It seems that many people are celebrating the moments between Sanji and Pudding this chapter, like it settles the deal about Sanji’s future love life (it’s not a coincidence that many of those already celebrated several times before, just to have Oda denying it in the next chapter, due to the unpredictable pace of the narrative, especially revolving Pudding).
I understand that many people are eager to see Sanji finally getting a girlfriend or a wife, for many reasons. Some people legit like them together, others simply want Sanji x Nami to sink, for shipping reasons, despite not caring if that would be good for Sanji, Pudding and the plot.
Honestly, this chapter gives us a taste of how a relationship between both characters would work. I would probably have found their dynamics really funny and cute if Pudding didn’t have shot Reiju or tried to kill Sanji and his friends (something that she still didn’t apologize for).
That’s the main thing that rubs me in the wrong way regarding these antics, it’s like Sanji doesn’t remember chapters 850/851 or Pudding gets a free card for being pretty, which is really shallow but Oda can’t help himself:
Sanji is acting like he is usual lustful self again. The same thing he did during the wedding, after Pudding flirted with him as a bride. Which is something he does with all pretty women, as we know.
Moving forward, since the cooks know that Sanji is an enemy of Big Mom, Pudding altered their memories so they think they got married, but surprisingly, Sanji doesn’t seem that thrilled (unlike Pudding):
No heart eyes, no Sanji being lovey dovey or anything like he would normally do with probably every pretty woman. Just remember how Sanji was all happy and blushing when he was acting as Viola’s bodyguard in Dressrosa. Of course, they are in a somewhat serious moment now, but even then, Sanji just replies with “I see.”, and quickly becomes serious towards his task:
Then we have this cook being a supportive “shipper” and points something that would probably make Sanji react the same way Pudding is behaving now:
But he grins and lies (he is not blushing). He is acting as the “husband”, following his role and scratching his head.
Notice that Sanji ignores Pudding for the rest of the scene (and that her third eye appears when she is in her “evil” mode):
Yeah, that middle finger kinda ruins the romance moment. Oda is certainly having a good time playing with Pudding like this. I don’t know what he is planning to do with them, but, so far, I see Pudding infatuated with Sanji, but still very instable and being treatead as a gag, while Sanji is still not getting any real feelings over her (more like he was lusting because she was wearing the cook outfit).
We had already Pudding clearly falling for Sanji and he didn’t react to that. Actually, he did, this was his reaction:
Now we have everyone calling them husband and wife and he didn’t seem to care about that. Which is interesting if we compare to how excited he was when he thought Nami was proposing to him:
Perhaps it’s the moment, but it doesn’t look like Sanji is really in love with Pudding. In other hand, it looks like Pudding is willing to let Sanji and his friends escape without regrets. Still unsure about the extension of her crush/feelings on Sanji, we know that Pudding saw him with Nami in the tea party, but she doesn’t seem to regret him leaving and escaping with her:
Would she get jealous if she sees Sanji with her again? Or maybe, when she is being serious and not a gag, she believes Sanji and Nami like each other and she accepted it, like Viola apparently did in Dressrosa? I am still waiting for Oda to explain the meaning of Pudding and the Sannami carrying scene.
Apparently, it seems that Pudding will remain as an ally until the end of the arc. She genuinely cares about Sanji and wants to save him and his friends. That’s good for the people who ship them, and it helps to redeem Pudding for everything she did, making them a possible couple.
But as a Sanji fan, it’s still hard for me to forgive this and it’s more baffling that apparently Oda forgot that he ever draw this:
Yeah, it’s interesting that Pudding got some “karma” out of this. She humiliated Sanji but now she is the one “in love” with him and behaving completely pathetic. That could end there and work as some sort of “Sanji’s way to defeat Pudding with kindness”. It’s clever and I’d be glad with that. However, that can be a boost to some shippers that like that kind of story and irony, I understand. But honestly, even if she helps him now, I don’t think she deserves to be with him. It cheapens all that happened during those chapters, and I’m sure all Sanji fans got emotional when they read those pages back then.
It would seem like Pudding is being rewarded for all her evil deeds with the kind man she mocked and humiliated, just becase she had a sad past. But what Pudding did to Sanji other than help to fix the mess she created?
Of course, real love isn’t about merit, but Oda has the control over his story and he could make something better with both characters instead of making them a thing just because of gags and because both are cooks. I wouldn’t have anything to complain if Oda didn’t have to go so far to make Pudding evil and disgusting, just for the sake of a twist that felt forced.
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