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The saying 'History is recorded by the victors' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the story. Legends often do not convey the full reality, even for the most powerful figures in this story's intricate history. Oden was no silly performer dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he acted out of honor and principle. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hats, either; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant more than a pirate's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the culmination of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing audiences not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most powerful figures.

One Piece's most recent look back, detailing the Divine Isle incident, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Apart from the thrill of seeing legends in their peak, it's gripping to observe them before they turned into symbols — when their reputation had still not surpass their humanity. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, shaped our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the stories of those who knew them turn out to be untrustworthy, revealing only pieces of who these men really were.

The Man Prior to the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the daring spirit that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he became the King of the Pirates, he was a youth governed by emotion and the desire to explore. When people discuss his legend, they typically refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to Laugh Tale. However not much is understood about his first journey, the one that molded him prior to fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden past. His affection for Shakky guided him to the Divine Isle, where he discovered the World Government's most sinister realities: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about everything occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his role in the world and pursue the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from Sengoku's account, each to the audience and to new Navy recruits. He depicted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man determined to achieve global control, someone so dangerous that Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was merely repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned narrative of events, the very story the sovereign approved to bury the reality about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the corrupt World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, retribution for his clan, or a wish for justice, but when he discovered the regime's plan to annihilate the land where his family lived, he abandoned his dreams of domination to rescue them.

This devotion for his family proved to be his downfall. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited awareness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — believing that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he suffers. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus very different from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An interesting idea is that he is still a slave to Imu in the present day, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last ancient stone in continuous transit to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Rebellion

Another protagonist of the God Valley incident is Monkey D. Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling became even stronger after the time jump, when he endangered all to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the God Valley flashback: how can Monkey D. Garp serve the Navy, knowing the World Government treats mass murder and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His alliance with Gol D. Roger wasn't to defeat some evil Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an effort to stop Imu, who was using Xebec as a pawn to wipe out everyone in the Divine Isle, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This event is probably the cause Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be promoted to Admiral, answering directly to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the readers are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, including viewpoints and occurrences he obviously was absent for, I believe we can treat this account as entirely accurate. The series may provide an reason in the future, perhaps connected to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {