Summary
In the world ofOne Piece, each age has a defining pirate who reaches the highest levels of notoriety in the world, setting a benchmark for all others to follow in the process. Though many are active right now, the story is pushing Luffy to be on this level, with the age before the current one being defined by Whitebeard’s dominance over the seas. Before him, Gol D. Roger made history as the first and only person to be known as the Pirate King.
While this seems like the perfect start toOne Pieceas a whole, it was revealed that the age before Roger’s had a similar defining figure;the infamous Rocks D. Xebec. This man is not only remembered as one of the most terrifying pirates of all time, but also as someone on the same level of strength as the Pirate King himself. Although he died many decades ago, his influence can still be felt, surprisingly even through Luffy, if this fan theory is to be believed.
This Theory Claims That They Are Related
Luffy’s First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 1, “Romance Dawn - The Dawn of Adventure”
Rocks' First Appearance
One Piece, Chapter 957, “Ultimate”
On the face of it, the most obvious association between Luffy and Rocks could be the fact that they are bothmembers of the legendary D. Clan. At the current moment in the story, the true importance of being a member of this tribe hasn’t been confirmed, causing fans to theorize about what such a link could mean. So, this remains the most obvious answer about the relationship between the two.
However, some believe that this connection runs far deeper. This theory states that the two actually share a familial bond that is eventually going to be revealed at some point in the Final Saga. Not only would this be one of the greatest reveals that has ever been made in theOne Piecestory, but it would also shake the foundations of everything fans thought they knew about the protagonist and the world in general. But how could such a connection exist between the two?
A man dies when he’s forgotten!
Well, the answer to this lies in another one of the most mysterious characters in the entire series; Monkey D. Dragon. After the events of Enies Lobby, Garp revealed to Luffy that Dragon is his father, which caught fans off-guard, especially considering the lack of likeness thatthe World’s Worst Criminalhas with the other members of his family. The main reason for this, according to this theory, is that Dragon is actually the son of Rocks D. Xebec who came under the care of Garp after the God Valley Incident.
It is known that Garp took in Ace as his own upon the request of Roger before the Pirate King was executed, so many believe that something similar may have happened 38 years before the start of the story at God Valley. Though the incident itself remains vague, it is known that the Rocks Pirates attacked the island after the Celestial Dragons first invaded Hachinosu in their absence and stole the island’s precious treasure, which likely became one of the prizes of the Native Hunting Competition.
The theory then splits into two camps, the first of which claims that Dragon himself was one of these prizes since he was 17 years old at the time andmay have had a legendary God Fruit, which the Celestial Dragons may have wanted. The other claims that Dragon may have just been left behind by Rocks when the God Valley Incident happened, which ended with the death of his real father, prompting Garp to step in to adopt the boy.
This tracks, considering how Garp has done this previously for his enemies, in the case of Ace and Roger. Dragon may have believed that the Marines were heroic since they ‘saved’ all the people on the island, which led to him joining the Navy. However, upon realizing that the Navy only operates to further the rule of the Celestial Dragons, who subjugate people and killed his real father, he would’ve then been radicalized, prompting his departure from the Marines and founding the Revolutionary Army to defeat the World Nobles for good.
While this theory does operate on a lot of speculation, all of it makes sense in the grand scheme of the story. Most damningly, it has to do with the glaring fact that Dragon looks nothing like his father or his son. While this wouldn’t have been a big deal on its own, Chapter 957 and beyondhave given a look at Rocks, who, despite only being shown as a silhouette so far, looks almost identical to Dragon, from the face shape to the hair.
Plus, Garp has only referred to Dragon as ‘my son’ once, typically opting to call him something else when speaking to others about him. Of course, this doesn’t mean much since Dragon quit the Marines at 33 years old, implying that he spent at least 16 years with Garp, which is a long time for him to consider him as his own son. The theory states that Garp had a daughter who married Dragon and gave birth to Luffy, bringing this entire theory full circle.
What This Connection Could Mean For Luffy And The Series
How Would He Deal With It?
The way that things currently stand in the series, it is very likely that this theory of Luffy being Rocks' grandson through Dragon is true. This would be incredibly interesting,since the Elbaf arc has strongly impliedthat there are two different versions of the Will of D., one which champions freedom for the entire world while the other seeks to give the user as much control over it as possible.
The former is likely the Inherited Will passed down by Joyboy to Roger and Luffy, which seeks to free the world of oppression and tyranny of all kinds. The other is the exact opposite, which also seeks to overthrow the current order as well, but only to grant the inheritor of this will the power to control the world, which can be seen by the only evil D. Clan members, Rocks and Blackbeard. If these two Wills of D. end up being true, then it would make Luffy the inheritor of both, which would be incredibly interesting to see.
One Piececan be streamed onCrunchyroll.
One Piece
One Piece is a Japanese manga written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The series follows protagonist Monkey D. Luffy and his Straw Hat Pirate crew as they explore the Grand Line to find the King of the Pirates' ultimate treasure, the One Piece, to become the next king. The manga’s popularity helped it spin off into a larger media franchise, including an anime with more than 1,000 episodes.
