src: https://reddit.com/r/OnePieceSpoilers/comments/1olv8s2/theory_blackbeard_is_not_rocks_true_successor/ by https://reddit.com/user/RochHoch

(While I have heard this theory before too, this is one of the cleanest forms I have seen. Theory that will does not usually go in kin was already present, and back then we did not know xebec was teach’s fatherr, so they were compatible. If I find a earlier iteration of theory, I will also add that here)

There’s a pattern in One Piece that is highly relevant to the current flashback: the men of the D Clan have sons that do not follow in their footsteps, instead they have to look elsewhere to find their true heirs.

Roger’s son did not want to become the Pirate King, as Ace wanted it to be Whitebeard. Instead, it was Shanks, Roger’s adopted son, who inherited his will by passing it to Luffy

Garp wanted his son (and grandson) to become strong Marines. They both refused, so Garp took on Koby as his student, and passed the future of the Marines over to him

Dragon deliberately did not want to drag his son into his war, so he let Luffy find his own path instead. Then Dragon found a protégé of his own in Sabo.

I suggest that Rocks and Teach will continue this trend. After all, Blackbeard is nothing like his dad, being a backstabbing coward with none of Rocks’ admirable traits. I cant imagine a scumbag like Teach truly inheriting the will of the guy that was fiercely loyal to his friend Harald until the very end, despite their differences. Even if they both have it out for Imu, Blackbeard just isn’t him.

So who actually will inherit Rocks’ dream? Just remember whose flashback this originally was, its no coincidence. The boy Rocks inspired and the son of his best friend, Loki will inherit the will of Davy Jones and do what Harald refused to by bringing Rocks’ goal to fruition.

Loki even fits Rocks’ mold of being a “bad” guy that’s actually not nearly as evil as he initially seemed, even their personalities are more aligned than Rocks and his actual son. And Loki was introduced announcing that we would destroy “The World”, no? It all lines up.

Bonus Theory - The 13th Character in the 1121 Page

(Page in consideration is the page showing 12 important people who are “trying” to find one piece or are important in future of world)

(this theory is not that strong independently imo, hence I did not make a separate post. It partially goes into finding clues in numbers and some other patterns, which while Oda does do, they are not very conclusive as often it is posible to fit many things(for example, for a very long time, luffy had been related to 56, and only number left in straw hat was 29, which also turned out to be loofy only (in nika form)))

src: https://reddit.com/r/OnePieceSpoilers/comments/1oarshz/the_13th_character_in_the_1121_page/ by https://reddit.com/user/OnePieceTheorist1

So this page from Chapter 1121 shows Buggy, Blackbeard, Luffy, Shanks, Sabo, Kuzan, Garling, Koby, Imu, Dragon, Shamrock, and Sakazuki. 12 characters. I think there is a 13th hidden character here. Let me explain.

So 13 is considered an unlucky number (Triskaidekaphobia). That’s why some elevators skip 13 and Friday the 13th is considered scary. We don’t know why but 2 of the most famous origins for this are Judas being the 13th to sit at the table at the Last Supper (the other 11 Apostles and Jesus, then Judas) and a Norse myth about 12 gods having a dinner party in Valhalla, with Loki being the 13 god to arrive despite being uninvited.

Yes, I think Loki is the 13th player here.

• First of all, Loki’s bounty is 2.6 billion. That’s double 1.3 billion, or 13. Oda probably wouldn’t want Loki’s 13 connection to be so blatantly obvious.

• Second of all, this page shows major players in the Final Saga: the 4 Emperors, the leader of the RA, leader of the WG, leader of the Marines, leader of the HK 2 second-in-command characters, and then Koby and Kuzan. At the time of this page, Loki had not been fully introduced. Shamrock had also not been introduced, but he appears as a silhouette. I think Loki is here because he is big enough to a major player in the Final Saga. His father was Harald, who fought Rocks D. Xebec (arguably evenly), he also killed Harald. Loki had to be defeated by Shanks, an Emperor of the Sea. It wouldn’t make sense for Loki to be a one-arc character in the Final Saga. This guy is strong.

• Third of all, he is what Luffy is to Shanks but for Rocks instead. Rocks D. Xebec is obviously a major player in the Final Saga, despite being dead. He seemingly lives on through Blackbeard, but I don’t think that’s the case. Blackbeard is a coward and a traitor. Rocks seems to have honor. Blackbeard killed WB, who took care of him and helped his father against Imu. Rocks, on the other hand, went to GV and fought Imu to save his wife and son. I think Loki is the successor to Rocks, not Blackbeard. If Blackbeard was Rocks’ successor, then Ace is Roger’s successor and not Shanks or Luffy. Loki is the new Rocks, not Blackbeard.

So in conclusion, I think Loki is the 13th major player in the Final Saga.