🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {