The Real Reason Garp and Roger protected the Celestial Dragons from Rocks D. Xebec
Just when you thought they couldn’t get any worse, turns out that the Celestial Dragons used to hold triannual genocidal tournaments.
Who knows how long the Celestial Dragons had this tradition going? Hundreds of years, more than likely…
Possibly, one year, the Rocks Pirates saw this as an opportunity to beat them at their own game. To eradicate every single one of them instead?
The hunters become the hunted. Perhaps it would take one genocidal maniac to take on another? Several hundreds of others?
If the Celestial Dragons are so terrible, then why did Roger feel like he had to stop the Rocks Pirates? Would they have been that much worse?!
Probably.
Maybe not immediately so. But in due-time, I’m sure the combined wills of Xebec, Big Mom, and Kaido would’ve engulfed the world in total chaos. A world ruled by the worst of pirates.
In my opinion, that would be reason enough for Roger to step in and stop the madness. But maybe, also…Roger saw the human side of the Celestial Dragons?
The Baby in the Chest
Children should not have to suffer for the sins of their fathers.
Roger would go onto say something similar to Garp many years later. With the birth of his son, Ace.
I don’t see Roger ever bringing himself to harm a child. Under any circumstances. If anything, through the Oden Flashback, we learned that Roger, in fact, loves children.
Shame that he couldn’t be there for his own son. But I digress.
Shanks may’ve been discovered by Roger after the events on God Valley. But I’m sure there were more than plenty of Celestial Dragon children around the island during what was essentially their Superbowl. And Roger believed that not a single one of those youngins deserved to die. Because what choice did they have to be born as Celestial Dragons?
They can choose to be slave owners. But they can’t choose what family they are born into.
Granted, going against tradition doesn’t exactly bode well for Celestial Dragons either.
Change isn’t easy, unfortunately…
At least Shanks had a much better shot at growing up into a decent person. By being raised by pirates, oddly…
He now even seems to want the world to change. For the better, I’m sure.
As for how Shanks ended up in a treasure chest in the first place, I’ve got an idea!
The Odd Man Out, Whitebeard
Compared to what we know of Kaido and Big Mom, Whitebeard was one of the Emperors who valued family over power. Even going as far as to put the lives of his sons ahead of his own. As seen in Marineford.
Whitebeard is easily one of the best dads in all of One Piece. Which isn’t exactly a high bar to cross…
But compared to Kaido and Big Mom…
Whitebeard is the undisputed Best Dad EVER!
Sure, Whitebeard could’ve been a different person during his days as a Rocks Pirate. But I’m not inclined to believe so.
According to Marco, Whitebeard sent every berry he had back to Sphinx Island, his home. He never cared about becoming a rich man. He just wanted to make the world a better place for those he cared about.
And I think that’s how Xebec convinced him to join his crew.
Per this flashback of Big Mom:
It’s unlikely that anybody within the Rocks Pirates trusted their captain.
But what likely drove them to work together was the common goal of eliminating the World Government so that pirates could rule the world. With Xebec as king, each of them could go onto rule their own little fiefdoms as they saw fit. Which is something Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom were able to achieve without him. As Emperors of the Sea in the New World.
Perhaps in the planning phases of the God Valley Assault, Whitebeard didn’t see any issues with eradicating the Celestial Dragons. But in practice…perhaps he was just like Roger where he couldn’t bring himself to slaughter innocent children.
So, during the God Valley Incident, Whitebeard may’ve been the one to hide baby Shanks away in a treasure chest. Which the Roger Pirates would later find.
As Emperors, Whitebeard didn’t appear particularly fond of Shanks. Perhaps because Shanks served as a reminder of what could’ve been one of the worst days of his life?
I like the idea floating around that Figarland Garling is the one who scarred him in the past. This Manic Pixie Dream Boy seemed like quite the capable fighter back in his day:
Maybe Whitebeard did him one better and sliced off his left arm? It is kinda unclear in 1086 whether the elder Garling still has both arms.
That would be pretty brutal if Whitebeard did chop off his arm. But we’ll see as this God Valley Flashback continues to play out.
*Theory by QueenFlowers91
