Summary

Gol D. Roger's main rivals were Whitebeard, Garp, and Rocks D. Xebec, all powerful and respected figures in One Piece history.
Whitebeard and Roger, despite being rivals, shared a unique friendship and respect for each other, showcasing their equal strength.
Rocks D. Xebec is considered to be one of the strongest characters in One Piece history and the most fearsome rival Roger ever faced.

In the world of One Piece, there is no pirate more important to the overall story than the legendary Gol D. Roger. Due to him being the only person in history to hold the title of Pirate King, he reached a level of infamy that had never been seen before, or has been seen since. Of course, on his journey to achieve this legendary accolade, Roger made a lot of enemies who are almost as fabled as he is.

However, although notably powerful characters such as Kaido or Big Mom opposed Roger and were active around the same time as him, they weren't really considered his rivals as this honor belongs to only three people who themselves are either just as strong or even stronger than he was. So, in this article, let's go over Roger's main rivals and see why they were considered to be some of the strongest characters in One Piece.

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By Haider Haroon Rasheed

Whitebeard Was Roger's Greatest Foe In His Later Years

A Legendary Rivalry And Friendship

Whitebeard's First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 234, "Please Remember"
Story Arc	Jaya

In the later years of Roger's life, there was only one other pirate who had amassed as much infamy as him, and that was Whitebeard. Because of this, they were considered to be the greatest pirates of their respective ages and had even fought against one another multiple times, with each of these interactions ending in a stalemate due to the equal strength of both legends and their crews. Despite their intense rivalry, Whitebeard and Roger shared a unique kind of friendship and held a great amount of respect for one another.

How many years has it been, Newgate?

This friendship can be seen in a couple of flashbacks, where Roger is shown to trust Whitebeard enough to impart to him the true meaning of the D. Clan as well as revealing his true dream to him after their three-day fight during Oden's flashback, causing Whitebeard to laugh out loud. As for strength, both are said to be utter equals due to their mastery of all kinds of Haki allowing them to clash equally for days, which supposedly happened many times over the decades.

Garp Was Roger's Rival Who Worked For The Marines

Long-Time Rivals

Garp's First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 92, "Happiness"
Story Arc	Arlong Park

For every notable pirate in the world, there must be an almost equally powerful Marine tasked with taking them down in order to keep balance in the world. For Roger, this opposing role was filled by Luffy's grandfather, Monkey D. Garp, who acted as the counter to Roger in almost every way, since the two of them have been said to have battled multiple times over the decades. They can be seen as characters who mirror one another, as both are purely Haki-based fighters operating on opposite sides.

We've tried to kill each other dozens of times. That's why I can trust you as I trust my friends. You must protect my baby!

Just like with Whitebeard, there was a lot of mutual respect between the two, since it was Roger who entrusted Ace to Garp despite them being sworn rivals who tried to kill each other many times. There is a popular fan theory that states that both of these legends may have been friends when they were young but eventually became sworn rivals due to their opposing viewpoints as they got older. Many even believe that they were Saké brothers, mirroring the fates of Luffy and Ace.

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By Haider Haroon Rasheed

Rocks D. Xebec Was Roger's First And Greatest Rival

The Strongest Pirate In History

Rocks' First Appearance	One Piece, Chapter 957, "Ultimate"
Story Arc	Wano

Of all the rivals that Roger is said to have had during his time as a pirate, there are none who come close to the strength, importance, and overall icon status as the notorious Rocks D. Xebec, a man who is remembered today as the most fearsome pirate ever exist. Rocks was stated to be such a terrifying force that the World Government felt that his legacy was too dangerous to keep out there, leading to them largely expunging him from the annals of history with only a few characters alive from his age who remember him.

A man dies when he's forgotten!

Rocks and Roger are implied to share some history, which many believe to be a case similar to Roger and Garp's theorized friendship, which would be very interesting if the Saké brother theory ends up being true. As for strength, it's likely that Rocks was significantly stronger than Roger since he and Garp had to work together to defeat him, not only making him the strongest rival Roger ever had, but perhaps even the strongest character from after the age of Joyboy.