The recent panel of Rocks D. Xebec in Chapter 1001 got me thinking about how similar he and Monkey D. Dragon are so far in appearance and role.
Before I just start speculating and writing fanfic, I want to go over the actual similarities. Dragon and Xebec both have spiky slicked back hair, a similar face shape with big forehead, and they like big coats with collars. Without a close look at Xebec’s face, the only thing really differentiating them is hair texture.
They both directly oppose(d) the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Roger and Garp teamed up “to protect the Celestial Dragons and their slaves”, so Rocks was directly assaulting God Valley in much the same way Dragon plotted to assault Mary Geoise and declare war on the Celestial Dragons at the Reverie.
They share very similar methods, with only their final goal being different. Rocks wanted to destroy them to take their place, Dragon wants to destroy them and the ruling system along with them.
Rocks was the most dangerous criminal of his age as a pirate and Dragon is “The World’s Worst Criminal” of this age.
Still, what if Dragon is actually Xebec’s son? Follow me while I really think this out like a crazy person as much as I can. He would have been 17 at God Valley, the same age as Luffy when he started his adventure. Dragon as a former marine was a theory I saw kicking around a while ago, with Garp adopting Dragon and taking him under his wing the way Koby and Helmeppo were trained, but I don’t think that’s it. The Marines would have never let him join, if he really were Xebec’s son. The admirals would never allow it, much less the Gorosei in charge. But what if he just married Garp’s daughter?
I just discovered a theory from 2017, a prediction that Dragon was actually Garp’s son in law, because Garp allegedly never directly refers to Dragon as his son, calling Luffy “The child of my child” (not son of my son, specific wording is used) or only calling Dragon “Luffy’s father”.
Plus Dragon doesn’t look anything like Garp in fact Garp as a kid resembles Luffy.
The daughter of a famous marine hero is definitely of higher social status than the son of the worst criminal in the world. Dragon probably joined the Marines at some point (hiding his full name of course), likely after the death of Xebec, and trained under Garp, the man who helped take down his father. Dragon became close to his master, fell in love with his master’s daughter and took their name, rejecting his father’s.
Something later must have happened to cause Dragon to revolt against the World Government, mirroring Xebec, though his cause is more righteous.
Both Rocks D. Xebec AND Monkey D. Garp are Luffy’s grandfathers.
Maybe this is the real ultimate secret of why Woop Slap is the only person who gets upset at Luffy’s increasing bounty and infamy, why he never wanted Luffy to become a pirate in the first place, why he specifically flips out when Luffy makes an enemy of the World Government. He knows about Garp, Dragon, Luffy, Dadan, Makino, Shanks, Ace, Roger, and all the history between them. Somehow. Maybe he’s just one of the only people who knows enough about the world to see the second rise of Rocks from a different angle.
Why might it be Luffy’s “Fate” to become a pirate?
Woop Slap asks this question which has always stuck in my mind and has only gotten more mysterious since. Luffy’s father is a Revolutionary. His grandfather is a Marine Hero. Luffy shares Roger’s will, but no one knew this at the time, and the dream he shared with Roger is something only he himself, Sabo, and Ace knew. Nothing about Luffy’s life or past would indicate that Luffy might become a pirate at all, save for Shanks being his friend. But why would something as small as that make it fate? What could possibly make Woop Slap concerned about Luffy’s future as a pirate if no one in his entire family is a pirate?
Well, if Luffy is Dragon’s real son, but Dragon isn’t actually Garp’s son but Xebec’s, this might be why Woop was so against Luffy being a pirate in the first place and thought he’d bring shame to Foosha Village. If Luffy’s grandfather was Rocks D. Xebec, the most fearsome pirate in the world, someone so evil that he had to be wiped from history with only a few people from the older generation even knowing his name, then it makes perfect sense why Woop Slap is the only one getting upset every time his bounty rises, every time his name gets more infamous, every time he becomes more of an enemy of the World Government.
It would also add yet another parallel to the growing mirror match conflict with Blackbeard, as Teach is clearly the one inheriting Xebec’s will, not Luffy, even if Luffy may have inherited his blood.
*Theory by ArturCantSpeakJapanese
