One Piece: Oda Confirms A Legendary Warrior Even Stronger Than Rocks D. Xebec

One Piece's Elbaf arc has given fans a look at some of the most powerful legends to have ever existed in the world. When the Elbaf flashback began, fans immediately saw King Harald described to be the strongest King in the history of Elbaf. As the story continued, other legends also made an appearance in the story, such as Rocks D. Xebec. Fans were shocked to know that Rocks and Harald were truly equals in battle. They fought each other several times, and each time they did so, Oda made sure to highlight that they were almost equally matched.
Now, however, Oda has told the fans that Rocks was eventually surpassed by none other than Harald in the Final Saga, as he signed a Deep Sea Contract with the ruler of the world, Imu.
Harald and Rocks were best friends in One Piece. They met for the first time in Marijoa, when both of them invaded the Holy Land around 56 years ago. Since then, Rocks tried his very best to recruit Harald so that they could together turn the world upside down.
Unfortunately for him, Harald never listened to his wishes. Regardless, Rocks and Harald held great respect for each other. In terms of power as well, Oda made sure to highlight that they were equally matched. When they first clashed in Marijoa, they wiped out everything in a 5 km radius. Later down the line, they fought each other multiple times, always to a draw.
The fact is that Oda specifically highlighted on multiple occasions that these two were evenly matched. Now, however, with the recent developments in One Piece Chapter 1168, it has officially been confirmed that Harald went on to surpass Rocks, and this was thanks to the help from Imu of the World Government. Once Harald joined the World Government he received the Shallow Sea Contract with the Five Elders.
In One Piece chapter 1168, he went on to enter the Deep Sea Contract with Imu directly and this gave him access to immortality, and on top of that, gave him a big strength boost. Harald himself confirmed that he was stronger than ever before, which means that his overall power had now surpassed that of Rocks.
Of course, this overwhelming power that surpassed even that of Rocks came at a high price. Harald had officially become the puppet of Imu without even realizing it. When Imu ordered Harald to give him an army similar to the Navy that would be strong enough to destroy all his enemies, Harald realized the true goal that the World Government had concerning the Giants, and that is precisely why he ended up betraying them.
Fans already knew that Harald eventually went on to betray Imu and the World Government. The reason behind this is quite simple, as he did not want to make his people a slave army for the World Government. The moment he realized the evil intentions of the Government, he decided to go against Imu and screwed up their plan for good.
As is quite clear, this also cost him his own life and he eventually went on to die. In One Piece chapter 1168, it became quite clear for the fans to see that he was taken over by Imu and that is precisely why Loki ended up killing him.
Harald's legacy continues to paint him as the strongest Giant in the history of Elbaf. However, he won't hold this position for long, because his son, Loki, will most definitely go on to surpass him in the future.
Loki has already eaten the legendary Devil Fruit of Elbaf, and fans know very well that he also wields the giant hammer Ragnir. With these powers, Loki will most certainly go on to surpass Harald and protect the land of the Giants from the threat of the World Government forever.
Eiichiro Oda's One Piece focuses on the journey of Monkey D. Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates as they sail the seas to lay claim to the grand treasure known as the One Piece. The manga is currently in its Final Saga. One Piece will be featured in this week's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue. The official release date of One Piece Chapter 1169 is December 21, 2025. In Japan, One Piece drops at 12AM JST on Monday, which is 11:00 AM EST, or 8:00 AM PT. Fans can read the chapter for free on Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps. Doing so will ensure that fans always support the author.