The Series' God Valley Recollection Demonstrates Why Legends Aren't to Be Believed Without Question

The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the story. Legends frequently do not convey the complete reality, including the most influential characters in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer dancing through the streets of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Myths often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures.

The series's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, stands as one of the series' finest arcs 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 yet to surpass their humanity. History, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Roger, Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only fragments of who these individuals really were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a new age of piracy, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to God Valley, where he uncovered the World Government's darkest truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the planet's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's happening in the Divine Isle, but perhaps finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a despicable, power-hungry man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved narrative of events, the exact story Imu approved to bury 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 overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. 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 annihilate the island where his family lived, he gave up his ambitions of conquest to rescue them.

This love for his relatives proved to be his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the God Valley incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's only remaining ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Similar questions have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how can Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque shapes, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an effort to halt the sovereign, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley incident through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and occurrences he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly exemplifies the notion that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {