So, in chapter 957, Sengoku says that the Rocks Pirates crew formed not out of a sense of camaraderie or friendship, but rather for a “get-rich-quick scheme.”
The idea that such powerful, volatile personalities like Kaido, Big Mom, Whitebeard, etc. had gotten together on one crew was crazy, and it got me wondering–what absolutely massive score could have managed to bring these people together?
My first thought: Ancient Weapons? But this seemed less likely the more I considered things. I don’t think Poseidon could possibly have been around yet. And Rocks D. Xebec seemed to be specifically targeting the Celestial Dragons for something they possessed, which means Pluton is out of the running as well. Uranus is a possibility, it would be something desirable to Rocks, something that the Celestial Dragons would cling to tightly if indeed they have it in their possession.
But the idea didn’t quite click for me. If Rocks’ plan was just to take Uranus and rule the world with its power, I don’t think that the members of his crew would be satisfied with that. They are all people who want power for themselves, a lot of them are conquerors. I don’t think they’d be satisfied serving some guy who’d got his hand on a powerful weapon. We don’t know much about Uranus, so this is speculation, but I never got the sense that the Ancient Weapon was something that could be properly shared among so many individuals.
So, I’m still asking myself, what could be tempting enough to bring these people together? I think the most recent chapter provides a very interesting clue. In said chapter, Big Mom says that she gave Kaido his fruit during the Rock Valley Incident.
What if the big score that Rocks was after was a Devil Fruit Tree, one that was in the possession of the Celestial Dragons?
A couple things seem to fall into place if this is the case.
POSSIBLE BLACKBEARD CREW PARALLELS
Oda has suggested that Blackbeard and Rocks are connected in some way. From the little we’ve seen of Rocks, he seems to have a similar appearance/vibe as Blackbeard, at the very least. A more direct connection would be Blackbeard naming his ship “The Saber of Xebec” and the fact that they have the same home base. Many have speculated that Blackbeard has inherited Rocks’ will in some way, maybe even his devil fruit.
