🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; 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 signified beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, including apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {