🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

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

Legends often fail to convey the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's best arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. History, as written by the World Government and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story Imu approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this account as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason later, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that history is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {