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The adage 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a central theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has long integrated into the narrative. Legends often fail to capture the full reality, including the most powerful characters in this world's intricate history. Kozuki Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma was not a merciless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, either; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend meant more than a buccaneer's game in search of emblems and followers.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the peak of this theme. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters.

The series's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the series' best arcs to now. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they became symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our understanding of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the regime's accounts and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only fragments of who these individuals truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man ruled by emotion and wanderlust. When people speak of his legend, they typically mean his second voyage, the grand quest in search of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. Yet not much is known about his initial travels, the one that molded him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the globe's secret history. His love for Shakky led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest truths: the genocidal "games," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's hidden sovereign, Imu. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about everything happening in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the child of a Holy Knight on his ship will make him realize his place in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About Rocks D. Xebec

Prior to this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only echoing the Global Authority's approved version of occurrences, the exact story Imu approved to bury the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the island where his kin lived, he abandoned his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his family became his undoing. After facing Imu, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Currently, with what little awareness remains, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Could He Be Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, keeping the Global Authority's last ancient stone in continuous transit to prevent the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from fans for years for standing by as Admiral Akainu killed Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he risked all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandson. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how can Garp serve the Marines, knowing the World Government considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something distinct. The moment Garp witnessed the Gorosei's grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Xebec as a tool to eliminate all in God Valley, even it seems, even the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the World Nobles in the present day and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can treat this account as completely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, perhaps connected to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {