🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones signified beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the full truth, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people discuss his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister realities: the extermination "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the son of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what limited consciousness 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 story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the World Government's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by the giant, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to Loki's yet unknown paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {