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The saying 'The past is recorded by the winners' serves as a key motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends frequently fail to convey the full reality, even for the most influential figures in this story's intricate history. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of duty and principle. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of flags and crews.

In chapter #1164 of One Piece, we witness the culmination of this idea. The whole Divine Isle narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to judge the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters.

The series's most recent look back, detailing the God Valley event, stands as one of the story's finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to see them prior to when they became icons — when their fame had yet to surpass their humanity. The past, as recorded by the World Government and recounted through hearsay tales, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But each of the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these individuals truly were.

The Man Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he was known as the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When people speak of his myth, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the guide stones that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him before glory found him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the extermination "contests," the grotesque forms of the Gorosei, and even the presence of the planet's hidden sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his place in the world and pursue the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we were aware of of Xebec came mostly from Sengoku's version, both to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He painted Xebec as a vile, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's sanctioned narrative of occurrences, the exact story Imu authorized to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In truth, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We are unsure if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family resided, he gave up his dreams of conquest to rescue them.

This devotion for his relatives became his undoing. Upon confronting Imu, he forfeited his will and freedom, becoming a puppet enslaved to their power. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — thinking that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the tale told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks actually meet his end? An intriguing idea 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 keep the ultimate treasure from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Rebellion

A further key figure of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured backlash from followers for years for doing nothing as Admiral Akainu killed Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to rescue Koby at Pirate Island, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Comparable questions have recently reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' monstrous shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Roger was not meant to vanquish some evil Xebec, but a courageous act of rebellion, an attempt to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a tool to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, including the World Nobles themselves. This event is likely the reason Monkey D. Garp detests the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Even though the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a recollection narrated by the giant, covering perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as entirely truthful. The series may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to the giant's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Still, the God Valley incident perfectly exemplifies the idea that history is written by the winners. This attitude is {