diff --git a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/include/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/TypeSupport.hpp b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/include/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/TypeSupport.hpp
index 814804e2a..7a78f8d80 100644
--- a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/include/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/TypeSupport.hpp
+++ b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/include/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/TypeSupport.hpp
@@ -41,7 +41,12 @@ enum SerializedDataType
 {
   FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_CDR_BUFFER,
   FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_DYNAMIC_MESSAGE,
-  FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_ROS_MESSAGE
+  FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_ROS_MESSAGE,
+  // `data` points to a `rmw_serialized_message_t` (aka
+  // `rcutils_uint8_array_t`). The CDR payload is written directly into that
+  // buffer on deserialize, avoiding an intermediate FastBuffer and the
+  // follow-up memcpy in `_take_serialized_message`.
+  FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE
 };
 
 // Publishers write method will receive a pointer to this struct
diff --git a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/TypeSupport_impl.cpp b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/TypeSupport_impl.cpp
index 887f09e3a..5944b2d0d 100644
--- a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/TypeSupport_impl.cpp
+++ b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/TypeSupport_impl.cpp
@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@
 
 #include "rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/TypeSupport.hpp"
 #include "rmw/error_handling.h"
+#include "rmw/ret_types.h"
+#include "rmw/serialized_message.h"
 
 #include "rosidl_typesupport_introspection_c/identifier.h"
 #include "rosidl_typesupport_introspection_cpp/identifier.hpp"
@@ -206,6 +208,23 @@ bool TypeSupport::deserialize(
         return true;
       }
 
+    case FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE:
+      {
+        // Write the CDR payload straight into the user's
+        // rmw_serialized_message_t. This skips the intermediate FastBuffer
+        // and the follow-up memcpy in `_take_serialized_message`, halving
+        // the rmw-level memcpys for large serialized messages.
+        auto out = static_cast<rmw_serialized_message_t *>(ser_data->data);
+        if (out->buffer_capacity < payload.length) {
+          if (rmw_serialized_message_resize(out, payload.length) != RMW_RET_OK) {
+            return false;
+          }
+        }
+        memcpy(out->buffer, payload.data, payload.length);
+        out->buffer_length = payload.length;
+        return true;
+      }
+
     case FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_DYNAMIC_MESSAGE:
       {
         auto m_type = std::make_shared<eprosima::fastdds::dds::DynamicPubSubType>();
diff --git a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/rmw_take.cpp b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/rmw_take.cpp
index cf46506ff..4f38c8c03 100644
--- a/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/rmw_take.cpp
+++ b/rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp/src/rmw_take.cpp
@@ -310,12 +310,15 @@ _take_serialized_message(
   auto info = static_cast<CustomSubscriberInfo *>(subscription->data);
   RCUTILS_CHECK_FOR_NULL_WITH_MSG(info, "custom subscriber info is null", return RMW_RET_ERROR);
 
-  eprosima::fastcdr::FastBuffer buffer;
-
+  // Point the deserialize path at the user's rmw_serialized_message_t
+  // directly.  The RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE branch in TypeSupport::deserialize
+  // will resize this buffer and memcpy the CDR payload into it, avoiding the
+  // previous intermediate FastBuffer and its follow-up memcpy into the user
+  // buffer.
   rmw_fastrtps_shared_cpp::SerializedData data;
-  data.type = FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_CDR_BUFFER;
-  data.data = &buffer;
-  data.impl = nullptr;  // not used when type is FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_CDR_BUFFER
+  data.type = FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE;
+  data.data = serialized_message;
+  data.impl = nullptr;  // not used for RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE
 
   eprosima::fastdds::dds::StackAllocatedSequence<void *, 1> data_values;
   const_cast<void **>(data_values.buffer())[0] = &data;
@@ -339,15 +342,10 @@ _take_serialized_message(
           continue;
         }
       }
-      auto buffer_size = static_cast<size_t>(buffer.getBufferSize());
-      if (serialized_message->buffer_capacity < buffer_size) {
-        auto ret = rmw_serialized_message_resize(serialized_message, buffer_size);
-        if (ret != RMW_RET_OK) {
-          return ret;           // Error message already set
-        }
-      }
-      serialized_message->buffer_length = buffer_size;
-      memcpy(serialized_message->buffer, buffer.getBuffer(), serialized_message->buffer_length);
+      // `serialized_message->buffer` and `buffer_length` have already been
+      // populated by TypeSupport::deserialize via the
+      // FASTDDS_SERIALIZED_DATA_TYPE_RMW_SERIALIZED_MESSAGE path; nothing
+      // else to do here.
 
       if (message_info) {
         _assign_message_info(identifier, message_info, &info_seq[0]);