🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's compelling to see them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest 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 prior to fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden ruler, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even there at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the very narrative Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, 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 don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {