🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

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

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that molded him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {