Summary
Throughout the entirety ofOne Piece, there are only a few characters who are as legendary or have left as much of a mark on the world as the infamous Rocks D. Xebec. First mentioned in the Wano arc, this man was described as one of the most powerful and important figures in history, serving as Roger’s greatest rival who brought the entire world to heel long before the era of the Pirate King.
Many in the fandom have even taken to calling him the uncrowned Pirate King, but the true reason for this remains speculation at the current stage. Still, however,Xebec’s legacy was so greatthat the World Government felt it to be far too dangerous to be left out in the world, leading to him being expunged from the annals of history. However, Chapter 1154 ofOne Piecegives a bit more of a hint as to why he was such a legendary figure.
Xebec’s First Full Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1154, “I Can’t Even Die”
Fans had long expected the Elbaf arc to be the one where Rocks D. Xebec would finally be shown, and they were proven correct in Chapter 1154. The version of himthat was shown in Loki’s flashbackwas a much younger Xebec, many years before he became the greatest pirate of his age and even before the Rocks Pirates were officially a crew, since only Whitebeard, Shiki, and Stussy were present with him here.
However, despite Xebec arguably not even being in his prime at the moment he showed up to greet Loki on Elbaf, Oda still teased the insane power he held. The earlier conversation between Harald and Jarul spoke of a huge skirmish that happened in the Holy Land during a Reverie 8 years ago, in which Harald almost got captured by the Celestial Dragons. Here, he mentioned an assassination that took place which caused all the commotion, and while the details regarding it are vague, it’s highly likely that Xebec was the one behind it.
Harald spotted this particular man 8 years ago during the Reverie. He single-handedly killed a Navy HQ Admiral and vanished without a trace. This feat earned him a massive bounty and the government’s ire.
Despite being much younger than he was during the events on God Valley, Xebec’s strength was prodigious to say the least. Even in his early days,he managed to kill a Navy Admiral, who are known as the ultimate military force of the World Government, quite easily and managed to disappear from the Reverie without a trace. Not only did this draw the ire of the World Government, but it also implies that Xebec managed to kill this Admiral with seemingly little effort, which is something that even the Yonko of today couldn’t achieve.
Xebec managed to kill this Admiral 8 years before he showed up on Elbaf, which shows that he was far younger when he did so, putting his overall strength up to the greatest level in the entire series. From here, what he got up to in the meantime following the Reverie is a mystery, but it’s known that he eventually made his way to Elbaf to speak to Harald, likely about what went down in Marijoa.
Much later on, Xebec would eventually form the Rocks Pirates, which consisted of some of the strongest pirates of all time who are still regarded as the most powerful pirate crew in history, with whom he would take thefight right to the World Government, acting more like a terrorist organization than a crew. During this time, Xebec was in the prime of his life and was arguably the strongest pirate of all time.
Eventually, the Rocks Pirates would make their way to God Valley after the Celestial Dragons stole their secret treasure from Hachinosu. This prompted the arrival of the Roger Pirates and the Navy as well, leading to perhaps the greatest battle in history, which would later be known as the God Valley Incident, where the greatest forces in the world all fought against one another. This event saw the uneasy alliance of Roger and Garp, who worked together in order to defeat Xebec, who is said to have met his end here.
What Was Xebec’s Arsenal That Made Him Such A Massive Threat?
The Strongest Pirate Of All Time
At the current moment, fans can only speculate about the reasons behind Xebec’s legendary strength, but there are a few things that must be true. For example, hisConqueror’s Haki must at least be on parwith Roger’s own, if not outright better, since he has always been described as Roger’s greatest rival. This can only be the case if his Haki was at least comparable. Considering how he took on both Roger and Garp simultaneously, both of whom are users of Advanced Conqueror’s Haki, it’s highly probable to assume that his was at the same tier.
Moreover, some of the earlier silhouettes of the character often showed him with a sword, which may even be the reason why Blackbeard named his flagship the Saber of Xebec. Seeing how his contemporaries, Roger and Whitebeard, both had armaments that are classified as two of the twelve Supreme Grade Weapons, it’s very likely that Xebec’s sword also falls into this category. As for his Devil Fruit, it’s a mystery if he even had one. However, if he did, it would likely be one of the strongest in the story, with the most common theory being that Xebec was the original user of the Yami Yami no Mi, which would make perfect sense as to why Blackbeard wanted to seek it out for himself.
