A hidden clash at God Valley may have cursed Roger with his fatal sickness in One Piece

One Piece has forever left fans with a mystery, but the enigma surrounding the God Valley Incident may be the most mysterious. The records of history say it was the downfall of Rocks D. Xebec, but some evidence suggests the battle could've gone beyond what anyone could have imagined.

What if Imu, the hidden ruler of the world, came out of the shadows during the great fight? That encounter could potentially explain not only Rocks’ ultimate defeat, but also the strange fatal illness that ultimately took Gol D. Roger’s life.

Disclaimer: The article is a speculative theory and includes spoilers from the One Piece manga.

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How Imu’s hidden presence at God Valley may have sealed Roger and Rocks D. Xebec’s fate in One Piece, explained

Imu might have been involved in the God Valley incident of One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

In One Piece, the God Valley Incident is one of the most enigmatic turning points in history, remembered as the demise of Rocks D. Xebec and as the exact circumstances under which Gol D. Roger’s name began to echo across the seas. But there are hints that what fans think they know from the official account could conceal a far greater reality.

One potential explanation is Imu's hidden intervention, the shadowy leader with the Empty Throne, if Imu indeed appeared in God Valley, possibly determining Rocks' fate and Roger's eventual end.

Rocks' ambition was unlike that of any pirate who had come before him; he was not interested merely in treasure, but dominion over the world itself. So, when he launched his invasion of God Valley, attacking the Celestial Dragons, Rocks might have forced Imu to show up directly for the first time.

The God Valley incident could show a clash between Rocks and Imu in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

If this happened, Rocks would be directly challenging the most powerful being on the planet, like a beast trying to take the role of king in the jungle. If Imu were a hidden power, he may have used overwhelming Conqueror's Haki, or possibly, cursed Rocks, just like a supernatural ability, to make Rocks concede, essentially wiping away Rocks' reign entirely.

Roger's presence gives this theory a chilling twist. Unlike Rocks, Roger didn't have an ambition to conquer the world; his heart was freer, similar to Luffy's in the present. If Roger had tried to interfere with the duel between Rocks and Imu, it could have led to consequences he never would have imagined.

Perhaps Imu's gift or curse labeled Roger for challenging the code of engagement of the duel, and he remained with the enigmatic and lethal disease that cut short his life. This could be the reason a pirate of his larger-than-life stature, unbeatable in brawn and will, died from a disease no physician could treat.

Roger might have gotten his disease from Imu in One Piece (Image via Toei Animation)

If Imu was indeed involved at God Valley, it would mean that both Rocks and Roger were victims of the same hidden force. Rocks was erased because he openly defied Imu’s authority, while Roger was doomed for trying to step into a fight that was beyond mortal rules.

This reading recontextualizes the God Valley Incident into something greater than a pirate battle; it becomes the day the world's shadowy ruler sealed two men's lives to history, whose legacies would eternally frame the Pirate Era.

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Final thoughts

The God Valley incident is one of the biggest mysteries in One Piece, and the possibility that Imu could be involved adds a much darker layer to that story. If Imu was involved, then the downfall of Rocks D. Xebec and Roger's eventually fatal illness was not coincidental, but instead a direct result of encountering the true ruler of the world in God Valley.

This changes a battle between pirates in God Valley, to the stage where Imu was quietly shaping the course of the Pirate Era forever.

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