Rocks Pirates

Under the command of Rocks D. Xebec, this notorious group was reckoned the deadliest and most powerful band afloat during its heyday, holding sway over the waters before Roger's name became famous. Xebec assembled it through brute force rather than persuasion, beating strong pirates in Davy Back Fights until they served him. Those pressed into the fold included Shiki the yakuza, Ochoku who led a cult, and Buckingham Stussy the science bandit, alongside Ganzui the smuggler, the mob boss Don Marlon, and the fighter later renowned as Whitebeard. Only once Hachinosu and its gold reserves were his did Xebec name the crew officially. Their growing infamy attracted still more talent, yet the band was riven by violence and mistrust, its members willing to slay comrade and rival alike, so many assumed it would eventually tear itself apart.

Their brief but ferocious run earned the label 'Era of Rocks', and Xebec himself ranked as the earliest and most dangerous rival the future Pirate King would face. In just two years the crew racked up a savage record of raids, ships sent to the bottom, ports set ablaze, towns flattened, and a kingdom wiped out. It all collapsed at God Valley, where Xebec had secretly stowed his wife and son while disguising his true purpose as a chase after treasure and a stolen prize. The Marines, the Roger Pirates, and finally Nerona Imu were drawn into the fray, and Imu warped Xebec into a demon. Stopping him took Monkey D. Garp and Roger fighting together, after which the Knights of God executed him while the government paid the press to hand Garp all the glory.

Rocks D. Xebec captained the crew from his flagship, the Rocks' Fury. Three of those beneath him would climb to the Four Emperors: Newgate as Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin as Big Mom, and Kaidou, hailed as the world's strongest creature. After the group scattered, several others made their own names, among them Shiki, the earliest prisoner ever to escape Impel Down while still living, the captain John, and Ochoku, who ruled Hachinosu until Blackbeard seized it. Buckingham Stussy raised a son she called Edward Weevil, while the former Amazon Lily empress Gloriosa and the smuggler Ganzui also served beneath Xebec.