The God Valley Incident is one of those One Piece events that has been talked about for years without fans knowing the full story. It brought together some of the biggest names in the series—Rocks D. Xebec’s crew, the Roger Pirates and the Marines—and whatever happened on that island ended up changing the balance of power in the world. What makes the flashback even more interesting, though, is seeing just how different many of these characters looked back then. Some were barely recognizable compared with their older selves, while others already had hints of the designs they would eventually become famous for.
Gol D. Roger
Gol D. Roger was already a formidable pirate at God Valley, but he hadn’t quite grown into the larger-than-life Pirate King image fans know from the later parts of the story. He was noticeably leaner and, most importantly, didn’t yet have the thick, upward-curving mustache that became one of his trademarks. He was also still wearing the straw hat that would eventually end up with Shanks. Considering how much that hat comes to represent the passing of Roger’s will, seeing it on Roger himself at this point in the timeline is a nice little detail.
By the time Roger reached Laugh Tale and eventually turned himself in, he looked considerably more imposing. He had filled out physically, grown his famous mustache and started wearing the captain’s coat associated with his final years. The straw hat was gone too, having already been passed down to Shanks. It’s a relatively small visual change, but it fits with the larger transformation from an ambitious pirate into the man who would kick off the Great Pirate Era.
Monkey D. Garp
Garp was already a monster at God Valley. In fact, this is probably the version of the Marine hero that best explains why the World Government later treated him as one of its greatest living weapons. He was still young, had dark hair, no beard and very little of the physical wear that would eventually come with decades of fighting. His strength and Haki did most of the talking, and he didn’t need the veteran polish of his older years to make himself terrifying.
The Garp we see later in the story is obviously much older, but he’s hardly become harmless. His hair and beard are white, his face is covered in wrinkles and his fighting style has the confidence of someone who has been doing this for far too long to get nervous now. The physical difference is huge, but the underlying character really hasn’t changed that much. He’s still Garp, just with several decades of battles behind him.
Edward Newgate, Whitebeard
Before he became the Whitebeard who would eventually earn the title of the world’s strongest man, Edward Newgate was one of the younger monsters running with the Rocks Pirates. At God Valley, he had the same huge frame fans associate with him, but his appearance was much less weathered. He had long blonde hair, a clean-shaven face and none of the white mustache that would eventually become impossible to separate from his identity.
Old Whitebeard looked almost like a completely different person at first glance. His hair was gone, his face was heavily lined and the enormous crescent-shaped mustache had become his defining feature. Age and illness had clearly taken their toll, and he needed medical support between battles, but his physical power never really disappeared. Even at Marineford, Newgate was still capable of causing an unbelievable amount of destruction with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
Buckingham Stussy
Buckingham Stussy, or Miss Bakkin as she is known later, has one of the stranger transformations in the entire series. During her time with the Rocks Pirates, she was a tall, attractive blonde with a fairly glamorous appearance. She was one of the few women among a crew packed with some of the most dangerous pirates of the era, which already made her stand out.
The older Bakkin is, well, quite a bit different. She is tiny compared with her younger self, heavily wrinkled and almost comically small. The contrast is so extreme that it’s easy to forget she was once a member of Rocks’ crew herself. Her connection to Whitebeard and Edward Weevil only makes her past even more interesting, especially considering everything else we now know about her and the MADS experiments.
Gloriosa, Elder Nyon
Long before she became the elderly leader known as Elder Nyon on Amazon Lily, Gloriosa had spent time at sea with the Rocks Pirates. She was much taller and stronger-looking in her younger years, with long brown hair and the appearance of someone who could actually hold her own in the kind of crew she had joined.
The years have not exactly been gentle with her. Present-day Gloriosa is tiny and hunched over, with white hair and a face covered in wrinkles. She looks more like the eccentric elder of Amazon Lily than someone who once sailed alongside Rocks, Whitebeard and Big Mom. Still, the sharpness is clearly there. Age changed her appearance, but it didn’t erase the experience she picked up during one of the most dangerous periods in the world’s history.
Charlotte Linlin, Big Mom
It’s easy to forget that Big Mom wasn’t always the enormous, almost cartoonishly imposing Emperor we eventually met. At God Valley, Charlotte Linlin was still in her late twenties and looked considerably slimmer and more athletic. She was already incredibly powerful, of course, but her appearance had a very different elegance to it compared with the massive figure she would become later.
By the time she ruled Totto Land, Linlin had grown into the familiar Big Mom design. Her body had become huge and round, her face had widened and her overall appearance had taken on that strange combination of fairy-tale grandmother and terrifying pirate captain. The funny thing is that her older design actually brings her closer to the giant, imposing presence she had as a child, making her God Valley appearance feel like something of a middle ground between the two.
Kaido
Kaido was one of the youngest major figures at God Valley and was still essentially an apprentice under Rocks. He hadn’t yet become the enormous ruler of Wano that fans would eventually know. He was hot-headed, aggressive and already ridiculously strong, but there was still plenty of growing left to do.
One of the biggest differences is that Kaido had not yet eaten his Devil Fruit. Big Mom gave him the Mythical Zoan Fish-Fish Fruit, Model: Azure Dragon during the chaos surrounding God Valley, setting him on the path toward becoming one of the most terrifying creatures in the world. Years later, Kaido would be almost unrecognizable compared with that younger version, towering over practically everyone, carrying his massive kanabo and sporting his long hair, facial hair and dragon tattoo. His scar from Kozuki Oden is another reminder of just how much happened between God Valley and Wano.
Shiki the Golden Lion
Shiki was already an important figure around the time of God Valley, and his rivalry with Roger would eventually make him one of the biggest names of the old pirate era. Younger Shiki had long blonde hair and carried his two swords, Oto and Kogarashi, as normal weapons rather than the rather unusual prosthetics they later became.
That part of his story came after his escape from Impel Down. During his attempt to break free, Shiki cut off his own legs to escape his Seastone restraints and eventually used his swords in their place. He also ended up with a ship’s steering wheel permanently lodged in his head after his battle with Roger. So while the younger Shiki looked like a fairly conventional, if extremely dangerous, pirate captain, the older version had accumulated a few very memorable injuries along the way.
Captain John
Captain John was another member of the Rocks Pirates and was apparently obsessed with treasure, which eventually became his downfall. At God Valley, he was still alive and looked like a fairly typical pirate captain, complete with bright purple hair, a coat and, unsurprisingly, a bottle of alcohol usually somewhere nearby.
His story ended badly. John was eventually killed by his own crew after refusing to share his treasure, leaving behind the legend of his hidden fortune. Years later, Dr. Hogback recovered his corpse and turned him into one of Gecko Moria’s General Zombies during the Thriller Bark arc. Zombie John still had his distinctive purple hair and swords, although his decayed body—and the swords sticking out of his chest—made it pretty obvious that he had not exactly enjoyed a peaceful afterlife.
Figarland Garling
Figarland Garling was already an important figure during the God Valley Incident, where he took part in the brutal events surrounding the island’s Native Hunting Competition. At the time, he was a young and confident warrior with a distinctive crescent-shaped hairstyle and elaborate armor that suited his position among the God’s Knights.
The older Garling is considerably more intimidating. His hair and beard have turned white, he wears dark sunglasses and his overall appearance is much more severe. More importantly, his position within the World Government has risen dramatically. What began with him as a prominent God’s Knight eventually led to him becoming Supreme Commander and, later, taking Saturn’s place among the Five Elders. So the biggest change isn’t even his appearance—it’s how far he climbed after God Valley.
Silvers Rayleigh
Rayleigh was already Roger’s trusted right-hand man during the God Valley Incident, although the younger version looked quite different from the silver-haired veteran introduced later. His hair was still a reddish-blonde color, his beard was short and neatly kept, and he had the athletic build of someone who was still spending most of his time fighting rather than coating ships on Sabaody.
The older Rayleigh has aged surprisingly well, all things considered. His hair and beard are now completely silver, and he wears the round glasses that have become part of his familiar look. His beard is much longer too, with those distinctive strands hanging around his face. But physically, he’s still incredibly capable. Even decades after God Valley, Rayleigh remains one of the few characters who can casually remind everyone why the old generation was so frightening.
Scopper Gaban
Scopper Gaban completed the Roger Pirates’ main fighting trio alongside Roger and Rayleigh, making him another important player at God Valley. In his younger days, Gaban had dark hair tied back, round sunglasses and a clean-shaven face. He fought with two axes and was known for his speed and ability to keep up with the strongest members of Roger’s crew.
The older Gaban has clearly spent a few decades on the planet. His hair has started to gray, his face carries much deeper lines and he has grown a thick beard that covers much of his jaw. The sunglasses and tied-back hair remain, though, giving him a familiar silhouette despite the obvious signs of age. Like Rayleigh, he is a good example of how much the Roger Pirates’ older members have changed physically while still retaining the traits that made them recognizable in the first place.