🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths often do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, 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 guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {