🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is written by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex history. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows 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 theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered 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 same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {