The Series' God Valley Flashback Demonstrates Why Legends Aren't to Be Believed Blindly

The saying 'The past is written by the victors' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Popular tales frequently do not convey the full reality, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was doing them a favor. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we see the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley story acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the complete reality, even for the most influential figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, chronicling the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the excitement of witnessing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. Yet not much is understood about his initial travels, the one that molded him before glory found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and even the existence of the planet's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his ship 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 The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec was derived almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the truth about Xebec and the event itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow the ruler and dismantle the corrupt Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a desire for fairness, but when he found out the regime's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives proved to be his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a marionette controlled to their authority. Currently, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec really die? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority considers mass murder and slavery as entertainment for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His alliance with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some evil Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, including it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he not once desired to be elevated to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Unreliable Narrators

Even though the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that history is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {