One Piece's God Valley Flashback Demonstrates Why Legends Shouldn't Be Believed Blindly

The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently fail to capture the full truth, including the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the roads of Wano; he acted out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

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

The series's latest look back, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing icons in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and retold through hearsay stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But both the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by purpose and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of piracy, but before he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his legend, they typically refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory discovered him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to new Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the land where his kin lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his undoing. Upon facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An interesting theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the current timeline, acting as the scarred individual, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further protagonist of the Divine Isle event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his own grandchild. Similar questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Garp work for the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a pawn to eliminate everyone in God Valley, even apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Unreliable Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this version as completely truthful. The manga may provide an reason later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {