At first glance, Whole Cake Island from One Piece looks like a wonderful fairy tale fantasy. The vast food-inspired architecture, bright colors, and cute aesthetic are a sweet combination of elements that the eyes can feast on. The citizens of this island have many reasons to enjoy and benefit from a high quality of living, but it’s undeniable that the island can be equally terrifying.
Despite how deliciously appealing it seems to live in Whole Cake Island — or even Totto Land as a whole — such beauty may exist only on the surface. First of all, the rent isn’t payable with money. The price one has to pay for living in such sweet comfort would have to be a piece of their soul, equivalent to one month’s worth of their lifespan -- twice a year. Despite paying to stay here with their lives, the constant assurance of these people’s safety isn’t always going to be present.
The citizens of Whole Cake Island have to deal with an insane and gluttonous ruler who doesn’t care about the well-being of her residents. When Big Mom intensely craves a specific type of food, she enters a state called Hunger Pangs that is violent and powerful enough to wreak havoc throughout the whole city. This dangerous situation will always be lurking in the background, striking at unpredictable times. A peaceful, ordinary day for a Whole Cake Island resident will have the potential of being ruined by Big Mom herself. She may rampage out of nowhere and destroy everything — essentially causing fear among the people.
Another disturbing factor is that everything is alive. Whole Cake Island is surrounded by Homies — anthropomorphized objects, plants, animals, and buildings with souls born out of Big Mom’s Devil Fruit abilities. Everywhere one goes, numerous pairs of eyes are watching what’s happening. Not only is that potentially creepy, it can also be considered a complete violation of one’s privacy. Plus, if someone is viewed as an enemy, these Homies can work together to plot their demise — the Straw Hats who were at The Seducing Woods know that firsthand. Those aren’t the only countless pairs of eyes watching one’s every move. There’s also Charlotte Brûlée, one of Big Mom’s children, whose Devil Fruit basically gives her access to all the mirrors around Totto Land.
Big Mom has a lot of flaws as Totto Land’s queen in One Piece, but there are also perks to living in her territory. She’s one of the Four Emperors, an evident demonstration of how powerful she is. This includes her family and crew, some of whom can singlehandedly defeat an entire island for the sake of gathering ingredients for a tea party. With this, Whole Cake Island citizens don’t have to worry about security and protection (or at least getting attacked by outsiders).
Another plus to living in Totto Land would be that pretty much everything is edible. Considering the architecture of the place, a vast selection of foods are available to eat and drink. The residents will never go hungry again. Additionally, one of the admirable things about Big Mom is how she pushes for diversity and inclusivity in her nation. After all, she wants it to become a perfect world where all races happily co-exist. Despite being a generally selfish person in One Piece, this may be considered a redeeming factor.
Living in Totto Land may feel like a happy musical, but there’s a sinister twist underneath it. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, or the pros may outweigh the cons. Either way, anyone planning on staying at Whole Cake Island should think about it properly. Because who knows, they might just immediately regret it — and with a ruler like Big Mom, there’s no turning back.