🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {