Everything in One Piece is crucial (and the Davy Back Fight confirms it)

The latest installment of One Piece delivered another stunning twist, proving that the pirate-themed franchise never fails to amaze its fans. In particular, One Piece chapter 1155 unveiled a surprising truth about Rocks D. Xebec, the formidable pirate known for being Gol D. Roger’s most dangerous enemy and a man whom the World Government feared so much that they erased every mention of him from history.

Xebec led the Rocks Pirates, a band of powerful outlaws – including Edward Newgate “Whitebeard”, Shiki, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin “Big Mom”, and more – that was considered to be the strongest pirate crew of their time and a threat to the entire world. The latest One Piece chapter revealed that Xebec forged his fearsome crew not through charisma alone, but by forcing pirates to join through a Davy Back Fight.

A bizarre pirate game designed to forcibly conscript pirates from other crews, the Davy Back Fight is already familiar to fans from the Long Ring Long Land Arc, when the Straw Hats faced Foxy and his crew in this grotesque contest. The revelation that this seemingly unimportant game was used to shape the all-powerful Rocks Pirates left fans speechless, in awe of One Piece author Eiichiro Oda’s knack for depicting an entangled fictional world where no detail is incidental.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1155.

One Piece chapter 1155 highlighted the most unexpected reason behind the formation of Rocks D. Xebec’s crew

The Davy Back Fight is a hallmark of One Piece

The Davy Back Fight was entertaining, though probably not gripping (Image via Shueisha)

In the Davy Back Fight, the Straw Hat Pirates face off against the much weaker Foxy Pirates in a hilarious challenge that becomes unexpectedly difficult as the Foxy Pirates have the referee on their side. The rigged game allows Foxy and his men to use a variety of dirty tricks to get Luffy and the others into trouble. Ultimately, however, the Straw Hats manage to win the contest.

All of this takes place against the quirky backdrop of Long Ring Long Land, an archipelago of ten islands arranged in a ring shape, with a path between the islands that surfaces once a year, linking them as one single, continuous strip of land.

The antagonists are too weak to represent any kind of threat, but the unique setting of the confrontation allows them to stir trouble nevertheless, while also enabling the less fighting-oriented Straw Hats to play a role. On Usopp’s suggestion, Luffy dons a huge afro wig to become “Afro Luffy” in a surreal scene that culminates in his grotesque boxing match with Foxy.

The Davy Back Fight combines unfair cheats with a sense of honor (Image via Shueisha)

Sly as his name implies, Foxy uses his tricky Devil Fruit ability plus a series of ludicrous ruses in the unlikely attempt to defeat the much stronger Luffy. The unique rules of the Davy Back Fight also prevent Zoro from using swords, which provides fans a rare occasion to see Zoro fight without his signature weapons.

Overall, the Davy Back Fight between the Straw Hats and the Foxy Pirates doesn’t do much other than amuse fans with some light entertainment. Therefore, the Davy Back Fight and, by extension, the Long Ring Long Land Arc as a whole are often dismissed by fans as minor, almost filler-like moments in the story. Yet, as the latest One Piece chapter reveals, this is far from being the truth.

In Eiichiro Oda’s story, even seemingly trivial details can spark pivotal connections within the narrative’s broader tapestry. This was once again confirmed when the Davy Back Fight, considered nothing more than a humorous interlude between important arcs, is now revealed as a key element in the rise of the Rocks Pirates, the most infamous crew to ever sail the One Piece world’s seas.

A reaffirmed importance that can shape new developments

The Davy Back Fight originated on Hachinosu, also known as "Pirate Island" (Image via Shueisha)

The Davy Back Fight is a traditional pirate game in which two crews compete against each other in a series of different contests governed by precise rules and conditions. The captain of both crews must agree on the game before it can be initiated. However, once the agreement has been made, there is no going back as the reciprocal challenge can’t be undone.

It must be noted that the rules of the contests seen in the Davy Back Fight between the Straw Hat Pirates and the Foxy Pirates were organized and explained by the Foxy Pirates. So, while the overall concept of the game is an immutable, timeless cornerstone of the One Piece world, those specific challenges and their rules may have only applied to the Foxy Pirates. In any case, the Davy Back Fight has an interesting dual nature.

As a competition between pirates, it’s only natural that there would be unfair play. So, the contenders are free to use every dirty trick they can get away with, as long as the referee doesn’t call a foul. On the other hand, there’s a strong sense of pride and honor related to this game. The pirates participating in it are expected to accept the outcome, even if that forces them to abandon their comrades.

Every pirate must abide by the game's outcome, even if unfavorable (Image via Shueisha)

This may explain why Edward Newgate “Whitebeard” and Shiki “The Golden Lion” joined Rocks despite disliking each other. Even pirates have rules they must respect, and no one would dare to disrespect the outcome of a Davy Back Fight, regardless of their personal feelings about it. This commanding aura of obligation likely stems from the game’s legendary origins, tied to the mythical figure of Davy Jones.

After each round of the game, the captain of the winning crew has the right to choose one member of the losing crew to join their group. Alternatively, the winning captain can choose to completely humiliate the opposing crew by taking their Jolly Roger instead of a crew member.

As per the rules, any taken crew member must immediately swear loyalty to the winning captain, and a crew that loses their Jolly Roger can never raise that symbol again. Additionally, anything that is taken during a Davy Back Fight – ranging from crew members to Jolly Roger symbols – can only be retrieved through another Davy Back Fight.

One Piece chapter 1155 revealed that Rocks D. Xebec participated in several Davy Back Fights in order to claim new members for his band, which eventually evolved into a full-fledged pirate crew, the Rocks Pirates. By the time Xebec went on Elbaph to try and convince King Harald to join him, his band included six members other than himself.

Some members of the Rocks Pirates were recruited through Davy Back Fights (Image via Toei Animation)

However, the chapter doesn’t reveal who among Edward Newgate, Shiki, Stussy, Don Marlon, Wang Zhi, and Ganzui was compelled to join Xebec as a result of the Davy Back Fight’s irrevocable outcome.

While the exact origins of the Davy Back Fight are shrouded in mystery, it is known that this tradition started on Hachinosu, the “Pirate Island” that Xebec once used as his base, and which is now the base of Xebec’s son, Marshall D. Teach “Blackbeard”. Considering that Xebec declared himself to be an “admirer of Davy Jones”, perhaps Blackbeard and his father have some connection to the mythical Davy Jones.

Waiting for One Piece to unveil this intriguing enigma, it’s amazing to see how the strongest – yet most dysfunctional – pirate crew ever, the Rocks Pirates, emerged from the Davy Back Fight, something that initially seemed just a funny antic in the story.

Marshall D. Teach "Blackbeard" (Image via Toei Animation)

This revelation proves beyond a shadow of doubt that nothing in the One Piece narrative can be dismissed as unimportant. Every element has the potential to shape and enrich the story in ways that no one can predict, creating the feeling of a truly entangled world that conveys a sense of wholeness.

Taking this into account, the Davy Back Fight’s renewed significance could hint at this game playing a prominent role in the future plot. It could serve as the setting for a friendly confrontation between the Straw Hats and the Red Hair Pirates, in which Luffy could demonstrate that he and his crew surpass even the group of his mentor and beloved role model, “Red-Haired” Shanks.

With the recent revelation, however, the same traditional pirate game could reappear for more shocking developments, such as a contest between the Straw Hat Pirates and Blackbeard’s group, where some of Luffy’s comrades could be forced to, at least temporarily, to join the hated Blackbeard Pirates due to the Davy Back Fight’s inviolable rules.