Highlights
- The characters Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach share similarities and may have the same intentions, potentially leading to a repeat of the God Valley incident.
- Inherited will is a recurring theme in One Piece, emphasizing how the actions and ideals of past generations are carried on by the present.
- Both Blackbeard and Rocks D. Xebec have ties to the forbidden history of the world government, possessing knowledge that marks them as enemies to the world government.
One Piece fans have noticed that the characters Rocks D. Xebec and Marshall D. Teach have a lot of similarities. These two characters are seemingly connected and probably share the same intentions and dreams, which if true could bring around a repeat of the God Valley incident in the series’ endgame.
In a story built on the importance of history and inherited will, Eiichiro Oda has drawn many parallels between important characters of the past and important characters of the present. The void century is a focal point of One Piece and many elements of the story propose the recurring theme of how the lost knowledge of the past could contain the solution to the problems of the present. Gol D. Roger’s era also holds relevant ties to the present and much like the forbidden history of the void century, the events that took place at God Valley have been written out of history and are as of now still unknown to the fanbase. The story’s structure seems to suggest that history repeats itself and the strong parallels between the Roger Pirates and the Strawhats imply that the important figures of the present have inherited the will of the major players of the past.
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What Is Inherited Will?
Inherited will is a recurring theme in One Piece that explains how the ideals of the past generations are carried on by those in the present. This concept has been referred to since the beginning of the story and has been directly referenced by many important characters, such as Hiruluk, Whitebeard and Gol D. Roger. It places a lot of importance on the actions of the younger generations and characters that believe in this inheritance are known to be unbothered by the inevitability of death.
The Will of D is connected to this concept and the members of the D. clan are confirmed to be the natural enemies of the gods, making it likely these individuals have inherited the will of the enemies of the world nobles during the void century. Blackbeard and Rocks D. Xebec both carry the fated D, alongside many other One Piece major players such as Luffy and his entire family. Both serve as a stark contrast to other D clan members, presenting as power-seeking individuals who seem evil in nature. These factors imply a connection between Blackbeard and Rocks that goes beyond both being members of the D clan, and the community suspects Blackbeard to be the direct inheritor of Rocks’ will.
Blackbeard And Rock D. Xebec’s Ties To The History Of The World Government
Not many people in the One Piece world are aware of Imu’s existence and any knowledge about the Void Century is strictly prohibited. It seems that aside from the Revolutionary Army members and people who have been to Laugh Tale, the only ones with this information are those who have a passion for history or have ties to the World Government itself.
Rocks D. Xebec and Blackbeard are an exception to this as both have been hinted at possessing knowledge of the world’s forbidden history. The ambition to “rule the world” implies Rocks may be aware of the existence of Imu and since Blackbeard seems to share the same dream, it seems likely for him to possess the same knowledge. Blackbeard may have come across this information through his passion for history, though how this came to be in Rocks’ case is uncertain. Regardless, possessing this information has significant implications and marks both as high profile enemies to the world government.
Blackbeard And Rocks D. Xebec’s Crews
Both the Blackbeard Pirates and the Rocks Pirates are an assembly of powerful individuals brought together by fate or chance rather than any strong bond or shared history. Both crews are formidable forces and after its dissolution, many members of the Rocks Pirates moved on to shape the Golden Age of Piracy with their strength and influence as Yonko. Blackbeard’s crew also boasts similarly strong individuals with extremely powerful devil fruits, the likes of which include Shiryu of the Rain, Kuzan and Jesus Burgess. In the eyes of the community, the many similarities in both power level and internal dynamics have established this crew as a modern-day parallel of Rocks D. Xebec’s.
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The crews led by Blackbeard and Rocks are in stark contrast with other major players of their respective times. Instead of reflecting One Piece’s themes of friendship and loyalty, these pirates are aligned not by affection but by a shared vision of chaos and power. Both captains are known for their ruthlessness and their philosophies manifest in crews with an absence of traditional moral values that fully embrace Blackbeard’s and Rocks’ destructive tendencies. This lack of ethical anchoring coupled with the immense strength of the individual members marks them as significant threats to global stability with an extremely volatile internal structure, likely to result in internal strife due to the egos and ambitions of its members.
Direct Canon References Between The Rocks Pirates And The Blackbeard Pirates
There are many other small canon details that tie the Blackbeard Pirates to Rocks D. Xebec and his crew. The biggest in-universe clue is found in Blackbeard’s ship, revealed to be called the Saber of Xebec in the One Piece Visual Dictionary. Oda has yet to reveal its shape, but many fan theories hypothesize that the name may imply Blackbeard possessed a weapon that used to belong to Rocks’. Another common interpretation is that it means Blackbeard is Rocks’ weapon in the sense that he will bring his dreams to completion, though these are only theories and nothing can be certain until fans receive confirmation in the Manga.
Another canon similarity is both crew’s choice of Hachinosu as a base, further cementing the narrative symmetry between them. Not much is known on the Pirate Island, but it has been recently featured in the recent Kuma’s flashback as home to the great pirate treasure stolen by the World Government for the God Valley games.
What Does This Mean?
From their ambitions to the composition of their crews, the similarities between Rocks D. Xebec and the Blackbeard Pirates are evident. Understanding these connections may hold the key to foreseeing how the endgame of One Piece will unfold and as the series approaches its climax, fans are attentive to Blackbeard’s story arc to see if and how his actions will echo the legendary events of the past.
The parallels drawn between the eras suggest that the climax of One Piece might mirror the God Valley incident and fans speculate that Coby and Luffy, representing Garp and Roger respectively, will face off against Blackbeard, representing Rocks. This would not only bring the inherited wills full circle but also provide a fitting and coherent closure to the series by addressing its foundational themes.
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