SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 1154:
I found this theory from @chainsaw.guy on TikTok and thought it was very intriguing and wanted to see your guys' thoughts about it.
During the events of God Valley, Roger and Garp had taken down Rocks and he had been betrayed by his crew. Rocks was heavily injured but managed to escape and went back to his son, Marshall D. Teach.
Once he approaches Teach, he uses his Devil Fruit, the Op-Op Fruit and performs the Immortality Operation which is actually revolving around the user. Rocks extracts his heart and places into his son. Whenever Teach sleeps, Rocks takes over which is why he never does.
Teach/Rocks then joins Whitebeard's crew for the latter to exact his revenge on the man who betrayed him back at God Valley and the former for his ambition of the Dark-Dark Fruit's obtainment.
This theory would also explain how Teach is able to use two Devil Fruits due to having two hearts within him and why Zoro recognized Teach as "they" rather than "him", however, this could just be in reference to his crew but it could also hint at that truth of Rocks' life being within his son as well.