One Piece chapter 1156 finally shows Silver Axe in the manga

The world of One Piece is a vast, vivid tapestry filled with countless characters, locations, cultures, and factions. Even after nearly three decades of entertaining serialization, Eiichiro Oda continues to weave new elements into the story while maintaining a cohesive and captivating narrative.

Little by little, however, One Piece has begun to unravel some of its thrilling riddles. Among them is the appearance of Silver Axe, a member of the Rocks Pirates. First mentioned in chapter 957, this character has not appeared directly in the series since then, his identity and role remaining shrouded in mystery for years.

It took 200 chapters and nearly six years of serialization, but One Piece has finally revealed Silver Axe’s appearance in the latest manga installment. To the delight of fans, One Piece chapter 1156 officially introduces Silver Axe in the story, unveiling his bold design as he arrives on Hachinosu in a flashback set about 40 years before the current storyline.

Disclaimer: This article contains major spoilers from the One Piece manga up to chapter 1156.

The latest One Piece chapter unveils a captivating member of Rocks D. Xebec's crew

All-powerful pirates terrorizing the seas

Although the World Government concealed most of their deeds from the public, the Rocks Pirates could be considered the most formidable crew to ever sail the seas. They even surpassed the renowned Roger Pirates, the only crew to complete the journey across the Grand Line and reach Laugh Tale.

The Rocks Pirates comprised numerous powerful and dangerous outlaws, all gathered under the flag of Rocks D. Xebec, a formidable man aware of Imu-sama’s existence and bent on overthrowing the World Government. However, Xebec didn’t intend to liberate the globe from tyranny but to claim it for himself. In fact, he aspired to “become the king of the world”.

Despite their incredible strength and audacious goals, the Rocks Pirates never truly bonded, driven only by their shared interests, violent behavior, and thirst for power. The crew disbanded after Xebec’s demise on the island of God Valley, 38 years before the current narration.

Silver Axe wasn't among Moria's zombies (Image via Shueisha)

Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp formed a temporary alliance against Xebec on that fateful day, leading to his defeat and subsequent death. Since then, Xebec’s former comrades went their separate ways, each forging legendary reputations. Among them, the most infamous were Edward Newgate “Whitebeard”, Charlotte Linlin “Big Mom”, Kaido, and “Golden Lion” Shiki.

Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido became three of the Four Emperors dominating the New World, with Whitebeard even gaining a reputation as the World’s Strongest Man. As for Shiki, he stood as one of Roger’s most formidable rivals. Yet, these unforgettable individuals weren’t the only ones contributing to the Rocks Pirates’ past infamy.

The crew also included prominent figures such as Captain John, Gloriosa, Ochoku, and Silver Axe. Before his introduction in the latest chapter, Silver Axe was never seen in the series. Given that Gecko Moria resurrected several deceased Rocks Pirates members as zombies in his undead army, including Gill Bastar, Captain John, and Ganzui, many fans assumed that Silver Axe was among the corpses that Moria revived on Thriller Bark.

One of Moria’s General Zombies wielded a large axe and was clad in silver armor, which further fueled the theory. However, as fascinating as this assumption was, One Piece chapter 1156 disproved it with the reveal of Silver Axe’s true appearance.

Silver Axe in One Piece chapter 1156

In One Piece chapter 1156, the narration shifted to approximately forty years before the present time, a few months after Xebec's group seized the island of Hachinosu to make it their base of operations. A large, muscular man wearing sunglasses and a dark kimono adorned with axe-shaped motifs arrived on Hachinosu, allegedly intending to join the Rocks Pirates.

The individual, bearing a prominent tattoo on his chest and carrying a massive axe, encountered some of Xebec’s lower henchmen, who recognized him as Kyou, a dangerous Yakuza mobster known for being a rival to Shiki. A narrator’s box formally introduced Kyou as the man who would later become famous as Silver Axe.

As previously established, Silver Axe would join Whitebeard, Shiki, Big Mom, Kaido, Ochoku, Captain John, Gloriosa, Buckingham Stussy, Streusen, Ganzui, Don Marlon, and Barbel to form the fearsome line-up of Rocks D. Xebec’s crew.

Every revelation in One Piece ended up raising new questions about the characters and the lore of the series, adding new layers that deepen the narrative and keep fans engaged, sparking countless theories. Silver Axe’s case was no exception.

Silver Axe and Shiki

Shiki during the God Valley Incident (Image via Toei Animation)

While Silver Axe’s abilities, fighting style, and overall combat prowess remained unknown, his membership in the mightiest crew ever and the fact that he carried a massive axe suggested that he was a formidable weapon user, earning his epithet on the battlefield.

One Piece chapter 1156 revealed that Kyou, later known as Silver Axe, was a rival to Shiki. This might hint at the two being similar in power, but not necessarily, as the concept of rivalry in One Piece was very broad and vague, encompassing all sorts of relationships between characters.

Some rivalries stemmed from heated but friendly feuds. Others were based on a serious antagonism, but the evident difference in power between the contenders unbalanced their rivalry despite the high stakes. Other rivalries involved characters who were equals or nearly equal in power. Thus, a rivalry alone could not confirm that two characters were close in strength.

Shiki was often paired with Whitebeard (Image via Toei Animation)

For example, Eustass Kid was famously known as a rival to Monkey D. Luffy, even though Luffy completely eclipsed Kid in both achievements, feats, and individual power. Luffy and Kid could be seen as rivals because both were Worst Generation Supernovas competing for the same goal: finding the One Piece treasure. However, apart from that, Luffy stood on an entirely different level than Kid.

Silver Axe's rivalry with Shiki might be in the context of their shared background as Yakuza mobsters, rather than in a comparison of their fighting skills. While Silver Axe was undoubtedly a powerful individual, enough for Sengoku to mention him as a noteworthy pirate alongside Ochoku, Captain John, and Shiki himself, his reputation did not seem to match Shiki’s.

During the introduction of the Rocks Pirates in Bartholomew Kuma’s flashback of the God Valley Incident, which occurred well after Silver Axe joined the crew, Shiki was far more prominent than Silver Axe. If anything, Shiki appeared to be a rival to Whitebeard, given their interactions.

With Whitebeard likely being the second strongest member of the Rocks Pirates after Xebec, Shiki seemed to be the third strongest member of the crew, surpassing even Kaido and Big Mom. These two might have surpassed Shiki in the following years, but this was likely the hierarchy during their shared tenure in the Rocks Pirates.

Shiki is most likely stronger than Silver Axe (Image via Shueisha)

Notably, Shiki became one of Gol D. Roger’s fiercest and most notorious rivals. While a rivalry did not necessarily imply equal power, this was a recognition that Silver Axe never received. Shiki was also established as a personal rival to Sengoku, a fighter who served as Admiral and even Fleet Admiral, becoming famous as one of the most powerful Marine officers in history.

Shiki’s rivalry with Sengoku likely reflected their near parity in strength, as Shiki was only defeated when Sengoku teamed up with Monkey D. Garp to fight him in 2v1. Granted, that battle ended with Shiki’s utter defeat while Garp and Sengoku emerged relatively unscathed. Yet, the fact that they felt the need to fight Shiki in 2v1, still leading to a confrontation tough enough that half of Marineford was destroyed in the process, underscored Shiki’s status as a real top-tier fighter.

So, Shiki’s dual-wielding swordsmanship, combined with the versatile abilities of the Float-Float Fruit, was likely superior to Silver Axe’s fighting skills. Shiki’s feat of being the first person to break out of Impel Down alive further cemented his insane reputation. That said, Silver Axe remained a fearsome fighter and a force to be reckoned with in battle. Just, probably, not as much as Shiki.

The best Silver Axe theories

Urouge using his Devil Fruit power (Image via Toei Animation)

In One Piece chapter 1156, Silver Axe appeared to suddenly enlarge his body from one panel to the next, right after a pirate strikes him. Based on this, Silver Axe might be the previous user of Urouge’s Devil Fruit, which allowed the user to convert any damage suffered into a boost to enlarge their body and strengthen their muscles.

However, this could simply be a stylistic choice to emphasize Silver Axe’s imposing presence with dramatic effect. Another fascinating theory postulated that Silver Axe was a Marine officer in disguise, infiltrating the Rocks Pirates to monitor them and relay information to the Navy, particularly wary of Xebec after he managed to kill an Admiral.

This would explain why Kong was aware of the movements of the Rocks Pirates before they even arrived in God Valley. Silver Axe’s aesthetic resemblance to Admiral Zephyr from One Piece Film: Z added weight to this idea.

Barrels and Drake (Image via Toei Animation)

Some fans even speculated that Silver Axe was the father of Diez Barrels, who later became X-Drake’s father. Silver Axe wielded an axe and had a prominent chin with an X-shaped mark, much like Drake.

These similarities could be coincidental. However, they became even more intriguing when considering that Barrels was a Marine officer who defected from the Navy to become a pirate, and Drake’s later role as a Marine posing as a pirate to infiltrate the most dangerous crews.

That said, Sengoku explicitly identified Silver Axe as a pirate in his speech to some younger Marines, and he had no reason to lie, as he was revealing much more compelling and shocking details about the Rocks Pirates. Additionally, the pirates on Hachinosu recognized Silver Axe as a Yakuza mobster, further contradicting the idea of him being a Navy officer. For now, these mysteries remain unsolved.