Ah, so it's been a very, very long time since I've been inspired to write out a theory/speculation for One Piece, but after a recent post by @Rekien which you can find here, https://worstgen.alwaysdata.net/for...k-kaido-has-a-hybird-form.10412/#post-1002158 coupled with a comment I made in a thread recently about how Alvida seems to be a cross between Big Mom and Kaido, it made me come to the realization of something. Chapter 1000 of One Piece, has now brought the series back full circle, and I believe that Oda has already told us what is to come in regards to Big Mom and Kaido, all the way back in chapter 2.
Now you have to keep an open mind on this, because these parallels are not going to be 100 percent cut and dry, and even though the roles of each individual are vastly different, I believe the implications are pretty solid. So as we begin, we have to take a good look at Alvida's character. Now on the surface, she seems like just your run of the mill typical villain that Oda used to jumpstart the series. But if you take a look at what Oda did with her character after her defeat, the parallel that is meant to be drawn with Big Mom becomes apparent.
Alivda before
Alvida after
Young Big Mom
Old Big Mom
Now as you can see, both Big Mom and Alvida have been depicted in two ways. A massive woman, and a slender beautiful woman. One went from beautiful to ugly, while the other went from ugly to beautiful. But the similarities don't just end there. Big Mom started her piracy career as a Captain of her own ship, and joined up with a massive organization (Rocks) which was comprised of extremely powerful pirates, while Alvida also started her piracy career as the Captain of her own ship, and also joined a massive organization (Buggy's deliver service) which is comprised of Impel Down escapees, who were stated to be strong in their own right, albeit to a much MUCH lesser degree than Rocks.
Now you might be asking what this has to do with Kaido. Well here's the thing, I think there was another intentional design choice on Oda's part, pertaining to Alvida's character that's meant to incorporate Kaido into the fold, and that is her giant club, which is the same exact kind of club Kaido uses. But I think the club is only meant to draw attention to Kaido being a parallel of another character we are introduced to during chapter 2, and that is.......
Yes, I am talking about the one, the only..... Koby! Strap into your seats ladies and gents, because we are about to get weird and go balls to the wall with this one. So in chapter 2, we are introduced to these two characters, Koby and Alvida. One is this giant brutish woman, who seems to have a knack for bullying and punishing her crew members, and the one who happens to take the brunt of it is none other than her Cabin boy/apprentice. Who else do we know of that started out as a cabin boy/ apprentice? That's right, Koi-do! The small fish, in a sea of Monsters.
This is where the flip flop of the Avlida/Big Mom parallels come into play, with the Alvida/Coby and Big Mom/Kaido relationship. We saw Alvida treated Coby like absolute garbage, but with Big Mom and Kaido, I think it was the exact opposite. This is supported by the fact that Big Mom said she thought of and still thinks of Kaido as her younger brother. In a crew like Rocks, which was supposedly filled with a bunch of hardened pirates, I think it stands to reason that Kaido as the apprentice took the brunt end of the bullying, much like Coby did, but in this case his one saving grace was Big Mom.
So by now, I'm sure many of you have seen the story posted somewhere or another about the Koi fish and the Waterfall. In the story, there was a school of Koi fish who swam upstream, gaining strength against the current, until they happened upon a Waterfall. Some stayed to try and best the waterfall, while many gave up without even attempting it. Out of those who stayed, only one managed to reach the Top, and in doing so, was recognized by the Gods for their strength and determination, and turned into a Dragon.
I believe this was what happened to Kaido within the Rock's pirates. He started out as just another of the many underlings who rode on Xebecs ship. In fact he wasn't just an underling, but he was at the bottom of the barrel, as nothing more than a mere apprentice at the time. But the day when the Waterfall would appear soon approached, and that was the day of God's Valley. One by one, all the "Small Fish" fell at the at the hands of Roger and Garp, until there was only one left. Upon seeing his strength and determination, Big Mom granted him power in the form of a Devil Fruit, which turned him into a Dragon.
Now why do I believe Kaido was a weakling in the beginning? Well that's because, from what we know about Kaido, when Rocks fell, he spent the beginning of his piracy career validating his strength. This is not something any of the other members of Rocks had to prove once the crew was dismantled. It's something only Kaido did. Picking fights with the marines and Yonko's, constantly being captured and escaping, over and over and over again, until he reached the pinnacle of the Pirate World on his strength alone. This is something only someone without power would do, once they receive power. It also fits with the parallel I believe he is meant to share with Koi-by as someone who started out weak, but was driven to become stronger. To me, I think the "corrupted by strength" concept makes for a much better narrative for Kaido's character, rather than him just being another "Natural Born Disaster" character like Big Mom.
For now I will leave it as this, as to not start to trickle off into a tangent. If you need anything clarification on anything, don't hesitate to ask, and if I think of anything else, I'll make sure to add it, and if anyone has anything they want to add, then feel free to do so.
Now you have to keep an open mind on this, because these parallels are not going to be 100 percent cut and dry, and even though the roles of each individual are vastly different, I believe the implications are pretty solid. So as we begin, we have to take a good look at Alvida's character. Now on the surface, she seems like just your run of the mill typical villain that Oda used to jumpstart the series. But if you take a look at what Oda did with her character after her defeat, the parallel that is meant to be drawn with Big Mom becomes apparent.
Alivda before
Alvida after
Young Big Mom
Old Big Mom
Now as you can see, both Big Mom and Alvida have been depicted in two ways. A massive woman, and a slender beautiful woman. One went from beautiful to ugly, while the other went from ugly to beautiful. But the similarities don't just end there. Big Mom started her piracy career as a Captain of her own ship, and joined up with a massive organization (Rocks) which was comprised of extremely powerful pirates, while Alvida also started her piracy career as the Captain of her own ship, and also joined a massive organization (Buggy's deliver service) which is comprised of Impel Down escapees, who were stated to be strong in their own right, albeit to a much MUCH lesser degree than Rocks.
Now you might be asking what this has to do with Kaido. Well here's the thing, I think there was another intentional design choice on Oda's part, pertaining to Alvida's character that's meant to incorporate Kaido into the fold, and that is her giant club, which is the same exact kind of club Kaido uses. But I think the club is only meant to draw attention to Kaido being a parallel of another character we are introduced to during chapter 2, and that is.......
Yes, I am talking about the one, the only..... Koby! Strap into your seats ladies and gents, because we are about to get weird and go balls to the wall with this one. So in chapter 2, we are introduced to these two characters, Koby and Alvida. One is this giant brutish woman, who seems to have a knack for bullying and punishing her crew members, and the one who happens to take the brunt of it is none other than her Cabin boy/apprentice. Who else do we know of that started out as a cabin boy/ apprentice? That's right, Koi-do! The small fish, in a sea of Monsters.
This is where the flip flop of the Avlida/Big Mom parallels come into play, with the Alvida/Coby and Big Mom/Kaido relationship. We saw Alvida treated Coby like absolute garbage, but with Big Mom and Kaido, I think it was the exact opposite. This is supported by the fact that Big Mom said she thought of and still thinks of Kaido as her younger brother. In a crew like Rocks, which was supposedly filled with a bunch of hardened pirates, I think it stands to reason that Kaido as the apprentice took the brunt end of the bullying, much like Coby did, but in this case his one saving grace was Big Mom.
So by now, I'm sure many of you have seen the story posted somewhere or another about the Koi fish and the Waterfall. In the story, there was a school of Koi fish who swam upstream, gaining strength against the current, until they happened upon a Waterfall. Some stayed to try and best the waterfall, while many gave up without even attempting it. Out of those who stayed, only one managed to reach the Top, and in doing so, was recognized by the Gods for their strength and determination, and turned into a Dragon.
I believe this was what happened to Kaido within the Rock's pirates. He started out as just another of the many underlings who rode on Xebecs ship. In fact he wasn't just an underling, but he was at the bottom of the barrel, as nothing more than a mere apprentice at the time. But the day when the Waterfall would appear soon approached, and that was the day of God's Valley. One by one, all the "Small Fish" fell at the at the hands of Roger and Garp, until there was only one left. Upon seeing his strength and determination, Big Mom granted him power in the form of a Devil Fruit, which turned him into a Dragon.
Now why do I believe Kaido was a weakling in the beginning? Well that's because, from what we know about Kaido, when Rocks fell, he spent the beginning of his piracy career validating his strength. This is not something any of the other members of Rocks had to prove once the crew was dismantled. It's something only Kaido did. Picking fights with the marines and Yonko's, constantly being captured and escaping, over and over and over again, until he reached the pinnacle of the Pirate World on his strength alone. This is something only someone without power would do, once they receive power. It also fits with the parallel I believe he is meant to share with Koi-by as someone who started out weak, but was driven to become stronger. To me, I think the "corrupted by strength" concept makes for a much better narrative for Kaido's character, rather than him just being another "Natural Born Disaster" character like Big Mom.
For now I will leave it as this, as to not start to trickle off into a tangent. If you need anything clarification on anything, don't hesitate to ask, and if I think of anything else, I'll make sure to add it, and if anyone has anything they want to add, then feel free to do so.
Oda what are you smoking?
