The Most Hated Arc in One Piece Just Became the Most Important
For over two decades, the Long Ring Long Land arc — better known as the Foxy Arc — has been the punching bag of the One Piece community. Fans called it pointless filler. Newcomers were told to skip it entirely. Even seasoned veterans cringed at the memory of Foxy the Silver Fox and his ridiculous pirate games.
Then Chapter 1155 dropped, and Eiichiro Oda did what he always does: proved that nothing in One Piece is ever wasted.
Rocks D. Xebec: The Worshipper of Davy Jones
Chapter 1155, titled “The Rocks Pirates,” continues the explosive Elbaph flashback that has been reshaping our understanding of One Piece’s history. The chapter focuses heavily on Rocks D. Xebec — the legendary pirate confirmed as Blackbeard’s father in the previous chapter — and his connection to the World Government, Imu, and the ancient pirate tradition known as the Davy Back Fight.
When Rocks stands before Imu in the Court of Flowers — becoming the first person ever to intrude into that sacred space — he doesn’t bow. He doesn’t negotiate. He declares himself “a worshipper of Davy Jones.” This single line of dialogue recontextualizes everything we thought we knew about the man, his crew, and the very foundations of pirate culture in the One Piece world.
How the Rocks Pirates Were Really Formed
For years, fans have wondered the same question: how did Rocks D. Xebec manage to unite some of the most powerful and egotistical pirates in history under one flag? We’re talking about future Emperors like Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shiki. These aren’t people who take orders. They don’t follow. They lead.
Chapter 1155 answers this mystery in the most satisfying way possible — through Davy Back Fights. The ancient pirate tradition where rival crews wager their own members in competitive battles is exactly how Xebec built his legendary crew. He didn’t charm them. He didn’t force them. He beat them, one competition at a time, claiming their loyalty as spoils of war.
This revelation also introduces several new members of the Rocks Pirates, including Don Marlon from West Blue, Ganzui the Smuggler, Wang Zhi (the future commodore of Hachinosu), and Miss Buckingham Stussy. Each was presumably won through the same brutal tradition.
Why This Changes Everything About Foxy’s Arc
Remember the Long Ring Long Land arc? Foxy challenges the Straw Hats to a Davy Back Fight, claims Chopper and Robin temporarily, and eventually loses to Luffy. At the time, it felt like a detour — a quirky, low-stakes adventure that had nothing to do with the larger story.
Now imagine re-reading that arc knowing what we know. The Davy Back Fight isn’t some silly game invented for comic relief. It’s the very mechanism that built the most dangerous pirate crew in history. The same tradition that Foxy used to steal Chopper is the tradition Rocks used to recruit Whitebeard. The stakes suddenly feel very, very different.
This is classic Oda. He introduced a seemingly insignificant concept hundreds of chapters ago, let the fandom dismiss it, and then pulled it back into the spotlight at the most critical moment. It’s the same thing he did with Gear 5 and the Skypiea arc — callbacks that reward patient readers and punish those who called certain arcs “filler.”
The Blackbeard Connection Deepens
The parallels between Rocks D. Xebec and his son Marshall D. Teach (Blackbeard) grow more striking with each chapter. Both are bearers of the Will of D. Both are brutally reckless, laughing as they charge headfirst into impossible situations. Both have a talent for gathering powerful allies through unconventional means.
If Rocks built his crew through Davy Back Fights, what does that mean for Blackbeard? Could the final battle between Luffy and the Blackbeard Pirates be structured as a Davy Back Fight? It would be the ultimate full-circle moment — the Straw Hats facing the heir to Xebec’s legacy using the same ancient pirate tradition that started it all.
Luffy already has experience with the format. He beat Foxy. He knows the rules. And if there’s anyone in the One Piece world who would embrace the chaotic spirit of a Davy Back Fight against Blackbeard, it’s Monkey D. Luffy.
Nothing in One Piece Is Ever Wasted
Chapter 1155 is a love letter to long-time readers. It’s Oda’s way of saying: “I told you to pay attention. I told you everything mattered.”
The Davy Back Fight, the Will of D., the Long Ring Long Land arc — threads that seemed disconnected for decades are now weaving together into the tapestry of the Final Saga. As One Piece hurtles toward its conclusion, these revelations remind us why the series has endured for over 25 years.
Every chapter matters. Every arc matters. Every silly pirate game matters.
So the next time someone tells you to skip the Foxy Arc, show them Chapter 1155. Then watch their face as they realize they’ve been wrong all along.
What do you think — will the final battle between Luffy and Blackbeard be a Davy Back Fight? Drop your theories in the comments below!
