One Piece features a plethora of critical moments that shape its history and characters, but very few hold a candle to the God Valley Incident. This event was a defining point in the series and went on to influence various elements. At the same time, it still remains a mystery to this day.
The God Valley Incident occurred 38 years before the current storyline on an island called God Valley in the West Blue. It featured the intense confrontation between the mighty Rocks Pirates and an alliance between the Marines and the Roger Pirates.
The catalyst for this event was the infamous Native Hunting Competition, a barbaric tradition that was held every three years. As the name suggests, this is a tournament where World Nobles participate in an island-wide manhunt for sport. They take pleasure in killing the natives of the island as well as slaves, with those causing the most damage being crowned the victors.

Winners are also given extravagant prizes. In the case of the God Valley, valuable Devil Fruits like the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi and the Uo Uo no Mi, Model Seiryu were up for grabs. Due to how grand this event was, however, the slaves Ginny and Ivankov saw an opportunity to escape their chains.
Hence, before the Native Hunting Competition began, they managed to send a communication off the island about the murderous event and its prizes. This caught the attention of Rocks D. Xebec, the fearsome leader of the Rocks Pirates. Aspiring to become the King of the World and send a message to the World Government, he moved along with his crew to wreak havoc in God Valley.
Additionally, Xebec was also aiming to retrieve an undisclosed treasure that the World Nobles possessed. Due to his ruthless nature and tendency to cause destruction, however, both the Roger Pirates and the Marines wished to stop him. Realizing that they couldn’t achieve their goals on their own, Roger and Garp eventually allied to combat the common enemy.

Together, they could vanquish the threat of the Rocks Pirates. Rocks D. Xebec himself died after this, though the exact cause of his death has not been revealed yet. This resulted in the disbandment of the most powerful pirate crew in the world, one that forced the Marines and pirates to join hands.
Following the God Valley Incident, the World Government erased all traces of Roger's involvement in the defeat of the Rocks Pirates. The island of God Valley vanished, indicating that the World Nobles wished to cover up the events there completely.
The Significance of the God Valley Incident in One Piece
One Piece’s God Valley Incident is important not just because of the fight on the island itself, but also because of what took place after that. Due to Garp’s contributions in defeating Xebec, he was crowned the Hero of the Marines and was offered the position of Admiral. Garp turned this down as he did not wish to serve the World Nobles.
At the same time, his respect for Roger deepened. Hence, their shared experiences motivated Garp to take care of Roger's son, Ace, after his execution. Apart from this, the breaking up of the Rocks Pirates resulted in the formation of the most influential pirate crews in the current One Piece world.
Shiki, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido were all part of the Rocks Pirates and ended up forming groups of their own to rule the seas. Shiki commanded the largest pirate fleet at one point, while the other three became Emperors.
Another future Emperor, Shanks, was abandoned by his father, Figarland Garling, during the God Valley Incident. The Roger Pirates found him inside a treasure chest and took him in. Finally, Bartholomew Kuma, Ginny, and Ivankov escaped the island during the disorder. During this time, Kaido acquired the Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, while Kuma obtained the Nikyu Nikyu no Mi.
Through the God Valley Incident, the foundations for many significant events in the One Piece storyline were laid. Most essential figures in the world were involved in the incident, and the existing power hierarchy was overturned entirely.