🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

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

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and retold through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This attitude is {