🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this story's complex history. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the complete reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {