🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the complete truth, even for the most influential figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing legends in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand quest in search of the guide stones that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's hidden history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness remains, he pleads with Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the God Valley events.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The manga may offer an explanation in the future, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {