One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

The towering spires of Whole Cake Island stretched into the cotton candy clouds as tension filled the air between two of the most feared pirates in the world. Charlotte Linlin, better known as Big Mom, sat with her massive frame perched upon an oversized chair specially constructed to support her weight. Across from her, the azure-skinned Beast, Kaido, his horns gleaming in the afternoon light, leaned forward with a calculating gaze.

Big Mom's massive frame trembled with barely contained rage as she glared at Kaido. This was the umpteenth time that bastard had tried to recruit her son since he arrived on Whole Cake Island. Her thoughts simmered with indignation as she observed their unwelcome guest.

Everyone present knew the situation all too well. Kaido, whose forces had recently suffered significant losses in Wano, had come to his former crewmate's territory under the pretense of an alliance. Yet here he was, once again attempting to poach one of Big Mom's most valuable children.

"Mamama..." Big Mom laughed darkly under her breath.

If her children weren't painfully aware they couldn't defeat Kaido in direct combat, they would have rushed forward and torn the bastard into pieces long ago. The tense atmosphere had Smoothie unconsciously gripping the hilt of her sword, while Cracker's fingers twitched near his biscuit armor. Even Perospero's candy cane staff twirled nervously between his fingers as he watched the exchange with narrowed eyes.

Even Charlotte Katakuri himself had become accustomed to being recruited again and again by the other party. His stoic face betrayed no emotion as he stood beside his mother, his scarf carefully hiding the donut-shaped mouth that had been the source of so much ridicule in his youth.

Almost as soon as Kaido finished speaking his proposition, Katakuri subconsciously refused:

"I'm sorry, Kaido-san, but I won't leave my mother and my brothers and sisters." His deep voice carried absolute conviction. "You'd better give up on this idea."

Kaido was not annoyed when he was rejected again. The corners of his mouth merely turned downward in disappointment as he murmured with regret:

"Damn it, I got rejected again." He took a long swig from his gourd of sake. "If I had known you were so capable, I should have snatched you away when you were a child."

The childhood that Kaido mentioned referred to the time when he and Big Mom were still in the Rocks Pirates together, sailing under the infamous captain Rocks D. Xebec.

At that time, when Kaido first joined the Rocks Pirates at the age of 15, he was protected by Charlotte Linlin, who had already made a name for herself as a fearsome pirate.

Back then, the 24-year-old Linlin had already given birth to several children. Among them were her firstborn Perospero and the triplets Katakuri, Daifuku, and Oven. The young Katakuri had given Kaido the impression of being just a naughty kid who loved eating donuts, constantly trying to hide his peculiar mouth from others after being mocked for it.

Who knew that he would change so much later on, not only becoming the backbone of Big Mom's pirate group but also developing his Observation Haki to such a degree that he could see slightly into the future. He had become very powerful and reliable, with a bounty exceeding one billion berries.

Linlin herself even called Katakuri the Charlotte family's greatest masterpiece, which was no small praise considering she had birthed over 80 children in her quest to build the perfect family.

Such a reliable and outstanding man naturally caught the eye of Kaido, who prided himself on gathering the strongest warriors under his banner. The Beast Pirates were known for their meritocracy—strength determined one's position, and Katakuri would certainly rank at the top.

Big Mom, who had been silently observing the exchange, saw that her most proud child decisively rejected Kaido. Her mood suddenly changed from gloomy to sunny, and she laughed her distinctive "Mamamama!" with glee.

"Well, well, well, you got rejected again, Kaido." Her massive body shook with each laugh. "If you want Katakuri so badly, you might as well exchange him for your subordinate King." Her eyes gleamed with desire. "If you give him to me, I would consider the trade."

"Oh, what a disgusting old hag." Kaido curled his lips in disgust. "It's because of your constant pestering that King has been hiding in his quarters and dares not come out." He thought of how his normally stoic right-hand man had become visibly uncomfortable because of Linlin's endless harassment.

Big Mom's dream since childhood had been to build her dream—Totto Land—where all races would live in harmony. So she had been collecting various races from all over the world for many years, bringing them to her territory and incorporating them into her family through strategic marriages or adoption.

Now, except for the Giants who had not joined the Big Mom Pirates due to the incident at Elbaf decades ago, her collection was nearly complete.

The Ten Thousand Nations were currently only missing representatives from two races. One of them was the Beast Pirates' King, a survivor of the Lunaria tribe known for their white hair, black wings, and ability to create fire. The other was the equally rare Buccaneer tribe, to which the future Shichibukai Bartholomew Kuma would belong.

However, Big Mom had encountered Kuma once during the legendary battle at God Valley years earlier. But she didn't recognize his race at the time, and still believed that the Buccaneer had become extinct. The only races she now longed to add to her collection were the Giants and the Lunarians.

Although the giants were not on good terms with her due to her actions at Elbaf, they were numerous, and she was willing to wait for an opportunity to reconcile. But now there was only King left from the Lunaria tribe, as far as anyone knew.

For the sake of her dream, if Kaido was really willing to exchange King for Katakuri, Big Mom would genuinely consider sending her son away. The thought of completing her collection made her salivate, causing nearby homies to tremble in fear of another hunger pang.

But Kaido was obviously not a fool. King and Katakuri were the highest officers on their respective crews, both irreplaceable in their own ways.

Let's not debate who might be stronger between them—discussing just loyalty, even if Big Mom offered ten Katakuris, King would not be an adequate replacement. King had been with Kaido since he rescued the Lunarian from a World Government research facility, and their bond ran deep.

Kaido just wanted to acquire Katakuri for free. If he could get him without giving anything up, that would be ideal, but if not, it wasn't a serious concern. What he absolutely refused to do was sacrifice his most capable subordinate, especially not to satisfy Big Mom's odd collecting habit.

The two Emperors soon started arguing loudly, each wanting to poach the other's capable men without giving up anything in return. Their voices echoed across Whole Cake Chateau, causing several of the homies to cower in fear. Perospero tried to mediate to little effect, while Katakuri simply stood silently, his eyes closed as he focused on maintaining his composure.

Meanwhile, the banquet venue was being set up in full swing amid the bickering between the two Yonko. Chess soldier homies scurried about, placing enormous platters of food on tables and arranging seating for the imposing figures of both crews.

During this period, all the members of the Beast Pirates who had accompanied Kaido to Whole Cake Island heard about the upcoming feast. Under the leadership of Queen the Plague, who never missed an opportunity for free food, the Beast Pirates were determined to attend the banquet.

"Ohhh, I hear that Big Mom's cooks are among the best in the New World!" Queen exclaimed, his massive body jiggling with excitement. "I'm not missing this chance to sample their cuisine, even if we have to put up with that crazy old hag!"

Also coming along was King, who was being dragged very reluctantly by Queen. The stoic man preferred to keep to himself, especially given Big Mom's unhealthy interest in his seed.

"Come on, King! Don't be such a stick in the mud," Queen taunted. "I promise I'll create a distraction if the old lady tries to kidnap you!" he added with his distinctive laugh.

When Big Mom spotted King entering the banquet hall, his black wings folded tightly against his back and his face hidden behind his leather mask, she immediately abandoned her argument with Kaido. Her eyes practically transformed into stars as she prepared to approach him, fingers twitching with the desire to add him to her collection.

It was not until she saw Kaido's thunderous expression, dark clouds literally beginning to form around him as his temper affected the weather itself, that Big Mom gave him some face and reluctantly gave up for the time being. She licked her lips and whispered to herself, "Soon, my collection will be complete..."

Soon, the banquet venue was fully prepared thanks to the diligent work of the chess soldier homies. The members of the Big Mom Pirates and the Beast Pirates were seated on opposite sides of the hall, clearly distancing themselves from each other as centuries of pirate distrust couldn't be overcome by a single alliance.

As the leaders of both sides, Big Mom and Kaido naturally sat at the same table in the middle, an enormous circular platform that elevated them above everyone else in a display of their status as Emperors.

In addition to the two Yonko, there were Perospero and Katakuri representing the Big Mom Pirates. Cracker, Smoothie, and Snack, who were also among the Sweet Commanders, were granted the honor of sitting at the same table with their mother.

As for the Beast Pirates, the All-Stars King and Queen naturally took their seats, with Queen already eyeing the massive spread of food with undisguised hunger. At the same time, Black Maria, Who's-Who, and Sasaki from the Flying Six were also qualified to sit at the same table with the two Yonko, a testament to their strength within Kaido's meritocracy.