🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is written by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full truth, including the most influential figures in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too hastily.

Myths often fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their reputation had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically mean his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the existence of the planet's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's approved version of events, the very narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he gave up his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks really die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave 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 keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, including it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The series may offer an explanation in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This mindset is {