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The adage 'History is recorded by the victors' is a central motif that One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda has for some time woven into the narrative. Popular tales frequently fail to convey the complete truth, including the most powerful characters in this world's complex history. Kozuki Oden was no foolish showman prancing through the roads of Wano Country; he behaved out of honor and conviction. Kuma wasn't a merciless villain who tore apart the Straw Hat Pirates, as well; he was helping them. Similarly, the Davy Jones legend signified beyond just a buccaneer's contest in search of flags and followers.

In installment #1164 of the manga, we witness the peak of this idea. The whole God Valley narrative acts 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 characters.

One Piece's latest flashback, detailing the Divine Isle event, represents one of the series' finest storylines to date. Apart from the excitement of seeing icons in their prime, it's compelling to observe them before they turned into icons — when their reputation had still not outgrow their human nature. The past, as written by the Global Authority and retold through secondhand stories, painted our perception of individuals like Gol D. Roger, Rocks D. Xebec, and including Monkey D. Garp. But each of the government's accounts and the stories of those who were acquainted with them turn out to be unreliable, revealing only pieces of who these men truly were.

The Man Prior to the Myth

The future Pirate King may have been driven by mission and the daring spirit that ignited a fresh era of buccaneering, but prior to he was known as the Pirate King, he was a young man governed by passion and the desire to explore. When individuals speak of his myth, they usually refer to his later journey, the epic expedition in pursuit of the Road Poneglyphs that lead to the final island. However little is understood about his first journey, the one that shaped him before fame found him.

At that time, Roger was largely unaware of the globe's secret past. His affection for the barkeep led him to God Valley, where he discovered the Global Authority's darkest realities: the genocidal "games," the grotesque appearances of the Gorosei, and even the existence of the world's unseen sovereign, Imu. We haven't seen Roger's thoughts about everything happening in God Valley, but perhaps discovering the child of a God's Knight on his vessel will lead him to understand his place in the globe and seek the reality he caught a glimpse of from Xebec's situation.

The Reality About The Infamous Captain

Prior to this recollection, what we knew of Xebec came mostly from the former Fleet Admiral's version, both to the audience and to young Navy recruits. He painted Rocks D. Xebec as a vile, power-hungry man determined to achieve world domination, someone so dangerous that Roger and Monkey D. Garp had to join forces to defeat him. But as it turns out, the strategist was not there at God Valley; he was merely echoing the World Government's approved narrative of occurrences, the exact narrative Imu approved to bury the truth about Rocks D. Xebec and the event itself.

In truth, The captain, whose true name was Davy D. Xebec, was a principled man who aimed 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 government's scheme to eliminate the land where his kin resided, he gave up his ambitions of domination to rescue them.

This love for his family proved to be his undoing. After confronting the sovereign, he forfeited his will and liberty, turning into a puppet controlled to their authority. Now, with what limited consciousness remains, he pleads with Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Garp to end his life — believing that dying would be a mercy in contrast to the living hell he endures. The reality of Rocks is thus very different from the tale narrated by the former Fleet Admiral, and the manga presents him in a positive manner during the Divine Isle incidents.

Could He Be Living Today?

But was Rocks D. Xebec actually meet his end? An intriguing theory is that he is even now a slave to Imu in the current timeline, serving as the scarred individual, keeping the World Government's only remaining Poneglyph in continuous movement to keep the One Piece from being discovered.

The Hero's Secret Defiance

A further key figure of the Divine Isle event is Garp, who has faced criticism from followers for a long time for doing nothing as Akainu murdered Portgas D. Ace. That sentiment only grew more intense after the timeskip, when he endangered everything to rescue the young Marine at Hachinosu, leading many to question why he was unable to do the identical for his biological grandson. Comparable doubts have now reemerged with the God Valley recollection: how could Monkey D. Garp serve the Marines, aware the World Government considers genocide and slavery as sport for the upper class?

The reality reveals something different. The moment Monkey D. Garp saw the Elders' grotesque forms, he attacked immediately. His partnership with Gol D. Roger was not meant to defeat some villainous Xebec, but a courageous act of defiance, an effort to halt Imu, who was manipulating Rocks D. Xebec as a pawn to wipe out all in God Valley, even it seems, even the Celestial Dragons themselves. This incident is likely the reason Garp despises the Celestial Dragons in the present day and why he not once wanted to be promoted to Fleet Admiral, answering straight to them.

The Past's Untrustworthy Storytellers

Even though the audience are seeing the Divine Isle event through a flashback recounted by Loki, including perspectives and events he clearly wasn't present for, I believe we can consider this account as completely truthful. The manga may provide an explanation later, perhaps linked to the giant's still mysterious paramecia ability. Nevertheless, the God Valley incident excellently exemplifies the notion that history is written by the winners. This mindset is {