The Series' God Valley Flashback Demonstrates Why Myths Aren't to Be Trusted Blindly

The adage 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the full truth, even for the most influential figures in this world's intricate past. Kozuki Oden was no silly showman dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a pirate's game in search of emblems and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole Divine Isle narrative serves as a warning story, advising audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential characters.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to now. Apart from the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their fame had still not surpass their human nature. History, as written by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, painted our understanding of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold attitude that ignited a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to glory found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger knew little of the globe's secret past. His affection for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but maybe discovering the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the globe and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, Sengoku was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of events, the very story Imu approved to conceal the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and liberty, turning into a marionette controlled to their power. Currently, with what limited awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another key figure of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something different. The instant Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he not once desired to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are seeing the Divine Isle event through a recollection recounted by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he clearly was absent for, I think we can treat this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly exemplifies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {