One Piece's God Valley Flashback Demonstrates Why Myths Aren't to Be Believed Blindly

The adage 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales often do not convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a silly showman prancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's game in search of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest look back, detailing the God Valley event, represents one of the story's finest storylines to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's gripping to see them before they became icons — when their fame had still not outgrow their humanity. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through hearsay stories, painted our understanding of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Legend

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people speak of his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him before glory found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His affection for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and including the presence of the planet's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen 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 make him realize his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's situation.

The Truth About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only echoing the World Government's sanctioned version of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign approved to conceal the reality 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 sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, retribution for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he discovered the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. After facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to Imu in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in constant transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Comparable questions have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as entertainment for the elite?

The reality uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck without hesitation. His alliance with Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate everyone in the Divine Isle, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {