I think he is alive, a man like that being done in by some fade to black blood splatter scene, basically just not seeing him die is crazy to me. I like to think his fishman Barbell saved him and took that fmi poneglyph for him. Genuinely I think Rocks could be the man marked by flames we’ve had crazier things happen. Every legend that has died has gone out in legendary fashion, I get his info is erased and history is supposed to forget him but i’m ngl the domi reversi being beat out of him just for Garling to cherry pick the kill doesn’t sit right with me. Also is it not strange how Rayleigh just declares him dead despite collecting Roger and fleeing before the knights even showed up? I sense a lot of ambiguity surrounding this event.