🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often fail to convey the full truth, including the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event 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 motivated by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the present day, 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 discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident excellently embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {