The characters we’ve seen in Oda’s One Piece are truly amazing. They are diverse, intriguing, and – in most cases – loved by fans. On top of that, they are – generally – very well-written characters whose stories are always fun to explore. And that is what we are going to do in this article. The focus of this article will be a character named X Drake, a secondary character who has a very intriguing story due to the part he plays in the larger narrative. In this article, you will find out who X Drake was and what happened to him in the world of One Piece.
X Drake is the head of the Drake Pirates and one of the rookies who visited the Sabaody Archipelago when the Mugiwara Pirates visited the archipelago. Drake was a former Navy Rear Admiral before resigning for unknown reasons and becoming a pirate, publically at least. But, it was all just a rouse, as X Drake was actually a Marine spy the whole time, which is why, when uncovered, he joined the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance to save his own life.
The rest of this article will be about X Drake, his backstory, and his role in the world of Oda’s One Piece series. We will introduce you to his history and current story, how it developed, and tell you where X Drak is now and what he is doing in the current narrative of the manga. This article will contain some spoilers, so if you’re not fully up-to-date with everything, you have been warned.
X Drake is one of the most intriguing and layered characters in the series
X Drake was born in the Northern Sea and, eleven years before the beginning of the narrative, was a member of the Barrels Pirates. He along with the rest of the crew, was present in Minion to prepare for the exchange of the Ope Ope no Mi with the Navy. After Doflamingo’s landing on the island and the subsequent imprisonment of part of it by the birdcage, Drake found himself outside the latter and decided to flee rather than help his companions. During the escape, he was taken into Navy custody. Sengoku took care of him like a son.
He later joined the Navy and climbed up the hierarchy to the rank of a Headquarters Rear Admiral and became the SWORD Captain. Later, for an unknown reason, he went undercover as captain of the Drake Pirates. X Drake and his men reach the Sabaody archipelago. At Grove 21, the pirate finds Urouge and Killer intent on facing each other and decides to interrupt their duel, not wanting the Navy to decide to send its forces to the place. As he walks away, he passes Law, who asks him how many people he killed.
Later, X Drake notes that there aren’t many Marines on the archipelago: a strange fact considering that their headquarters are nearby. Shortly thereafter, he receives a special edition of the newspaper in which he discovers the reason for this anomaly: the Navy is preparing to execute Portgas D. Ace. Assuming that Whitebeard won’t stand by and watch one of his best men die like this, X Drake realizes that the Navy is gathering forces for the upcoming battle.
When news of Luffy’s attack on a world noble spreads, X Drake orders his crew to prepare to set sail, wondering who will appear to assist him. Shortly after, he intervenes in the fight between Urouge and a Pacifista at Grove 24, stating, after seeing him in action, that he didn’t imagine Vegapunk had gotten to that point. He is soon after also involved in the clash between Kizaru and Basil Hawkins. The three pirates and Apoo are defeated without any effort by the admiral.
Drake watches the Marineford fight from the Sabaody Archipelago, having managed to avoid arrest. When the television broadcasts are cut off, he sets sail with his men to witness the final stage of the war for supremacy firsthand. When hostilities end, he says that the balance between the pirates and the Navy will change. Drake’s Pirates arrive in the New World and land on a winter island where they meet Scotch, an ally of Kaido, who reveals that that island is one of the emperor’s favorites.
When it is confirmed that attacking him would attract the latter’s attention, wanting to become part of his crew at any cost, he uses the powers of his Devil Fruit to attack the cyborg. Undercover on behalf of the Navy, X Drake enters Kaido’s crew and, less than a year later, attacks and devastates Amigasa, also defeating its five samurai guards. He later becomes one of the Tobiroppo.
Later Kobi tells him about Luffy, revealing how incredible he is, adding that if you are his friend, he will do anything to help you, but if you are his enemy, he will be out of your league. Not understanding what he means, he asks him for explanations, so Kobi replies that Luffy has the power to attract people. When Caribou, disguised as Gaburu, defeats Scotch and destroys a factory on an island under Kaido’s control, Drake travels there and attacks him, his crew, as well as Gaburu’s rebels while they are having a party.
After taking down Caribou, he takes him away in his ship, later having him imprisoned in Udon. While he is in Onigashima, X Drake reads in the newspaper the news of the defeat of Doflamingo at the hands of the alliance between Law and Luffy and is interested in them.
After receiving the order to eliminate a vendor who has defeated some members of the Kyoshiro family, X Drake and Page One reach the Flower Capital, where they meet Hawkins. During the execution of Shimotsuki Yasuie, X Drake and Hawkins receive a report of the intrusion of the inhabitants of Ebisu into the Flower Capital. Later, X Drake and Hawkins interrogate Law for information about the intentions of his alliance. X Drake later returns to Rasetsu, where he releases Law from prison.
On the night of the fire festival, the Tobiroppo reach Onigashima and argue with each other, teasing each other. After meeting with Kaido, Jack, and King, the latter reveals to them that he summoned them using the emperor’s name since otherwise, some of the Tobiroppo, including Sasaki and Who’s Who would not have come.
X Drake tells Hawkins he knows he was forced to join Kaido and that now he can even flee given the situation, so Hawkins replies if he really would let him do it while predicting that a certain person has only a 1% chance of surviving until the next day. At that point, the Tobiroppo receive a call from King, who updates them on the situation and orders them to stop looking for Yamato and help him stop anyone trying to reach the top of the island, adding that the challenge between them and the All-Stars is canceled.
Soon after, the Who’s Who reaches Drake and asks him to follow him to Queen, deeming the time has come to kill the Superstar, as it is too difficult to do alone. Drake does not want to get involved in his feud and asks if he intends to weaken the strength of the crew, however, soon after Who’s Who and Queen violently assault Drake, who demands an explanation.
The two and Hawkins question him about his actions, including releasing Law from prison. He realizes that the person the All-Star wanted to kill was him and then states that he will not reveal anything, causing a laugh from Queen, who retorts that everyone does when they undergo his torture.
At that point, Drake takes advantage of an explosion to escape, and after transforming into a hybrid form and thinking for a moment about returning to the Marines, he understands that he still has a job to do there.
After moving into a room of the palace together with three Numbers, Apoo discovers that X Drake is a Navy spy and proposes that they team up to escape with the loot once the battle is over, regardless of which side wins, claiming it makes no sense fight if they are not on the side of either side. The rear admiral doesn’t trust him, but Apoo argues that the lack of trust is mutual and they would both benefit, stressing that this is a unique opportunity.
X Drake, however, refuses, and the two attack each other. After the Hundred Beasts Pirates announce that a fiery monster is heading towards the underground floors, X Drake sees Apoo being knocked down by one of the two CP0 agents present there, who reveals that he knows his real identity. X Drake argues that in that case, they owe him an apology. However, the opponent attacks him but is hit by Apoo.
The two then team up against the government agents, and he resorts to his animal form. However, he is defeated. After the defeat of the two emperors, he is joined by Hawkins, who asks him if he is a marine, to which he replies that even if he were, he wouldn’t tell. X Drake then asks him if he was talking about himself when he predicted that someone had only a 1% chance of surviving, which Hawkins confirms before expiring.
