"Red Flag" X Drake (read as "Diez Drake") is the captain of the Marine Secret Special Unit SWORD.[2] In order to go undercover as a pirate, he publicly defected from his position as rear admiral[8] and founded the Drake Pirates.[1] He is one of twelve pirates referred to as the "Worst Generation",[15] and prior to the two-year timeskip had a bounty of 222,000,000.[1]
Drake is the son of the Marine-turned-pirate Diez Barrels, and was affiliated with the Barrels Pirates until he defected to the Marines. As a young adult, he was called Dory.[6][16]
In Drake's endeavor as an undercover spy, he and his crew became subordinate to the Beasts Pirates, led by Kaido of the Four Emperors, over the two-year timeskip.[3] Drake served as one of the crew's Shinuchi, specifically one of strongest six called Tobiroppo.[4] His treachery was eventually uncovered, however, leading him to attempt to ally himself with Monkey D. Luffy.[5]
Drake is a tall, lean, and muscular man who wears what appears to be a combination of a white-plumed cocked hat with his crew's Jolly Roger on the side and a mask over his eyes. Underneath this headgear, Drake's hair is reddish brown, with brush-like sideburns. On his broad chin he has an "X" (not confirmed to be either a scar or tattoo) and on his chest and upper body he also has another large "X". The "X's", as well as that in his name, represents the Roman Numeral X for 10, not the English letter. When seen from above, his bicorne greatly resembles the head of a Pterodactyl.
He wears armor on his relatively thin legs and arms consisting of knee-high boots and gloves that go up past his elbows, respectively. The openings to both the gloves and the boots are also secured by the armor, which is rounded for the gloves and a sharp maple leaf pattern for the boots at the front of his knees. On the rest of his body he wears leather pants and a leather shirt. A belt with a large ornately designed circular belt buckle secures Drake's pants as well as his sword and axe to his waist. He also wears a black cape, which, from the inside, is crimson-colored, with a white fur lining around the neck.[1]
After the Summit War, he is seen wearing a scarf that is tied around his neck when he appeared on a winter island that was apparently under the protection of Kaido.[17]
In SBS Volume 64, Oda drew the Supernovas as children. Drake is shown wearing a small tattered Marine uniform, showing that he aspired to become a Marine since he was very young. He had a rounder face, shorter hair, and a wooden sword at his side. He did not have the "X" on his chin yet. He appears to have been a playful and cheerful boy, as opposed to the stern and serious man he grew up to be.[18]
As a young adult, Drake wore a tattered, bloodied shirt with pants and boots on the snowy Minion Island while with the Barrels Pirates,[19] though later on during a supposed escape, he managed to acquire a somewhat tattered, thick winter coat with a hood as well as a pair of dark gloves.[6] Due to the mental and physical abuse he suffered from his father, he was undersized for his age and easily mistaken as a child by the Donquixote Pirates.[16]
After the timeskip, Drake no longer has his bicorne, exposing his now light orange hair spiked into a fauxhawk. He also has a black headband with an eye-hole that is slanted so it only goes over his left eye.[20]
Gallery
Main Series
X Drake's color-scheme in the manga before the timeskip.
X Drake's color-scheme in the manga after the timeskip.
In his childhood, Drake was a Marine enthusiast and deeply admired his father, Diez Barrels, who served the organization as an officer. When Barrels turned to piracy, Drake still thought of his father as a good man and kept following him.[16]
As a young man thirteen years ago, Drake appeared to be the reluctant, submissive type, obeying his father despite the abusive treatment he was given. Barrels once stated that despite his strength, Drake was a coward and rarely contributed to his crew's operations. Indeed, by that point, Drake ran away when the opportunity presented itself, no more displaying any loyalty to his family.[6] In the present, Drake does not seem to regret this decision, not holding a grudge towards the perpetrators of his father's death.[3]
Currently, Drake displays a stern, dead-serious disposition at all times. Patient and observant, he appears to be a pirate who avoids needless violence, aware that such a thing would attract unwanted attention. In fact, he may even intervene in fights where he's not involved at all, doing so in the middle of confrontation between Killer and Urouge in an attempt to pacify both of his fellow Super Rookies.[1]
However, when a situation calls for violence, Drake reveals a surprisingly ruthless and bloodthirsty streak. Trafalgar Law once implied that Drake had killed a significant amount of people in his career, reinforcing the notion that the former Marine is actually not opposed to conflict at all.[1] Later, Drake fearlessly attacked a Pacifista head-on, employing a brutal biting attack in his Zoan form. Drake is bold enough to even challenge a subordinate of the Four Emperors, knowing full well that such an action would put him in the crosshairs of the Emperor himself.[17]
As one of the Tobiroppo, Drake is very much mission-oriented, always prioritizing the job assigned to him, although he might think his presence in certain tasks may be overkill, like assassinating the owner of a small noodle shop.[4] This professionalism and dutifulness also extend to his job as a Marine spy, reporting everything of note that he ends up witnessing in his cover.[2] Despite holding a high position in the Beasts Pirates, Drake self-admittedly has no interest in raising further in the ranks, unlike some of his fellow Tobiroppo.[4]
In spite of his generally serious attitude, Drake is known to sometimes lose his composure in certain situations. In particular, naked women easily fluster him to the point of fainting at the sight of one, making him wary of entering places like bathhouses. Nevertheless, he will keep denying this weakness even if it's obviously the case.[21]
He also seems to be very loyal to the Marines, as even when he was threatened to be tortured by Queen, X Drake stated that he would not reveal who he was working for. His loyalty goes so far that he even decided to ask Monkey D. Luffy, an official enemy of the Marines and World Government, to join his alliance and fight the Beasts Pirates.[22]
Relationships
Family
Diez Barrels
Barrels was Drake's father, and when he was a Marine Officer, Drake wanted to become just like him. However, when Barrels became a pirate, he was known to physically abuse his son. Drake remained with his father as he continued to see the past good of the man, but his loyalty started to waver. When Doflamingo attacked Barrels and his crew with the Birdcage, Drake fled and left them behind.[16] Thirteen years later, Drake was seen acknowledging Doflamingo as his father's killer, but stated that he held no grudge.[3]
Barrels Pirates
13 years ago, he was a member of the Barrels Pirates. However, he was barely (if at all) loyal to the crew, considered "always a no show", and he simply ran for his own life instead of saving anyone when Doflamingo attacked.[19][6]
Marines
It appeared that as a child, he hoped to be a Marine,[18] possibly because of his father's previous affiliation with them. Thirteen years ago, Drake fled the Barrel Pirates and was saved by the Marines.[6]
At some point in the past, he joined the Marines and became a rear admiral,[8] but to public knowledge, he quit to become a pirate. He seemed to be aware of the Pacifista project, but had only recently learned of its completion while fighting one of them at Sabaody Archipelago.[23]
In secret, he is still a member of the Marines, serving as the captain of the special forces unit SWORD.[2]
Koby
They appear to have a trusted professional relationship due to Koby being one of the few people who is aware that Drake's return to piracy was a ruse and he is still affiliated with the Marines as a commanding officer of the SWORD unit.[2]
Enemies
Sanji
Because of Sanji's transgression against the Kyoshiro Family, Drake was one of two people sent to punish him. After Page One failed to kill Sanji, Drake continued with his mission to hunt down Sanji and was relentless in attacking him at Rasetsu Town. Drake recognized Sanji as O-Soba Mask and brought up on how he heard that Sanji is from the Vinsmoke Family, much to the latter's irritation.[24]
Beasts Pirates
Prior to the timeskip, he seemed to be interested in meeting Kaido, having willingly provoked his subordinates in the New World in order to gain the Emperor's attention.[17] He now appears to be subservient under Kaido, as he was standing with Kaido's subordinates.[3] Drake squashed a rebellion led by Caribou (who was posing as Gaburu) on an island affiliated with the Emperor.[25] However, as Drake remains in secret a member of the Marines, he is reporting Kaido's on-goings to his subordinates outside of Wano and secretly helping the rebels.[2]
During the Fire Festival, Queen and Who's Who wanted to kill him after learning that he was the one who helped free Law from prison. While his true allegiance was not exposed, his actions were enough to make him an enemy of the Beasts Pirates.
Abilities and Powers
Drake stopping Killer and Urouge's duel.
When he was a member of the Barrels Pirates thirteen years ago, it was said he was the strongest member of the crew.[26]
As a former high-ranking Marine officer, Drake has a deep understanding of the workings of the World Government, and is able to use this knowledge to protect himself from danger and predict the movements of the Marines. He is also aware of the Pacifista and Vegapunk.[23] His considerable knowledge may have contributed to his enormous bounty. He is also quite intelligent, interrupting Killer and Urouge's battle because he knew that it would only draw more unwanted attention.[1]
He is skilled enough that he was capable of interrupting the fight of two other Supernovas with just one move,[1] and has demonstrated physical strength to the degree where he was able to knock aside a "copy" of the Warlord of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma.[27] This is an amazing feat as both Bepo and Sanji nearly injured themselves when they kicked one of the Pacifistas. Despite the fact he was invoking the wrath of Kaido by attacking Scotch and his favorite island,[17] he was able to live through the experience and made a greater name for himself[28] that would eventually led to him being marked as one of the Worst Generation.[29]
As a Shinuchi in the Beasts Pirates, Drake holds a high position in the crew and has authority over the lower-ranking members, and as a member of the Tobiroppo, he is among the strongest of the Shinuchi.
While a powerful person in his own right, he has a surprising weakness in that he becomes faint at the sight of a naked female.[21]
Physical Abilities
X Drake has immense strength, being considered the strongest member of the Barrels Pirates during his youth,[30] and was strong enough to become a Rear Admiral of the Marines prior to his defection.[8] He could block simultaneous blows from Urouge and Killer, fellow members of the Worst Generation, with little effort[1] and according to Hitetsu, Drake single-handedly defeated the five samurais who guarded Amigasa Village.[7]
Weapons
Drake wielding his axe and saber.
X Drake wields a sword which looks like a rapier and was seen using it with a four-bladed axe. He has been seen to have the sword in his left hand and the axe in his right.[1]
Drake is extremely skilled in wielding his weapons, being able to interrupt Killer and Urouge's fight.[1]
Attacks
X Calibur (X狩場,Ekusu Karibā?, literally meaning "X Hunting Ground"): From above, Drake swings his sword to his right and his axe to his left to strike down upon an enemy with both weapons simultaneously. The attack was first seen being used against Juki, successfully overpowering the artificialancient giant. Drake was in his allosaurus-hybrid form while performing the attack, likely enhancing its power.[31] The attack's name is a nod to the famous sword Excalibur from Arthurian legend, with the name's kanji representing a pun: 狩場 ("hunting ground") would normally be read as kariba, matching the Japanese pronunciation of "-calibur" (-カリバー,-karibā?), with the preceding "X" a play on his name.
Drake ate the Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Allosaurus, an Ancient Zoan-type Devil Fruit[32] that gives him the ability to transform into an allosaurus.[4] In this form, Drake is strong enough to make a Pacifista bleed by biting its head, despite the cyborgs being made of a stronger material than steel.
Drake was born to Diez Barrels and an unknown woman. He aspired to be like his father and join the Marines. However, Barrels later became a pirate, and started physically abusing his son. However, Drake remained with his father as he continued to see the past good of the man.[16]
Thirteen years ago, Drake was on Minion Island with the Barrels Pirates waiting for a trade deal of 5,000,000,000 in exchange for the Ope Ope no Mi. During that time, he was said to be a "brat" by Barrels. While on Minion Island, he narrowly missed being captured by Donquixote Doflamingo's Birdcage and ran away from it instead of helping the pirates from Barrels' crew escape.[6] He was later found and taken in by the Marines, who reported it.[33]
Marine and Piracy
After the incident on Minion Island, Drake became a Marine and rose to the rank of Rear Admiral.[8] At some point he became part of the secret Marine organization SWORD. Drake went undercover as a pirate,[2] with his cover story being that he defected from the Marines to form a pirate crew.[1]
Summit War Saga
Sabaody Archipelago Arc
After a long voyage following one of the Log Pose routes of the Grand Line, Drake and his crew came to the Sabaody Archipelago to prepare themselves for the New World. While there, he noticed two other pirates, Urouge and Killer, fighting each other. Knowing full well what would happen if they caused too much of a scene, Drake stopped their battle and told them to hold it off until they reach the New World. The two fortunately complied with Drake's request. As Drake and his crew walked away from the two pirates, he was momentarily egged on by Trafalgar Law to fight. However, Drake was not swayed by the latter's behavior.[1]
As Drake continued with the rest of his crew around Sabaody, he noticed that there were very few Marines on the mangrove. This puzzled Drake a bit since Sabaody was right next to the Marine Headquarters. However, it did not take long for Drake to figure things out as he received a newspaper with late-breaking news while traversing Grove 24. Written on it, as he told the rest of his crew, was news that Portgas D. Ace, the recently captured second division commander of Whitebeard's crew, was sentenced to public execution. Knowing that Whitebeard would definitely retaliate, Drake figured that the Marines would definitely need all the manpower they could get for the battle that would come hence the shortage of Marines in the mangrove. All these disturbed Drake as he was wondering if the World Government and the Marines were asking for war.[34]
Drake saving Urouge from a Pacifista.
When the news of Monkey D. Luffy's attack of a World Noble spread over the archipelago, Drake ordered his men to prepare the ship for departure immediately, but he also stated an interest as to which of the three admirals would be sent to deal with the situation.[35] After Admiral Kizaru arrived on the island, Drake was forced to attack him to save fellow supernovas Basil Hawkins and Urouge in the midst of dealing with him and one of several Pacifistas invading the island.[36] After Scratchmen Apoo made his surprise attack, he was quickly dispatched by Kizaru, who then took down Drake and Hawkins with little effort.[37]
Marineford Arc
Despite the confrontation with Kizaru, Drake and his crew managed to escape capture. He later watched the war at Marineford televised at Sabaody.[38] At the end of the war, the Drake Pirates approached Marineford and watched from a safe distance. Drake commented that with the conclusion of the war, the Marines must also change.[39]
Drake and his crew confronting one of Kaido's subordinates, "Iron Boy" Scotch.
Drake and his crew successfully made it into the New World. They stopped at a winter island and encountered "Iron Boy" Scotch, a subordinate of Kaido. Scotch told Drake that the island is a favorite of the Emperor and is under his control. Drake questioned that if he were to attack Scotch, then he would get the attention of Kaido, in which Scotch replied "yes". With this confirmed, Drake gladly activated his Devil Fruit and began his attack.[17]
During the Timeskip
Sometime during the two-year timeskip, Drake joined Kaido and the Beasts Pirates[40] and became one of the crew's Shinuchi and one of the Tobiroppo. He assisted in the destruction of Amigasa Village at Wano Country.[7]
Dressrosa Saga
Caribou's Kehihihihi in the New World
X. Drake dragging Caribou away.
After Caribou (who was posing as Gaburu) defeated Scotch and destroyed a factory on the same winter island under Kaido's control, Drake (in dinosaur form) appeared and attacked him, his crew, and Gaburu's revolutionaries while they were celebrating. After defeating Caribou, Drake then dragged him away.[25] After Caribou received a meat pie from Gaburu's grandmother, Drake took Caribou away on his ship.[41]
Dressrosa Arc
After Doflamingo's defeat, Drake read about Luffy and Law's victory from a newspaper. He acknowledged that Doflamingo killed his father but did not hold a grudge.[3]
Four Emperors Saga
The following events are Non-Canon and therefore not considered part of the Canon story.
The next day, Drake and Hawkins led a group to raid a bathhouse and look for people with the Kozuki Family's crescent moon symbol on their ankles. Drake came into the bathhouse after hearing about Sanji's presence. Upon seeing Sanji in his Raid Suit, Hawkins and Drake recognized him as Stealth Black.[43] After Sanji and his group escaped the bathhouse, Drake and Hawkins continued with their patrol in the capital.[44]
Drake and Hawkins later stood guard at the prison in the Rasetsu District where Shimotsuki Yasuie was imprisoned and scheduled to be executed. As crowds of people gathered, Drake commented that all the attention and commotion from Komurasaki's funeral shifted to the execution.[45]
When Shogun Kurozumi Orochi tried to kill Toko after executing Yasuie, Drake and Hawkins witnessed Roronoa Zoro and Sanji saving the girl.[46] With Sanji present, Drake transformed into his Zoan form and proceeded to attack him.[47] After Sanji handed Toko to Usopp, Drake slammed Sanji into the ground with his tail when the chef tried to strike back. Drake continued with his attack with Sanji evading and dashing off.[48] After Hawkins captured Law, Drake told Hawkins to get on with the interrogation.[49] He secretly helped Law subdue Hawkins and let him escape.
Drake informs Koby about the events in Wano.
Later, in an abandoned residence somewhere on the outskirts of Ebisu, Drake spoke with Koby via Den Den Mushi in secret and informed him of the recent events in Wano such as Kaido and Big Mom's alliance and CP-0's arrival.[2]
On the day of the Fire Festival, Drake arrived at Onigashima with the rest of the Tobiroppo.[50] They then sat down to wait to meet with Kaido and bickered amongst themselves.[51] When Kaido arrived, he gave them the mission of finding his son Yamato, saying he would let them battle one of the All-Stars for their position if they succeeded.[52]
As the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance waged war in Onigashima, Drake was speaking with Hawkins when Who's Who approached them. Who's Who asked Drake to join him in killing Queen. Though he had no interest in taking part of their feud, Drake followed Who's Who anyway. He was then lured into an ambush, where Who's Who and Queen attacked him. They accused Drake of treachery and questioned him, but an explosion enabled Drake to flee. After weighing his options, he attacked one of the Numbers. Having become an enemy of the Beasts Pirates, Drake requested Luffy to let him join the Alliance's side.[53]
X Drake and Basil Hawkins vs. Sanji (Flower Capital bathhouse)
Translation and Dub Issues
While written as is, the X in his name is meant to be read as diez (as "X" is the Roman numeral for "ten"), which means "ten" in Spanish, and can also be used as a surname.
In One Piece Blue Deep: Characters World, Drake was given a birthday of October 10, when his birthday had already been given as October 24.[54] This makes him one of two characters, along with Viola, to have been given two different birthdays.
X Drake has a revolution-theme. His birthday (October 24th) is a date of the beginning of the October Revolution according to the Julian calendar. His epithet may be a reference to a real-world red flag, an international symbol of socialism and communism.
In the 6th Japanese Fan Poll, X Drake is ranked the 90th most popular character in One Piece.
Drake is the only member of the Tobiroppo not named after a card game. He is also the only member not to have horns.
However, his epithet may refers to Red Flags , the "game of terrible dates", a card game where the goal is to create the best date.
SBS-Based Trivia
Drake's birthday, October 24, is a reference to his surname X, since it is 10 in roman numerals and the 24th letter in the English alphabet.[11]
Drake's name was taken from 16th century English adventurer and privateer, Sir Francis Drake.[55]
Drake's favorite food is rice with chicken, and his least favorite food is eggs.[56]
Drake's hobbies are being a reptile maniac and studying astrophysics.[57]
If Drake was not a pirate, then he would be a zookeeper.[58]
If One Piece was set in the real world, then Drake would be from Turkey.[58]
↑ 3.03.13.23.33.43.5One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 79Chapter 793 (p. 11) and Episode 736, Drake is reading an article newspaper about Doflamingo's defeat by the Heart-Straw Hat Alliance.
↑ 5.05.15.2One Piece Manga — Vol. 98Chapter 990 (p. 14-15), Drake is uncovered as a secret spy and declared an enemy of the Beasts Pirates.
↑ 6.06.16.26.36.46.56.66.7One Piece Manga and Anime — Vol. 77Chapter 767 (p. 4, 11) and Episode 706, an X-shaped scar matching Drake's is seen on Dory's chin, and he escapes the Birdcage and leaves with the Marines.
222,000,000.[1]
