🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the series' finest storylines to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his later journey, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are viewing the Divine Isle incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {