🔗 Share this article

The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to judge the characters too quickly.

Myths often do not capture the complete reality, even for the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' best arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a God's Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec was derived almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's scheme to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he lost his determination and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's last ancient stone in constant transit to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another key figure of the Divine Isle incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely accurate. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This attitude is {