Highlights
- Marineford is considered one of the most intense arcs in One Piece, beloved by fans for its emotional impact and epic battles.
- Kaido, one of the Four Emperors, was expected to clash with Whitebeard at Marineford, but was stopped by Shanks in a pre-war skirmish.
- A hypothetical scenario is explored where Kaido enters the war at Marineford, potentially changing the outcome of the battle entirely.
Marineford is quite easily one of the most intense arcs in One Piece, and at the same time, one that fans hold incredibly close to their hearts. It is the story arc that propelled the popularity of the series immensely, one that hit every right note at every turn, etching itself into history books as one of the greatest fictional arcs of all time.
It is safe to say that many fans of One Piece consider it to be the Pinnacle of the entire series, and rightly so. Marineford is an incredible battle, not just of cool abilities and powers, but one of a brotherly struggle, where Luffy tries his best to save Ace, but fails to do so. It saw him fail, but at the same time, set him up for even more greatness, by forcing him to cry, learn from defeat, and grow even stronger. Marineford was a magnificent battle, which introduced various incredible ideologies to the fans, along with many exciting characters. One incredible character who could have made it to Marineford but didn’t is one of the former Emperors of the Sea, Kaido.
Kaido And Shanks’s Battle Before Marineford
Kaido and Shanks Met In The New World Shortly Before The War
Kaido, as fans know, is one of the Four Emperors of the Sea and quite easily one of the strongest individuals in One Piece. In fact, up until recently, he was openly called the strongest pirate alive, and the strongest creature in the world as well. Kaido was a force to be reckoned with, and not many individuals could stand up to him. Of course, there are those who held the same level of power as him, such as the Yonko, and they certainly could hold their own against him in battle. That is precisely what ended up happening around the time of the Paramount War. Before the Paramount War even began, fans knew that Whitebeard would end up attacking the Navy headquarters. Many were expecting him to attack Impel Down as well, and he certainly did make it feel like he would. Any scouting ships sent by the Navy were all sunk by Whitebeard and his allies. The Marines prepared heavily for his arrival at the HQ, filling 100,000 soldiers there, with some of the strongest in history, such as Garp, Sengoku, and of course, the strongest military asset of the Government, the Three Admirals.
Eventually, Whitebeard made it to Marineford, and surprised everyone after he made his entry from under the ocean. Clearly, the Marines were anticipating his entry, and at the same time, many pirates around the world also knew that he would make this move. Kaido, another Emperor, knew that this would happen and this is where he decided to go fight against Whitebeard. This wasn’t to take down Whitebeard at his weakest. This was likely because Kaido believed that he would never get another chance to fight against Whitebeard, especially given the history that they share as members of the Rocks Pirates. This is precisely why Kaido wanted to fight against Whitebeard, but he was stopped by yet another Yonko, Shanks.
It is clearly stated in the manga that Shanks and Kaido ended up fighting against each other at some point in the story, although it was only a short skirmish. This happened one day before the Paramount War began, meaning that Kaido was actually pretty close to getting to the Marine HQ. Somewhere in the New World, Shanks intercepted Kaido, and did something that forced him to retreat. It is clearly stated that they did fight, and this fight likely ended in a draw because Kaido clearly did not lose. But neither did Shanks, and this is evident from the fact that he did not even have a scratch on him when he arrived at Marineford.
What Would Happen If Kaido Came To Marineford?
Kaido Would Battle The Navy First In Marineford
Kaido not making it to Marineford was certainly very sad for the fans. However, had he made it, it would make for a very exciting scenario, and that is exactly what is being examined.
In this what-if scenario, we are going to be assuming that Kaido comes to Marineford shortly after Whitebeard and doesn’t intercept him before Whitebeard makes it to Marineford as well. The first thing that fans need to keep in mind is that Kaido would want to be the one to defeat Whitebeard. He would know that Whitebeard is on his last legs and that he’s going headfirst into a suicide mission by trying to fight 100,000 Marines and the entirety of the Navy. This is precisely why he was going to fight against Whitebeard before the war in the first place. As such, if Kaido followed Whitebeard to Marineford, his first target would naturally be Whitebeard himself. However, there would be a lot of obstacles around him. The Marines would not simply sit by while two major powerful crews show up and clash. Fans would likely see a major clash between Whitebeard and Kaido at the beginning, and the clash would end in a draw. To make things more exciting, one can even assume that this would be a Conqueror’s Haki clash and it would split the skies right over Marineford (even though Whitebeard clearly could not use Conqueror’s Haki at this point).
Following this clash, both Whitebeard and Kaido would know that in order to fight properly, they would need bigger space, and at the same time, fewer disturbances. This would essentially mean that both their eyes would be set on the Navy at first. While Kaido might not look like it, he is an honorable fighter and would hate it if someone interfered in his fight. As such, Kaido’s priority would be to get rid of any obstacles in his path, which means that he would target the Navy. This is backed up by the fact that Kaido was haunted by Oden being distracted in their battle and his last blow being a cheap shot, essentially. At the same time, Kaido also absolutely hated it when Guernica decided to interfere in his battle against Luffy, which led to Kaido earning his victory in a deceitful manner. Given his personality, Kaido would most definitely target the Navy and this would essentially change the war forever.
How Kaido’s Arrival Would Change The Fate Of The World
Kaido At Marineford Would Turn The Tides Of The Era Forever
As has been established already, Kaido would most likely clash with Whitebeard and then set his sights on the Navy. This would greatly aid Whitebeard, however, they would not work together when it comes to taking down the enemies. Kaido would be doing it for his own goals, while Whitebeard would want to save Ace. Given that Kaido would also have the All-Stars with him, this battle would be way more difficult for the Marines than imagined. Even the Admirals, at their best, would not be able to hold down the strongest commanders of Whitebeard and Kaido combined. Assuming that two of them would team up against an Admiral, they would certainly have a clear shot at victory. The likes of Marco and King could effectively combine to take on Sakazuki, while others would similarly team up against the other two Admirals. The remaining Division Commanders would team up against the Vice Admirals of the Marines, which leaves the big guns behind – Garp and Sengoku.
Garp and Sengoku would then have to be fought by the captains themselves, which fans know to be Whitebeard and Kaido. Here, any matchup could then be possible, but, strength-wise, it would make sense for Whitebeard to take the stronger one. Garp could fight against Whitebeard, while Kaido could take on Sengoku. Thematically, however, it would make more sense for Whitebeard to fight Sengoku, given that they share some history.
Regardless, an incredibly massive battle would ensue, and Kaido would most likely emerge victorious in his battle against Sengoku. Meanwhile, a battle between Garp and Whitebeard would be more even, and, given that Garp was still leaning towards saving Ace, he might just give in, allowing the Whitebeard Pirates to proceed.
One also absolutely cannot forget Luffy in the midst of it. If all the obstacles were to be taken care of, then Luffy would certainly save Ace once again, just as he did in the original story, and rescue him from the clutches of the Government. This time around, however, Akainu would be busy, thanks to the other powerful pirates on Marineford, and he would finally get a chance to escape.
Given how the situation is set up, it would make sense to conclude that Ace would not be killed here. There would be too many pirates on the battlefield to keep every strong individual occupied, meaning that Ace would have a free run to one of the naval vessels, and secure an escape.
Around this time, Kaido would then set his sights on Whitebeard, which would mean that these two powerful fighters would then go head-to-head against one another. Clearly, because of Whitebeard’s worsening health and his inability to utilize Conqueror’s Haki, he’d be at a disadvantage Still, his willpower alone would be enough to see him through this battle right until the end. This could end up being a battle to the death between these two individuals, however, there is one person who could potentially prevent this from happening.
Given the result of this war, Shanks would most likely show up once again. This time around, Shanks would also play the role of the peacemaker and prevent the world from falling into chaos. The battle would be ended, and it is highly likely that Marineford would be a victory for the Pirates.
Alternatively, another ending could be that Blackbeard, who fans know had major plans, would show up around the time. He could sneak up on Whitebeard just like he did in the Paramount War, kill him, and steal his devil fruit. This would incur the wrath of Kaido, who would then hold a grudge against him which fans could’ve gotten to explore 2 years later in One Piece. At the same time, it would also mean that Whitebeard would essentially sacrifice himself for Ace, setting him up as the future Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates.
One Piece is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of One Piece, One Piece 1122, is set to be August 4, 2024.
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