🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {