding. For a while, she seems completely fine with this plan, continuing to act like the innocent daughter Big Mom wants her to be.
Sanji’s Compliment: A Turning Point
What Pudding didn’t expect, though, was for someone to finally see her for who she really was, and like her for it. That person was Sanji. When Pudding reveals her third eye to him, expecting him to be disgusted like everyone else, he does the opposite. Instead, Sanji tells her it’s beautiful.
This moment is huge for Pudding. No one had ever complimented her third eye before. All her life, she had been told it made her ugly or weird. Sanji’s kindness takes her completely by surprise, and she breaks down crying. For the first time, someone sees past her insecurities and treats her with genuine respect. This is the moment that changes everything for Pudding.
Her Struggle Between Loyalty and Love
After Sanji’s kind words, Pudding faces an internal conflict. On one hand, she’s loyal to her family, and betraying Sanji is what’s expected of her. But on the other hand, Sanji’s kindness touches her in a way no one else ever has. She starts to care about him, and it makes her question her role in the wedding plot.
Pudding’s insecurity about her appearance ties directly into this struggle. Sanji’s compliment makes her feel something she hadn’t felt in a long time,worthy. She had always thought her third eye made her unlovable, but Sanji’s words give her a new perspective.
In the end, Pudding’s feelings for Sanji push her to go against Big Mom’s plans. She even uses her Devil Fruit power, the Memo Memo no Mi, to help Sanji and his crew escape. Her ability to manipulate memories gives her a way to erase certain events, allowing the Straw Hats to have a chance at survival. It’s a small redemption for her, but it’s clear that Pudding’s actions come from a place of real emotional growth.
Pudding’s Powers and Abilities
Memo Memo no Mi: Memory Manipulation
The Memo Memo no Mi is a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allows Pudding to control people’s memories. It’s a power that can completely change how someone sees the world. Here’s how it works:
Pudding can reach into someone’s memory by literally pulling out strips of film from their heads. These strips represent different memories. With these memory films in hand, she can either delete parts of someone’s memory, change them, or even add new ones. The best part? The person never knows it happened. They just continue on with the new memory, thinking it’s real.
For example, if Pudding wants someone to forget a specific conversation, she can snip out that moment and patch the rest of the memories together seamlessly. It’s like editing a movie, but with someone’s mind. Pretty wild, right?
This power makes Pudding extremely dangerous in the world of espionage and manipulation. She can erase evidence, alter past events, and make people think things happened differently than they did. Imagine the chaos she can create with this ability!
How Pudding Uses Her Powers
Throughout the Whole Cake Island arc, we see Pudding use her powers in several clever ways. One of the most impactful moments is when she alters Reiju’s memories after shooting her. Reiju, Sanji’s sister, originally knows the truth about Pudding’s plans to betray the Vinsmokes. But Pudding uses her memory powers to erase this knowledge, effectively wiping away the danger of Reiju exposing her secret.
Another key moment happens during the wedding scene. Pudding uses her memory abilities to manipulate the events leading up to the big showdown between the Straw Hats, Vinsmokes, and Big Mom. This shows just how deeply her powers can shape major events in the story.
But while her powers are useful for deception, Pudding later uses them to help the good guys. Toward the end of the Whole Cake Island arc, she alters Sanji’s memories of their emotional farewell. This way, he won’t carry the pain of their parting, even though it hurts her to do so. In a way, her powers not only bring harm but also offer a strange kind of kindness when she chooses to use them to protect others.
The Third Eye
Another aspect of Pudding’s power comes from her third eye. Though it’s mostly tied to her identity and appearance, there’s an important hint that this third eye might have some untapped abilities.
Big Mom believes that once Pudding awakens the true power of her third eye, she could read the Poneglyphs, which would be huge in the world of One Piece. Being able to read Poneglyphs is a rare and valuable skill, as it unlocks ancient knowledge that could lead to the One Piece itself. However, we haven’t yet seen Pudding reach this level of ability.
