🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is written by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's 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 situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The manga may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {