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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' serves as a central theme that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Popular tales often fail to capture the full reality, including the most influential figures in this world's complex past. Oden was no foolish showman dancing through the streets of Wano; he behaved out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant more than a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths often fail to convey the full reality, including the most influential characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley incident, represents one of the series' finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their humanity. The past, as written by the World Government and recounted through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and including Garp. But both the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Prior to the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by purpose and the daring attitude that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a youth ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When individuals speak of his myth, they typically refer to his second voyage, the grand expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Gol D. Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's happening in God Valley, but perhaps finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his role in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist wasn't even there at the Divine Isle; he was only echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact story Imu authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for fairness, but when he discovered the government's plan to eliminate the land where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy compared to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale told by Sengoku, and the comic shows him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing idea is that he is still a servant to the ruler in the present day, acting as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue Koby at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was manipulating Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even apparently, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including viewpoints and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this version as entirely truthful. The series may provide an explanation in the future, maybe connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the victors. This mindset is {