After endlessly teasing fans for years on end, One Piece has finally revealed the Rocks Pirates in all their glory, including their enigmatic captain, Rocks D. Xebec himself. Unexpectedly enough, Rocks was revealed to be Blackbeard’s father, opening up a whole new trove of possibilities and theories about the two. Most importantly, however, fans were finally able to put names to many of the unnamed faces fans first caught a glimpse of back during the Egghead Arc’s God Valley flashback.
That said, along with confirming the names and identities of many of the Rocks Pirates, Chapters 1155 and 1156 of One Piece have also proven that the series actually introduced fans to multiple members of this legendary pirate crew 18 years ago, but no one knew it at the time. The crewmates in question include Pirate Smuggler Ganzui, a Cat-Fishman named Barbell, Captain John, and even Gill Bastar, the protagonist of Oda’s debut one-shot manga, Wanted! Each of these Rocks Pirates actually made their debut in One Piece as Moria’s General Zombies during the Thriller Bark Arc, specifically in Chapter 450, which was released in April 2007, well over 18 years ago.
One Piece’s Thriller Bark Arc Introduced the Rocks Pirates as Zombies
Ever since Chapter 957 confirmed Captain John was a member of Rocks’ crew, fans were quick to theorize about whether the rest of the General Zombies could also be former members of the fearsome crew, and the God Valley flashback in Chapter 1096 further fueled these speculations. From the latest chapters, it seems clear that Ganzui was most definitely Zombie No. 889, as both in zombie form and in the flashbacks, he sports the same armor and long flowing goatee.
In the SBS of Volume 112 of One Piece, Oda directly confirms the identity of yet another Rocks Pirates, revealing that the General Zombie wielding multiple guns and the Rocks Pirate with the sunglasses and multiple arms seen at God Valley in Chapter 1096 are indeed one and the same. While he has yet to make an appearance in the current flashback, this mystery man has been confirmed to be Gill Bastar from Wanted! though he may still be properly introduced in the upcoming chapters.
Barbell also bears a striking resemblance to one of the General Zombies wearing a face guard and spikes around his neck, though there’s not much concrete proof beyond the physical resemblance. This leaves only the General Zombie with full head-to-toe armour and long claw-like blades, who also appears in Chapter 1096. It’s unclear which of the Rocks Pirates this zombie’s corpse could belong to, though Kyo, otherwise known as Silver Axe, is a strong possibility, as he is seen wearing a cape similar to the one sported by the mystery zombie. That said, it is possible that, much like Gill Bastar, this is simply a crewmate that fans have yet to meet.
One Piece’s New Reveal Completely Recontextualizes the Thriller Bark Arc
Overall, this revelation might just change the way fans see the Thriller Bark Arc forever. It’s crazy to think that the Straw Hats met and defeated these once legendary figures before the time skip, even if they were a fraction of their former selves. The Thriller Bark Arc was, for the most part, a lighthearted adventure, known for being one of the funniest arcs of One Piece. But, now it seems like the Thriller Bark Arc could be one of the most consequential stops in the Straw Hats’ journey, as the new reveal also lends further credence to the popular theory that Thriller Bark could actually be the remnants of God Valley itself.
Given that Sengoku first introduced the Rocks Pirates in Chapter 957, which was released almost six years ago, having many of the crewmates turn out to be the General Zombies from Thriller Bark is almost surely a retcon on Oda’s part. That said, the connection itself makes a lot of sense, given that Moria began building his zombie army after being defeated by Kaido, and what better way to re-challenge him than with his former crewmates. Nonetheless, if One Piece’s Thriller Bark Arc wasn’t amazing enough already, this new reveal makes it even more worth a rewatch.
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