Kaido is an incredibly powerful figure who, for several years in the One Piece world, ruled the New World as one of the strongest pirates to have ever lived. In fact, after Whitebeard's death, Kaido was most likely the strongest pirate alive, as he had been referred to as well by several others on the seas.
Kaido was an incredibly mighty force that only a handful could overcome. In his prime, the only person capable of defeating him turned out to be Luffy, who put an end to his journey in Wano towards the end of the Wano Country arc. However, it appears that Luffy is not the only character to have defeated Kaido. Fans know that as a pirate, Kaido has lost seven times and, now, Oda has revealed more details about a character who could potentially have defeated him in the past, albeit before he hit his prime.
Kaido During His Early Days
Kaido had a very tough upbringing in the Vodka Kingdom. He was essentially used as a mercenary from a very young age and, eventually, for the sake of the island, was sold to the Navy. Of course, Kaido made his own way and absolutely detested the fact that he was being used as a pawn by the rulers of his own kingdom. Kaido managed to escape from the grasp of the Navy again and again, however, whenever he felt hungry, he used to get caught on purpose so he could raid the ships he was taken captive on. Kaido acquired quite a lot of fame and, eventually, was feared all over the world. He then made his way to the Pirate Island, where he ran into Whitebeard, who led him to Captain Rocks. It was apparent that Kaido even caught the attention of Rocks, who personally wanted to see him.
In time, he joined the Rocks Pirates and, there, Kaido made himself an incredibly well-known figure. Kaido was merely an apprentice on the ship of the Rocks crew, however, it would be foolish for anyone to assume that he wasn't strong. Even as an apprentice, Kaido would be one of the strongest members of the crew, and that speaks volumes about the potential that this character carried. Watching the best fight every day and training with them, it is no surprise that Kaido turned out to be the monster that he was, however, his incredible power was also shaped by those whom he was defeated, and one pirate among them was hinted at in One Piece chapter 1096.
Kaido During The God Valley Incident
Fans do not know much about Kaido during his time with the Rocks Pirates. All they know is that he was an apprentice and that he likely watched and learned from the very best. However, during his short flashback, it was made clear that Kaido was in God Valley, 38 years ago. This suggests that the crew had enough faith in him and wanted him to be a part of the battle. Wasting no time, Kaido went to God Valley and fought there. This is also the place where he ended up eating his Devil Fruit, which was given to him by none other than Big Mom.
One Piece: All Rocks Pirates Members In God Valley
Fans get to discover more members of the legendary Rocks Pirates.
Big Mom stole the Devil Fruit from Ivankov and eventually gave it to Kaido, who she believed to be her younger brother. Kaido went his own way after eating the Devil Fruit, abandoning Big Mom in the process. On this island, whether Kaido fought any major battle or not isn't known just yet, however, what fans do know is the fact that there was a pirate who ended up defeating Kaido before the events of the God Valley Incident. Kaido seems to hold quite a grudge against the pirate and this was brought up in One Piece chapter 1096 for the very first time. This pirate was none other than the future Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Immediately after the Rocks Pirates arrived in God Valley in One Piece chapter 1096, the Roger Pirates made landfall as well. Upon seeing Roger, it was quite clear that these two crews had quite a lot of history and Kaido in particular carried a big grudge against Roger. The implication here is that Kaido was taken down by Roger in a battle that happened not so long before the God Valley Incident.
Kaido Vs Roger, 39 Years Ago
It appears that a year before the God Valley Incident, 39 years ago, a major battle took place somewhere in the One Piece world. This battle was fought between the members of the Rocks Pirates and the Roger Pirates. The first one to hint at this battle was Roger himself. Roger mentions that he felt absolutely horrible for one year leading up to the battle. This is an implication that whoever Roger fought one year ago defeated him or, at the very least, severely incapacitated him in some way or form, leading him to feel terrible for a year because of this frustrating experience. Gaban adds context to it, saying that Roger cannot claim the captain this time since he wants a piece of him too. This implies that Roger fought against Rocks 39 years ago and was soundly defeated.
This would make sense as to why Roger would, later on, need help from Garp in order to fight against Rocks. It would also explain why Sengoku believes that Rocks was the biggest adversary that Roger ever faced in his life. It is quite clear that these two were the biggest of rivals during this era. The fight between Roger Pirates and the Rocks Pirates was not only hinted at by Roger himself. Gloriosa, another powerful member of the Rocks Pirates, also looked dead set on settling things for good. It seems that during their previous fight, some score was left unsettled, and now was the time to address that.
Kaido was yet another member who had something to say about this clash and he seemed to be particularly interested in Roger being on the island. Judging from what he said and his facial expression, it is quite clear that Kaido ended up being defeated by Roger. Kaido implied that if Roger was on the island, he would like to go to him because he's one character who he absolutely cannot stand. This is because Kaido is a character obsessed with strength and, the most likely outcome of their possible battle is that Kaido ended up being defeated by Roger. This shouldn't come as a surprise to any fan, given that Roger was much older at that point and likely commanded Haki with great precision. On the other hand, Kaido, although over 20, was not in his prime and merely carried out the role of an apprentice at this time. It would make perfect sense for him to lose to Roger and, then, hold a grudge against the future Pirate King for the remainder of time.
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 1096, is set to be October 29, 2023.