Alert: This piece contains reveals for One Piece issue #1164.
The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and principle. Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones signified more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.
In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this theme. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, advising audiences not to judge the individuals too hastily.
Legends often fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures.
One Piece's latest look back, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's best arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.
The Individual Prior to the Myth
The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the grand quest in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.
At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Roger's thoughts about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the truth he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.
The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec
Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Rocks D. Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's version, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the very story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.
In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We are unsure if he was guided by ambition, retribution for his clan, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he abandoned his dreams of domination to save them.
This love for his family became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a mercy compared to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.
Could He Be Still Alive Today?
But did Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is still a slave to the ruler in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being found.
The Hero's Secret Defiance
Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his biological grandson. Similar questions have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how can Garp work for the Marines, aware the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?
The truth uncovers something distinct. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in the Divine Isle, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is probably the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.
The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers
Even though the audience are viewing the God Valley incident through a flashback narrated by the giant, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may offer an reason in the future, perhaps linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {
