🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of witnessing legends in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with 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 D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality uncovers something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This mindset is {