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One Piece Chapter 1158 Review/Recap

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Rocks and King Harald have finally had their falling out! Thanks to Harald wanting to have Elbaph join the World Government, the Elders gave him an ultimatum: kill Rocks D. Xebec for them. Meanwhile, events continue to unfold in this flashback, which, at this point, isn’t just about how Harald died. It’s obvious by now that we’re seeing just how the Rocks Pirates came to be and how their leader eventually fell. This week’s chapter, though, added another layer to things. We might be seeing the origin of Shanks and one of the reasons behind the God Valley Incident.

Man, this is good!

Quick sidebar, by the way: I’m aware of what people are saying about Gecko Moriah really being Kozuki Moriah. I do not see it. Moriah did steal Ryuuma’s sword, after all. If that is him, the Wano is in for a rude awakening.

Recap

Ever since the news of Shakky quitting piracy came out, Roger had been in a bad mood. The reason was that, despite knowing where she was, Roger had learned that Rayleigh had gotten a love letter from her. He was bummed that she chose his best friend over him! Not one to be deterred, though, Roger had his crew set course for Hachinosu. After that, Roger proceeded to mow through the line waiting to get in, where the Rocks Pirates were already hanging out and gossiping. Rocks didn’t like it, but Shakky had decreed anyone visiting to come to her bar couldn’t be harmed. She was so upset that Rayleigh stayed on the ship, though, that she passed out.

Sometime later, the clash between Rock and Harald takes place in the Underworld of Elbaph. Both combatants hold nothing back, both physically and verbally. Harald says that he’s genuinely trying to change how the world views the Giants of Elbaph. However, Rocks calls him a fool for thinking they’ll welcome them as equals. All they want is to enslave the Giants for themselves. In the end, neither of them won, but their friendship had come to an end. They wouldn’t see each other again until a certain incident.

A short time earlier, a young Garling was telling the Five Elders about a brief stay in God Valley where he found something Imu would be interested in. At the same time, on God Valley itself, a mother was showing off her two infant children to people, Shanks and Shamrock.

Review

Dang. That is a lot to unpack, but it was fun!

Firstly, i liked how this chapter serves to set up how things will turn out for the major players of this era. Its confirmed by this point that Teach was born, making Rocks a father, though I doubt we’ll know the identity of his mother just yet. In addition, it seems like Roger will not stop pining for Shakky for some time, despite knowing she likes his best friend. That’s the kind of love triangle that could destroy most bromance, but thankfully, Roger and Rayleigh are tighter than that. Plus, Rayleigh did admit that he didn’t want to be tied down, and that holds true. The two are married in the present, but they have an open relationship. Good for them.

On the flip side, though, we saw the end of Rocks and Harald’s unlikely friendship. And the sad thing about it is that neither is wholly right nor wrong here. Harald is right that his people need to show they’re not just violent killers but have more to offer the world; he just chose the worst time to do this. On the other hand, Rocks is right with what he says about the Giants. The World Government only wants them for the power they bring and nothing else. They’re playing Harald, and he likely knows it; he’s just that desperate to make up for who he was when he was young. With what’s happening in the present-day, though, Rocks was right. And they can’t be allowed to get away with their takeover.

So Shanks is From God Valley?

The biggest surprise about the chapter, though, was the reveal of baby Shanks and Shamrock. This chapter pretty much confirms that they were born in God Valley. It also all but confirms that Garling is their father. If that’s true, then it’s likely the God Valley Incident led to Shanks being abandoned while Garling took Shamrock with him.

This flashback has quickly evolved from simply being about Loki. It’s now telling the life story of King Harald and Rocks D Xebec. It seems like Oda is determined to get everything out of the way before the final war begins, and he’s doing a good job of keeping people invested. If things keep going this way, then we might end up seeing more of the God Valley Incident, and I can’t wait for that!

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One Piece Chapter 1156 Review/Recap

Idols. Idols are the people that other people look up to and admire like crazy. But in Japan, the world idol can mean more than just someone that people look up to. It can also refer to incredibly attractive people that other’s like to fawn over like crazy. In this week’s chapter of One Piece, though, we get to see examples of both kinds of idols. As it turns out, not even the Roger Pirates were immune to the charms of the Kuja Pirates!

Recap

In the days when the Rocks Pirates roamed the sea, there were other groups of pirates that garnered renown. And one of them was the likes of the Kuja Pirates, led by the Empress of Amazon Lily, Gloriosa, AKA the future Elder Nyon. At this time, she was in love with the likes of Gol D. Roger. Unfortunately for her, Roger and most of his crew were in love with her first mate, Shakky, who was in love with Rayleigh. They loved her so much that when they tried to take her by force one time, she took all their treasure instead.

Afterwards, the Kuja Pirates fled as Garp and the Marines showed up, prompting him and Roger to start fighting for the umpteenth time. Soon afterwards, Gloriosa’s love sickness led to her losing her spot as Empress to Shakky.

Meanwhile, back on Elbaph, Loki continued to cause problems for everyone. All he wanted was to follow his idol, Rocks, out to sea, but he failed every time. As a result, the mutual dislike between him and his countrymen only grew, with the sole exception being his Dad and Ida. Rocks would continue to return to ask Harald to join him, only to be refused. And, in turn, he refused to bring Loki with him.

Elsewhere, the Rocks Pirates’ power only continued to grow in their base on Pirate Island. They attracted more and more powerful recruits to their side, including Big Mom, Streusen, Kaido, and more. None of them liked each other, but they were all united by Rocks’ charisma. He promised to bring them all to the summit of the world, and so they followed!

Review

So, let me get this straight: Gloriosa, AKA Elder Nyon, was in love with Gol D. Roger, the future King of the Pirates. So much so that she decided to leave to join the Rocks Pirates so she could keep chasing after Roger. And Roger was in love with Shakky, who, in turn, had a thing for Rayleigh?

This is pretty hilarious, to be honest. Not only because of how it echoes Boa Hancock’s own future infatuation with Luffy, but the fact that Luffy doesn’t want to date her anymore than Roger wanted to date Gloriosa. The only difference is that unlike Roger, Luffy has no interest whatsoever. It’s still hilarious, though.

On a slightly sadder note, though, we see once again just how jaded and cynical Loki was even as a child. Despite Ida loving him like her own son, he called her a gold digger trying to gain power for herself. The sad irony is that he’s describing his biological mother word-for-word. Estrid was a gold-digger and a horrid woman, and if there’s a hell, she’s likely burning in it. Not helping matters is that his chosen idols, Rocks and his crew, kept rejecting him. Is it any wonder he turned out like he does?

The Plot Thickens

The biggest surprise, though, is what Rocks said about what he needs to conquer the world. Firstly, he needs two legendary Devil Fruits that he believes are in Elbaph. Secondly, he’s looking for the Galleila, a group of giant shipwrights whose whereabouts are unknown. I don’t know much about the giants, but if it’s Devil Fruits Rocks was after, then that only lends credence to the idea that one of them was the Gum-Gum Fruit.

In any event, by now it’s pretty obvious that this flashback isn’t just about Loki, buti’s about the Rocks Pirates. Given how Blackbeard is confirmed to be Rocks’ son, it makes sense that Oda wants to tell us more about them now. He’s prepping us for the grand finale, whenever that may be. With any luck, we mught learn more about what happened at God Valley before this ends. If not, then at least we’ll learn the truth of how Harald died.

I Give “Idols” a 4/5

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One Piece Chapter 1154 & 1155 Review

Rocks D. Xebec, the greatest rival to Gol D. Roger, the King of the Pirates. We didn’t learn about him until the Wano Country Arc, but since then, Oda has been putting a lot of importance on this long-dead pirate. And some fans have taken note of a potential connection between him and Blackbeard, the man who’s likely going to be Luffy’s final and greatest opponent. And while the two latest chapters of the manga were supposed to be about continuing Loki’s backstory, now more people are paying attention to Rocks. Because those theories about Rocks’ connection to Blackbeard were right!! And they change a lot of what has already happened thus far!

Recap- Chapter 1154

The same year that Loki was born, Elbaph was beset by calamity after calamity. Half a village was destroyed by the child Charlotte Linlin, the future Big Mom, and Fallbeard Jorul was killed. But that was just the beginning. Every kind of natural disaster befell Elbaph: fires, storms, and harsh winters destroyed their crops. Giants fought each other just to survive! And until the day she died, Queen Estrid said it was due to Loki being cursed. Unfortunately, people started to believe her.

Thankfully, Harald returns before the fighting can bring harm to Ida or Hadrujin. He reached out to the kingdoms he had befriended, and they sent him enough food for all the Giants . Sadly, by that point, Loki’s poor heart had hardened. People already considered him cursed, so he had given up on love.

As the years passed, Harald continued to try and connect Elbaph with the rest of the world, only to continually meet resistance from the World Government. As for Loki, he was raised by his cruel maternal uncle. And as he grew older, he lashed out at the world that refused to love him. But no matter how much trouble he caused, he could never fill the hole in his heart. Until one faithful day, forty-eight years ago, when a certain man and his compatriots arrived in Elbaph looking for Harald, whom he had met at the Reverie eight years ago after killing a Navy Admiral before escaping. That man’s name was Rocks D. Xebec, future captain of the Rocks Pirates and father to Blackbeard!

Whaaaaaa?!?!??

Chapter 1155

Rocks had come to Elbaph looking for Harald, and he wasn’t going to leave without seeing him. So when he heard Harald was away, he told Loki to go back and message his dad saying he was badly hurt. Then, just to prove it, he hurt him!

The reason why Rocks wanted to meet Harald goes back to the Reverie of eight years ago. Rocks had attacked and killed a Navy Admiral and taken five kings hostage. Then he somehow did what no has before or since: he made it all the way to the personal flower chamber of Imu and spoke to the ruler of the world himself. After that, he left, but not before promising to be back one day.

Meanwhile, Harald had also snuck into the Reverie, only to run for it when the Celestial Dragons tried to capture him, and run into Rocks. The two’s resulting sword-clash was so powerful, everyone in the vicinity vanished! The two managed to escape, but Rocks was just getting started.

Rocks spent the next eight years going on a rampage. He stole a ship filled with tributes to the Celestial Dragons and escaped again, and destroyed one of the Gates of Justice in the process. And then, he used Davy Back fights to assemble a powerful group of followers, like Whitebeard, Shiki, Stussy, and more!

Sure enough, Harald did come home for Loki, much to his surprise. And he threw a feast for Rocks and his band. Rocks then pitched him this big plan of his to Harald: he would take control of the land known as Pirate Island, rich with veins of gold, and build a pirate’s paradise. With his own kingdom, he will bring the entire world to heel under his rule, and he wants Harald to join him. While Harald refused, Loki was enthralled by what he heard!

Four years later, Rocks would carry out his plan. He captured Pirate Island, and with his band of misbegotten followers, the Rocks Pirates were born!

Review

Wow. Just…wow. I can’t even begin to describe how epic these two chapters were. First we learn about how Loki’s childhood was even sadder than we already knew, but then everything we learned about Rocks? No wonder he was considered Roger’s greatest rival, forcing him to team up with Garp to take him down. Roger might be the OG King of the Pirates, but Rocks had that black air force energy going on for just as long!

Poor Loki

Before we get into Rocks, though, we need to talk about Loki.  Now, I have seen a lot of tragic backstories in One Piece. I even rank Kuma’s as one of the saddest backstories I’ve ever seen in Shonen manga. But in all my years of reading and watching One Piece, never have I met someone who needed a hug as badly as Loki does. Even Kuma had the luxury of loving parents for the first few years of his life. But thanks to his horrible mom, he was robbed of even that. And since everyone kept Harald in the dark about the truth, he wasn’t able to give him the love he needed in his first few months. No wonder Loki grew up to be a problem child. He was lashing out at the world that had rejected him, being the monster everyone already thought he was. But deep down, he’s a lonely young man who just wants a friend! Is it any wonder why he grew to admire someone like Rocks?

Rocks is Qualified to Be THAT GUY

Ever since we learned about Rocks D. Xebec, I have seen multiple theories about him pop up in the fandom. Some have speculated that he was not actually dead, but had somehow replaced Imu. Others guessed that Blackbeard had a connection to him, as his flagship, the Saber of Xebec, is named after him. I don’t know where I first heard the theory about Blackbeard being Rocks’ son, but I didn’t pay much attention to it at the time. I wish that I had, because this reframes a lot of what we’ve seen in One Piece.

There is still a lot about the life of Marshall D. Teach that we don’t know about, but he was apparently a part of Whitebeard’s crew for most of his life. Did Whitebeard even know that Rocks was Blackbeard’s father? If he did, then that explains why Whitebeard didn’t want Ace to go after Blackbeard. He knew firsthand just how dangerous Rocks was, and thus how his son was likely the same way. And when Ace did catch up with Blackbeard, it wound up being a repeat of history. The son of Rocks vs the son of Roger, except this time, Rocks’ bloodline won. Fate can be funny like that!

What Does Blackbeard Know?

More importantly, this raises a major question: does Blackbeard know that Rocks is his father? If he does, then that would explain why he chose to fly under the radar for all those years. He surely must have known how Rocks had tried to fight and conquer the World Government head-on, only to lose to Roger and Garp. So he chose to bide his time for decades, waiting for the right moment to make his move. And when he did, he ensured that he ultimately came out on top. He weakened the Marines and crippled the Whitebeard Pirates at Marineford, all while making his crew one of the strongest in the world. And with the recent news that Mariejois is under attack, fans have good reason to suspect that Blackbeard is the one attacking. Rocks might be long dead, but it looks as though his son intends to keep the promise he made to Imu.

I’ve been saying for a while now that I think either Blackbeard or Imu will be the final antagonists that Luffy has to face before making it to Laugh Tale. But with everything that is going on in Elbaph, and what we’ve learned about Rocks, Blackbeard might have just taken that top spot. Hopefully, this whole flashback will reveal more about Rocks. But if it doesn’t, we will undoubtedly learn more when we get into the life of Blackbeard. Either way, now is the time to lock into One Piece.

I Give “I Can’t Even Die” and “The Rocks Pirates” a 4/5 Each

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