Questions & Mysteries Is Rocks actually evil?

[soupongo]

So, in this chapter we get our first action from Rocks aside from him attacking God Valley. And he stabbed a kid...........

And while this would obviously be a big deal irl, does this actually make him evil in the OP verse? Loki is first of all a giant, from a culture where nothing is more glorified then war and violence, and he even challenged Rocks to a fight because he wouldn't let him join his crew. So Rocks put him in his place, it would take a loss to show him he's too young for the pirate world. Unlike the puny human MC who fell for Shanks's "Muh arm" excuse, a mighty giant wouldn't listen to mere words. While WB did criticize Rocks doing the stabbing, Loki survived, and decades later he still admires and respects Rocks. Sure, it would be one thing if Rocks actually murdered some kid, but in OP, beating someone up and even stabbing them isnt THAT big of a deal.

Overall, we know that Rocks had the goal of challenging the WG, and eventually becoming the king of the world himself. We also know his crew had a token good guy like WB, but mostly villains like Kaido, Big Mom and Shiki(?). However, I think there's a fair question if those characters were evil when they were on Rocks's crew, or they only became evil after the defeat at God Valley making them cynical and bitter.

Some of the other arguments people make is that Blackbeard is inspired by him, but I think this argument falls flat, because all pirates are inspired by successful pirates. In fact, almost all pirate villains in OP look up to Roger and want to be a PK like him. Even Crocodile in a cover story was shown dressing up as Roger, and he also attended his execution.

Blackbeard could just respect the power, money and influence Rocks was able to attain. Another argument people make is that Garp and Roger teamed up against him, but I think its worth remembering that Garp doesn't really like talking about God valley, implying that all these years later, he's not really proud of his actions against Rocks.
So currently, I think it could go either way.

 

[MonochromeYoru]

oda won't ever make his MCs goal and grandpa evil. So rocks will have to be evil. I don't know how he's gonna justify roger and garp protecting the celestial dragons tho.

 

[NikaInParis]

I can see him having a line of good in him. Maybe even his intentions being pure but him opting for the more evil of two choices every time because it would bring him closer to his goal - something he considers good in the grand scheme.

It's all down to Oda. Hell, Big Mom's dream was very pure and thoughtful - bring all the races together and sit at the same table. Childish but pure. Her road to achieving it was evil tho. Maybe Rocks started out the same, minus the brain damage and being-a-woman-in-OP

 

[Luffy is the mc]

He did bad things but not necessarily for evil reasons.

 

[Kizaruber Eats]

I can see him having a line of good in him. Maybe even his intentions being pure but him opting for the more evil of two choices every time because it would bring him closer to his goal - something he considers good in the grand scheme.

Sounds like a sort of evil version of Luffy as I've seen people compare him to, especially with his build and the way he spoke to Whitebeard and such. Maybe Xebec could be an example of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" then?

It's all down to Oda. Hell, Big Mom's dream was very pure and thoughtful - bring all the races together and sit at the same table. Childish but pure. Her road to achieving it was evil tho. Maybe Rocks started out the same, minus the brain damage and being-a-woman-in-OP

Yeah, Streusen corrupted her a lot, she's initially a victim of abandonment, rejection and her eating/mental disorders but Streusen is the one who groomed and manipulated her from childhood and thus influenced her a lot ofc. He took her in when she had nobody else again and was once again abandoned by the people she loved and needed.

I hope we learn more about her parents and how she born so abnormally, I still insisit she was a victim of experimentation and hence why she's so similar to the Punk Hazard kids in that regard AND it would have tied into why Bonney is so similar to her with her design, ship, appetite and such, but oh well....thanks Oda.


Okay, so, I've been really wanting a villain with that Luffy-level crazy drive, you know? Like, totally focused on their dreams, no outside junk messing them up.

Blackbeard feels like he fits that, especially with that whole Luffy meeting and the Xebec connection. And that chapter 1145 stuff about Xebec? It makes you wonder if Blackbeard's just carrying on a super messed-up legacy, but maybe with his own twist.

But, here's the thing, I think Blackbeard's more complicated than just Xebec 2.0. He's like, a dark Luffy. He's got that same unwavering drive, but pointed in a completely different direction.

It's like... you know, how Shigaraki is kinda like a dark Deku, with AFO and All Might as their respective 'influences'? Or even Naruto, Sasuke, and Obito, with Jiraiya/Kakashi versus Orochimaru/Madara? It's that same kinda dynamic.

He's got moments where he's, like, not completely evil. Remember that whole thing with Boa Hancock? He made a deal, didn't just go all-out destructive. And he really seems to care about his crew. Even when he fought Ace, you could tell he valued them, making sure they were out of harms way as much as possible, while still trying to achieve his goals. He has a way of balancing his ambition, and his crews well being.

He's got moments where he's, like, kinda pragmatic, even? Like, he negotiates and cares about his crew, which makes you think he's not just pure chaos. Maybe he's a tragic figure, like Big Mom? And Akainu... maybe? Though, he's so hardcore, it's hard to see him as a victim, more like the system's messed-up product.

I'm thinking these guys might be victims of, like, the world itself. Like, they got groomed by corrupt people or the whole system just warped their drives.

But then again, there's Imu. Maybe Imu is that one bad guy, the one actually pulling all the strings and influencing everything? Maybe the world is just a reflection of Imu’s will, and everyone is a victim of that.

And then you think, what if Imu himself got corrupted? Like, what if humanity, or other races, did the same thing to Imu as they did to the Dark Dragons in Dragon Ball GT, or Sensui in Yu Yu Hakusho? What if Imu started off with pure intentions, but the weight of the world, or the actions of humanity, twisted them into what they are now? It's not necessarily one bad guy pulling the strings, but the whole world, or even time itself, being messed up. Does that make sense? This could also be what Akainu's backstory is too.

I'm still not sure how much 'good' Blackbeard has, but it feels like the world twists people, just like it did with Big Mom. Like, is the world itself the real bad guy, messing with everyone's dreams, or is it Imu, or something else entirely?

And you know, that Sensui comparison? It kinda fits Akainu, Xebec, and even Blackbeard. Sensui started out with pure justice, but the world twisted him. Akainu's 'absolute justice' could be the same thing, a reaction to the world's horrors. Xebec's pure ambition might've been corrupted by chaos. And Blackbeard, carrying on Xebec's will, could be following a path of twisted ideals. It's like they all share a potential descent from purity, driven by disillusionment and the world's darkness."

 

[soupongo]

oda won't ever make his MCs goal and grandpa evil. So rocks will have to be evil. I don't know how he's gonna justify roger and garp protecting the celestial dragons tho.

Are they evil for fighting Rocks if they regret it and don't talk about it though? We all know how Roger and Garp are like Luffy, and Luffy will get involved in fights for pretty minor reasons.

 

[Kurozumi Wiwi]

I think he had a bad personality but his goal in itself wasn't evil.
I don't see Whitebeard being under someone that is pure evil

 

[Buusatan94]

Are they evil for fighting Rocks if they regret it and don't talk about it though? We all know how Roger and Garp are like Luffy, and Luffy will get involved in fights for pretty minor reasons.

As far as we know Roger hasn't shown regret for his actions during his life, and he has his own list of crimes, while Garp is far from a heroic person either with his own fair share of dirt. Maybe Xebec was indeed worse than them but helping the Celestial Dragons wasn't a good look for either of them.

 

[soupongo]

Sounds like a sort of evil version of Luffy as I've seen people compare him to, especially with his build and the way he spoke to Whitebeard and such. Maybe Xebec could be an example of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" then?



Yeah, Streusen corrupted her a lot, she's initially a victim of abandonment, rejection and her eating/mental disorders but Streusen is the one who groomed and manipulated her from childhood and thus influenced her a lot ofc. He took her in when she had nobody else again and was once again abandoned by the people she loved and needed.

I hope we learn more about her parents and how she born so abnormally, I still insisit she was a victim of experimentation and hence why she's so similar to the Punk Hazard kids in that regard AND it would have tied into why Bonney is so similar to her with her design, ship, appetite and such, but oh well....thanks Oda.


Okay, so, I've been really wanting a villain with that Luffy-level crazy drive, you know? Like, totally focused on their dreams, no outside junk messing them up.

Blackbeard feels like he fits that, especially with that whole Luffy meeting and the Xebec connection. And that chapter 1145 stuff about Xebec? It makes you wonder if Blackbeard's just carrying on a super messed-up legacy, but maybe with his own twist.

But, here's the thing, I think Blackbeard's more complicated than just Xebec 2.0. He's like, a dark Luffy. He's got that same unwavering drive, but pointed in a completely different direction.

It's like... you know, how Shigaraki is kinda like a dark Deku, with AFO and All Might as their respective 'influences'? Or even Naruto, Sasuke, and Obito, with Jiraiya/Kakashi versus Orochimaru/Madara? It's that same kinda dynamic.

He's got moments where he's, like, not completely evil. Remember that whole thing with Boa Hancock? He made a deal, didn't just go all-out destructive. And he really seems to care about his crew. Even when he fought Ace, you could tell he valued them, making sure they were out of harms way as much as possible, while still trying to achieve his goals. He has a way of balancing his ambition, and his crews well being.

He's got moments where he's, like, kinda pragmatic, even? Like, he negotiates and cares about his crew, which makes you think he's not just pure chaos. Maybe he's a tragic figure, like Big Mom? And Akainu... maybe? Though, he's so hardcore, it's hard to see him as a victim, more like the system's messed-up product.

I'm thinking these guys might be victims of, like, the world itself. Like, they got groomed by corrupt people or the whole system just warped their drives.

But then again, there's Imu. Maybe Imu is that one bad guy, the one actually pulling all the strings and influencing everything? Maybe the world is just a reflection of Imu’s will, and everyone is a victim of that.

And then you think, what if Imu himself got corrupted? Like, what if humanity, or other races, did the same thing to Imu as they did to the Dark Dragons in Dragon Ball GT, or Sensui in Yu Yu Hakusho? What if Imu started off with pure intentions, but the weight of the world, or the actions of humanity, twisted them into what they are now? It's not necessarily one bad guy pulling the strings, but the whole world, or even time itself, being messed up. Does that make sense? This could also be what Akainu's backstory is too.

I'm still not sure how much 'good' Blackbeard has, but it feels like the world twists people, just like it did with Big Mom. Like, is the world itself the real bad guy, messing with everyone's dreams, or is it Imu, or something else entirely?

And you know, that Sensui comparison? It kinda fits Akainu, Xebec, and even Blackbeard. Sensui started out with pure justice, but the world twisted him. Akainu's 'absolute justice' could be the same thing, a reaction to the world's horrors. Xebec's pure ambition might've been corrupted by chaos. And Blackbeard, carrying on Xebec's will, could be following a path of twisted ideals. It's like they all share a potential descent from purity, driven by disillusionment and the world's darkness."

Blackbeard is similar to Luffy. People always miss the point of the scene in Jaya where they almost fight eachother over food preferences, but the point is they're the same type of idiot. A true opposite of Luffy in that arc was Bellamy, not Blackbeard. We see the same kind of in Impel down. He said Luffy could save Ace if he wanted too, he didn't believe anything was impossible. He is clearly pretty evil though, due to placing his ambition over casualties, however compared to a lot of OP villains, who do genocides pretty casually, I never really saw Blackbeard that way. He isn't really like a brutal oppressor( as far as we know, I don't know if he actually rules harshly since we have only seen pirate island under him) but more so the ultimate opportunist.

Imu is an odd case for sure. He's obviously the most evil character in OP rn probably, but vegapunk kind of refused to call his side evil in the void century. Some people kind of argue that the ancient kingdom or Joyboy were originally a bigger threat to the world, and the WG became evil only later on. Tbh I'm pretty skeptical and it does seem like the ancient kingdom will be wholesome chungus land, but who knows I guess.

And yeah, but Blackbeard and Akainu were shown pretty depressed as kids, both probably losing their parents to random piracy, with maybe Blackbeard taking the message that only pirates can have their way in this world, while Akainu took the opposite message, that pirates had to be destroyed no matter what.

 

[Buusatan94]

Oda has spent so much time and efforts portraying the Celestial Dragons and Gorosei as the worst evil that it's very difficult to imagine Xebec to be as bad or worse than them, and that Roger and Garp associating themselves with them even just once wasn't good for them.

 

[NikaInParis]

Sounds like a sort of evil version of Luffy as I've seen people compare him to, especially with his build and the way he spoke to Whitebeard and such. Maybe Xebec could be an example of "The road to hell is paved with good intentions" then?



Yeah, Streusen corrupted her a lot, she's initially a victim of abandonment, rejection and her eating/mental disorders but Streusen is the one who groomed and manipulated her from childhood and thus influenced her a lot ofc. He took her in when she had nobody else again and was once again abandoned by the people she loved and needed.

I hope we learn more about her parents and how she born so abnormally, I still insisit she was a victim of experimentation and hence why she's so similar to the Punk Hazard kids in that regard AND it would have tied into why Bonney is so similar to her with her design, ship, appetite and such, but oh well....thanks Oda.


Okay, so, I've been really wanting a villain with that Luffy-level crazy drive, you know? Like, totally focused on their dreams, no outside junk messing them up.

Blackbeard feels like he fits that, especially with that whole Luffy meeting and the Xebec connection. And that chapter 1145 stuff about Xebec? It makes you wonder if Blackbeard's just carrying on a super messed-up legacy, but maybe with his own twist.

But, here's the thing, I think Blackbeard's more complicated than just Xebec 2.0. He's like, a dark Luffy. He's got that same unwavering drive, but pointed in a completely different direction.

It's like... you know, how Shigaraki is kinda like a dark Deku, with AFO and All Might as their respective 'influences'? Or even Naruto, Sasuke, and Obito, with Jiraiya/Kakashi versus Orochimaru/Madara? It's that same kinda dynamic.

He's got moments where he's, like, not completely evil. Remember that whole thing with Boa Hancock? He made a deal, didn't just go all-out destructive. And he really seems to care about his crew. Even when he fought Ace, you could tell he valued them, making sure they were out of harms way as much as possible, while still trying to achieve his goals. He has a way of balancing his ambition, and his crews well being.

He's got moments where he's, like, kinda pragmatic, even? Like, he negotiates and cares about his crew, which makes you think he's not just pure chaos. Maybe he's a tragic figure, like Big Mom? And Akainu... maybe? Though, he's so hardcore, it's hard to see him as a victim, more like the system's messed-up product.

I'm thinking these guys might be victims of, like, the world itself. Like, they got groomed by corrupt people or the whole system just warped their drives.

But then again, there's Imu. Maybe Imu is that one bad guy, the one actually pulling all the strings and influencing everything? Maybe the world is just a reflection of Imu’s will, and everyone is a victim of that.

And then you think, what if Imu himself got corrupted? Like, what if humanity, or other races, did the same thing to Imu as they did to the Dark Dragons in Dragon Ball GT, or Sensui in Yu Yu Hakusho? What if Imu started off with pure intentions, but the weight of the world, or the actions of humanity, twisted them into what they are now? It's not necessarily one bad guy pulling the strings, but the whole world, or even time itself, being messed up. Does that make sense? This could also be what Akainu's backstory is too.

I'm still not sure how much 'good' Blackbeard has, but it feels like the world twists people, just like it did with Big Mom. Like, is the world itself the real bad guy, messing with everyone's dreams, or is it Imu, or something else entirely?

And you know, that Sensui comparison? It kinda fits Akainu, Xebec, and even Blackbeard. Sensui started out with pure justice, but the world twisted him. Akainu's 'absolute justice' could be the same thing, a reaction to the world's horrors. Xebec's pure ambition might've been corrupted by chaos. And Blackbeard, carrying on Xebec's will, could be following a path of twisted ideals. It's like they all share a potential descent from purity, driven by disillusionment and the world's darkness."

This is just my opinion but I think Blackbeard is more of an anti-Luffy than Xebec BUT Xebec could turn out the same way once we learn more about him.

Blackbeard even has the same portrayal by Oda where he is constantly the butt of jokes and gets his fair share of beatdowns while still being a clear front runner for the top prize.

And his drive for the goal is unquestionable.

Xebec way maybe a 1:1 copy of this, or maybe he wasn't the punching bag Luffy and BB are. Nor did he have clownish moments. Idk I'm excited to see more of him but I also don't want to know all about him lol

 

[Kizaruber Eats]

Blackbeard is similar to Luffy. People always miss the point of the scene in Jaya where they almost fight eachother over food preferences, but the point is they're the same type of idiot. A true opposite of Luffy in that arc was Bellamy, not Blackbeard. We see the same kind of in Impel down. He said Luffy could save Ace if he wanted too, he didn't believe anything was impossible. He is clearly pretty evil though, due to placing his ambition over casualties, however compared to a lot of OP villains, who do genocides pretty casually, I never really saw Blackbeard that way. He isn't really like a brutal oppressor( as far as we know, I don't know if he actually rules harshly since we have only seen pirate island under him) but more so the ultimate opportunist.

Imu is an odd case for sure. He's obviously the most evil character in OP rn probably, but vegapunk kind of refused to call his side evil in the void century. Some people kind of argue that the ancient kingdom or Joyboy were originally a bigger threat to the world, and the WG became evil only later on. Tbh I'm pretty skeptical and it does seem like the ancient kingdom will be wholesome chungus land, but who knows I guess.

And yeah, but Blackbeard and Akainu were shown pretty depressed as kids, both probably losing their parents to random piracy, with maybe Blackbeard taking the message that only pirates can have their way in this world, while Akainu took the opposite message, that pirates had to be destroyed no matter what.

Thats a great point, I was meant to mention the whole cherry pies comparison but I kept editing and rewriting my post over and over and then ended up leaving it out as I got carried away. Oda really setup that perfect foil with Blackbeard and Luffy in that arc and it still stands out wonderfully, immensely to this day as one of the best moments in the series and most important too.

Hmm true, yeah I suppose you're right about Bellamy too, Oda really seemed to try to emphasise that when they reunited in Dressrosa and had that all out, serious fight that actually challenged Luffy and made him take Bellamy more seriously but also pity him too. And then Bellamy ended up becoming a sort of reluctant ally at least in the end and he has part of Luffy's vivre card or something which is really interesting, for all people to get a piece of it and he got one? That's gonna have some big payoff sooner or later I'm sure.

Yeah thats the best way to put it, you've worded it much better. Blackbeard is more about extreme freedom and thus being free to chase your dreams, even at the expense of other people but he respects other people's dreams and encourages them to chase them and never give them up on it? He might even have a Roger style moment of reigniting the pirate age and firing people up to chase their dreams but in a more machiavellian intention kind of way somehow? That's what I feel he was trying to do with Pirate Island and his talk of everyone having their own agendas in the crew but they still work together too.

Ultimate opportunist is the best way to describe it and totally would be his title if he was a victim er I mean "player" or "contestant" in Danganronpa haha.

Yeah that was really odd, that really bothered me a lot about how Vegapunk spoke about Imu but I suppose given his role, Vegapunk is more of a "true neutral" or at least chaotic to lawful neutral when he feels like it and hence why he split his personality up into 6 satellites to reference the different layers of his own psyche, morality, personality and whatever ofc?

I think the situation with Skypeia will be a great reflection of what the world was like back then and Imu and Enel will be parallels of each other, like how Oda tried to depict with Doffy and Imu and we know Doffy is a product of how fucked up the world is but he was also "born evil" too. So like gasoline to the fire I guess? I can imagine the world was way more extreme but also nuanced back then, a VERY different set of conflicts and moralities potentially, maybe a lot more lawlessness, more opportunism and thus why Imu ended up rising to power as a "great necessity" to counteract that?

I do hope the AK isnt that generic wholesome chungus land as you said, the reddit kingdom even lmao but as long as they're extremely shallowly written ofc and idealy have some nuance to them, I'd be happy with that, give them a little shading at least so to speak.

Oda has tried to show the world can be pretty grey just like IRL ofc and thus people are more complex than we think and even simpler people can have more complex motivations/nuances/ambitions and such beneath what appears a veneer or w/e.

That's an excellent point about Akainu and Blackbeard too, I hadn't considered that but its like 2 sides of the same coin maybe or how we can react differently to tragedy and pain for example or even that meme of "there are 2 wolves inside you and who you are is the one you choose to feed" or w/e.

That makes Akainu confront Blackbeard over Bonney more interesting too and I wonder if it was Saturn who sent Akainu after Bonney now to think of it or even the Figarlands demanding it or whoever her Celestial Detestable father is?

I always found it annoying they didn't go after Blackbeard like they did with Luffy and tried to take him down, considering what he did in Impel Down and especially in Marineford and the whole stealing devil fruits and eating and using 2 of them, which is meant to be IMPOSSIBLE and FATAL and how he ravaged Marineford just as much as Whitebeard did instantly!

But now he did force the Marines hand with capturing Koby, even though it was Sword who went after him on their own volition really ofc.

God I wanted to see Kizaru vs Blackbeard and thus Blackbeard vs Saturn too at Egghead, what a letdown man. Or at least Lafitte and maybe another BBP there or even Kuzan too.

Post automatically merged: Apr 4, 2025

This is just my opinion but I think Blackbeard is more of an anti-Luffy than Xebec BUT Xebec could turn out the same way once we learn more about him.

Blackbeard even has the same portrayal by Oda where he is constantly the butt of jokes and gets his fair share of beatdowns while still being a clear front runner for the top prize.

And his drive for the goal is unquestionable.

Xebec way maybe a 1:1 copy of this, or maybe he wasn't the punching bag Luffy and BB are. Nor did he have clownish moments. Idk I'm excited to see more of him but I also don't want to know all about him lol

Aye I agree, I've seen some people comparing Luffy to Xebec but I still feel Blackbeard is more the Anti-Luffy than Xebec so far.

Yeah thats true, its kinda like Buggy too to think of it, funnily enough, with Blackbeard I mean. Both Luffy and Blackbeard have that Saiyan/Shonen MC style relentless drive and ambition and its what makes them so successful and interesting too. Even Buggy has it of all people too and its why I like him a lot too.

Yeah, Xebec is definitely more grounded/mature and thus serious than them ofc, I don't want him to become goofier and another Luffy potentially like Roger has and even Joyboy seems like he could just be a more mature version of Luffy potentially but I expected that too.

It would be cool if Xebec was more similar to Kaido's mentality too somewhat and Crocodile or something. But Oda really knows how to write compelling characters when he wants to, so I'll have faith he will deliver with Xebec and hopefully doesn't fuck him up, sigh lol. *glares at some certain other characters.*

 

[MonsterKaido]

Good intentions but wrong way of going around it probably.

 

[Rej]

He inspired Loki and Teach...so he can't be a bad person tbh.

 

[kumae]

Just asking but wanting to become king of the world means evil ambitions

 

[AER15]

Less evil than some of Luffy's allies like Bartolomeo or Cavendish

 

[Rej]

Just asking but wanting to become king of the world means evil ambitions

He just wants the world to be a safe place for him and his nakama. There is nothing evil about it imho.

 

[a_fan]

Giving CD hell is a good person in my eyes. I won’t trust a word from a WG propaganda mouthpiece (Sengoku).

Also, it’s interesting to see that Big Mom, Whitebeard and Kaido all share the same family values hmmmm…

 

[Roo]

you’d think the guy who also went after innocent slaves would be evil wouldn’t you

 

[Kiri]

oda won't ever make his MCs goal and grandpa evil. So rocks will have to be evil. I don't know how he's gonna justify roger and garp protecting the celestial dragons tho.

Xebec was such a threat that Roger had to team with celestials and marines just to take him down

It's really that simple