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The adage 'History is written by the victors' serves as a key theme that Eiichiro Oda's epic creator Eiichiro Oda has long woven into the narrative. Legends frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most influential characters in this world's complex past. Kozuki Oden wasn't a foolish showman dancing through the roads of Wano; he behaved out of duty and principle. Kuma wasn't a ruthless antagonist who separated the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was doing them a favor. Likewise, Davy Jones meant beyond just a buccaneer's game in pursuit of emblems and crews.

In chapter #1164 of the manga, we see the peak of this theme. The whole God Valley narrative acts as a cautionary tale, instructing readers not to evaluate the individuals too quickly.

Myths frequently do not convey the complete truth, including the most powerful figures.

One Piece's latest flashback, chronicling the Divine Isle event, represents one of the story's finest arcs to now. Beyond the excitement of seeing icons in their peak, it's compelling to observe them prior to when they turned into icons — when their fame had yet to outgrow their human nature. History, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand tales, painted our perception of individuals like Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and even Monkey D. Garp. But both the regime's records and the narratives of those who were acquainted with them prove unreliable, showing only pieces of who these individuals really were.

The Individual Before the Legend

The future Pirate King may have been guided by mission and the bold spirit that sparked a new age of buccaneering, but before he was known as the King of the Pirates, he was a young man governed by passion and wanderlust. When individuals discuss his myth, they typically mean his second voyage, the epic expedition in search of the guide stones that point toward the final island. However little is known about his first journey, the one that shaped him prior to glory discovered him.

At that time, Roger knew little of the world's secret past. His love for Shakky guided him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's most sinister truths: the genocidal "contests," the grotesque appearances of the Five Elders, and even the presence of the world's hidden ruler, the mysterious leader. We are yet to witness Gol D. Roger's reflections about all that's occurring in God Valley, but maybe finding the son of a God's Knight on his vessel will make him realize his role in the world and seek the reality he glimpsed from Rocks D. Xebec's situation.

The Truth 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 viewers and to young Marines. He painted Xebec as a despicable, ambitious man bent on 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 wasn't even present at the Divine Isle; he was merely echoing the Global Authority's sanctioned version of events, the exact narrative the sovereign approved to conceal the reality 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 aimed to topple 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 justice, but when he found out the regime's plan to eliminate the island where his family lived, he gave up his dreams of domination to save them.

This love for his relatives became his downfall. Upon confronting Imu, he lost his determination and freedom, turning into a marionette enslaved to their power. Now, with what limited awareness remains, he begs with Gol D. Roger and Garp to kill him — thinking that dying would be a kindness in contrast to the torment he endures. The truth of Rocks is thus very different from the story told by the former Fleet Admiral, and the comic presents him in a favorable light during the Divine Isle incidents.

Is He Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing idea is that he is even now a slave to the ruler in the current timeline, serving as The Man Marked By Flames, maintaining the World Government's last Poneglyph in continuous movement to prevent the One Piece from being discovered.

Garp's Secret Defiance

A further protagonist of the God Valley incident is Garp, who has endured criticism from fans for years for standing by as Akainu murdered Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he risked everything to save the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he couldn't do the same for his own grandchild. Similar doubts have recently reemerged with the Divine Isle flashback: how could Garp serve the Marines, aware the Global Authority considers mass murder and enslavement as sport for the elite?

The truth reveals something different. The moment Garp saw the Elders' monstrous forms, he attacked without hesitation. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to vanquish some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an attempt to stop the sovereign, who was using Xebec as a tool to wipe out everyone in God Valley, even apparently, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the cause Monkey D. Garp despises the World Nobles in the present day and why he never wanted to be elevated to Fleet Admiral, reporting directly to them.

History's Untrustworthy Narrators

Although the readers are seeing the God Valley event through a flashback narrated by Loki, covering perspectives and occurrences he obviously wasn't present for, I believe we can treat this version as entirely truthful. The manga may offer an explanation later, maybe linked to Loki's still mysterious Devil Fruit. Nevertheless, the Divine Isle incident perfectly embodies the idea that the past is recorded by the winners. This attitude is {