Was Rocks actually evil?

[SSJ2]

In the God Valley flashback, Roger and Rocks are seen speaking pretty casually to each other. Is Rocks actually evil or is that just what the government has said about him?

 

[Future Warrior]

I don’t remember when they spoke, but I think Rocks was a person with an ambition that on paper seems justified but he went about things in the wrong way.

 

[SSJ2]

Yeah I can see that being possible. He always seems to get compared to Blackbeard, but Blackbeard seems like he is straight up evil.

 

[Warmmedown]

Didn't he treat his crew like trash? Maybe it was normal to do that and Roger/Whitebeard were exceptions.
Wait, WB only became a captain later. Still, Big Mom doesn't seem to treat her crew well. Dunno about any others from that Roger era.

 

[SSJ2]

I don't think that was ever stated. But he did gather a bunch of selfish individuals which says something about his character. I'm still inclined to think he might have had good intentions, at least initially.

 

[Warmmedown]

I read Big Mom told Kaido not to trust Rocks and that he's a good-for-nothing, but it honestly could be the same as someone telling a newcomer not to trust Luffy (because Luffy's an idiot). One Piece Wiki makes him sound worse, compared to when I checked the chapters.

Why did Roger and Garp team up to beat Rocks? What was Rocks planning to do on that island?

 

[SSJ2]

I actually don't know. Sengoku implied they were there to claim something that the WG had there, so maybe the two devil fruits that were there? We haven't seen enough of the flashback to know for sure.

Sengoku claims they teamed up to protect the Celestial Dragons.

 

[Warmmedown]

I was thinking it could be to take down the Celestials (would make Roger fighting him weird since Roger freed some slaves, but it could be Rocks would've killed the slaves too to take out the Celestials, so Roger opposed him. Garp agreed to let Roger free the slaves (ie take the legal property of the CDs) for his help in the marine mission), but if it was just for the treasure then it's just for their own gain. Unless that's just the official government/marine story and the real reason was something else.

Did Linlin or Kaidou ever talk about the incident? They could know Rocks' real motivation. Maybe they would say something if they heard the official story and knew it wasn't true, but probably nobody's brought it up to them. Those fruits (paw-paw and dragon) don't seem like much and it's weird Sengoku wouldn't probably specify "two" treasures and say that they were taken, if one is Kaido's fruit and Kaido/Linlin's alliance was the reason for telling the story?

There's this chap 1096, where Garp says of course they'd come to take the thing back. Which sounds like the Celestials stole something from Rocks' island and put it on God Valley. Could be a poneglyph. Could be the hat. Considered to be implies it's known to many pirates though. Maybe the CDs kept it, maybe Roger kept it or maybe it's back on Pirate Island now, with Blackbeard.

 

[SSJ2]

Big Mom mentions it to Kaido several times when mentioning his life long debt to her for giving him the fruit.

I saw it pointed out that the prizes for the event are basically the exact same boxes that Luffy's devil fruit was in.

Spoiler

And there are 6 of them. I wouldn't say that those two fruits are not much to be fair. Kuma has a pretty insane ability, and Kaido's fruit is called one of the strongest in existence.

But it could be something else entirely. Maybe Luffy's fruit was the fruit that was stolen from God Valley that made Rocks want to take it back, as we obviously know of its significance now.

But yeah, very well could be something else, but it would be weird for the government to hold it on God Valley if it wasn't one of the prizes being used.