🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most influential characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated 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 emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness compared to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as entirely accurate. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {