The Captain of the legendary Rocks Pirates, Rocks D. Xebec is one of the most iconic characters in the entire One Piece series. About 38 years ago prior to the current events of the story, the age belonged to none other than Rocks. He set his base at Beehive Island and thanks to his insane power, strong pirates were drawn to him.
With the aim of becoming the King of the World, Xebec set out to sea to conquer everything but was stopped by an unforeseen alliance between Marines and Pirates. Here are 5 characters that can defeat Rocks D. Xebec and 5 that can't.
10 Can Defeat: Gol D. Roger
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger is unarguably one of the strongest characters in the series. 38 years ago, he teamed up with a certain Marine to defeat Rocks. Although he needed assistance to win against Rocks, Roger had ample time to grow stronger after that, since he became the Pirate King over a decade after beating him.
Roger conquered the sea much later and became far stronger than he was in the past, and as such, by the time he became the Pirate King, he would've been around the level of Rocks himself. Surely, he could've defeated him then.
9 Can't Defeat: Akainu
The current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Akainu leads the Marines without any fear and believes in 'Absolute Justice'. Powered by his incredibly overpowered Devil Fruit, called Magu Magu no Mi, Akainu possesses the ability to defeat most characters without much trouble. His proficiency in wielding Haki is also extremely high-level, as expected of an Admiral.
In spite of that, he was defeated by an old and dying Whitebeard at Marineford in just two hits. Surely, in his prime, Rocks would've been stronger than an old Whitebeard, which implies Akainu wouldn't stand much of a chance against him if the two were to fight.
8 Can Defeat: Whitebeard
Widely renowned as the Strongest Man in the World of One Piece, Whitebeard stood at the top of his era, and on even footing with the Pirate King prior to that. While it is true that Whitebeard was under Rocks, he was nowhere near his prime at that point.
It was only 10-20 years after that event that Whitebeard became the strongest man in the world, implying that he grew much more powerful after leaving Rocks. In his prime, he could stalemate the Pirate King. Even Garp couldn't help but call him the 'King of Seas'. Without a doubt, Whitebeard would've been capable of defeating Rocks.
7 Can't Defeat: Mihawk
The Strongest Swordsman in One Piece, Dracule Mihawk wields the Saijo o Wazamono, Kokuto Yoru. Although not much is known about his strength, in the past, he was strong enough to fight against Shanks. While this is a big feat, it must also be noted that Shanks wasn't a Yonko at that point, and came a long way after that.
Mihawk, while strong, shouldn't be at the exact same level as the Yonko in One Piece, contrary to popular belief. As such, him defeating Rocks is out of the question, even though he possesses unmatched skills with a blade.
6 Can Defeat: Monkey D. Garp
The other person who fought to defeat Rocks along with Roger in the past was none other than Monkey D. Garp. Receiving the title of 'Hero of the Marines' in the process, Garp gained immense fame by taking down Rocks. Just like Roger, it is likely that Garp became far stronger than he was during the God Valley incident, meaning he would've been at his prime in his later years.
While beating Rocks would still be a challenge, Garp could definitely pull it off if he progressed side-by-side with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
5 Can't Defeat: Kuzan
Kuzan, also known by the name of Aokiji, is a former Admiral of the Marines and one of the members of the Blackbeard Pirates right now. He holds magnificent control over two Haki types, along with a Logia type of Devil Fruit, known as Hie Hie no Mi, which allows him to control and create ice freely.
Being an Admiral, Kuzan is definitely a force to be reckoned with, and that applies to every pirate, except the likes of Pirate King and those on his level. Rocks is definitely one of the characters who an Admiral cannot hope to defeat on his own, which is evident from the fact that the Marines had to rely on help from the Pirates to subdue him.
4 Can Defeat: Shiki
Also known as the Golden Lion, Shiki was once one of the three most formidable pirates in the New World. He commanded the largest Pirate Armada that anyone had ever seen, and even Gol D. Roger won against him with a stroke of luck, thanks to the weather. Shiki possesses a Paramecia type Devil Fruit called Fuwa Fuwa no Mi. On top of that, he wields two swords, Oto and Kogarashi, and likely has excellent command over Haki.
After Roger's surrender, Shiki fought Garp and Sengoku at Marineford alone, and although he was defeated, he managed to injure Garp heavily, and destroyed half of Marineford in the process. In his prime, the Golden Lion could've definitely taken on Rocks D. Xebec.
3 Can't Defeat: Rayleigh
The Right-Hand Man of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh was the man who was renowned by the name of the 'Dark King'. Commanding top-tier control over all three Haki types, Rayleigh is a monster that even Kizaru admitted he couldn't defeat on his own. In his prime, Rayleigh would certainly have been strong enough to tussle against the likes of Rocks D. Xebec.
However, whether he could've defeated him or not is a separate question entirely. While Rayleigh is strong, he certainly wouldn't have been stronger than Roger, which lowers his chances of defeating Rocks significantly.
2 Can Defeat: Big Mom
The most experienced of the current Yonko, and the woman who has terrorized the Marines, Big Mom possesses a bounty of 4.3 billion berries. Unlike Kaido, she doesn't have a record of being defeated 7 times or being captured tens of times by her enemies. Big Mom's Soul Soul Fruit, combined with her Haki make her an excellent contender to take down Rocks.
Although some believe she is the weakest of the Yonko, that couldn't be far from the truth, as Big Mom evenly matched Kaido for 12 hours even though she was without Zeus and Prometheus. Her strength is immense, and out of the current Yonko, she has the best chance to defeat Rocks.
1 Can't Defeat: Sentomaru
The Captain of the Science Division of the Marines, Sentomaru is a very powerful person with an unknown rank. He doesn't wield a Devil Fruit, however, his Haki is very impressive. Back at Sabaody, Sentomaru displayed the ability to use Ryuuou with high proficiency.
Despite this, Sentomaru is likely weaker than the current Admirals of the Marines, which means he could hold the rank of a Vice-Admiral right now. While he is undoubtedly strong, he would certainly be no match for Rocks D. Xebec if the two ever fought.