King Baum was a tree homie and the master of the Seducing Woods on Whole Cake Island.[1] However, he was forced to serve the Straw Hat Pirates due to them possessing Charlotte Linlin's Vivre Card,[2] and was later killed by Amande as a result of his unwilling insubordination.[3]
Appearance
Baum with his top cut off.
Baum was an extremely large tree homie with a wide trunk and a large amount of foliage. He had small eyes, a very long and pointy nose, a very long handlebar mustache, a mouth full of sharp teeth, a large tongue, and two rather small arms that could not even reach across his body.[1]
During Luffy and Cracker's battle, the top of Baum's head was cut off, removing most of his branches.[4] When the Big Mom Pirates' army attacked the Straw Hats, Baum was bisected vertically by Amande.[3]
Personality
Baum takes his duties very seriously and will ensure that all intruders in the Seducing Woods are killed. He carries some pride with his position, viewing outside assistance as unnecessary and being confident in the abilities of him and his subordinates. He is the only homie so far to not fear Charlotte Cracker; like other homies, however, he fears the power of a Vivre Card containing Big Mom's soul.[5][6]
He has a habit of adding the suffix -ju to the end of his sentences,[1] which is a reading of one of the kanji for "tree" (樹?).
Relationships
Sanji Retrieval Team
When the Sanji Retrieval Team entered the Seducing Woods, Baum helped lead the homies' attacks against them until his duties were taken over by Cracker. When Nami and Pound attempted to run away from Cracker's fight with Luffy, Baum aided in the pursuit, but was suddenly stopped by Big Mom's Vivre Card that was in Nami's possession.[1] Due to the Vivre Card's power, Baum and the other homies became subservient to Nami, which led Cracker to label him as a traitor even though it was against his will.[7] After Cracker was defeated, Baum was forced to continue serving the Straw Hats, and took them out of the Seducing Woods.[2]
Charlotte Family and Big Mom Pirates
Charlotte Brûlée
Baum often worked in conjunction with Brûlée to take out intruders in the Seducing Woods, and the two were often seen together.[1]
Charlotte Cracker
Baum was miffed when Cracker took over his group's job of taking out the Straw Hats, but Cracker did not care for what the homie had to say.[1] When Baum became subservient to the Straw Hats, Cracker was angered by the homie helping them, declaring him a traitor and vowing to bring him before Big Mom, though Cracker was defeated before he could take action against Baum.[8]
Amande
Amande was completely intolerant of King Baum's betrayal to Big Mom even though it was unwilling. Ignoring the homies' pleas, Amande exacted ruthless punishment against him. She even denied him a swift, painless death in favor of a torturous execution.
Abilities and Powers
As master of the Seducing Woods, Baum had authority over all the homies and other people stationed in it. Under his command, no intruder had managed to leave the Seducing Woods alive, with the exception of Urouge and the Straw Hat Pirates.[1] He was able to survive even with the top part of his head cut off horizontally, with no apparent impediment on his viability;[4] only when Amande fully sliced him vertically in half did he finally die.[3]
History
Past
At some point in the past, Baum was given a human soul by Charlotte Linlin's Devil Fruit power, and he was put in charge of the Seducing Woods. Under his command, no known intruder left the Seducing Woods alive.[1]
Yonko Saga
Whole Cake Island Arc
King Baum is repelled by the power of Big Mom's Vivre Card.
When Charlotte Cracker arrived at the Seducing Woods in order to take over attacking the Sanji retrieval team, King Baum and Charlotte Brûlée grew offended, stating that they would have assuredly taken care of the team without Cracker's help. While Nami and Pound were fleeing the scene, Baum, Brûlée, and the homies pursued them until Nami took out a Vivre Card. The homies halted their advance when they felt Big Mom's soul from the Vivre Card.[9]
As Nami tried to tell Luffy to retreat, Baum and Brûlée confronted her and Pound. With Pound's assistance, Nami managed to overpower Brûlée, shocking Baum and the other homies.[10] While the homies were afraid of getting involved in Cracker and Luffy's battle, Nami asked them whom they feared more: Cracker or Big Mom. They answered that Nami scared them more than either of the Charlottes.[11]
King Baum is reprimanded by Cracker for unwillingly protecting Nami due to her carrying Big Mom's Vivre Card.
Luffy and Cracker's battle lasted for eleven hours, and the top of Baum's head was cut off sometime in the process. Baum was forced to protect Nami from Cracker, allowing her to create rain that weakened Cracker's Biscuit Soldiers. Baum grew increasingly concerned as Luffy and Cracker continued chipping at each other's stamina.[4] Cracker told Baum that he would report his unwillingness to attack Nami to Big Mom as insubordination. Baum replied that he had no choice when facing Big Mom's Vivre Card, but Cracker did not accept his excuse.[7]
Luffy managed to defeat Cracker, and Baum reflected in shock that he assisted in Cracker's defeat, wondering in anger how Nami got Big Mom's Vivre Card. Luffy then ordered Baum to take him and Nami to the Whole Cake Chateau. Baum then carried Luffy and Nami on top of his head as they traveled to Big Mom's castle. After leaving the Seducing Woods, they caught up to a Germa Kingdom carriage that was transporting the Vinsmoke Family to Sweet City.[12] Baum watched as Sanji rejected Luffy and severely beat him.[13]
Amande bisects and kills King Baum.
After Sanji left with his family, Baum panicked as a storm appeared and informed Nami that Big Mom was enraged. He later watched as an army marched towards Luffy and began to fight him.[14] During the battle against the Enraged Army, Amande sliced Baum as punishment for assisting Luffy and Nami despite the homies' pleas, killing him.[15]
Translation and Dub Issues
Instead of adding the "-ju" suffix to the end of his sentences, VIZ incorporated tree puns into Baum's speech, like "exactree" and "Don't firget about me!".
Trivia
- Baum is German for "tree."
- Baum's name may come from L. Frank Baum, the author of the fantasy novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which featured talking enemy trees much like Baum.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 836 (p. 7-9), Baum debuts
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 843 (p. 11-14).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 846.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 841 (p. 16-17).
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 836 (p. 13).
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 837 (p. 12).
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 842 (p. 2-3).
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 842.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 836.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 837.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 83 Chapter 838 (p. 13).
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 843 (p. 9, 11-14).
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 844.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 845.
- ↑ One Piece Manga — Vol. 84 Chapter 846.