🔗 Share this article

The saying 'History is written by the winners' serves as a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends frequently do not capture the complete truth, including the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the full truth, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's hidden ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He depicted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the truth about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know 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 eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. After confronting Imu, he lost his will and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in constant movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to save Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous shapes, he struck immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is probably the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may provide an reason in the future, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {