🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.

Myths frequently do not capture the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward Laugh Tale. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, both to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very narrative Imu authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. 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 government's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar doubts have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the World Government considers mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, including it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This mindset is {