This article contains spoilers from One Piece’s Elbaf Arc.
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One Piecechapter 1155 dropped just recently, and it gave the fans quite a lot of insight intothe character of Rocks D. Xebec, and his strength. At the same time, fans also found out some exciting lore about the world ofOne Piece. But, it goes without saying that Rocks D. Xebec was the highlight of the chapter.
The entire Reverie incident that he caused 56 years ago was shown to the fans in full detail, and it was truly a sight to behold. While the entire chapter was mostly about Rocks and his pirate crew, Oda indirectly confirmed a lot of exciting information about Hol D. Roger, including how he ended up becoming the strongest of his era.
Roger Was Weaker Than Rocks Around 39 Years Ago
Rocks D. Xebec was openly known to be the greatest adversary that Roger ever faced throughout his pirate life. This was confirmed by Sengoku, and fans also saw this in the Kuma flashback. Clearly, Roger and Rocks had a rivalry, and they likely fought many battles. It is also heavily implied that one year before the God Valley Incident, Roger and Rocks ended up fighting, and when they did, Roger had bad feelings of pain left, which might indicate that he lost the fight.
It’s been one year since. Do you have any idea of how I’ve felt all this time? — Roger
Roger and Rocksmet again in God Valley, and this time around, Rocks was beaten by a collaborative effort of Garp and Roger. For most fans, Rocks was stronger than Roger and that’s what the story seems to imply.
But, it is quite clear now that Roger actually grew stronger after fighting against Rocks. In fact, he stole Rocks’s biggest weapon and made it his own.
Roger Learned Rocks’s Most Dangerous Techniques
Rocks’s Fighting Style Was Copied By Roger Later
InOne Piecechapter 1155, Oda goes on to explain how Rocks fights. He is known to be a sword user, but he is quite unique. Rocks doesn’t fight like a traditional swordsman. In fact, his sword doesn’t cut. Instead, his attacks are like a hammer or a cannon, despite using a blade. Rocks’s sword generates shockwaves of Haki, and that’s what made him incredibly special. He was known to blow away all those around him when he fought.
Rocks’s sword hit like a hammer or a cannon. — Narrator
Curiously enough, this very same fighting style was alsoused by Gol D. Roger. But, fans clearly know that it was invented by Rocks. In other words, Roger actually learned Rocks’s technique and then made it his own.
Roger Became The Strongest, With Whitebeard Matching Him
Roger and Rocks fought38 years ago in God Valley, and it could be here that Roger actually went on to learn Rocks’s powerful sword techniques. It can then be extrapolated that Roger went on to master this fighting style, and eventually became as strong as he was.
By the time of his last fight with Whitebeard,Roger had already mastered this technique, evident from the fact that he used it on Oden to blow him away, and later, used it against Whitebeard as well. So, while Roger was likely weaker than Rocks initially, he incorporated his abilities into his own and most likely went on to become just as strong, if not stronger than him. In his own era, Roger became the strongest, with Whitebeard being his only equal.
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 May 27, 2025. Fans can read the chapter for free onManga Plus.
