One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

The massive banquet hall of Whole Cake Chateau hummed with tense energy as the two Yonko crews eyed each other warily across their tables. The sweet aroma of countless delicacies wafted through the air, mingling with the distinct scent of sake that followed Kaido wherever he went.

Kaido threw an empty barrel aside with casual disregard, wiping spilled sake from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. His yellow eyes narrowed as he surveyed his men seated around him—his diminished but still formidable crew.

The Beast Pirates' ranks had thinned considerably since the devastating events at Wano. Looking at his assembled officers, Kaido couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. These were the only senior officials of the Beast Pirates now.

The Page One and Ulti siblings, two of the future Flying Six, were still young at this time and had not been promoted to their eventual positions of power. And the original Flying Six—the ones before King had personally recruited the current roster—had all perished in the Marine's unexpected raid on Wano Country.

Big Mom glanced at the five cadres on Kaido's side, and couldn't help but curl her lips, feeling a mix of envy and contempt.

"Kaido is such a bastard," she thought to herself. "His homeland is occupied by the Marine, but he still has so many talented people under him."

She mentally cataloged her own forces. Besides the Sweet Commanders, there was Perospero, her firstborn and Minister of Candy. She also had other talented children such as Daifuku with his powerful genie, Oven with his heat abilities, and Amande with her sword skills.

"My high-end combat power is not inferior to Kaido at all," she reassured herself, "and even slightly surpasses the now downtrodden Beast Pirates."

Kaido didn't notice Big Mom's calculating thoughts. He was busy savoring the fine wine sent by Charlotte Zuccotto, the Minister of Liquor. The potent brew was one of the few things capable of giving the world's strongest creature even a slight buzz.

"Drink it! Good wine!" he bellowed, his voice carrying across the hall. "It feels so good to drink it in big gulps. Your son knows his business, Linlin!"

Looking at his now incomplete cadre group, Kaido's momentary good humor faded. His expression darkened as he addressed Big Mom with a gloomy face:

"Linlin, you know what?" The casual use of her name rather than her epithet showed their long history. "Because of that bastard Doflamingo, one of my most capable subordinates was killed by the Marine."

He clenched his massive fist, the veins bulging beneath his skin. "It was also because of his death that I personally led my forces to Dressrosa, wanting an explanation from Doflamingo."

Queen shifted uncomfortably at the mention of this incident, remembering how they had lost several promising officers in that ill-fated expedition.

"As a result, not only did I not gain any benefit," Kaido continued, his voice growing rougher with each word, "but Wano Country was also ambushed by that bastard Sengoku and his men while I was away."

King's posture stiffened almost imperceptibly at the mention of their homeland's fall, his black wings twitching beneath his leather coat.

"Not only did we lose most of our men, we also lost the entire base—the land I spent decades bringing under my control!" Kaido's voice had risen to a thunderous roar by the end.

As he spoke, a fierce aura rose from Kaido's body—his Conqueror's Haki leaking out uncontrollably with his anger. The pressure frightened the nearby Charlotte family members and lower-ranking Beast Pirates into silence. Several of the homies in the vicinity cowered, their animated faces contorting in terror.

Suddenly, Kaido reached out and pressed his left shoulder. Through the tear in his clothing, everyone could clearly see a huge, ugly scar that ran from his shoulder almost to his heart—a wound that should have been impossible to inflict on someone with his legendary durability.

"Even I suffered a grievous injury when I attacked the Marine's G-2 branch in retaliation." His fingers traced the ragged edges of the scar. "I almost got my heart ripped out."

Kaido could hardly control his emotions as he spoke, and his domineering aura ran wild throughout the banquet hall. The pressure became so intense that ordinary cadres and crew members began to tremble, unable to bear it. Cold sweat poured down their faces like rain as they struggled to remain conscious under the weight of his will.

Only the senior officials sitting at the same table—those with powerful Haki of their own—appeared unaffected. King and Queen sat stoically, while Who's-Who leaned forward with interest. Smoothie and Cracker exchanged wary glances, while Katakuri's face remained impassive, though his eyes narrowed slightly.

Big Mom herself looked at Kaido with an expression that mixed amusement and mild respect. Despite their rivalry, she couldn't help but feel a grudging admiration for the beast. She was secretly pleased to see this usually unshakable man showing vulnerability, confirming that even he had limits.

However, after hearing Kaido claim he was nearly killed, her expression became slightly more serious. An injury that could threaten Kaido was no laughing matter, especially with the precarious balance of power in the New World.

"G-2 branch?" she questioned, tapping her massive fingers on the table. "Was it that old monster Garp? Or perhaps Aokiji and Kizaru together?"

She chuckled, her massive body jiggling with the sound. "But your accomplishment is already impressive enough—you were able to escape from the hands of two Admirals and Iron Fist Garp."

Her laughter boomed through the hall. "Even I would be envious of such a feat, MAMAMA~~!"

The members of the Big Mom Pirates around her also nodded in agreement. Although they felt it was shameful that Kaido had been defeated and lost his territory, one thing was certain: escaping from the combined might of two Admirals and Garp the Hero was a feat unseen since the days of Gol D. Roger himself.

This was also why no one had questioned his status as one of the Four Emperors despite losing his base of operations. His strength and reputation remained fearsome enough to maintain his position in the delicate balance of the New World.

"NO!" Kaido roared, slamming his fist down with such force that the massive table cracked. The impact interrupted everyone's speculation and Charlotte Linlin's boisterous laughter.

He clutched the scar on his left shoulder tightly, his mind filled with the image of the young Marine who had inflicted such damage—a wound that not even his accelerated dragon's healing could fully repair.

At that moment, Katakuri, who was sitting at the same table, suddenly showed an expression of astonishment on his normally impassive face. His eyes widened as his Observation Haki revealed to him what Kaido was about to say before the words even left the Emperor's mouth.

In the next second, Kaido gritted his teeth and said with venomous hatred:

"It wasn't that old fossil Garp. It wasn't Aokiji, and it wasn't that glinting bastard Kizaru either."

The room fell deathly silent as all eyes fixed on Kaido. Even the homies stopped chattering.

"The one who hurt me so badly—the one who carved this scar into my scales—was Garp's grandson, the new Vice Admiral Monkey D. Luffy, who now occupies MY Wano!"

The words hit like a thunderclap.

Kaido's revelation left all the members of the Big Mom Pirates dumbfounded. Even Perospero and the Sweet Commanders at the same table were frozen in shock, jaws hanging open.

Big Mom's jovial expression vanished, replaced by utter disbelief. The piece of meat she had been about to devour fell from her fingers as she stared at Kaido.

The air seemed to crystallize at that moment. Except for the members of the Beast Pirates who had already learned of this humiliation from their captain, everyone in the Charlotte family looked as if they had seen a ghost from the Florian Triangle itself.

"You... are you kidding me?" The frozen atmosphere was shattered by Big Mom's suddenly raised voice, which caused several of the weaker pirates to faint outright.

She looked at her former crewmate and current rival with absolute disbelief etched across her features. The two had known each other for decades—she was intimately familiar with Kaido's immense strength.

Plus, he possessed the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit, a Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit that she herself had given him years ago. His physical defense might not be as absolute as her iron-balloon body, but it was definitely impossible for some upstart Marine who hadn't even been born when they sailed with Rocks to break through his dragon scales and leave such a grievous wound.

It simply couldn't be true.

At this moment, Katakuri, who had recovered from his shock earlier than his siblings thanks to his advanced Haki, suddenly spoke up:

"Mother," he interrupted, his deep voice cutting through the tension, "now that I think about it, there was indeed a report in Morgan's newspaper about Kaido-san being injured by that Marine."

Perospero's eyes widened in recognition. "That's right, perorin~ But at the time, we all dismissed it as just another exaggeration by the Marine's propaganda machine. We didn't take it seriously."