Out of all One Piece characters, God Valley flashback may have been the most harmful for Gol D. Roger's reputation

Gol D. Roger is remembered as the Pirate King, the man who conquered the Grand Line, and the legend who set off the Great Pirate Era. But when fans dive into the God Valley flashback in One Piece, things get messy. The flashback doesn’t make Roger look like the larger-than-life hero people think he is. In fact, the closer you look, the harder it is to see him the same way.

It is easy to forget that Gol D. Roger was not painted as a saint from the start. In One Piece, he was more of a dreamer who also just so happened to be strong enough to make it to the end of the world. The God Valley incident changes the lens, though. Roger comes off less like a brave leader and more like someone caught in a nightmare he couldn’t control. With Rocks D. Xebec, Garp, and the Celestial Dragons involved, his part in the chaos feels smaller than fans expected.

What makes this flashback sting for Gol D. Roger is that the hype does not match the reality. For years in One Piece, fans believed Roger and Garp teamed up at God Valley to take down Rocks. It was hyped as an epic crossover fight, the kind of battle that proved Gol D. Roger was the strongest of his era. And maybe ever. Except for the likes of Joyboy and Imu. But when fans actually see the God Valley flashback, Gol D. Roger is not that guy. He seemed more distracted by saving Shakuyaku than by facing Xebec head-on. That makes his role feel a lot less legendary.

Now, who was Shakuyaku? Also known as Shakky, she was the former first mate of the Kuja Pirates, who at that time were captained by Gloriosa. Around the time of the God Valley Incident in One Piece, it was shown that Gol D. Roger, like many other pirates, was crushing on Shakky.

But unfortunately for the future Pirate King, she only had eyes for the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh. But then, she was taken by the World Government and was one of the winning prizes of the Native Hunting Competition in God Valley. And when the Rocks Pirates and the Rogers Pirates heard that she was on that island, they all got on their boats. But for Rocks D. Xebec (also known as Davy D. Xebec), his family was on the island, which happened to be his homeland.

Then there is the propaganda problem. The Marines called Gol D. Roger a temporary ally during God Valley, but the flashback makes it look more like Roger was just there for Shakky. The official story is that Roger and Garp fought side by side to take down Rocks, which did happen. But the flashback shows a mess of conflicting motives, where Roger is not even fighting for the same reasons as Garp. Garp came for Roger, but at the sight of how things were, his motivation changed.

Fans of One Piece can’t help but notice that the God Valley flashback makes Gol D. Roger look weaker compared to Rocks and his crew. Rayleigh and Roger both show bruises early on, while Whitebeard and the others barely look winded. And Rocks himself has not even lifted a finger yet in the flashback. For someone remembered as the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, looking like the underdog here makes it feel like the Marine story of him being unstoppable was built on shaky ground.

One of the funniest parts about Gol D. Roger in this whole event is how often he seems more like a side character in someone else’s story. While Rocks is talking about his family and Garling is running the Native Hunting Competition, Roger is just there trying to grab Shakky. It feels less like the story of the Pirate King and more like the story of Rocks D. Xebec, with Roger thrown into the mix. That is not great for his image in One Piece.

The fan comments on the leaks point out something else that makes Gol D. Roger look odd in the flashback. People noticed that Roger was not even that interested in fighting Xebec after Rayleigh got Shakky. So, how is there a legend of him? Why did he team up with Garp in the first place? It makes you wonder if Gol D. Roger was dragged into the battle rather than being the unstoppable hero. That kind of uncertainty does not make him look like the proud captain who laughed in the face of death.

Another problem is how the flashback shifts the balance of power between Gol D. Roger and the Rocks Pirates. Readers always assumed Roger and Xebec were on the same level, two monsters clashing for supremacy. But the God Valley flashback shows that Gol D. Roger was already struggling against Rocks’ subordinates, while Xebec himself had yet to act.

This makes it clear that Roger alone may not have been strong enough to stand against the Rocks. Without Garp, the Pirate King may never have survived. For a man regarded as the strongest pirate of his time, this weakens the myth around Roger in the context of One Piece.

And speaking of Garp, the God Valley flashback makes Gol D. Roger look overshadowed by the Marine. Garp is the one who arrives like a storm, blasting away pirates and striking fear into future Yonkos. The words of Don Chinjao when he said Garp was the devil himself to the pirates were shown here. The manga panel of Kaido (future Strongest Creature), Big Mom (future Strongest Female Pirate), and Whitebeard (the man who died without a scar on his back) running away from him is comical.

From the looks of things, Garp was on a whole other level. His line to Linlin when she attacked him was cold. After taking the attack head-on, he said, “This fire couldn’t even cook a prime rib, Linlin.” Things like this make it sensible and plausible how Garp got the title of the Hero. Gol D. Roger, on the other hand, appeared to be evenly matched with Whitebeard. In One Piece, fans always heard about Roger and Garp together, but the flashback makes Garp seem like the scarier figure, which quietly chips away at Roger’s myth. There is the uncomfortable truth that Gol D. Roger might have been less of a hero at God Valley and more of a lucky survivor.

When you think about the stakes of God Valley, Gol D. Roger comes off as small-minded in his objective. Rocks is fighting for his family. Garp is fighting for the safety of Marines and civilians, plus beating pirates. Even Dragon, still a young cadet, is questioning the morality of the operation while saving Shanks and Shamrock. Roger? He is running around trying to save Shakky. Yes, that is noble in its own way, but in One Piece, it feels small compared to the bigger fight happening all around him.

Fans are starting to ask if the God Valley incident is even really Roger’s story. With Rocks revealing his ties to the Davy Family and the World Nobles putting on their sick hunting competition, Roger almost feels like he stumbled into someone else’s tragedy.

If Gol D. Roger is not the main character of the flashback, then the biggest stain on his reputation is that history remembered him for something he barely owned. This is where things get funnier for fans looking back at Gol D. Roger. His grand battle in One Piece history now looks like a giant mess where he was not even the central figure. This is not a good look for the Pirate King.

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Positive things about Gol D. Roger at the God Valley in One Piece

Of course, not everything about the God Valley flashback is negative for Gol D. Roger. You could argue that seeing him struggle, get bruised, and act messy makes him feel more human. In One Piece, so many pirates are exaggerated monsters that it is almost refreshing to see Roger as a flawed man. But when his entire reputation is built on being larger than life, a more grounded portrayal risks making him look smaller in the grand scheme.

There was also the fact that he came to God Valley to save a woman who was not in love with him despite his affections for her. It could be said that Roger became a true wingman to Rayleigh when he came to save the woman who loved his right-hand man. And that in itself is noble too.

It was also Roger’s crew who found Shanks in a treasure chest while chaos unfolded around them. That random accident led to Shanks becoming one of the most important pirates in the story. But if Roger’s biggest contribution was babysitting the red-haired kid, then God Valley does not shine as a heroic moment for him.

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Conclusion

Ultimately, Gol D. Roger’s reputation as the Pirate King is not going away. He will always be the man who set the Age of Pirates in motion. But the God Valley flashback adds cracks to the myth. Instead of an untouchable hero, we see a man caught in the politics of the Celestial Dragons, unwilling or unable to rise fully against injustice, and dependent on others to survive the might of Rocks.

That is why, out of all the One Piece characters, the events of God Valley may have harmed Roger’s reputation the most. For fans of One Piece, it is a reminder that history is written by the winners, and sometimes the so-called winners are just the ones who looked good on paper.