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The saying 'History is recorded by the winners' is a key motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the story. Legends often fail to capture the full reality, even for the most powerful characters in this story's intricate past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of duty and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma wasn't a ruthless villain who tore apart the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, the Davy Jones legend signified more than a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of flags and crews.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The entire God Valley narrative serves as a warning story, instructing readers not to evaluate the characters too hastily.

Legends frequently do not capture the full reality, including the most powerful figures.

The series's most recent look back, chronicling the Divine Isle event, stands as one of the story's finest arcs to date. Beyond the thrill of witnessing icons in their prime, it's gripping to see them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had yet to outgrow their humanity. The past, as recorded by the Global Authority and recounted through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Gol D. Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the government's records and the stories of those who knew them prove untrustworthy, revealing only fragments of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been guided by purpose and the bold attitude that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his legend, they usually refer to his second voyage, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However not much is known about his initial travels, the one that shaped him before glory discovered him.

Back then, Roger was largely unaware of the world's hidden history. His love for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the presence of the world's unseen ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's occurring in the Divine Isle, but maybe finding the son of a Holy Knight on his ship will lead him to understand his role in the globe and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Truth About The Infamous Captain

Before this flashback, what we knew of Xebec was derived mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's account, both to the viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to join forces to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist was not there at the Divine Isle; he was only repeating the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact story the sovereign authorized to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed to overthrow Imu and dismantle the decadent World Government. We don't know if he was guided by lust for power, revenge for his family, or a desire for justice, but when he found out the government's plan to annihilate the island where his family lived, he abandoned his ambitions of domination to save them.

This love for his family proved to be his downfall. Upon facing Imu, he forfeited his determination and liberty, turning into a puppet enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little awareness is left, he begs with Roger and Monkey D. Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the living hell he suffers. The truth of Rocks is thus far from the story narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive light during the God Valley 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, serving as the scarred individual, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in constant movement to keep the ultimate treasure from being found.

The Hero's Hidden Rebellion

Another protagonist of the Divine Isle incident is Garp, who has faced backlash from fans for years for standing by as Akainu killed Ace. That feeling only grew more intense after the time jump, when he endangered everything to save the young Marine at Pirate Island, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the God Valley flashback: how could Monkey D. Garp work for the Marines, knowing the Global Authority treats genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality uncovers something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Gorosei's monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Roger wasn't to defeat some villainous Rocks D. Xebec, but a bold act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in the Divine Isle, including apparently, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is probably the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the current era and why he never desired to be promoted to Admiral, reporting straight to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the audience are viewing the God Valley event through a recollection recounted by the giant, covering viewpoints and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may provide an reason later, maybe linked to Loki's yet unknown Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the God Valley event perfectly embodies the notion that the past is written by the winners. This mindset is {