One Piece’s Elbaf Arc is currently featuring Harald’s backstory, where we follow the journey of the most beloved Giant King, who wanted the kingdom to reach new heights. Unfortunately, Harald mysteriously died at the Aurust Castle over 14 years ago, before his dream could come true. Loki, his second son and the Cursed Prince of Elbaf, already had the worst reputation in the kingdom, so he was naturally blamed for his father’s murder since he was there at the scene. Before the truth about Harald’s death was revealed, One Piece commences a backstory following his journey from a hot-headed Giant to a benevolent king.
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Surprisingly, the backstory doesn’t simply focus on him since we get to see Loki’s heartbreaking childhood as well as the journey of Rocks D. Xebec. Rocks was a legendary pirate who was killed during the God Valley Incident, and his crew disbanded afterwards. The series didn’t even reveal his face before the latest flashback, and now we know Eiichiro Oda was simply waiting for the right moment to introduce this legend. Rocks was Blackbeard’s father, who first took over Hachinosu. He has known Harald for over ten years, but was betrayed when the latter accepted the World Government’s demand to kill him.
Why Did Harald Try to Kill Rocks?
Harald did everything in his power to break the stereotypes against his people. For centuries, Giants have taken pride in being warriors, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world will see them in the same light as Luffy and Usopp did. Given their height and intimidating powers, they were feared by ordinary humans. It also didn’t help that a lot of the Giant pirates caused chaos in several islands, further causing their reputation to plummet. Not to mention that it’s the same reason why Elbaf couldn’t advance over the years, since it didn’t trade with other countries and was more or less isolated from the rest of the world.
Harald desperately wanted to change that, and he spent years trying to find a way to get affiliated with the World Government. This would foster peace and diplomacy within the country and also help avoid a scenario where the Giants would be forced to serve as mere soldiers for the World Government. Unfortunately, the Five Elders couldn’t care about diplomacy since they only wanted to find a way to make use of the Giants’ strength, even if they had to do it forcefully.
Around 40 years ago, Rocks made a name for himself and was gradually gaining enough strength to take down the Holy Land of Mariejois. His powers were second only to Harald’s at the time, so they put forth the condition that Harald must kill Rocks if he wants the World Government’s support. In Chapter 1158, the two of them finally fell apart and didn’t meet until the fateful day of the God Valley Incident.
One Piece’s Chapter 1158 Delivers the Worst Betrayal to Rocks
Rocks met Harald over 50 years ago during the Reverie Incident, where he kidnapped five kings in hopes of striking a deal with Imu. When Imu refused to listen to his demands, Rocks tried to escape the Holy Land and ended up killing an Admiral. He clashed with Harald, who was also there at the scene, and the force of their blades crossing blew away everyone within a five-kilometer radius. Rocks was immediately impressed by Harald’s strength and came to find the Giant King not long after their first meeting.
At the time, Rocks was already a wanted man, and he needed Harald in his crew to take down Marie Jois. Considering his position, Harald had no choice but to refuse, which only made Rocks more stubborn. Despite Kaido’s suggestion to force Harald into joining the crew, Rocks continued to beg him, and because of this, he often visited Elbaf for over a decade.
Their friendship was odd, but Harald did enjoy Rocks’ company, considering how he could’ve stopped the pirate from entering the island but never attempted such a thing. During their fight in Chapter 1158, Harald was visibly upset about his predicament, but he had no choice but to point his blade at his friend to create a better future for his people. Since the two were almost equal in strength, the fight didn’t have a clear victor, but their friendship was clearly ruined.
Are you excited to know what will happen next in the latest One Piece flashback? Let us know in the comments below!
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Image courtesy of Paramount+
