After escaping from the Brick Castle, Luffy and his crew run into some members of the “New Giant Warrior Pirates.”
The One Piece anime kicked off in April with the Elban Arc. In this story arc, the Straw Hats find themselves on the eponymous island and home of the Giant Warriors, where they also meet several members of the “New Giant Warrior Pirates.” Among them is a member who made her debut nine years ago in a flashback—though not every fan may remember her: Gerd.
Spoiler warning! The following sections contain spoilers regarding the events on Elban and the identities of the members of the “New Giant Warrior Pirates.”
A current pirate and Big Mom’s childhood friend
In Episode 1160, the Straw Hats successfully escape from the Block Kingdom and manage to shake off their captor, the so-called “Sun King,” with a bit of force. However, he doesn’t seem to be their only pursuer, as two more giant warriors are hot on their heels: Gerd and Goldberg, two members of the “New Giant Warrior Pirates.”
Goldberg is the gang’s ship’s cook, while Gerd serves as the ship’s doctor. And this isn’t the first time fans have seen Gerd, as the giant warrior has appeared in the past—specifically in a flashback from 9 years ago in Chapter 866 or Episode 836 (2018). Gerd is actually a childhood friend of Charlotte Linlin (Big Mom) and got along well with her—despite her fear of Linlin’s uncontrollable physical strength. Gerd was also always the one who reported to Mother Karamell about Linlin’s accidents or outbursts when they happened.
Gerd Can’t Forgive Big Mom
Although the two friends got along well, their friendship didn’t last forever. When Gerd explained the rules of the Winter Sun Festival to Linlin back then, she never expected to witness such a terrible event. Normally, the giant warriors of Elban are supposed to fast for 12 days to celebrate the festival, but on the seventh day of fasting, Linlin lost control of herself and reduced the entire village to rubble and ashes in a fit of rage and her craving for food.
In the process, she killed—albeit accidentally—the village elder Jorul right in front of Gerd. Gerd was deeply traumatized by the event for many years afterward. Decades later, Gerd was able to come to terms with her trauma. While she doesn’t hide her past friendship and connection to Big Mom, she will never forgive Big Mom for her past atrocities.
Did you recognize Gerd right away, and how do you think a meeting between Gerd and Big Mom would go if they were ever to see each other again?
