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The adage 'The past is recorded by the winners' is a central motif that Eiichiro Oda's epic author Eiichiro Oda has for some time integrated into the narrative. Popular tales often do not convey the complete truth, even for the most influential characters in this story's complex past. Kozuki Oden was no foolish performer prancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Bartholomew Kuma was not a ruthless villain who separated the Straw Hats, as well; he was helping them. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's contest in pursuit of emblems and followers.

In installment #1164 of One Piece, we see the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley story acts as a warning story, instructing readers not to judge the individuals too quickly.

Legends often do not convey the full reality, including the most influential figures.

The series's most recent flashback, chronicling the God Valley event, represents one of the series' best storylines to date. Beyond the thrill of seeing legends in their prime, it's compelling to see them prior to when they turned into symbols — when their fame had yet to surpass their human nature. History, as recorded by the World Government and retold through secondhand stories, shaped our perception of figures like Roger, Xebec, and even Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be untrustworthy, showing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Individual Before the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring attitude that sparked a fresh era of buccaneering, but before he became the Pirate King, he was a youth ruled by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the grand expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. Yet little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to fame found him.

Back then, Roger knew little of the globe's hidden past. His affection for the barkeep guided him to the Divine Isle, where he uncovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the extermination "games," the monstrous forms of the Five Elders, and including the existence of the planet's unseen sovereign, the mysterious leader. We haven't seen Gol D. Roger's thoughts about all that's 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 globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Rocks D. Xebec's predicament.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we were aware of of Rocks D. Xebec came almost entirely from Sengoku's account, each to the viewers and to young Navy recruits. He depicted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man bent on global control, someone so threatening that Roger and Garp had to team up to overcome him. But as it transpires, the strategist wasn't even present at God Valley; he was only repeating the World Government's approved version of occurrences, the very narrative Imu approved to conceal the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the incident itself.

In reality, Rocks D. Xebec, whose real name was Davy D. Xebec, was a ethical man who sought to topple Imu and dismantle the decadent Global Authority. We don't know if he was guided by ambition, revenge for his family, or a wish for fairness, but when he found out the government's plan to eliminate the island where his kin lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his family became his undoing. Upon facing the sovereign, he lost his will and liberty, turning into a marionette enslaved to their authority. Now, with what little consciousness is left, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that death would be a mercy in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks D. Xebec is thus far from the tale told by Sengoku, and the manga shows him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle events.

Is He Still Alive Today?

But did Rocks really die? An interesting idea is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, acting as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the Global Authority's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous transit to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

Another key figure of the God Valley event is Monkey D. Garp, who has endured criticism from followers for a long time for standing by as Admiral Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That feeling only grew stronger after the timeskip, when he endangered all to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, causing many to wonder why he was unable to do the same for his own grandchild. Comparable doubts have now resurfaced with the Divine Isle recollection: how can Garp serve the Navy, aware the Global Authority considers genocide and slavery as sport for the elite?

The reality reveals something distinct. The instant Monkey D. Garp witnessed the Elders' grotesque shapes, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a bold act of rebellion, an attempt to halt the sovereign, who was using Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to eliminate all in God Valley, even it seems, including the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident 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, answering directly to them.

The Past's Unreliable Storytellers

Although the readers are viewing the Divine Isle event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering viewpoints and events he obviously was absent for, I think we can consider this account as completely accurate. The series may offer an reason in the future, maybe connected to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Still, the Divine Isle incident excellently exemplifies the notion that the past is recorded by the victors. This attitude is {