🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths often do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His love for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the very story Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {