🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not capture the full reality, including the most influential figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's gripping to observe them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had still not surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that sparked 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 discuss his legend, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward Laugh Tale. However little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His love for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and seek the truth he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, Sengoku was not present at God Valley; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of occurrences, the very story Imu authorized to bury the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive light during the God Valley incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But did Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he risked all to save Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his own grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a recollection recounted by Loki, including perspectives and occurrences he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently embodies the notion that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {