The Series' Divine Isle Recollection Reveals Why Legends Shouldn't Be Believed Without Question

The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' serves as a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Popular tales frequently do not capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no silly performer prancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and conviction. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a pirate's contest in search of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this theme. The whole God Valley story serves as a cautionary tale, advising readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, detailing the God Valley incident, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of piracy, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden history. His affection for Shakky led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest realities: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the audience and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not present at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident 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 corrupt Global Authority. 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 regime's plan to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Roger and Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story narrated by Sengoku, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting theory is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the Global Authority's last ancient stone in constant movement to keep the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for a long time for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar questions have recently resurfaced with the God Valley recollection: how could Garp serve the Navy, knowing the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something distinct. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason later, perhaps connected to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event excellently exemplifies the idea that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {