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The saying 'The past is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the story. Legends often do not capture the complete truth, even for the most influential characters in this world's intricate history. Oden wasn't a foolish performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, Davy Jones meant beyond just a pirate's game in pursuit of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing audiences not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently fail to capture the complete reality, including the most powerful characters.

One Piece's most recent flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Apart from the thrill of witnessing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them before they became symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the narratives of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Individual Before the Myth

Gol D. Roger may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that ignited a new age of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by emotion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually mean his later journey, the epic expedition in search of the Road Poneglyphs that point toward the final island. Yet little is understood about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before fame discovered him.

Back then, Gol D. Roger knew little of the world's hidden past. His love for the barkeep led him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister truths: the extermination "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the world's unseen ruler, Imu. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the son of a Holy Knight on his vessel will make him realize his place in the globe and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Before this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, ambitious man bent on world domination, someone so threatening that Gol D. Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, Sengoku wasn't even present at God Valley; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact story the sovereign authorized to conceal the reality about Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple the ruler and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was motivated by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of conquest to save them.

This devotion for his family became his downfall. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and freedom, becoming a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that death would be a kindness compared to the torment he endures. The reality of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable manner during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks actually die? An intriguing theory is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being found.

Garp's Hidden Defiance

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment became even more intense after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have recently resurfaced with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Navy, aware the World Government treats genocide and enslavement as sport for the upper class?

The truth uncovers something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he struck immediately. His partnership with Roger wasn't to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This incident is likely the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, answering directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Although the audience are seeing the God Valley event through a recollection narrated by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as completely truthful. The series may offer an reason in the future, perhaps connected to the giant's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle event perfectly embodies the idea that the past is written by the victors. This attitude is {