This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
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One Piece’sElbaf arc has been absolutely phenomenal so far, and right now is an especially exciting time to be a fan, as Oda is finally giving the fans a good look at the legendary Rocks D. Xebec. Very little was known about Rocks up until this point in the story, but fans did know that Roger and Rocks had a very fierce rivalry.
While most fansconsider Rocks D. Xebec to be stronger than Roger,One Piecechapter 1155 reveals a big truth that actually alters their rivalry completely, and shows that Roger was stronger, or at the very least, equal to Rocks D. Xebec.
When Rocks D. Xebec was first introduced inOne Piece, fans were told immediately by Sengoku that he had a fierce rivalry with Roger. In fact, Sengoku openly stated that out of all the people that Roger fought,Rocks D. Xebec was his greatest adversary, and this means Rocks was a bigger threat to him than even Garp and Whitebeard, whom he fought often.
Wait, Rocks! It’s been a year since then. Do you know how I’ve felt all this time? — Roger to Rocks
In the Egghead Arc, it was heavily implied that Gol D. Roger had fought Rocks a year prior to the God Valley Incident. What exactly happened 39 years ago remains unknown, but Roger had lingering ill feelings of the previous meeting, suggesting that he might’ve lost to Rocks on that day.
A year later, they met on God Valley once again, and it was here that Rocks fell. This was made possible thanks to the collaborative effort of Roger and Garp, but once again, what exactly happened isn’t known.
Roger Is Considered Weaker By Many, But is Actually On The Same Level As Rocks
Roger Learned New Abilities After Fighting Rocks D. Xebec
Naturally, upon hearing that Roger and Garp teamed up to beat Rocks, most fans assume that Rocks was stronger. To be clear, this isn’t entirely wrong. In fact, during the God Valley Incident, Rocks was most certainly stronger than Roger. But, Roger actually went on to get stronger afterand eventually surpassed Rocks.
The biggest indicator of this is Rocks’s swordsmanship. InOne Piecechapter 1155, it is made clear that Rocks’s swordsmanship is actually very unique. He doesn’t use his sword to cut or slice. Instead, he uses his blade to do blunt damage, and to his enemies, it feels as if they’re being hit by a hammer.
Rocks’s sword was renowned for doing blunt damage, as if hit by a giant hammer or cannon fire. — Narrator on Rocks
For those who don’t remember, this is exactly the same technique that Roger used. Fans are already toldthat Rocks was famous for it, which means he invented it. Roger using it means that he actually stole it from Rocks and learned it at some point. By the time of Roger Vs Whitebeard, Roger had actually mastered this blunt sword technique, which is proof of the fact that he got stronger after Rocks fell.
Roger Might Have Surpassed Rocks
Roger most certainly went onto surpass Rocks D. Xebecafter the God Valley Incident. During God Valley, Roger wasn’t at his peak and he certainly wasn’t a Great Pirate either. After, however, Roger was a whole other beast, and possibly stronger than Rocks, or at least equally as strong as him.
One Piece Chapter 1155 will be out this week. As usual, One Piece is going to drop on Sunday. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday. However, the vast majority of international readers will see the chapter available on July 20. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1155 is June 03, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
