🔗 Share this article

The adage 'History is written by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's game in search of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Legends frequently do not convey the full truth, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His love for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the truth he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was motivated by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's scheme to annihilate the island where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his downfall. After facing the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, becoming a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive light during the God Valley events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandchild. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is likely the reason Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this version as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {