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One of the fundamental cornerstones of the entireOne Piecestory is the knowledge that Gol D. Roger was the Pirate King, which is the crux of how the current story started in the first place. Atop his execution platform, Roger used his final words to tell the world of his hidden and legendary treasure, starting the Golden Age of Piracy as we know it and becoming the greatest pirate in history in the process.
However, as of Chapter 1155, it seems that it may be someone else who could claim this title instead of him. With the officialreveal of Rocks D. Xebec in the Elbaf arc, Oda wasted no time in establishing this man as one of the most important players in the history ofOne Piece, and his brief appearances so far have shown some of the craziest feats in the series. So, let’s go over why Rocks was the true greatest pirate in history.
Story Arc
Elbaf
Roger’s legacy is incredible as he undoubtedly goes down as the most important pirate in history, even more than Joyboy. This is because, although Joyboy set all the plans into motion and everything that’s unraveling now is because of him, none of it would have been possible if not forRoger’s influence and sacrifice. Without his final words starting the Golden Age of Piracy, none would ever have set out to sea.
He came to be known as history’s first and only Pirate King. During his time, Roger was the world’s most famous man even before he became the Pirate King, where he would battle some of the strongest pirates and Marines to ever sail the seas. Eventually, Roger collected all the Poneglyphs, which allowed him to uncover the truth of the world and come face to face with the mythical One Piece treasure. Although he was always the most famous pirate in the world, it was this act that crowned him the Pirate King and the greatest pirate in history.
I don’t want to conquer anything. I just think the man with the most freedom in this whole ocean is the Pirate King!
This was what was told from the very first chapter ofOne Piece. However, Chapter 1155 revealed that there was someone else whobeat Roger in just about every metricand was considered to be so dangerous that, even after his defeat, the World Government made sure to erase him from the annals of history rather than let his legacy live on. This man was Rocks D. Xebec, and although he never found the One Piece treasure, he is considered by many to be the uncrowned first King of Pirates.
To start off, Rocks' strength was legendary, implied to be even above the greatest figures in history, namely Roger, Whitebeard, and Garp. During the God Valley Incident, where Rocks is believed to have met his end, it is implied that Roger and Garp had to set aside their lifelong rivalry to team up against him, showing that his strength was far beyond that of the greatest pirate and the greatest Marine.
Chapter 1155 went on to reveal feats about Rocks that make him seem more like a myth than anything else. Not only is he the only person in all ofOne Piecewho hasmanaged to kill a Navy Admiral by himself, but he somehow knew of Imu and the Chamber of Flowers, both of whom are the World Government’s most closely guarded secrets. Upon breaking into this room and confronting the true ruler of the world, Rocks threatened them, saying that he would be back one day.
The next few years would see a drastic rise in Rocks' infamy, where he would perform some of the craziest feats in the entire series, the most notable of which was destroying the Gates of Justice. Due to his unparalleled strength allowing him to be the captain of the deadliest pirate crew ever, which included legends like Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shiki, among others, Rocks ought to be remembered as the greatest pirate in history who did many things better than even Roger. Some fans believe that he was the world’s first Pirate King in all but name.
The End Of A Legend
Despite the overwhelming power of this legendary pirate as well as his ferocious crew, Rocks is said to have met his end in the God Valley Incident. Seeing his entire journey andhow powerful he truly was, everything points to the fact that Rocks was only defeated due to the most unlikely of alliances on this mysterious island, in which the Roger Pirates, Marines, and, presumably, even the Gods' Knights united to take down this incredible villain.
This implies that his strength was at a level that none could reach on their own, prompting them to team up in order to foil his larger plan, whatever that may have been. Of course, the event also saw the dismantling of the Rocks Pirates despite them being the most powerful pirate crew in the history ofOne Piece. It has been revealed that none of the members had a particularly strong loyalty to their crew, only aligning themselves with it to fulfill their own goals. Once Rocks died, they went on to do their own things.
