🔗 Share this article

The saying 'The past is written by the winners' serves as a central motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends often do not convey the full truth, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends frequently do not capture the full truth, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the monstrous appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but perhaps discovering the child of a Holy Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the truth he glimpsed from 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 version, each to the viewers and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to bury the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. After confronting Imu, he forfeited his determination and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the time jump, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback recounted by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {