So, it turns out that even One Piece can have its fair share of secrets. But usually, they do get revealed over time. However, what about who killed Rocks D. Xebec a.k.a the most fearsome pirate that even Gol D. Roger had a hard time keeping up with? Well, that’s one of the few deaths that was never fully explained by One Piece’s lore. 

See, while we know that Rocks D. Xebec met his match in Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp, we don’t know what happened after he was defeated by their combined might. His death was confirmed by Sengoku, a former fleet Admiral with the Marines. But we never learn why. Was it because he succumbed to possible injuries during the fight at Gods Valley? Or something else entirely? 

Well, some fans believe in an even crazier theory: That Rocks D. Xebec never died in the first place. However, that is harder to accept. I mean, he’s been gone from the picture for so long that bringing him back would feel unnecessary. No, Rocks D. Xebec is probably dead, but who killed him? Now that’s the real question that we’ll be exploring in another round of Lore Analysis!

Rocks D. Xebec: A Force Of Nature?

I mean, there is no other way to put it: Rocks D. Xebec was stronger than Gol D. Roger. No, I’m not just being delusional here. See, before Gol D. Roger earned his title of the Pirate King and being the one to rule the seas, it was actually Rocks D. Xebec that ran the show. Albeit he was more feared than respected.

The thing was that the Rocks Pirate Crew was infamous for being the cruelest and strongest around. And with Rocks D. Xebec at the helm as captain, they were notorious amongst Pirates and Nobles alike for being violent terrorists that would decimate anyone that came in their way. Rocks D. Xebec wanted to be the ‘King Of The World’, and no one would stop him from achieving this goal. 

This notoriety wasn’t unearned though. He truly was the strongest Pirate of his generation, with a crew that was made up of future leaders of the Pirate World like Whitebeard, Kaidou Of The Beast Pirates and even Big Momma. Rocks D. Xebec was big on strength and being a hot head, so the crew was constantly fighting amongst themselves. But the fear of Rocks D. Xebec permeated through the world, where not even the World Government could do anything about him.

Was Rocks D. Xebec Killed? Or Is He Just Dead?

So, how do you get rid of a problem as powerful as Rocks D. Xebec? Usually, megalomaniacs lead themselves to their own death. And that’s what happened here. Well, sort of. It all came down to the Gods Valley Incident, a major battle which was probably one of the only times that the Pirates and the World Government had ever joined forces against a common enemy.

See, for some reason, Rocks D. Xebec thought it was a great idea to go to Gods Valley and attack the Celestial Dragons and make them his slaves. But the rest of the world was not having that. Gol D. Roger already had Rocks D. Xebec on his hit list, so he led the Roger Pirates to Gods Valley as well, where he joined forces with the Admiral Fleet, which included Monkey D. Garp a.k.a Luffy’s grandfather.

Of course, fighting Rocks D. Xebec is a feat unto itself. Defeating him one on one? That’s near impossible. Because yes, he was that strong. And while Gol D. Roger was trying to hold his own against him, it wasn’t enough to defeat him. Not until Monkey D. Garp stepped up to fight alongside him. And it was only then that Rocks D. Xebec was taken down, and his reign of terror ended. 

However, from there on out, we don’t really know where Rocks D. Xebec ended up. We know he was probably taken in by the Marines considering Sengoku knew about him. It’s he who implied that Rocks D. Xebec had died. Maybe he died in captivity, disgraced when the Rocks Pirate Crew dissolved. But we don’t know the exact cause of death here. 

And I think that’s the issue. Rocks D. Xebec was so notorious in his power that it’s hard to imagine who could’ve gotten one up on him. And because we don’t know whether he simply died of old age or was killed, it will remain a mystery.

Unless One Piece decides to let us know he’s actually still alive and part of some great conspiracy, of course. Perhaps sometime soon?